Craig's reviews
Review of Next
07 May 08, 11:02
Limited 
The menswear in this place is upstairs and really cramped. They have about half the stock you would normally expect to find in a Next store.
If you're after something specific that you saw on the internet then you'll need to head to a bigger store. It'll help because fi there are more than 10 people in here, it's hard to get around.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Gillingham Football Club
06 May 08, 16:51
2nd class (away) citizens
Sadly not Nicola... relagation has hit Gillingham and it's League 2 football for them. I don't think anyone is convinced that Paul Scally is the man to take them back up the leagues.
Really nice ground, unfortunately it's in Gillingham which is a hole. You can't get parked for love nor money as the ground is in the middle of a housing estate. It's also a bit of a pain to find as some toerag appears to have nicked half the signs to the ground. You'll also be annoyed that as an away fan you have to stand on a terrace in the rain watching the nicely covered stands housing an oik kicking the corregated back because someone has stolen his drum.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Dominos Pizza
06 May 08, 16:01
2 in 3
2 in 3 is the amount of times they'll get your order right. As long as you're not ordering too much it'll be ok (however you can sometimes get a rougue pizza or missing your garlic bread)
Make sure you check when the delivery person is there and you can eat without having to ring up and complain
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Project Blue Restaurant
06 May 08, 15:29
Drains need clearing
Doesn't know if it's a bar, a restaurant or a live music venue
You can eat during the day and drink at night and sometimes they have a band there, but don't really have the space.
The restaurant is fine, yet the bar is thin and hard to manouvere around. They put the band near the front door so you can't get in. Then there's the drains that keep reeking and make for an unpleasant experiences
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Starburger
06 May 08, 14:08
2 Star Burger
It's cheaper than macdonalds across the road, but there iwsn't much difference. A stock standard burger, but perhaps without the specific instructions that staff get at the big fast food outlets.
If you want a burger then go for it, but I wouldn't have the chips as they aren't very good at all.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Argos
05 May 08, 23:20
Quick... thank goodness
The kings of catalogue shopping. It's depressing in here, a bit like all the contestants in big brother brought into one place.
it's not all bad, the goods are cheap and they get you in and out very quickly. idea as it's not the kind of place that you want to spend a lot of time browsing in.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Usc Group
05 May 08, 22:04
Inconsistent
At the end of Fremlin's walk on the right hand side as you head down the street.
The've got some budget lines and some more designer items as well so the prices can vary in this place.
However the staff can be either really helpful or pretty much ignore. I once spent 5 minutes waiting at the till with the staff having a conversation ignoring me till they'd finished. They didn'tget chance as I left by then. Other times they can be overly helpful, so they're only getting 2 stars.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Office Shoes
05 May 08, 21:50
Poor Choice
I went in here recently and it was a difficult to get to the men's shop at the end of the store.
They have a large amount of men's shoes, however they all seem to be exactly the same.
A choice of either brown brogues or black brogues are the staple and take up all the back shelf. Anything fashion wise is kept on a tiny shelf at the side and it is extremely limited in choice.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Clinton Cards
05 May 08, 20:49
Losing it's touch
A typical Clinton's card shop that you'll find anywhere on nearly every high street.
This place has the normal selection that you'll find and it'snot that expensive. However recently their selection of funny cards has dimished and become not that funny.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of W H Smith
05 May 08, 20:13
Expensive and Busy
Quite a large W H Smith full of stationary and over priced DVDs
Always rammed for some reason on a Saturday, mainly because it's on the main thoroughfare through maidstone. It's rammed with people buying newspapers and magazines, however very little else as I've said before they sell the DVDs at full whack. Don't worry they have plenty of people on the tills so the line moves quickly
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Treats Sandwich Bar
05 May 08, 19:51
Pricey
I grabbed a sandwich from here when I was in a rush and didn't have much time to queue needed to be on a train sharpish.
The sandwich was nice, nicer than you average tesco store, but it was rather expensive.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Burger King
05 May 08, 14:44
Bin-less
This Burger King preys on the weak. Generally, it's full of people who missed their train and have half an hour to kill before their next one.
