All reader reviews by Annie
Rodizio Rico
we went on a saturday for a friend's birthday, i was a bit dubious of the whole concept but was very impressed by the quality of food. the meat was oustanding, perfectly cooked, marinated and really really tasty!! great value for money if you love your meat! even the buffet was really good, lots of choice and it actually looked nice rather than a messy, tired old buffet which you can sometimes get (although we were there early, at around 6.30pm). they didn't have the sea food menu option but they were serving grilled fish. all 4 of us had the all you can eat meat and buffet option and two bottles of wine and one dessert to share and the bill came to just under £150 including service which isn't too bad considering we were all stuffed!
it was our mate's birthday and the staff swiftly arranged a little desert with a candle and came out and did a little dance and singing thing which was nice (but didn't go on too long so it wasn't too embarrassing much to our mate's relief!)
service was very good, with waiters constantly coming over to serve us more meat. waiters were very friendly and polite and the place was busy with a realy mixture of people there so atmosphere was good
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Overall rating 
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Asakusa
We managed to get an early reservation at 6.45 on a Thursday, (we had tried to get in on a Tuesday night before thinking that we would be fine since it was a week night and it was early but it had been fully booked before so we were anxious to go back).
We arrived just in time as the place was packed (with lots of Japanese people too). We were told when we booked that we only had the table at 8pm which was fine but we were never rushed by the staff which was nice even tho we were running a couple of minutes late. Staff were very attentive, friendly, smiley and helpful in suggesting our menu.
It is a small restaurant with tables close together but I love the decor of this restaurant, it looks very authentic with lots of Japanese menus and memorabilia.
Food was delicious, we had miso soup to start, followed by vegetable dumplings with a citrusy chilli sauce, then a very good fresh tasting chicken katsu with a nice salad, rice and pickles, followed by a beef teryaki (steak cooked perfectly to order) in a wonderful sauce with bean sprouts and pickles. The sushi looked really nice and will definitely go back to try some of that next time.
We had 2 beers (Sapporo and Asahi, they also have Kirin and others lus wine etc) and the bill came to just over £30, really good value!!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Back To Basics
i really liked this restaurant, it was quite small and quaint, good decor and a good menu of freshly caught fish. food was delicious especially the bread we had to begin with, a medium sized toasted loaf between the 3 of us with 3 different types of butter - it was beautiful!! for main I had the smoked haddock which was very nice and very well presented, my colleagues had the deep fried codling which looked good and the tuna and butter bean mash which looked divine (although my colleague ordered the tuna to be cooked rare and as far as I could see it was well done).
staff were attentive although probably not overly friendly but nothing to complain about.
prices were quite expensive tho so would probably only go back if it was a special occasion and i was really in the mood for fish (fish mains were probably about £15-20 each).
i visited for a working lunch and the place was surprisingly quiet for a tuesday (probably about half full but it isn't a huge restaurant). however my colleague goes quite often and often has to book so maybe it was just a quiet day. they do have tables outside which i'd imagine would be nice to sit by if it was a nice sunny day
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Overall rating 
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
The Windmill
we visited late on a friday evening and sat in the pub downstairs. the pub was still busy although i think lots of people moved from the pub to the first floor restaurant space soon after we had arrived. i had one of the nicest pies i have ever tasted here. i had the steak and mushroom while my friends both had the shepherds pie which was delicious. the pies tasted fresh rather than frozen, perfectly cooked with lots of gravy and good mash and mushy peas. service was good and they had st austell's tribute on tap. very reasonable prices too so will definitely be back.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Smiths of Smithfield
4 of us visited SOS around 9.30pm last night, it was busy but there were a couple of tables spare at the second floor restaurant and we were quickly seated.
service was very good and the place was buzzing.
two of us ordered the pork belly which came with mash and was the nicest most succulent and tender pork belly I had ever tried. there was no squishy white fat (which I really dislike) just the best crackling i have ever tasted. the other two had a burger with bacon and cheese and tomato relish, also delicious. we ordered chips separately as the burgers only came with one big lettuce leaf and a marinated half tomato which was very tasty.
