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 | London Restaurants | Tips 11 - 20 of 2699 |  |
 | |  |  | E Pellicci: E Pellicci - historic cafe in Bethnal Green | Tip Rating:  Satisfaction:   |  |  | |  |
After a few years on the wish list, we finally made it to E Pellicci. This small East End café is not your average greasy spoon - it dates back to 1900 and has been owned and staffed by the same family since it opened - Dad is on the coffee machine, Mum is in the kitchen, and the kids and cousins help with everything else. It has a stunning art-deco interior with wood-panelled walls which date back to 1946, and is now Grade II listed. When we arrived at around 9am for breakfast, the café was filled with regulars having giant plates of food and constant tea top-ups. As they ate they bantered with the staff and discussed which horses to back that day. We were given a very friendly welcome and chatted with the waiter about our plans for the day.
Breakfast arrived quickly - a large plate filled with bacon, eggs, beans and chips (is it wrong to love chips for breakfast!?). The tea was automatically served nice and strong, with milk, just the way I like it, though the coffee was very ordinary. What a great place - a snippet of history that will hopefully survive for another century or more, and cheap too. Only £5 per head for a meal that kept me full all day - bargain! Leave a Comment Theme: LocalPrice: US$11-20 » Currency ConverterComparison: less expensive than averageAddress: 332 Bethnal Green Road, London E2 0AGPhone: 020 7739 4873Directions: Nearest tube: Bethnal GreenWebsite: http://www.classiccafes.co.uk/Pelliccifeature.htm
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| | | | Electric Brasserie: Electric Brasserie, Notting Hill | Tip Rating: Satisfaction: | | | | |
One evening we were going to the Electric Cinema to see Oceans 13. Before the movie we popped next door to the Electric Brasserie for dinner. I must admit to not expecting to enjoy the experience that much.... I thought perhaps this trendy place (on Portobello Road) had had its day.... Well, I was pleasantly surprised. When we arrived I was concerned about how noisy it was - thankfully we were lead to the restaurant area at the rear, which was much quieter than the bar area, though still a little too loud for relaxed conversation. We had very friendly service throughout the evening, and the moodily lit room would have been perfect for a romantic meal, except that the tables were pretty close together and we ended up spending most of the meal chatting with the inebriated fellows from Leeds at the table next to us. I think they may have been "somebody", but I am hopeless with celebrity spotting.
Anyhoo, the food. Inspired by the pleasurable sighs from the table next to us, we ordered some oysters to share as a starter. They were huge and creamy delicious. For main course I had the Lemon Sole, served with samphire, and Alex had the Rib eye steak with chips and bearnaise sauce. Both meals were really enjoyable. We still had some time before the movie started, so we decided to share dessert - a Chocolate brownie with pistachio ice cream. Thank goodness we were sharing - this was one huge brownie - and delicious too! Leave a Comment Theme: Eclectic/InternationalPrice: US$41 and up » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: 191 Portobello Road, London W11 2EDPhone: 020 7908 9696Directions: Nearest Tube: Ladbroke Grove is about 5 minutes walkWebsite: http://www.electricbrasserie.com
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| | | | Fire & Stone: Fire & Stone - Gourmet Pizza near Covent Garden | Tip Rating: Satisfaction: | | | | |
Fire & Stone is a Gourmet Pizza restaurant located very close to Covent Garden Piazza. Yes, there a lots and lots of pizza restaurants around here, but Fire & Stone stands out by being a little bit different than the rest. Firstly, it is housed in a very impressive space - one review I read described it as an "aircraft-hangar-sized setting". It is indeed a large, lofty room, which was already filled to the brim when we dined at the pre-theatre friendly time of 6.30pm. The waiting staff were busy but still managed a smile and a discussion about their favourite pizzas. Food was delivered quite quickly which was perfect for those of us dining on time constraints. So, the pizzas - these aren't your average Italian style pizzas, but they are 'gourmet' pizzas with all manner of toppings. They are stone-baked in the largest wood-fired pizza oven in the northern hemisphere (or so their website says!).