This is a standard Burger King, but utterly infuriating. In the safety conscious world with George W Bush's war on terrorists (or as he pronounces it - Tourists) there are no bins to put your rubbish in. So you either have to carry it onto the train or take it back inside and ask the staff to dispose of it.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Oxford Circus Underground Station
05 May 08, 11:21
Saturday Nightmare
It's known as Oxford Circus for a reason... mainly because you'd have to be a clown to plan your journey around getting on and off here.
It's rammed and an absolute nightmare to end up coming up in the right place to start shopping. As it's on Oxford Street, it's afocal point for shoppers and is busy. Saturdays are almost impossible around this place. Avoid
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Farringdon Underground Station
05 May 08, 10:58
No I don't want a free paper
This is one of the few places where I've nearly lost my rag as there is a tendency to bottleneck even in non peak hour times. This wasn't so much a design fault but the fact that the free papers would clogging up the outside, handing out free papers meaning nobody could get past.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Covent Garden Underground Station
05 May 08, 10:53
Rammed
Many people get on at Covent Garden to go to Leicester Square... don't. You actually walk further getting to and from the train than you do actually walking overground between the two stations
It's always rammed. if you can get an overground map and walk from one of the nearby stations that won't be as cramped
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Leicester Square Underground Station
05 May 08, 10:46
Rammed
Usually completely rammed as Leicester Square is the focal point for most tourists as they head to london.
The most confusing aspect is that it's not actually in Leicester Square, you have to know where you're going to find it, or you can end up heading in the wrong direction.
Make sure you come out of the right exit or you're going to have a busy main street to cross
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Piccadilly Circus Underground Station
05 May 08, 10:42
Thoroughly confusing
Thouroughly confusing. Once you get up to just below ground level, th estation is built in a circle, that should direct you to where you want to go.
However, if you don't know where you're going and would only know by site, then you're going to have to get above ground at any pont and then make your way from there. I don't think I've ever picked the right exit on th enumerous times I've been here.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Madame Tussauds
04 May 08, 13:24
Crowded
Really expensive and not the place to go on a weekend.
The queue is usually massive from around March though to the winter with students and tourists.
The wax works are ok and you can have your picture taken with them, if you can clear the students out of the way to get your photo (I suggest the use of elbows and looking menacing) As previously said... it's really expensive, however there is quite a lot to see
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of BP Service Stations
04 May 08, 12:58
Expensive
One of the most expensive petrol stations in Medway. Being a BP it's always going to be pricey, but I don't know anyone who fills up here unless they have a company fuel card or they're running on fumes.
They have a decent sized shop though with brand name food, but yet again it's expensive... really expensive. If Harrod's did petrol stations, it'd be like this one.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Casino Rooms Entertainment Complex
04 May 08, 12:17
Not Good
Where do you begin.
Grubby and sticky floors, although it's easy to get a drink in here. When you go in you have to be tagged and fingerprinted which should give you an idea of the type of people that go here.
Always trouble outside here and quite often inside as seen frequently on Street Cops recently shown on TV which covered Northern Ireland and Medway (need I say more)
The booze is cheap, which is good as you need a few shots to tolerate it. Take the taxi fare on the chin and go into Maidstone or up to London
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Enigma Wine Bar
04 May 08, 12:14
There's better
It wants to give the impression of a wine bar, but really it's just a pub with some slightly nicer chairs (if you get there early enough to bag them)
It's averagely priced and has a large TV showing music videos. it gets quite busy at weekends, which takes it's toll on the gents toilets which aren't that nice to start with, but at the end of the night are like Beirut!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Fat Jackets
04 May 08, 11:42
Disappointing
I'm not sure how often the refresh the potatoes here, but they were a bit floury... like they'd been cooked twice (the skin tasted like it was crips, but probably when it was first cooked and not kept heating through)
Toppings were good and the price was reasonable, but I think I'd opt for a sandwich next time
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of JJB Sports
04 May 08, 10:30
Rammed
Utterly rammed, to the point of not being funny.
If it's busy, the place is unbearable. There is so much stock out on the shop floor, once it's busy you can't get around the store... sometimes you can't even get out of the place.
Not enough staff to cope on a Saturday for all the people trying on trainers and football boots, however the prices are cheap, so it's swings and roundabouts
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Chequers Shopping Centre
04 May 08, 10:28
Horrible
When you're shopping in the Chequers Centre you have to try and look for the positives
It has a wide variety of shops split over several levels. There is parking in the centre of town and they have a macdonalds and a butchers. It's right by the bus station, so it's convenient for everyone to get to without having to take the car...