it was expensive, we only had 4 beers and one course and the bill (including service) was just over £80 for us all. the quality of the food was outstanding however and I will definitely be back again.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
The Oak
returned to the oak last night, arrived early at 6.30 when the staff were still having their dinner in the restaurant, we were sat down immediately by the waitress (place was completely empty) but it soon started to get busier. service was refreshingly very good after last time and pizzas were delicious.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Pierre Victoire
we visited on a busy wednesday evening. the place was busy but we managed to get a table upstairs (the piano player wasn't playing when we were there). the menu is fantastic with a brilliant choice of courses, between the three of us, we had the foie gras and seafood pancake and the tarte tartin, the smoked chicken salad and the banoffee pie and the tortellini and sticky toffee pudding. food was all very good especially at the price! they also have a set menu which is amazing value if you can get there before 7pm. we had two bottles of the house red which was good and the bill including service came to just over £75, for the quality of food and service, it really is outstanding value.
the service was fabulous. attentive and friendly staff. my friend asked for her foie gras to be sent back to the kitchen to be cooked a little more to her taste and the staff graciously took it away, apologised for the inconvenience and wipped her up a new dish without any fuss or complaint. i've been in far more expensive places and not had half the quality of service as this place. the place was buzzing, they had laid back music in the background (although I think we heard the same CD twice as we had been there for so long!) and the little tables with candles make it quite romantic too. will definitely visit again
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Pho
We visited early on a Monday evening. i really liked the decor and the lighting and it struck me as a really nice place to eat. the place is small which is nice and we sat by the bar in the back so had a great view of the restaurant. service was good, polite and attentive. great selection of south east asian beers (Beer Lao, Hanoi, Hue and Saigon!). i had the green tea thinking i would get a nice pot or something but i just got a mug with hot water and a tea bag which was a bit of a let down. we shared a couple of vegetarian dishes which were good although would probably order something different if i came again.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Mandalay
We ate here early on a recent tuesday evening around 6.30, it was very quiet when we arrived but it was filling up when we left. staff were polite and attentive. it is a basic restaurant (cafe style) but the food is superb and very reasonably priced. we shared a selection of dishes, with the samosas, fritters and chicken fried rice standing out. would definitely visit again
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Leong’s Legends
We visited a couple of days ago on a rainy wednesday night, it was only 7pm and the place was packed, we only had to queue for a minute though since we agreed to share a table with another couple. the table was for 6 people however so it was fine and we had plenty of space.
the friend i was with was a vegetarian so we shared quite a lot of vegetarian dishes. the dumplings were delicious!! the best dumplings i ever had, 6 of them too (not the usual 4) so great value. in addition we had the garlic shoots which were very tasty, a tofu dish in a delicious chilli sauce with rice which i would definitely order again! the other two dishes, the vegetarian fish, (basically vegetables and noodles deep fried with a chilli sauce) and the taro noodles, apparently a chef's speciaility but that was probably the dish i least liked out of them all. we also had a coke and a pot of green tea, we were full at the end of it and the bill came to £33 not bad for all the food we ate!!
service was good, attentive, friendly and fast. place was packed. the staff asked us to leave when we had finished our meal because they had a queue of people trying to get in but were very apologetic about it. the restaurant is decorated nicely, very modern and cool, with dim lighting, will definitely be back with my boyfriend to try some meat dishes!
Friday, August 22, 2008
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
The Giaconda Dining Room
We visited early on a wednesday night before a concert. We were the only ones there at 6.30 but within in an hour it was full, with lots of people who seemed to have been a few times before (the waitress recognised them) coming in for dinner that night or to book a table for another meal. This was despite the restaurant having only recently opened too!
This place has a great menu and food was very good, we had pig's trotter and risotto, followed by the tuna and the crab omelette (with LOADS of fresh crab!), ridiculously good value, big portions cooked deliciously well!
We didn't have any wine (we had some interesting and tasty bottles of ale instead) but the wine list was reasonable.
Service was very good although there are only appeared to be one waitress when we were there who was lovely, attentive and very friendly. As the dining room got busier however, service got notably slower and we had to wait for the bill for a little bit, that could have been a one off though. Will definitely be back and looking forward to it!
Friday, August 22, 2008
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Quo Vadis
We visited early on a Saturday evening. It was a little empty when we arrived but it quickly filled up. The dining room is beautiful with lots of character.
We ordered wine by the glass, the riesling, sauvignon blanc, the rioja and the pinot which were all very good. For starters we had the crab which was very basic but very nice and the courgette flowers which were delicious. For main we both had the fillet, perfectly seasoned and cooked as we had ordered which came with triple cooked chips and a huge jug of bernaise sauce. We also ordered some spinach which was probably the nicest spinach I have ever had! For pudding we shared the bitter chocolate cake with pistachio ice cream which was superb. Coffees were also good.
