Amy's reviews
Review of La Porchetta
20 Jul 07, 16:49
Eat so much that it hurts but it's cheap and it's good food 
I was introduced to this place by some Italians a while back so it is fairly authentic. When you're inside, you'll probably notice that it's a bit of a tight squeeze or to put it more eloquently, cosy and intimate. You could almost be at Wagamamas because you are so close to your next table and it is quite noisy. However, the food is excellent and there is a lot of it. Pastas, pizzas, risottos whichever you choose the portions are massive and at between £5-7 per main, it's more than good value. They are not the most adventurous of dishes but they are good at what they do which is simple Italian dishes. One time I went with a friend whose birthday it was and we let the waiters know. They came along later during the meal to bang pans and cover my friend's face in pizza dough. It was very fun.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Bar Shu
20 Jul 07, 17:22
Not for the faint hearted
Bar Shu is daringly unlike most other Chinese restaurants, it is super hot and spicy. The majority of its dishes deserve a spice warning of at least 4 chillis. The Sichuan province of China is notorious for its spicy food, yet in Central London, this is only one of two that I know of (the other being near Kings Cross on Chalton Street). It is quite pricey, depending on what you eat, on the menu, there was one dish that's price tag read something like £73! I steered clear of that one. But even though each dish is probably spicier than you think you'll be able to handle, they are so delicious that you just can't help pinching more of it with your chopsticks. The twice fried pork was very good. The dish to watch out for is the Beef in water. This dish was literally caked in almost a cm of chilli seeds, enough to probably give you a stomach ulcer. When I tried this, within seconds my tongue had gone numb. A meal for two cost around £60. The service was ok, but all the recommendations were for the spicier foods and we had to push for a more balanced meal to find the less spicy dishes.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Review of Diwana Bhel Poori House
26 Jul 07, 13:35
Vegetarian Indian - what it says on the tin 
Before I went to Diwana, I had heard that the service was going to be terrible, but I had forgotten this as I entered the door. The service wasn't at all bad, good in fact. I went there for dinner and what actually struck me as I first got inside was the amount of pine decor. We were shown to a booth which was surprisingly uncomfortable and you could easily feel each of the movements of whomever you shared the bench. But despite this there was a good atmosphere.
We were served by the manager of the place who seemed to be the only person serving anyone. However, he was expedient and was not pushy with his recommendations. When I tried to order more than he thought that I'd be able to handle, he recommended that I didn't order as much food and also pointed our attention to the best value parts of the menu. Curries of the day are £6.50 with either a chapati or rice. The chapatis were quite heavy, but authentic and South Indian. Extra dishes were around £4 including brinjal bhajee (auberjines) and dal. The dishes were tasty and although basic they did the job. The pooris were good too and crispier than any I've had before. It was great to just stuff them with pumpkin curry and raita. A bit delicate and so I got curry all over my fingers, but I like messy food. Yum!
They do not have an alcohol licence, so it's BYO but just two doors down, there's a small shop where you can buy beer for about £1.20 per can.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Fire and Stone
26 Jul 07, 13:49
Fusion pizzaria
Fire and Stone is generally a safe bet if you're looking to eat in Covent Garden. Its appeal lies in that it has made pizza more upmarket than Pizza Hut and combines fresh ingredients with World styles.Almost each pizza has a dollop of sometime which you can dip your crusts into too, from mint yogurt sauce to sour cream. The giant oven that dominates the front of the restaurant, given that it rises above two floors is impressive too.
One of the best reasons to go to this restaurant is that the selection is huge and almost half of it is vegetarian. So it helps to cater for everyone. Having said this, I am not veggie, and the London pizza topped with Black pudding is and oddly tasty combination.
If you already know that you want to go beforehand, go to the website and there are usually a couple of special offers on there including £10 for pizza and wine. Bargain.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review of Sketch
26 Jul 07, 14:01
A very unusual restaurant 
I wanted to go to sketch merely for the infamous alien egg toilets that they have. I didn't realise that the food was going to be amazing too.