However...
It's regularly voted as the ugliest building in Kent and they are right. It's a blight on the skyline of Maidstone (just like the high rise flats nearby) and it's a really tired 60s/70s building that could do with being demolished as once you're through the front doors, that's the last time you'll see natural light till you exit again.. That's the building, the clientelle tend to be the tracksuited, baseball capped, popped collar brigade and most folk avoid this place, tending to head up to Fremlin's Walk which is a much more pleasnat shopping experience
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of The Bell
03 May 08, 22:29
Hour at the most
A standard pub. There is nothing remarkable about this pub and many people probably drive past it not noticing it is there
They have a dart board and a bar you can sit at. It's normally quite quiet, which can be nice and it has a decor that hasn't been updated in years.
Worth a quick drink if you're heading into Oxford or Wantage, but I don't think I could spend more than an hour here
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Templars Square Shopping Centre
01 May 08, 22:38
Head to Oxford instead
A handy shopping centre in Cowley, especially if you don't want to have to trek into Oxford.
All the normal shops you would expect although the only downfall is that it's in Cowley.
I really want to have pride in my home city, but Cowley is a dump and that's reflected by this place. It's not the place it's the people hanging round here. If you wnat to go shopping I suggest you do head into Oxford, it's much nicer.
The only plus point is this... it's not Barton or Blackbird Leys
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Wilkinson
01 May 08, 16:08
Difficult to find
If you were to try and explain Wilko's to someone from another country you'll realise that it's really difficult.
It's a cross between a John Lewis, Woolworths and Tescos in a homeware theme
Stuff here is cheap, but it can be a bit of a faff trying to find everything
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Woolworths
01 May 08, 15:52
Old and Confused
This place has loads of toys and games, however if you're after a magazine you're going to be disappointed.
I popped in to pick up a copy of a magazine (no, not that kind of magazine) and the lay out was set out in a herringbone fashion making it nearly impossible to see what's down the aisles
There is some colourful markers on the floor telling you where everything is, but they are really worn and you can't see them
Once I found the magazine rack, the selection was minimal and I had to walk away empty handed.
Poor show Woolies
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Oasis Leisure Centre
30 Apr 08, 22:31
Needs sprucing up
Starting to look really run down
The pool is still as it was when I went here as a kid.
You can also see quite good bands here (Oasis are named after this place) I saw the Fratellis here, but there's something that just really stands out... it's not really a concert venue, it's just a big sports hall.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Burger King
30 Apr 08, 18:50
slow
There is seating upstairs and they're used to taking orders quickly. However, once your order is taken there is normally a wait to actually get your food
Not sure if this is because it's being cooked fresh or (often how it seems) that they never have anything ready and haven't though ahead. You will see people disappear off to Macdonalds as it takes quite some time to get in and out
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of McDonald's Restaurant
30 Apr 08, 18:38
Well done if you get in
This is a really big macdonalds with plenty of space upstairs.
However in tourist season, it's almost impossible to pick your way though the gathered throng of foreign students hanging around outside to get in to have a burger.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of KFC
30 Apr 08, 18:33
Battery Chicken
If you're one of the people who likes to get into exactly what they're eating then you can fully do this here. It's really really cramped in here and you end up feeling like the battery chicken you're eating.
Typical KFC and not as busy as Macdonald's further up the street, but there isn't much room here so probably best to opt for a takeout
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Saxon Shore
30 Apr 08, 17:44
Soulless
It's a Wetherspoon so on the plus side the food and drink are cheap. In fact they're probably the cheapest you'll find in Herne Bay
Apart from that, it's soulless and full of chavs. If you're looking for a quiet drink, head somewhere else.
Also... if you're had a few, don't stare too long at the carpet, you'll get hypnotized!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Hampton Inn
30 Apr 08, 17:41
Could Do Better
Views on 3 sides of the sea. Real ales and reasonable prices.