There is a 'round-the-world' theme going on with the pizzas - they are all named after places around the world, such as London, Sydney, New York, Cairo, with the toppings reflecting the culture of the countries. We had the Sydney (well, had to try the one from our home town didn't we!) and the Bombay. The Sydney has Crisp oven-roasted smoked bacon, free range egg, shaved smoked ham, mozzarella, Fire & Stone’s tomato sauce, basil & chives. It was good, but I found the ham a little too sweet for my taste. I preferred the Bombay, with Roast tandoori marinated chicken breast, spiced tandoori yoghurt base, broccoli, sliced red onion, mozzarella, spiced mango chutney & cucumber & mint yoghurt. I did enjoy the pizza's, and will probably return one day to sample some of the other intriguing combinations....though I must confess that I think I may still prefer Pizza Express - scandalous I know ; ) Leave a Comment Theme: PizzaPrice: US$21-30 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: 31/32 Maiden Lane, London WC2E 7JSPhone: 020 7257 8613Directions: Nearest Tube: Covent Garden or Charing Cross are both only a couple of minutes walkWebsite: http://www.fireandstone.com/ Other Contact: info@fireandstone.com
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| | | | Great Queen Street: Great Queen Street, near Covent Garden | Tip Rating: Satisfaction: | | | | |
I was eagerly anticipating our evening at Great Queen Street - not only was I going to spend some time wining and dining with loved ones, but I was also going to get to check out one of the current 'places to go'. Located a stones throw from Covent Garden, Great Queen Street is seemingly trying to keep a low profile, with no signage on the exterior. There was just a small menu stuck on the front window with the name, along with the tempting dishes on offer. On entering the red-walled, wooden floored, attractive space, I was momentarily taken-aback by the noise. Yep, this is a noisy place with no soft furnishings to help soak up the excited chatter. That said, the atmosphere was great, and the place was really buzzing at 7.30pm on a Monday night. The staff were wonderful - friendly, knowledgeable, helpful, patient. I wanted to become best friends with them all. The crowd was animated, with a good mix of after-workers, groups of friends, tables for two, and even one of the owners of Arbutus/Wild Honey was spied sitting at the bar with a mate.
The menu was an intriguing mix of British fare, with dishes simply named, such as "Crab on Toast" or "Foie Gras" or "Cup of Gazpacho" - no need to ask for menu translations! There were six of us dining, and to start we all shared the Smoked mackerel, and two of the daily specials - the Snail salad, and the Pigeon bruscetta. The mackerel was deliciously smoky, and the pigeon even impressed our resident pigeon-phobe. For main course four of us shared the Seven hour neck of lamb and boulangere potatoes - what a great dish! The lamb was so tender, and the serve of potatoes was probably big enough to feed the whole restaurant! We also had the Braised shin of Hereford beef, and the Braised duck. These choices got the thumbs-up as well. Dessert finished off the meal perfectly, and included the Little chocolate pot, and a few scoops of the Banana & Caramel ice cream and the Pear & Vanilla sorbet. We had an excellent evening at Great Queen Street, though I wouldn't go there in a group again as the noise made it impossible for the whole table to participate in a conversation. Next time it will just be me and Alex, and a good bottle of red ; ) Leave a Comment Theme: Eclectic/InternationalPrice: US$31-40 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: 32 Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AAPhone: 020 7242 0622Directions: Nearest tube: Covent Garden and Holborn are both only a few minutes walk
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| | | | Hamburger Union: Hamburger Union - branches across London | Tip Rating: Satisfaction: | | | | |
One Saturday lunch time we had just been checking out the exhibition at New London Architecture, just off Tottenham Court Road, and needed something quick and easy for lunch. We decided to pop into Hamburger Union (a small chain) and see how their burgers compared to other burger chains in London. In a word - disappointing. I think I was expecting something more gourmet than a pretty simple burger. Ok, it was much better than McDonalds or the like though, but dearer of course. You have to order and pay at the counter and you will be given a number to put in the holder on your table. Once your meal is ready it will be delivered to you.
The menu is quite small, though there should be something to keep everyone happy. Burgers come in single or double size, or alternatively order one 'Protein style' which means there is no bun, the meat is served between two lettuce leaves. Alex had the Monterey Jack & Bacon Cheeseburger with smoked streaky bacon, ketchup, mayo, red onion and lettuce, and Alison & I shared the Barn reared Chicken Sandwich with rosemary, lemon and thyme marinade, tomato and lettuce. We all shared one serve of chips and some mineral water. The highlight of the meal was probably the chips which were nice hand cut chips, well cooked. Leave a Comment Theme: Eclectic/InternationalPrice: US$11-20 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averagePhone: 020 7636 0011Directions: We went to the branch at 64 Tottenham Court Rd, London, W1T 2ET, but there are several branches across London now. Refer to the website for more details.Website: http://www.hamburgerunion.com/index.html Other Contact: info@hamburgerunion.com
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| | | | High Road Brasserie: High Road Brasserie, Chiswick - West London | Tip Rating: Satisfaction: | | | | |
West London is a buzz with news of the latest hip place to dine - the High Road Brasserie in Chiswick. The brasserie is part of the swanky High Road House, which contains a boutique hotel and members club upstairs, and the stylish brasserie and Cowshed shop on street level. The brasserie is open to the general public, and I headed there one day for lunch with my friend Angela and her well behaved baby son, Oscar, about 3 weeks after they opened. As we hadn't booked ahead, we missed out on a table on the front terrace, but enjoyed sitting in the opulent interior instead. The brasserie is quite stunning, with its pillars and mirrors, deco-style lighting and colourfully tiled floor, and service is as slick. It was busy on the Friday I visited for lunch, and the phone didn't stop ringing the whole time we were there (which was a little annoying!) with others wanting to check out what all the fuss is about.
