Vlad 's reviews
Review of Party Superstores
07 Aug 07, 12:38
Clowning around 
The place to go - in fact the only place to go in the area - if you need to hire a fancy dress costume. A huge array of outfits from the cheap and cheerful to the more expensive and ornate are held in the basement to hire or buy. Perfect if you need to stitch up a mate for a stag weekend / night.
The cost varies but look to spend an average of about £45 (this doesn't include the desposit on your card too, which is refunded if the item is undamaged). The cheaper ones do risk breaking though so err on the side of the more expensive if you can. On the down side, some of the outfits have been around for a while so get a bit tatty and some of the more encompassing ones have the lived in smell. Mind you, if it was perfection you were looking for you'd buy your own.
There are changing rooms so you can check how the outfits look before you rent them. Look at the website for a full view of all the types of outfits. Service is quick but on Saturdays it gets busy and can take some time despite the efforts of the three staff below.
Upstairs, the shop is filled with a variety of masks, party poppers, swords, wigs, fake blood, guns, ballons, fake dog crap etc etc etc. Anything and everything that you need to hold a party for young children or adults alike. Prices seem suprisingly cheap but it quickly mounts up. If they don't have anything you really want then ask the staff and they'll order it in for you.
If you are bringing children, there is an Asda car park round the corner which can be used by shoppers so worth parking there. CJ Train station otherwise.
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Review of Cafe Delight
07 Aug 07, 11:44
The last of a dying breed?
These old greasy spoons are getting rarer now. Pushed out by Starbucks and places selling smoothies.
It's a greasy spoon of the old school. Formica 1970's tables and chairs, set breakfast menus (the works - eggs, sausages, bacon, has browns, bubble and squeak, black pudding etc - will set you back around £4 with an extra £1 for a coffee). Portions are massive.
Gordon Ramsey's it aint but it's a true local from the times when Clapham wasn't filled with migrants from Fulham.
The service is friendly the food is what you'd expect - on the greasy side. You'll love it when you're hungover, you probably won't if you're not. It's worth going her just to people watch. Beware the mad woman with the push bag. Beware. :-)
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Review of Benugo
06 Aug 07, 16:42
Hurrah! 
Yes. Go here. Pret Schmet.
Benugos. Freshly made sandwiches. Made in front of you, hot or cold, with lots of salads too. You can eat in round the back of the counter or takeaway sandwiches in nice shiney silver wrapping. Interesting breads and rolls used in them too.
It is more expensive though than you're usual lunchtime sandwich. Around £3.50 - £4.00. The special changes each day but you'll notice that over the long term they don't really which means that it can become a bit repetitive after a while (Like most sandwich shops I suppose)
Favourite: Turkey, bacon, brie and cranberry. Toasted.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review of Kurz and Lang
06 Aug 07, 16:33
Achtung ein Sausage!
OK. Excellent. Very original German fast food alternative to your typical sandwich bar.
£5 for lunch gets you a wurst (beef or pork sausage) with sauerkraut and diced fried potatoes. Bread rolls are 50 p extra. You can buy beers and other soft drinks. It is simply very tasty. Thats only the set menu you can other things too.
I love this place. Get takeaway or eat on one of the small tables out side (its more angled towards the lunch and takeaway market though)
The currywurst is nice (diced sausage with some curry sauce spread on it.)
Staff are friendly and service is very fast.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review of SO.UK
06 Aug 07, 16:17
Nice and Original Morrocan
Local legend say that this was set up by Leslie Ash several years ago.
Anyway....
The concept is Morrocan (So.uk / Souk - as in arab marketplace...do you see what they've done there?) and the decor reflects that. Dark wood, and low comfortable seats. The tables are in the form of huge circular golden metal plates surrounded by low seating. This can make it all a bit uncomfortable after a while but I suppose the emphasis is on providing a Arab dining experience of a kind.