Sounds ideal doesn't it. Wrong, it's a bit of a hole in all honestly. The bar is in another world and the beer garden is non existent. it's also surrounded on all sides by road so you can't have too much of a conversation without a Herne Bay Boy Racer hammering by. if you want a drink by the sea, head down to Whitstable where it's much quirter and nicer
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Toni & Guy
30 Apr 08, 17:11
Dodgy
The reception were really helpful. The hair wash was exceptional. However, I was attacked with a pair of scissors forcing me to have another hair cut afterwards after coming out looking like I was trying to be in busted
The words "just a trim" and "don't take any length off the fringer were follwed by hacking my entire fringe off and leaving me with a mullet.
Thank god for Jellybeanz in Whitstable and Grant there for sorting out my joke of a barnet!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Debenhams Stores
29 Apr 08, 22:06
Confusing
Another section of Debenhams that is one of the most bewildering places in the world. A department store is normally split over different levels... this one is split into 3 different shops that you have to cross the road to visit.
This one has the cafe in it. If you're on the wrong side of the street, you could be wandering around for ages tryng to find it.
The best way to remember it is... if you're anywhere near menswear then you won't be able to get a coffee
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of David Lloyd Leisure
29 Apr 08, 17:45
Characterless
David Lloyd is high quality and the food and after gym experience is quite pleasurable. However, they place the gym upstairs and it's vast.
One of the biggest gyms I've ever been in, it' feels impersonal and a bit like a warehouse. If they made battery chickens excercise this is what it would be like.
Actually, that's not quite right, it's not cramped but it's really soulless and although you can generally get yourself on the cardio equipment it lacks an atmosphere
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Usa Fried Chicken
29 Apr 08, 16:48
Dry
Southern fried chicken by another name.
Unfortuantely when I went there, they obviously hadn't had many peole in as I think this bird had been sat there a while as it was tough and as dry as a nun's prayerbook.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Forbuoys
29 Apr 08, 16:10
Hot
A typical newsagent for grove. Pretty much what you would expect, but not nearly as big as the one in Wantage which contains the local post office.
If you pop in here in Winter, you'll come out wanting an ice cream. For some reason this shop keeps itself at "surface of the sun" temperature all year round which has yet to be explained why.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of White Horse Recruitment
29 Apr 08, 15:57
Tardy
They do a lot of recruiting here for jobs at the nearby Milton park.
If you're looking for manual work to get some extra cash in, then you can try here.
However, I once went here and they eventually found me a job after 2 and a half months, by which time I could have starved to death.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Clovers Of Wantage
28 Apr 08, 23:07
Poundland-esque
Clovers is a bit like poundland, without the price restraint. A lot of tat, but if you're looking for tat then Clovers is the place to go.
My nan could lose hours in here, however they have a problem that a poundland has just opened next door. I don't know how this will effect them.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Ted Baker
28 Apr 08, 18:42
Premium Prices
Ted Baker clothing so you're already paying a premium for the lable. As this shop is inside the airport then it's going to cost even more.
I'm really sceptical of the Ted Baker as to how good the clothes actually are and how much is the name. A smallish shop that you won't be able to spend a lot of time in before you've seen everything there is.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of The News
28 Apr 08, 18:19
How Much?
You'll be hard pressed to tell the difference of this newsagents in Bluewater to any of the other newsagents at the mall.
If you need it then I guess you can get it here, but don't expect much change.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Herbmedic Chinese Medicine Centre
28 Apr 08, 18:15
Herbs and stuff
I went in here with a friend who is very new age and spirtual... however i'm far more skeptical. I just had a feeling that no matter what happened he would be diagnosed with something that would require a dose of dried herbs and stuff.
I was proved right and he came away with a load of dried herbs of which I'm completely unconvinced of their effectiveness.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Gap
24 Apr 08, 18:25
Seen It all before
If you want to know what Gap have got in store, then just try to remember what was in there 4 years ago. Oxford shirts and chinos… maybe a rugby shirt thrown in as well. It just doesn’t change.
0 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Gap
24 Apr 08, 18:25
Nothing New
If it’s your fist time in Gap store then you’ll be excited by the American college preppy look, however more than twice to this store and you’ll realise that it’s always the same.
0 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Gap
24 Apr 08, 18:23
Same Old
I once had a friend who worked at gap and when the new season’s line was presented he could never see the difference. If it’s summer you’ll see light pale blue men’s shirts. If it’s winter you’ll see light pale blue men’s shirts… and possibly a coat nearby.