There was only one small hitch and that was that I found a small piece of cellophane on my plate, I have no idea where it came from, whether it was in the sauce or under the steak. It didn't really spoil my meal since I fortunately noticed it before inadvertently putting it in my mouth. I did politely point it out to the waiter who collected our plates however and he was very apologetic. Without asking, he also deducted the price for our coffees and pudding which was appreciated.
Staff were amazing. Everyone of the waiters were professional, friendly and polite throughout our time there.
The menu is quite extensive with so many good options, it took us at least 15 minutes to decide what to have! The food is generally very basic, nothing too fancy, but of very high quality and I would definitely like to go back again.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Ozer
I have been here a few times mainly on business lunches. On my most recent visit the food was very good, I had salmon for lunch which was delicious along with the fantastic bread and hummus which i could live off!
shame about the service tho, it was slow anyway but on this occasion we had ordered one main course which was listed on their quick lunch menu for £10. however when we got the bill, the restaurant had charges us the full price for the dish from the main menu. when we queried this the waitress insisted that we had not stipulated that we were ordering from the quick lunch menu even tho it did not say anywhere on the menu that this was required. we explained that we had not but had pointed to the salmon on the quick menu which we had believed to have been sufficient! anyway it took a great deal of arguing before the restaurant agreed to charge us the quick menu price rather than the full menu price which was significantly more expensive. this was completely unnecessary especially considering taht the person i was having lunch with visits every week.
atmosphere was ok nothing special
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Overall rating 
Food 8 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Kings Arms
we came here one saturday early evening, the place was very empty so there was not much atmosphere.
the service was ok but not great and one in our party had to wait about an extra 5-10 minutes for his main. starters are very expensive for what they are. food was ok and reasonably priced but i have been to LOADS of cheap thai restaurants and you can get better quality food for the price.
it's also annoying that they only take cash and you have to go to the bar yourself to order drinks.
would try and avoid going back
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Amalfi
my friends had told me that this place was going to be good so i was looking forward to it but was disappointed.
the decor is lovely and i can imagine it would be quite romantic with the right person
i had a pasta bake for main which was the worse pasta bake i have ever had in my life!! it was swimming with oil, was poorly seasoned and the ingredients tasted cheap. my friends had pizzas which looked ok but not great.
service was ok but unremarkable and the atmosphere was missing something possible because of all the tourists that were there. will definitely not be back.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
The Cumberland Arms
i've eaten here on a number of occasions and have always had good food. recently i visited and had the steak sandwich which was huge and very filling. the menu changes regularly so it's always worth going back
staff are always polite and friendly and the atmosphere is always relaxed with lots of locals which is one of the things i like about this place. good selection of beers on tap too.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Pause Bar
went here recently for lunch and had a surprisingly good meal.
atmosphere was buzzing and it got very packed around 1pm.
staff were friendly, attentive, polite and unphased by how busy the place got.
food was delicious, we shared the lamb burger which was very nice and the steak sandwich which is one of the best steak sandwiches i have ever had, served with a pot of creamed cheese on the side as well which i wasn't sure of but it is such a great combination!! would definitely be back
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Star of India (Old Brompton Rd)
we visited here recently on a thursday night. the place was full downstairs when we arrived and atmosphere was good.
we shared a selection of vegetarian dishes, four in total with two portions of rice and i must say they were probably the nicest vegetarian dishes i have ever had.
service was bit surly but there were no big problems. we shared a large bottle of cobra and the bill came to around £40 would definitely go back at some point
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Cambio de Tercio
i ate here for an anniversary recently. it was a monday night and the place was packed!! people were still coming in when we left at 11.30 and i can see why because the food was amazing!!
we had an array of tapas dishes and shared the suckling pig main. the tapas dishes were sensational, in particular the patatas bravas. i love good patas bravas at the best of time but here it is something else it is to die for! the suckling pig was also very good although if i ate there again i would probably just stick to the tapas dishes rather than sacrificing one for a main.
when ordering our wine, the waiter suggested/presumed that we would agree to go for a bottle which was £5 more expensive than the one we had initially gone for which i thought was a bit cheeky but it was one of the nicest bottles of red wine i had had for a long time so we didn't complain (i just wonder whether the one we initially wanted would have been as good). other than that service was faultless, brilliant polite and charming staff who are also attentive, we didn't have to wait for anything.
we also had a couple of sherries and a beautiful chocolate dessert. would definitely recommend going back it is expensive but worth it especially for a special occasion
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
India Club
we visited on a wednesday night before a concert at summerset house.
atmosphere was a bit funny, the place is very basic so there is no music and it's all quite worn down but that's what gives the place character i guess.