The food is very varied from simple meze (Starters: humous, babaganoush etc) to more complicated moroccan food. It's is delicious. If you like North African food, you'll love this place. The staff are excellent, very friendly and contributes to So.UK's slightly exclusive air.
Well worth going there if you fancy something other than the usual french, italian etc.
Just don't expect the standard dining experience though. The seating gets a bit wierd and uncomfortable after a while. The food is expensive too but well worth it simply because of its originality in an area dominated by the standard pizza palours and fast food chains.
Nearly £30 for a few different plates and some wine. Expensive for what it was in amount but worth it for quality and originality. Oh, and they do good cocktails there too.
At night on the weekends it becomes a club / drinking den in its own right, complete with bouncers on the doors. Not sure that this works. While eating there is nice, we were disappointed by its effort to be a bar. Just too small a space and the bar is too difficult to get to. This must be why there's a regular queue outside late at night.
Save it for a less hectic winter weekend and best used as a place to have a quick bite to eat before hitting the bigger bars and clubs nearby.
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Review of The Hive Honey Shop
06 Aug 07, 14:37
Oh Honey, Honey 
About as niche a shop as you can get....It's all about the bees.
You have to go here just to see the glass panelled working bee hive that they have in the shop. Children love it.
The store is about bees and honey. The honey with honey comb in it is particularly good but there are countless other varieties all from bees pollenating different plants and in different countries.
There are beeswax candles, royal honey, soaps, mead, anything bee related - you'll find it here. They'll even advise you on bee keeping if you want....
Note: During Christmas the shop sets a stall up outside selling Mead to shoppers (an alcoholic honey based drink). Bottles cost around £8 (spiced and normal) but are a delicious alternative to Mulled wine. Try it.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review of Hennessys
06 Aug 07, 14:19
Support your independent butchers
The Northcote road is well known for its independent retailers. This is one of them. Not for much longer maybe.
Hennessys are butchers selling fresh organic produce that are produced where possible organically and in the UK.
They know what they are talking about and will advise you on cooking times and even recommend alternatives or suggest cooking. Makes shopping fun. If you fancy eating some game - ask these guys.
A wide array of meats steaks and sausages. Prices vary but a joint of lamb costs around £14. Their smoked bacon is also very nice.
If you can, shop here. The landlords are raising the rents on the Northcote road so no doubt it'll disappear to be replaced by another bland supermarket who doesn't care what you cook as long as you buy it from them.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of The Railway
06 Aug 07, 14:01
Good pub
Part of the group that own the Sun and the Falcon in the same area. The concept is the same: Gastro pub with the emphasis on good cheap Thai food. Plenty of seats outside on the high street but otehrwise nothing extrardinary. Well decorated, large bar with attentive staff, popular as a pre-night out haunt.
It's what you want from a pub.
Tip: Careful of your bags when you sit outside. There is a bit of street crime at the Clapham North end of the high street.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of The Clapham North
06 Aug 07, 13:55
Rather good
2 years ago, your feet would stick to the 1970's lino when you entered this place.
Post refurb, its now funky, dark and full of young beautiful people in the evening when it takes on a more club atmosphere. Agree with Daniel H - being served can be a problem in the evenings.
During the day it morphs into its second personality - a smart gastro pub. During sunny days the front of the building opens up - there are limited tables at the front on the main road - giving the place a nice open feel. The food is above expectations and above normal gastro pub fare. The breakfast is particularly good but you can have snacks and full on meals as you please.It is relatively expensive.
Hint: The Bloody Marys are great.
It has a TV screen at the back for those football fans and you can also hire out the back part for a private function (Well, you could a year ago).
A evening venue in its own right.
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Review of The Cafe
06 Aug 07, 13:35
Hangover?
Sunday morning, hangover, newspaper, english breakfast, brown sauce, coffee.
No blueberry muffins. No Lattes with vanilla. No wi-fi connections.
Thank God for old fashioned greasy spoons like this.
End of.
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