0 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Gap
24 Apr 08, 18:21
Gap
Same old, same old from Gap as usually. Combining pale blue with chinos, you’ll be hard pressed to find something you haven’t seen in the store before. Only if it’s your first time, will you be remotely surprised by anything on offer in this store
0 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Gap
24 Apr 08, 18:20
Gap
Gap stick to their staples for men yet again. There lines don’t really change. Chinos are the staple… In both trouser and short form. Then layers are the next bit, generally shirts under rugby shirts, yet again nothing to blow your mind here.
0 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Gap
24 Apr 08, 18:20
Gap
Gap is rolling out the same clothes season upon season. They seem to have no idea that times are changing and chinos aren’t the most fashionable thing they can do. The recent expansion of their line of jeans has been a small step on the road to actually changing their normal range on offer
0 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Gap
24 Apr 08, 18:19
Gap
I really wish that Gap would do something different. The American preppy look surely has to have moved on across the pond yet we have seen the same clothes for the last 15 years from Gap with very little variation. Time for a change in the company.
0 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Gap
24 Apr 08, 18:18
Gap
If you want to know what Gap has in store you can go online and see it, but as they only have an international website you’ll be confused as to what they actually have in store her and what is only available in the states. It’s also all in dollars so you won’t be able to tell how much anything is because you can’t calculate mark up when it reaches the UK
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Gap
24 Apr 08, 18:17
gap
Gap is the US clothing giant delivering the college preppy look from across the pond. Their standard fare is chinos for boys with loose blue shirts and t-shirts underneath. You may well feel that you’ve seen it all before and if we’re honest you probably have.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Dagenham Football Club
23 Apr 08, 16:16
Pot Hole Hell
Technically Dagenham and Redbridge as 2 football clubs amalgamated to for the current club. Currently clinging onto their newly found league status (At the expense of Oxford, though I promise I won’t be biased in my review) John Sill has his work cut out.
The ground is a hole. Which means it matches the carpark. I had to wander through the pitch black car park to get to the away end with numberous pot holes full of water to avoided. If you managed to make to the terraces with dry shoes and no broken ankles then congratulations are in order.
Awful toilets (the worst I’ve seen so far) but the burgers were quite cheap so they can have 2 stars. (see, I said I wouldn’t be biased)
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Ebbsfleet United Football Club
23 Apr 08, 15:57
Exposed
It’s hard to judge this ground against the others in the conference (sorry, Blue Square Premier) Oxford United’s 12000 all seater stadium versus some of the shacks like Farsley Celtic or Droylesden. The away end is an open terrace that is victim to the elements and if you’re an away fan you will need to prepare for all weathers as it can go from baking hot to torrential rain (as I’ve found out personally) refreshments are served by a kebab van serving chips and burgers at quite a hefty price for what you’re actually getting.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Birmingham City Football Club
23 Apr 08, 15:43
Tired Ground, Tired Football
Not the best ground in the premiership and it’s starting to tell as time goes by that it could do with a bit more than a lick of paint. This is a great place to come if you are the opposition as you stand a good chance of seeing your team win. Take the train here as parking is a premium around St Andrews
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Burberry
22 Apr 08, 16:32
Chavtastic
Burberry still lives with the chav stigma and people steer clear of the diahorreah check print that flooded council estates. However some people still love it. If you are one of them then you’ll know about the large flagship store on Regent Street. With Kate Moss as their fashion icon, they are trying to get back high end fashion people…. But then Kate Moss went out with Pete Doherty so her taste isn’t one to be taken seriously
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Watermelon Lingerie
22 Apr 08, 15:45
Pricey
A second hand review that was given to me by the lady who cut my hair at Rolys nearby. She said that although the stuff was nice, but it was pricey so she continued to buy stuff at Marks and Spencer and only treated herself to stuff at Watermelon. Even their standard average bras were “expensive”
…that haircut was some experience I can tell you!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of The Kassam Stadium
22 Apr 08, 14:13
Where's the other stand?
The home of Oxford United, but not currently owned by them. If you're attendign asports match then food is normal football club prices.
