Lauren's reviews
Review of The Corner Store
07 Aug 08, 11:25
Shockingly rude bar staff and terrible atmophere 
The staff at this pub should be utterly ashamed of themselves.
I went there last night with a group of 40 people (we had booked an area and arranged it with the pub beforehand). The group consisted of a range of ages from 20 to 60+. All of us bought drinks (as you do in pubs) and many of us bought food.
After we had been at the pub for a short while one of our group walked out having been very rudely spoken to by the manager. She was an older lady who had opted for a cup of tea, and been told that food must be bought and that this wasn't a place for people like her (the manager actually banged her fist on the table while imparting this information).
A few of us, who had arranged to drink at this pub, approached the manager to find out what was wrong. We were told that our group did not "fit in the with image of the pub" that she was trying to create. She told us "people are standing up at the bar and laughing at you."
She insisted we should buy more food, though there were plenty of groups in there who were just drinking.
She also said that if we wanted to come back she would find us a space downstairs out of the way.
Her staff were very rude, and at times mean (failing to clean up after accidentally spilling a drink on one of our group and then returning to the bar to laugh about it with the rest of the staff).
We all spent money in her pub. We were all polite to the staff and well behaved.
It amazes me how a pub like this, in the heart of a city that is famed for its diversity, can be so prejudiced. I think the manager and her staff should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves, and hope this review helps them to see changes need to be made in their attitude.
Needless to say we will not be returning.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of The Toll Gate
01 Feb 08, 09:20
An easy-going hangover haven 
If your hangover will let you leave the house, and you find yourself in Archway, then I would let your feet lead you to this little cafe.
My friends and I, a little worse for wear from the previous night's quaffing and kebabing (I know, I know), were not up for much more than a strong coffee and a cranberry juice.
The Toll Gate changed our minds for us. I ended up going for their big fried breakfast. Which was a far cry from the greasy pools of egg and beans of many London caffs. The eggs were poached perfectly, the toast was not left in the bean juice (I hate that), the banger was substantial enough to not be disappointed with just one, the bacon was cripsy yet bendy, and there were skin-on fat wedgey chips.
My friends had the blueberry pancakes (she liked them too much to share) and the veggie breakfast (thumbs up on meatless sausages from a meat-lover).
The coffee and juice was good, and the chilled out sunday-morning atmophere (on a saturday, no less) made you want to stick around for an extra cup of peppermint tea and do yesterday's Metro sodoku (which we did).
Peace, detox, and excellent eggs for just over a tenner.
I want to retire there.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Review of Signor Grilli
19 Dec 07, 14:21
Cheap, tacky, but kinda nice 
Sig Grilli is not a classy joint. It is not the best pasta place in the world. It does not serve the finest of food.
However if you want to discuss the finer points of planning your next bank job, if you want to suspect that made men are having a sit down in the back rooms, if you want to ponder with your loved one across the table on whether or not the waitress is the mistress on the fat, be-golded man (who would have been smoking a cigar before the ban) at the next table, then this could be the place to do it.
Bog standard Italian food that won't blow your head off. But a little bit of the baba bing...
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.