service was a little slow and we had a mix up with the BYO since the waiter told us (after we had bought our drinks from the newsagents next door) that BYO was only allowed from the bar downstairs, it was ok as the waiter let it go so we had no complaints.
food was good, we shared a selection of vegetarian dishes some which were amazing, others not so good. i definitely would not recommend the onion bhajis which we ordered and we found to be very tasteless but that could be just because they are very different from the ones i have had before.
not sure if i would bother going again
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Overall rating 
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Hummus Bros
we came here on a wednesday night and it was full and buzzing.
service was quick and polite and the hummus was delicious. we shared the chickpea dish which was very good and the fava bean which i would not recommend. very good value especially if you're a hummus fan!!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Imli
we visited here on a tuesday night and shared lots of vegetarian dishes. atmosphere was good and it was busy which is always a good sign.
the staff were very helpful and attentive and the food was delicious.
Excellent value too with the bill coming to £30 including drinks and service and i was full!!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Haozhan
we visited here recently on a monday night and it was probably half full which didn't help the atmosphere. on the other hand the service was amazing although there were far too many waiters for the amount of people there with most waiters just hanging about doing nothing in the back.
food was delcious we had some spicy malaysian noodles which were sublime, will definitely be ordering them again! the other dish we had was singapore noodles which i didn't think to be very tasty and were served quite cold.
the decor is very modern and swish as expected since it has only recently open. worth a look if you are looking for somewhere to eat in china town
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Firehouse
i was taken here as a special occasion but was horribly disappointed.
we were sat next to a roaring hot fire so we were sweltering. there was a big party in the next room which seemed to be where the staff were concentrating on. i didn't think service was very good for us. starters were good - scallops. however, i ordered a fillet steak for main which i had ordered to be medium however it was served rare and positively burnt on the outside. i can't believe that the kitchen had served it to me since it was so obviously burnt - i assume they hoped they would get away with it since it is so dark in the dining room. i tried my best to eat it and would have complained had it not been that we were out for a special occasion.
other than the party, the restaurant appeared very quiet and they were playing incredibly depressing slow songs (the kind you listen to when you want to cry about someone having recently died) which didn't really help the mood.
the food was definitely over priced, the only saving grace of the evening was that we had a bottle of nice wine which was also expensive (£40 when it retails at £20). would not recommend or be going back.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Overall rating 
Food 5 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 5
Dartmouth Castle
we went on a friday night and had no trouble getting a table even tho it was reasonably busy.
i had one of the nicest and most tender piece of roast lamb that i have ever had and delicious roast potatoes with lots of bread, olive oil and balsamic to start.
good selection of reasonably priced wines too.
service was relaxed but then it is a pub so it's what i would expect. menu often changes so will definitely go back at some point.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Churchill Arms
I have been coming hear for years and have never been disappointed! I even went through a long period of going at least once a week sometimes twice because it's so good.
Food is excellent value with all dishes delicious and cost £6 with no side orders necessary. This place does the best pad thai - I love it. For some reason they have increased the spiciness of the penang curry (my old favourite) which was divine so try it now at your own risk!
Service is always good, staff are always charming and the food is always served quickly. Atmosphere is brilliant because it's usually always busy. Not the place for a romantic meal due to the one hour sitting rule but a perfect place to eat great thai food.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Kam Tong
Have been going to Kam Tong for years and have always had excellent food at good prices. It is my favourite Chinese restaurant in London.
Service has always been brilliant and the atmosphere is always good. It's usually busy!
Can definitely recommend the spring rolls, black bean sauce, chilli squid and egg fried rice. Portions have become smaller over the years but the food is still good value.
Took all my family for a big meal here recently and they all agreed that it was one of the best Chinese meals that they had.
Am looking forward to going back!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Wild Honey
We visited on Saturday and had a wonderful meal.
Food was wonderful, we had the crab and salmon to start followed by the rabbit and lamb, with a selection of cheeses and the honey ice cream for pudding. Crab was to die for and the lamb was incredibly tender.
We went early, 6.30pm and the atmosphere was good even tho the restaurant was probably only half full. It was probably nicer for us that it was quieter since the tables are close together and we could hear every word of the couple's conversation next to us when they arrived (just as we were leaving).
Service was excellent, polite and relaxed. I also really like the opportunity to buy carafes of wine which is really good value. We had a riesling, a pinot noir and a sticky which were all fantastic.
Food is expensive but prices that you would expect. Would definitely go back. Menu incidentally appears to be almost identical to its sister Arbitus.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