The food menu has something for everyone - lighter meals like sandwiches, salads, pastas and burgers - meats such as aged steaks and suckling pig - a big selection of fresh seafood and some very tempting big seafood platters (I shall be going back for dinner!). For lunch I had the Chicken Club Sandwich, which was served with some very delicious shoestring fries. Angela had the Pea & Pecorino Risotto which she really enjoyed. Oscar chewed on some crusty bread and seemed to be pretty impressed by the place, as was I. Leave a Comment Theme: Eclectic/InternationalPrice: US$31-40 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: 162-166 Chiswick High Road London W4 1PRPhone: 020 8742 7474Directions: Nearest tube: Turnham Green is a couple of minutes walkWebsite: http://www.highroadhouse.co.uk/
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| | | | Hush Brasserie: Hush Brasserie, Stylish Mayfair Brasserie & Bar | Tip Rating: Satisfaction: | | | | |
Located in Mayfair, just off the fashionable New Bond Street, is Hush Brasserie & Bar & Restaurant. This is a stylish place which is owned by Roger Moore's son, though there was no sign of the ex-Bond actor when we were there ; ) We dined at Hush one evening and really enjoyed the stylish atmosphere of the place. The brasserie is on the lower level, and there is a heated terrace. Upstairs is the bar and restaurant. Service was very efficient, though we did get the feeling that we were being rushed through our meal.
We actually had a free two course meal to redeem at Hush (due to points earned via a restaurant booking website), so could only choose from a small set menu. We both ended up having the Hush Hamburger, and I must say it wasn't worth writing home about. Thankfully desserts were better - I had the Glazed Lemon Tart and Alex had the Sticky Toffee Pudding. Both were really good. We really enjoyed the atmosphere at Hush and I would recommend it you are looking for a classy night out. Leave a Comment Theme: Eclectic/InternationalPrice: US$41 and up » Currency ConverterComparison: more expensive than averageAddress: 8 Lancashire Court, Brook Street, London W1S 1EYPhone: 020 7659 1500Directions: Nearest Tube: Bond Street or Green ParkWebsite: http://www.strictlyhush.com/hush/index.html Other Contact: info@hush.co.uk
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| | | | Inn at Kew Gardens: Gastro Pub in Kew - Inn at Kew Gardens | Tip Rating: Satisfaction: | | | | |
The Inn at Kew Gardens is an award winning Gastro Pub located below the Kew Gardens Hotel, in Kew, West London. I had started reading good things about the food there, so we arranged to meet some friends there for dinner one night. You enter off the street into a welcoming bar area. The inside dining area is to the rear, and there is also a heated terrace for those willing to brave the weather. Above the dining area is a little mezzanine area consisting of comfy leather chairs that are perfect for a relaxing drink and natter with your mates. We sat in the inside area to eat, as the autumn evening was a little chilly for alfresco dining, heaters or not! Service was friendly, though a bit vague, and we had quite a hard time getting the bill....apparently they didn't want us to leave :-/
The menu was quite small, though we all managed to find something we liked the sound of. For main course, I had the Pan-Fried Bream with Roasted Vegetables, Alex had the Braised Belly of Pork with Mustard Mash, Laura had the Chicken & Leek Pie (from the daily specials) and Adrian had the Hamburger (from the bar menu). I was disappointed in my meal, and the others weren't too amazing either unfortunately. We decided to brave dessert - Laura & I had the Lemon & Lime Soufflé, and Alex had the Chocolate Brioche pudding (which looked like a chocolate brownie). The Chocolate dish was really tasty, the "soufflé" was terrible....and was nothing like any soufflé I have had before. Although we had a lovely evening with our friends, it was such a shame that the food was mainly a disappointment. It certainly didn't live up to the hype. Leave a Comment Theme: Pub/BreweryPrice: US$21-30 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: 292 Sandycombe Road, Kew TW9 3NGPhone: 020 8940 2220Directions: Nearest Tube: Kew Gardens is only a couple of minutes walkWebsite: http://www.theinnatkewgardens.com/index.html Other Contact: enquiries@theinnatkewgardens.com
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on October 14, 2007
