Kerry H.

Review of Ikea

17 May 08, 15:46

A23 Hell

It seems to me that the people in charge of locating Ikea stores in the UK took complete leave of their senses when they plumped for Croydon. Travelling from Brighton into Croydon via the A23 is just miserable. What should probably take you up to an hour nearly always ends up taking you two. By the time you get there you are a shadow of your former self and you haven't even started yet.

OK so this branch of Ikea is vast but it is ALWAYS packed and chaotic...it's enough to bring the sanest of people to tears. Don't get me wrong I quite like a trip to Ikea...especially as they do veggie hotdogs at the exit...but I avoid Croydon like the plague. I drive to Lakeside now. It's further to go but actually takes less time...motorway all the way...result!

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Martins

17 May 08, 10:40

How much?!

49p for a KitKat Chunky? You're having a giraffe surely??!

This branch of Martin's in Portslade is the closest 'convenience' store to my place of work so I don't have a lot of choice in the matter when in need but it is SO EXPENSIVE. They don't seem to have an awful lot of stock either and in the summer it gets so hot in there your choclate bar is a puddle before you even unwrap it.

On a brighter note...the nice girl that does the early shift is friendly and chatty...despite looking a little stressed most of the time. I can only imagine she doesn't see much of the massive profit they're making!

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Review of Prince Albert

14 May 08, 18:39

Never again

This should be a wicked place to go. It's a fantastic music venue in a great location right next to Brighton station. It's like being in someone's house because of all the different rooms and mismatched furniture...and you'll find a nice piece of Banky's handiwork on the wall outside. I won't tell you what it is...wander by and have a look.

However...the last two times I've been to the Prince Albert there have been some very unsavoury sorts in there. My female friend was actually threatened by some guy when she accidentally took his seat. It was really unpleasant and I won't go back. Shame.

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Review of BP Service Stations Hove Filling Station

14 May 08, 18:28

I'm a regular

Yes...having an M&S Food attached to my nearest petrol station is an absolute bonus. I go every Saturday to stock up for my shift at work...although it does mean I spend way too much on lunch...and eat way too many nice things!

However...there are two big problems here. First of all there's not enough parking out front for those not filling up at the pumps...it's chaos out there. Also the queues inside are unbelievable...not enough staff with too few tills open. Rubbish.

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Review of Topshop

09 May 08, 08:24

Gutted

I am and always have been a Topshop girl...but this branch is such a let down. I always thought I would never fail to find something I liked in the mighty TS but this just isn't the case in Brighton. Their stock is rubbish...the layout is rubbish...the changing rooms are a bit minging...and the queues for the cash desk are long and slllllllloooooow. It's enough to make you want to burst into tears and teleport yourself to Oxford Street.

This is a thriving, fashion conscious city...come on Topshop...sort it out.

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Review of Little Italy

07 May 08, 17:36

Hmmm

Fed up of eating in the countless chains in the city centre we headed out to Moseley for something a bit more 'soulful' if you know what I mean.

We were recommended Little Italy as a good local independent Italian restaurant but were really disappointed. The food is very expensive for what it is...£8 for pasta with a tomato sauce. Sadly it didn't live up to it's price tag...just not that tasty and our food reached our table way too quick to be freshly made. And although some may find it charming it really does need a lick of paint or three...and maybe a couple of pictures on the artexed walls would help. Shame really...it could have a lot of potential.

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Review of Old Orleans Brighton

01 May 08, 21:31

Not for me

This place reminds me a little of Yates'...you know the sort of place I mean. Bit manky...no atmosphere...clusters of very pissed girls making a LOT of noise!

The cocktail menu's good though...we went there early doors for my friend's birthday to kick start the evening without spending a fortune. We had a laugh but only because there was quite a few of us. Doubt I'd go there out of choice again.

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.

Review of The Crescent

01 May 08, 10:37

Nowt special

The Crescent is ok...I've been there quite a few times as my mates live nearby but it's not really somewhere I'd choose to go...particularly for food. It's not bad for Friday night drinks...I quite like the atmosphere of the place.

However, we went for a roast a few months back. I was absolutely starving when I got there and absolutely disappointed by the time I left. Burnt roast potatoes that were hard in the middle, soggy veg and watery gravy. Surely the great British roast isn't that hard to get right? Well...it seems The Crescent have lost the recipe.

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Review of Odeon Cinema

30 Apr 08, 07:05

Needs a seeing to

This is one of two cinemas in the Brighton area...the Odeon is the great grandad of the two and really could do with an update. Yes they show everything they should by way of new releases and there are several screens but the outside of the building is positively ugly and the inside could do with a deep clean.

You do tend to get stuck to the floors and you'll find old popcorn and the like stuck to your seat. Nice. Oh and if the auditorium is full...it gets uncomfortably warm in there.

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Review of The Station

28 Apr 08, 08:18

We waited...and waited...and waited

Now The Station at Hove could be a really great place...and I've had a couple of decent nights in there with work mates but mostly because of who I was with. It lacks a certain something...maybe it's the size & layout of the place.

My last visit there really put me off...they do a buy one get one free pizza offer on a Tuesday (I think it's a Tuesday anyway). I went with 4 other mates and although we all ordered our pizzas all together they came out about 45 minutes apart. Even then they got the order wrong and they really weren't that nice either. P*ss up and brewery spring to mind! I'm sure I'll go back to The Station but it won't be to eat...which is a shame because it could be really good.