The entrance looked as if the walls had once been alive and sucked the chairs inside of it. The clockroom had a full revolving wall too. Very futuristic. And the toilets were as expected, very odd. In the dining area, there were red lasers being deflected by revolving mirrors in a half white and half red split coloured room. I'd never seen anything like it before.
The food itself was probably a little pricey for lunch £60 for two people not including dessert or alcohol. But they had white asparus which I've not seen in this country and they cooked it the way it's meant to be cooked; so that you can slice it like warm butter. The lamb that I had was tender and full of flavour. One of the best meals that I'd had in a long time. The service was very friendly too, not stuck up like I thought that it could have been.
It's definately somewhere I'd like to go back to, but maybe when I've got a bit more money.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review of Rocket
26 Jul 07, 14:08
Could have been anywhere 
The service at this restaurant was exceedingly slow and rude. I went there during my lunch hour and by the end of my lunch hour, the food had still not arrived as we'd only just been served. Ok, that's probably a little harsh, but it did take 30 mins to get someone to take our order. Our table was not the only table to get bad service. One that was adjacent to ours were still eating their starters when the mains arrived. When I asked how long I could expect that our food would take to arrive, I was curtly told by the waiter that everyone was in the same position as I was.
I was expecting more from here given that the two times before that I'd tried to eat in the restaurant it was fully booked. The pizza was ok, could have expected the same at Pizza Express but with better service.
Won't return soon.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Canteen
31 Jul 07, 22:39
Wagamamas of British food
The menu stated that all orders were made to order. The slight inaccuracy of this statement was apparent when I tried to first order a juice that wasn't a mixed one. 'They've already been made' came our waitress' reply and then again when I tried to order a main dish.
The layout of this restaurant is exactly like Wagamamas if you've ever been, even the juice drinks are uninventively the same e.g. carrot and ginger. Bench seats where you get sat snugly next to strangers, but then it is called Canteen afterall. I chose the steak and asked for it medium rare. Instead, it was well done, dry and tasteless. Another member of our party had the roast pork which was on the specials menu, that was by contrast to my dish quite succulent but this merely emphasised how my dish was small, bland and not worth around the £16 mark that they were charging for it.
Have heard, however, that their pies are rather good and that I happened to choose the wrong dish. I might end up going back and trying again.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of New Tayyab
31 Jul 07, 22:54
My favourite Indian (well really Pakistan origin) food
I love the food here. Tucked behind Whitechapel High Street and right next to the Royal London Hospital it is a popular place so be prepared to queue. Have queued a couple of times for about 30-40 minutes. But even when I have booked in advance, have still had to wait for a short while until they have space.
The mango lassi is delightful here. Frothy, sweet and not too heavy. I also recommend the tandoori lamb and the kebabs for starters. The kebabs arrive sizzling on a hot dish, packed with spices and herbs which just makes a meal more exciting. I might be remembering this inaccurately, but they were around the 80p mark and worth more than every penny. And the lamb, so soft that it just slid off the bone and just melts in your mouth. It is however, quite spicy, so be prepared, the dishes may not be too suitable for timid tastebuds.
A meal here will generally cost around a tenner, and is definately worth the trek out Eastbound.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Thai Metro
31 Jul 07, 23:06
Normal Thai food
The standard Thai dishes including pad thai and tom yum are great here. Not too greasy, but enough grease for it to be satisfying. The service that I've received here has always been good, even though they've often had people waiting to be seated, the waiters have never rushed us. Although everything from the decor to the food is nothing out of the ordinary, it is the service that I have had here that makes me fond of the place.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of The Last
31 Jul 07, 23:20
Full of suited and booted
The Last is a bar where the decor falls into the category of high factory ceilings, dark wooden floors, expensive drinks and not too much character.
As you enter, you'll notice quite an bustly kitchen area with the rest of the bar to the right of it. But often this bar is so crowded that it makes it difficult for you to maneourve around the suits to make it to the bar. But having only ever gone here after work and it being surrounded by offices, that's probably the reason for it. All drinks are City prices so don't go expecting it to be overly reasonable. The only food that I've ever tried there too has either been grilled or fried, so not too creative with their menu, but it's not too bad at the same time: the homous tastes homemade.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.