The concourses are stark breezeblock corridoors and not exactly a pleaseant experience. Still appearing to be half finished inside, the most glaring ommision is the missing 4th stand. In its place is a giant fence that frequently lets footballs go over into the car park behind it.
Also available for conferences and banqueting.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Oxford United Football Club
22 Apr 08, 14:08
Come On You Yellows
The once great Oxford United, the only team to win a cup and fall out of the football league.
Now plying their trade in the Bluew Square Premiere (formerly the Vauxhall Conferece) Previously had Jim Smith as Manager, but now under the stewardship of Darren Patterson a recent run of form that may see them challenge for the title in the 2008-2009 season.
I'd love to give them 5 stars, but i've seen them play too regularly recently and can only give them too. As a Yellow, you learn not to get your hopes up!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Gap
21 Apr 08, 17:36
Same Old Same Old
If you’re going by the map in the main section of the shopping centre, this place isn’t the easiest store to find, but then again the maps take a highly trained army navigator a couple of minutes to work it out. This is a typical gap store that has a lot of stock out so you can see pretty much all they do. However, as with all Gap stores, the clothes on offer hardly change from year to year.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of W H Smith
21 Apr 08, 17:24
Expensive
Newspapers, magazines, books, stationary and entertainment all under one roof. However, the entertainment part tends to be really expensive. I’d never buy a DVD from here as it’s full whack when you can pop to tesco or Sainsbury nearby and pick it up for pretty much half the price. Handy for pens though.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Austin Reed
20 Apr 08, 21:30
Too Slow
A wide range of stock in a very big store. According to the seals above the door they outfit for the Queen and Prince Phillip, but I bet they don’t have to queue at the tills. There are around 4-6 tills available on each floor, but they only had 1 working on a Saturday afternoon and they were very very slow. Even when changing floors to see if I could be served quicker it took a long time again for the staff who were in no particular hurry to get through the customers queueing.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Santa Fe
20 Apr 08, 13:10
Disappointing
I’ve been here once and it was expensive and the service was slow and rather disinterested in the fact that I was there to eat. I had a burger that wasn’t that great, everything was a bit wet and felt thrown together. The interior of the place is lovely, however I felt it was let down by the more important things that go into making a restaurant
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Showcase Cinemas
18 Apr 08, 18:06
Expensive
It’s just like being in the centre of London. From that I mean that it’s very expensive. You’ll find cheaper cinemas, but the convenience of shopping, eating and watching movies means that you may well end up forking out to see a film. Best to figure out what time you want to see a film and then work it into your day, if you turn up, you inevitably don’t get to see something you actually wanted to watch or it’s sold out at peak times
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Dolcis
18 Apr 08, 15:48
Reasonable
I’ve only ever been to Dolci’s once and the member of staff who served me couldn’t have cared whether I was there or not, or whether I burst into flames in front of her… she certainly wouldn’t have put the fire out. Good selection but the mardy member of staff gave me the hump and I promised I wouldn’t go back in there again… so far, I’ve been as good as my word.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of The Gap
18 Apr 08, 14:51
Same Old
A new season of clothing at Gap is a bit like a change of governmental cabinet, you can tell it’s new and different, but it really is exactly the same as the last one. Chino and light blue shirts are the staples, always have been and always will be. However the shop is big and spacious and they do the full range of the GAP offering
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Village News
18 Apr 08, 13:42
Expensive
Wow... this place is expensive. If you're just picking up a few things then it's handy, however, if you can wait to get to a shop or newsagents outside of the Bluewater you'll save yourself some cash.
Bog standard newsagent, but you can spend well over one pound 20 for a coca cola.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Reiss
17 Apr 08, 18:57
Lost it's way
This shop used to manage to keep one foot on the high street and one foot in the designer world, however recently it’s gone off in it’s own little world that doesn’t seem to appeal to anyone I know.
Expensive and not cutting edge fashion. Everything is very plain and nothing stands out
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Ben & Jerry's
17 Apr 08, 18:50
Pricey
Expensive ice-cream. Admittedly it’s good, but you could do with a bit more for the money your shelling out. Everyone has their favourite flavour, but if you can hold off and grab a tub from the supermarket on the way home you might actually have some spare change from your trip.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Reflex The 80's Bar
17 Apr 08, 18:23
Need to be in the mood
If you're hammered, out with friends and don't care where you are, then there's a chance you might have a bit of a laugh dancing like an eejit round the stripper's pole naming all the tunes.
