All reader reviews by Delores VanCartier

Melati (Peter St)

I have been going to Melati for many years and it is still my favourite Malaysian restaurant in London. The staff are lovely and I have enjoyed every meal I have had here. This place has been around for a very long time and has become a Soho institute - there is a reason why it has survived so long, and that is because people love coming back.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9

Marine Ices

I have been a fan of Marine Ices for many years. But I don't know whether the quality there has slipped, or if they just haven't kept up with the rest.

The ice cream is a real treat. The same it's always been. Delicious and generous portions. However, quite a few Italian gelato outlets have opened across London and have certainly raised the bar on quality and authenticity. Most of them beat Marine Ices hands down. Key indicators is the pistachio ice cream. a good quality authentic italian pistachio gelato is made with high quality pistachio paste and no colouring. The resulting ice cream has a rich nutty flavour and a khaki colour. Not bright green.

Service at Marine Ices is perfect. Friendly and efficient. It has a real family business feel.

The restaurant food is sadly very mediocre. On my last visit, our calamari arrived limp and rubbery (no sign of crispiness in the batter), and the quoattri formaggi pizza was bland and some of the cheese hadn't even melted. Stuffed mushrooms were oily and just tasted of salt. breadcrumb and parmesan topping on the mushrooms was soggy and greasy with a lack of any signs of being grilled or baked. I thought they were microwaved or reheated.

I will probably go again sometime for ice cream if i am in the area, but definitely skip the restaurant food.

The most authentic gelato in London is no longer found at Marine though...

Monday, February 14, 2011
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6

De Hems

It is sad that the food in this pub is more a reflection of it's location in touristy central london than it is of Dutch culture.

The food is awful. Traditional Dutch bar snacks such as bitterballen, frikandellen, frites and kipsate served in traditional cheap bad British pub style. (greasy, tasteless, lukewarm and plonked on a plate with a poor leaf of limp brown lettuce).

Any Dutchman would refuse to pay for it - and so should you.

Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0

India Club

One of my friends has been raving about this place and took us on an adventure back to the days of the Raj. It was quite an experience. What a bizarre place - tucked away on the Strand.

It was really cute to discover one of the hidden delights of London - but to be honest, the food is really not that good. Not even for basic.

For authentic Indian food, at very good value, the best places are still in the Eastend.

Any of the canteen restaurants in East Ham beat the India Club hands down.

Thursday, December 02, 2010
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 2

Gaylord Restaurant

I took my parents here for a meal as I thought it looked lovely. An upmarket Indian restaurant with upmarket prices.

What a disappointment. The staff were slow and unattentive. The food was very mediocre and was not even throroughly hot when it arrived at the table.

I refused to pay the 15% service charge which was included in the bill. Firstly because it was more than I would normally want to leave as a tip, and secondly because I did not want to leave a tip at all.

This baffled the staff even more. They did not even understand what I meant - why or what I was asking them to take off the bill. We waited so long for the new bill to arrive that in the end I just popped out across the road and got some money out of the cash machine, came back and paid my bill in cash - without the service charge.

Monday, November 15, 2010
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1

Leon (Spitalfields)

Leon is a great place for a hearty lunch and healthy food.

Food here has always been great though they don't change the menu often.

The only downside are the shared toilets. For a reason that I have never understood, women ALWAYS take ages when they go to the toilet and hence there is always a long queue for the ladies toilets, while there is rarely a queue at the men's toilets.

The problem with the shared toilets is that as a man, I now also had to queue for the toilets which were all hogged up by women. gggrrrrr !!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6

The Real Greek (Spitalfields)

went here last night with a friend and i am glad that i did not check the reviews beforehand as they are pretty bad.

experience wasn't bad at all. it was fairly quiet and the service was friendly and quick.

i am not a great fan of greek food. it's just a lot of meat - i like meat, but i prefer some more flavour and spice. that's just a personal preference though. i just find greek food generally quite bland.

food was fine. tasted fresh and arrived hot. portions very small for the price. our bill came to £25 each for food + one soft drink. we had 3 little mezzes each. it was enough food to fill us up but for that money we definitely could have had a proper feast elsewhere.

incidentally, all my greek friends hate this chain.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2

Las Iguanas (Spitalfields)

I've been to the branch on the southbank before which is always full of really, really, really awful and loud and drunk hen nights.