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.

Review of T G I Fridays

27 Apr 08, 20:04

Not what it used to be

When Fridays first arrived in our area we were so excited! It was flashy and American and great fun to visit as a young teenager. As the years have gone by it seems to have just gone downhill fast.

It still has all the required TGI memorabilia on the walls, the over keen staff and the big meaty menu but the food is quite simply poor. It all seems a bit lack-lustre these days. The bar still gets very busy at weekends but I wonder if that's simply to do with the fact that there really aren't many places to go in the area. Shame...it really was one of my favourite places to eat back in the day. Now I'd swerve it everytime.

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Review of Pitcher & Piano

27 Apr 08, 19:30

Great spot...

...disappointing food.

Granted I've only been to Pitcher & Piano in Southampton once and although I love its waterside location for drinks I doubt I'll go back there to eat again.

There was very little choice for veggies...there's quite a lot of us these days...it's not that difficult. When my food eventually arrived at the table it looked as if it had been sitting about for a while and was only just warm. It was pretty bland too. It was early on a Sunday lunchtime so pretty quiet in there. The staff seemed polite and friendly but service was slow considering how few people they had to look after. Maybe they'd had a big night out on the Saturday??!

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Review of Bowlplex

24 Apr 08, 07:54

Technical hitches aplenty!

I have been to the Bowlplex at Brighton Marina maybe 3 or 4 times. I have to admit this review is based purely on the poor experience I had the last time I visited only a couple of months ago.

There was a large group of us there really up for having a laugh and getting involved in some healthy competition between mates. Despite booking lanes in advance it took them a while to find us lanes next to each other. It didn't take long for things to start breaking...I think 3 of our 4 lanes broke down in total. It was all a bit of a shame really. We did get moved eventually but some of us didn't even get time to finish our game.

We did still have a right laugh though...and when things go right...you can't beat a good bit of ten-pin.

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Review of Nando's Chickenland

22 Apr 08, 08:50

Ok...

...so Nando's Chickenland is really not the best place for a vegetarian but they do have options on the menu although few and far between.

I've only eaten at the Brighton branch once and I won't go there again. Or to any other Nando's for that matter. I ordered a veggie burger specifically without mayonnaise. It eventually came (service is snail-like) smothered in the stuff and when I complained I was told that's how it's advertised on the menu so I should've been clearer with my order. The cheek of it! I was totally unimpressed with the whole experience to be honest.

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Review of Village Inn

19 Apr 08, 17:43

Unimpressed

I'm from the Swanwick area originally and used to drink in the Village Inn with all my mates back in the day...good times.

Many years on and the place has had a full re-fit and is now part of the Ember Inns chain (think that's what it's called anyway). I went there for lunch a few Sundays ago when I was visiting the family. We were pleased to find the access was good for those with mobility problems...my nan was able to get to our table without there being any annoying steps for her to tackle.

The food however is really very uninspiring. There wasn't much on the menu by way of veggie options and the one thing I really fancied they didn't have. I went for the rice noodles with chinese vegetables and halloumi. Strange combination I know! The noodles were all clamped together as is the effect when it comes straight out of the microwave and the halloumi had just been melted over the top. Very odd indeed. Granted it is very cheap but that really is its only saving grace. Mind you the staff are very pleasant...so not all bad.

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Review of Honey Club

18 Apr 08, 23:06

Am I too old?!

It might just be my age but I think I've had it with the Honey Club.

I've been maybe 3 times in the past 18 months and just didn't really like it much. Don't get me wrong they book some seriously good DJs but I just don't feel at ease there. There seems to be a little bit of an attitude about the place at times...there's too much primping and preening in the ladies and people generally seem too bothered about what they're wearing to have a proper good time.

Not only that but it is REALLY expensive...when you have to pay £15 just to get through the door on certain nights it does leave a bit of a bad taste in your mouth and the drinks are equally as extortionate.

Blimey...I really do sound old. Think I best get to bed with a nice cup of Horlicks.

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Review of Havana Restaurant & Bar

18 Apr 08, 09:04

Right up its own backside!

Havana was the first ever restaurant I ate in when I moved to Brighton. In fact I ate there the day I arrived here after a hard day of driving and unloading and traipsing up and down steps. Me and my then boyfriend were starving and looking forward to wandering around in our new town (it was a town then!) and having something good to eat.

We wandered from place to place and everywhere was full...it was a warm Saturday night in July. We eventually found a table at Havana which they seemed to begrudge giving us. We were still in our 'moving clothes' which by no means were scruffy. Just jeans & t-shirts really. However we were scowled at by the staff throughout the evening.

Don't get me wrong the food is good but expensive...they also go for the small and pretty angle when it comes to portion sizes. It didn't exactly fill a gap. The restaurant itself is looks lovely...all wood falls and white furniture.

I did go back to Havana a couple of years later with a mate and her footballer boyfriend. I watched whilst the staff flapped around him...although my friend and I were still treated with the same disdain I'd experienced before.

I certainly wouldn't go back there again. There's nothing worse than being made to feel like you should be grateful for being somewhere like that.

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