However, if you're looking for a classy bar, avoid like the plague. If you're sober you might well hate it, but if you're in the mood it might just be what the dr (and the medics) ordered (I thank you!)
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Ponti's Caffe
17 Apr 08, 17:57
Better around
You probably wouldn’t expect to have a place like this in Bluewater but there is. It’s not quite a greasy spoon café, but sometimes it has that feeling. If you’re used to drinking at costa, nero or starbucks then this might well not be for you. There is better around
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Starbucks
17 Apr 08, 17:53
Busy Busy
Starbucks in the typical sense. A large-ish branch of the Seattle chain of coffee shops. Nothing remarkable about this to make it stand out from any of it’s other brother and sister stores. Sometimes difficult to get a table and they don’t mind if you have to stand around with a large cup and a tray even if you’re unable to balance it take a mouthful of your scalding hot beverage
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Santa Fe
17 Apr 08, 17:40
Expensive for a burger
As burger joints go, it’s nice, but pricey
For what is listed as an American eatery you’d expect something a bit more special for the prices your paying. All the food is good and I’ve never been disappointed, except when the bill arrives and you realise that you can’t have that pair of jeans, cos you can’t afford them and can’t fit into them now
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Tommy Hilfiger
17 Apr 08, 17:11
Limited
The choice of Hilfiger has gone down recently but you can still have a look. They’ve started to move away from having everything emblazoned with the Tommy logo (thankfully, I’m not an advertising sandwich board)
Quite pricey for what you’re actually getting and the Hilfiger brand isn’t what it once was, also the shop is quite small so the range is limited
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Calvin Klein Jeans Wear
17 Apr 08, 16:53
Pricey
Expensive Calvin Klein wear with an extra few pounds added on for the right to wear Calvin’s name. (who ironically is now more famous for pants than clothes)
A sparsely decorated shop that rarely has many people in it and often makes you feel like you don’t belong there (but that may just be me)
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of TK Maxx
17 Apr 08, 16:05
Jumble
A glorified jumble sale, where if you're lucky enough to find something that you want to buy... you're unlikely to find it in your size.
Like rummaging through a church fete, with very little order to the place apart from separating mens and women's clothing.
Not a sedate shopping experience, and if it's busy it becomes a bun fight
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Debenhams
17 Apr 08, 15:49
Past It
If you manage to find what you're looking for first time then you're either a genius or you need to get yourself a lottery ticket quick.
Split over what feels like 9 different shops, you'll find yourself crossing the street cos what you're looking for "isn't in this department"
A right royal pain in the backside, cramped and in need of moving to a new building. Still going, but in need of some help or putting down. Still cheaper than their other department store competitor
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Volunteer Public House
17 Apr 08, 15:08
Out of the way
A typical pub... ales, food, but it had an unfortunate affliction.
It's a long way out of the way for Grove and miles away from Wantage.
You have to drive to this place and then cart a load of drunk folk around in your car for the rest of the night. The only plus side is that if you're from wantage and out to Oxford, you can stop here for one.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Thorntons
17 Apr 08, 14:14
Neither one nor the other
All the chocolate you'd expect, but also with the added advantage of having a coffee shop that when you order a drink adds a chocolate for you
However, you'll find yourself queueing for a table most of the time as it's very small inside and doesn't quite know if it's a coffee shop or a cafe and has opted for the coffee shop without the floor space to pull it off
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Fifteen
16 Apr 08, 21:54
Disappointing
I'm not sure what I expected but I'm sure it was something more than what I got.
Food was expensive, but was slightly bland and the wine was very expensive.