I went to the Spitalfields branch for the first time yesterday and had a really lovely time. The service was friendly and efficient. The food was generous and tasty! I will definitely come back again.

Monday, November 08, 2010
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7

Princi

This place is AL-WAYS busy - and there is a reason why. The food is all very fresh and delicious, though I do agree with the other reviewers who've said that it could be hotter. It's true - the hot dishes are never hot.

I've never been disappointed in the taste of the food and like to try something new everytime I go.

The staff are okay - not smiley, not particularly friendly. They're not rude, but just a bit cold and bored.

Thursday, November 04, 2010
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 6

Ping Pong (Spitalfields)

Been to different branches of ping pong a few times and decided that the Spitalfields branch is my favourite one after eating there with my sister. We enjoyed it so much that we went back for another big meal within a week!

We prefer ping pong to traditional 'proper' chinese dim sum restaurants because we don't eat pork and the majority of dim sim in chinese restaurants are pork based. At ping pong there is a lot of choice in seafood which is why I love going there.

Both times, we opted for the unlimited dim-sum option. You do need to have quite an apetite for that, I must admit. But at less than £19 per person, it is definitely worth it. I worked out that it is good value for money as long as you order at least 6 dishes each, and that is really easy to do for most average eaters.

The food tastes fresh and delicious. The staff are really friendly and helpful.

Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7

Rosa's (Soho)

Went here for the first time a few weeks ago. What a lovely little place. It always makes me happy to see a restaurateur who understands their customers who don't just want good food, but also a nice place to eat and socialise.

Food was great and arrived quickly. We had Thai curries. Staff were friendly. It's a really cute place. Feels like sitting inside a wooden dollhouse or a cigarbox. :)

One small nag was that on the day that we were there, the front door was open (because of the hot weather) and all the smoke from the smokers at the pub next door blew inside. That's only a very small thing though as I particularly dislike the smell of other people smoking while I am enjoying my dinner :)

I'd definitely go here again.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 6

Rasa Sayang

I love Malaysian food and haven't found many places in the westend that do a good one. I walked past Rasa Sayang a few times. Time Out reviews are cellotaped to the window. Can't be that bad? Most reviews on here disagree. So a couple of weeks ago when I really wanted to try some Roti Canai, I thought I'd risk it. The place looks very basic. Cheap furniture and no atmosphere or interior design whatsoever. I didn't particularly want to stay and 'soak up the ambiance' over a meal so it had to be a take away. Staff were short and not particularly friendly or unfriendly. It didn't really bother me as 'service with a smile' is generally something unknown in Chinatown.

I didn't have to wait too long for my food. I ordered the roti canai and a chicken curry and took it home. Flavour was very good. Meat was a bit stingy for the price. Roti canai was 'okay'.

I think the food was okay. It really wasn't that bad. I might even go back some day in the future to try something else.

In the meantime - the best Malaysian food in Soho HAS to be Melati on Peter Street. Go there instead.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 4

Maison Bertaux

Maison Bertaux is an institution and full of character - and that's really the only reason to go there. though i am sure there once was a time when Bertaux served the best French patisserie you could find in Soho, they sadly haven't really managed to keep up with the likes of Patisserie Valerie, Amato and even Paul - all of which serve cakes and pastries of a far superior quality and choice (at a better price too). At £4.50 a piece, you won't be coming to Bertaux for the cake - it must be the ambiance. Saying that, ambiance and character does not have to sacrifice hygiene and housekeeping. The Maison looks like it hasn't seen a bottle of bleach in 30 years.

Friday, May 28, 2010
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 2

Pacific Oriental

The restaurant looks very impressive and stylish and the decor is glamorous - but for some reason they've often got football or rugby showing on several giant tv screens in the restaurant.

i can see they are desperately trying to lure in business from the city gents having after work drinks in the area - but it doesn't appeal to me as a diner.

Thursday, August 20, 2009
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 7

Wahaca (Covent Garden)

After being put off by the long queues outside every single time i tried to go there, i finally decided to just put up with it and see what it is all about. I went with two other people who'd also never been before.

we had been standing in the slow moving queue for some time contemplating whether we should give up and take our money and hunger somewhere else when the woman in front of us turned around and said "it is definitely worth the wait!" - i thought that was quite funny and so we decided to stay.

we got out table after about 20mins - i hate waiting, but this was not the worst i've experienced. the staff were really nice and friendly. the restaurant is very loud and noisy so not the best place for a date or conversation.

The food is very reasonably priced. We ordered 2 tapas style dishes each. The food tasted fresh and delicious. We all enjoyed it. One of my friends had the churros with chocolate for dessert which were delicious too.

there isn't really much on the menu in terms of healthy food (most of it being deep fried) but it is really tasty and a lovely tread.

I'll be going there again.... one day when i feel ready to face that queue again.

Thursday, August 06, 2009
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8

Mimosa Bar and Grill

I went to Mimosa one evening when I was actually looking for Bistro which used to be situated around there. As they had a meal deal - 2 courses for about £9 - and i fancied grilled food, I decided to give it a try.

The woman at the door was very friendly. It was only about 18.30, so not busy at all. I was the only customer inside, there were a couple other tables outside having drinks.

Service was very very very slow. I waited ages before they took my order and about 40 mins before my food + drink arrived at the same time.

I ordered fried calamari as a starter, and a mixed grill with salad as a main. the starter of calamari consisted of, I am not joking, 3 squid rings each the size of a 50p coin, served on a small heap of shredded cabbage. I can't believe they dare to charge money for that! I am sure it wasn't meant to be haute cuisine.

the mixed grill with salad arrived like it was also just plonked on a plate. lacking presentation there. the "mixed salad" that was served with the meat was just more shredded cabbage, with tomato and a blob of cheap honey mustard dressing. the meat was undercooked - even after waiting 40 mins for it to arrive. Kofte was red and raw inside and lacked any kind of seasoning or flavour. i picked on some pieces of lamb but left pretty much everything on my plate and decided to leave.

I waited another half an hour to pay for my bill which arrived with 12.5% service charge.

Okay, it was a cheap meal - but if you are looking for eating out on a budget, you can get a much better standard of food and service elsewhere in the westend.

Thursday, August 06, 2009
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2

The Drunken Monkey

The reason why The Drunken Monkey serves 24hr DimSum is because it comes out of a freezer bag. And a very cheap one too. I should know because I have been buying the exact same bags of frozen dim sum in Chinatown for a few pounds a bag for years and I recognise the taste immediately.

I guess it is okay if you had a few drinks and want something to eat - as it is marginally better than those hotdogs they sell on the street, but if you want to go somewhere for dim sum, i would avoid this place and go somewhere in Chinatown instead.

The interior looks quite spectacular from outside with all the red chinese lanterns hanging from the ceiling and it usually looks lively in the evenings. Looks like a fun place to have a drink basically.

Thursday, July 30, 2009
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 1

Yauatcha

I've been going to Yauatcha for years just for the amazing looking cakes. it is a nice treat after an afternoon of shopping or if i have people visiting me in London.

Staff can be a bit slow and you can't really rely on them to explain anything on the menu. They just don't know or make it up as they go along. They are very friendly though.

This is one of my favourite cake places in London.

I have never been to the dim sum restaurant - mainly because most of the dishes involve pork and i don't eat that, so there's not much to choose from for me.

Thursday, July 30, 2009
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7

La Porte des Indes

i took my parents here for my birthday dinner and we had a lovely evening. i agree with the other reviewers that the food was a bit overpriced for what you get, but the decor and presentation does make it a refreshing difference from your average indian restaurant.

The cuisine is different from the average indian restaurant, but if you read up the restaurant, or check the menus - you will see that they are not intended to be 'typical indian'.

The food, though expensive, was fine and we finished it all. The good thing about it was that it was not greasy or covered in a layer of oil, like I usually get in Indian restaurants.

Service was friendly and attentive the evening that we were there.

Thursday, July 30, 2009
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 3

LMNT

This is a litle gem hidden in Hackney and I am so glad that it's there.

The decor is unusual and I love taking friends out for dinner here.

The food is frech european and great value.

It does get a bit hot in the alcoves upstairs but it is great for novelty value and very cosy/unusual.

Thursday, July 30, 2009
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8

Yoshino

I am only familiar with Yoshino's take-away counter on Shaftesbury Avenue.

It's definitely the best place to get very reasonlably priced sushi in the westend. It's great if you want to grab some lunch or have a picnic nearby.

I am a fan of the rolls. Tuna mayo and crab being my favourite. They used to do really amazing smoked salmon rolls but I don't like the taste of the new organic salmon they use. It tastes too strong. The set sushi trays are great value too with a variety of different sushi. I wish they did more sashiimi though as I am trying to cut down on rice.