It was just normal... except the price which was expensive. I may well have a slightly biased view as I was dumped by my long term girlfriend in this restaurant, it may well have put a bit of a dampner on lunch
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Primark
16 Apr 08, 16:04
Cheap and Cheerful
Primark or to give it it's joke name... Primarni
Budget clothes and sold in bulk. You might be able to pick up some staples here, but don't look to invest in suits and clothes that will last forever.
the best way to describe it is Cheap and Cheerful, but you might always find a bargain, so worth a quick look
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of The County Ground Hotel
16 Apr 08, 15:29
Football Bar
Best avoided when Swindon Town are playing at home... especially if you're "not from round 'ere" and don't pronounce the word girls with 2 syllables and some extra letter "r's" thrown in for fun
it's where the Swindon Town fans congregate as it's right next to the County Ground, but if you are a fan of the local team, you can discuss tactics and the problems the team has had since Sturrock left to your hearts content then head off to the ground for a couple more
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Casbah
16 Apr 08, 15:25
Karaoke
Like lava lounge and The Bedroom... cheap drinks and lots of it. Sweaty, grubby and not somewhere you'll describe as a nice night out
Best to avoid until you've had a few as you don't want to go in here sober. Generally knocking out a karaoke session or two, if you want to get your whitney on whilst under the influence of brightly coloured drinks promotions then Casbah is your best bet
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Revolution Swindon
16 Apr 08, 15:22
Expensive
Unfathomingly expensive... you'll come back from the bar going "How Much?"
It's not like you're paying for an upmarket club, but they seem to bill you london prices. They pride themselves on being a vodka bar, and see fit to add a couple of quid to every drink and stick every beer with a foreign lable to increase the appeal (and price)
Far too expensive and not nice enough to warrant it... avoid.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of The Bedroom
16 Apr 08, 15:19
I'd rather be in bed
Sticky floors and brightly coloured drinks.
If that's your thing then the Bedroom is for you. However if you're looking for a nice bar, then you're best to avoid it.
Cheap drinks, but not a good night out. It suffers in the fact that it's not as good as Walkabout, which isn't a very good endorsement for the place
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Lava Lounge
16 Apr 08, 15:17
Not Lava-ley
Not the place to stand around looking gorgeous (or just orange)
You'll probably be here when you're drunk, but the drinks are reasonably priced and they do deals to get you hammered quicker and with less expenditure than other bars in the town.
There's an upstairs area with seats, which you might need as it's always either freezing or boiling in this place... there's no happy medium
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Shoulder Of Mutton
16 Apr 08, 14:44
Kings Arms mrk2
Just like the Kings Arms
It's an old man pub. You won't get much life in there. the only time you'll see anyone under 40 is a pub crawl that has to take in the "Shoulder" and the obligatory Kings Arms stops...
In fact just see the Kings Arms review, it's pretty much the same
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Kings Arms
16 Apr 08, 14:42
Old Man Pub
If you're looking for lively nightlife, fast action and good food then the Kings Arms is not for you.
However if your looking for an old man pub then the Kings Arms is for you. Everyone knows everyone and it's only a stumble to the other pub across the road
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Blakes Bistro
16 Apr 08, 14:39
Not really a Bistro
This is far more of a bar than a bistro. They serve food, but have a focus on Sports and football with a large screen at the end of the bar.
This converted shop unit still has the feel that your standing in a shop and should be looking for price tags everywhere. Not bad if you want to see football, but not the best place to eat in the town
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of 10 Downing Street
15 Apr 08, 18:01
Boring
A major dissapointment... that gag was much more relevant when John Major was in power... how about
Gordon Bennet it's boring. With the big gate meaning you can't go down there due to security risks. you can stand and peer through the bars though and catch a glimps of a policeman looking very bored
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Iceland
15 Apr 08, 17:35
Bennet v Katona
Apparantly mums go to Iceland... so I wondered if I was allowed in. Don't worry I was. Cheap Food, Frozen solid... that should be their motto.
They should however go back to the little known one hit wonder called "Mum's Gone To Iceland" by a band called Bennet from 1997 that was played on Simon Mayo's radio 1 show.
They sang about Prawn Rings.... it was brilliant. Forget Katona barking on about everything being a pound, bring back Bennet
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Banks Wine Bar
15 Apr 08, 16:52
Boy Heavy
Long and Thin with a massive beer garden... however they have a very strict door policy and like to keep the numbe of blokes down.
I've been turned away more times than I've been if for "Sorry Lads, too many blokes in at the moment" I don't go there any more as after the 4th time, I get the feeling that it might not be that there are too many blokes, but that they don't want me there.
When they used to let me in, I enjoyed it, however it can be quite pricey
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.