Staff are always friendly and helpful and you get served quite quick.

Thursday, July 30, 2009
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 9

Busaba Eathai (Wardour St)

I love the food at Busaba eathai. I've been here many times over the years and the food's always been good.

There are so many delicious things on the menu that it can be hard not to order too much food or spend too much money. So I like to go here as a treat.

The things I don't like about Busaba are the queues. As somebody from the european continent, I refuse to queue for restaurants. Especially in a city like London where there are so many places to spend your money on food - why should I queue. If I see a queue, I just go somewhere else.

The Soho branch seems to be the busiest. Store St is getting busier too.

The second things I really don't like is the table sharing. It is cramped, and if you want to keep your bags and coats with you, there is just no room. Like Bruno would say: table sharing is so 10 years ago. If I go for a meal with a friend, I like privacy.

Thursday, July 30, 2009
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8

The International Bar, Lounge & Restaurant

This is a great little discovery for lunch. They serve a nice choice of dishes + a drink for £5-£6. I am always a bit suspicious about ridiculously cheap lunch deals as the food is usually either not very good, or so small that it still leaves you hungry. It's been nice every time I've been though. The thai chicken curry is one of my favourites here.

Thursday, July 30, 2009
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 8

The Hill Bar & Brasserie

I hadn't read any of the reviews here before visiting The Hill. I went with a friend who lives local and wanted to try it out.

It was nice and relaxed and the service was friendly. I had a steak and L.P. had salmon. The portions were very big for small eaters like us but it was so delicious that we both cleared out plates.

We both had a great time and it is a nice place to go as a treat and to catch up with friends.

Saturday, March 11, 2006
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5

La Forchetta

I am normally not too keen on waiters pulling punters off the street, but S.B. and I were looking for a nice place to eat pasta on Upper Street and the £4.90 for any pizza or pasta dish offer sounded great so we went in.

The restaurant is not very big, but a nice size and the staff are friendly. It was fairly quiet when we got there but it soon filled up and by the time we left there were people waiting for tables.

We both had a pizza with spicy chicken, which was lovely and crisp. The bill came to about 25 quid for the both of us but that was mainly because of the wine. I'm not often in the mood for pizza or pasta but I would definitely go again.

I recommend arriving early or booking ahead if you are planning to go with more than 3-4 people as the space is small and tables fill up quickly.

Saturday, March 11, 2006
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9

Au Lac

i went here with a group of friends on a tuesday night.

the staff were really friendly and nice.

the menu is quite large and everything sounds yummy which makes it difficult to choose.

there were six of us and we ordered a selection of starters to share.

the prawns and squid in salt & pepper were very juicy and spicey. the steamed prawns in lemon grass was an unusual flavour but very nice. we also had quail which i'd never eaten before. the waitress explained to us how to use the garnish of salt and lemon on the quail. it was delicious and juicy and i could certainly recommend it.

as a main course i had a bowl of rice noodles and salad with chicken in lemon grass. it tasted very light and healthy and i'd definitely have it again.

Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9

Bistrotheque

I've only been here for brunch at weekends, but I am planning to go back for dinner sometime.

as a local, I am a big fan of Bistrotheque because there isn't anything like it in Hackney.

the food is prepared to high standard, the service is good and the staff not pretentious or arrogant. it is not as cheap as we are used in the eastend, but i am happy to pay a bit more for a special treat.

For brunch I have had lovely thick toast with jam, and i have also been here for roast dinner which was a huge plate ful with a crispy yorkshire pudding. yummy !

Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8

Melati (Peter St)

Melati is one of my favourite restaurants in London. The Indonesian/Malaysian dishes are absolutely delicious and definitely the best i have tasted in London. I recommend trying the satay. Melati is one of the few places in London that serves beef satay, and does it well. the meat is thouroughly marinated and very tender. the flavours are a combination of hot and sweet. I can recommend the noodle dishes, especially the istemewa dishes which come with both satay and beef rendang (beef braised in coconut and sweet soy), which is a real delicacy if prepared right. i could eat here every day.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10

Le Mercury

i have been here a couple of times and it was very busy both times. i recommend booking in advance if you want to go on a friday night or at weekends.

the food is really good value for money and very tasty too. the service was very good even though all tables were full.

the menu is not very big so i won't go there too often, but i would definitely go again.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8