Daniel's reviews
Review of Six Bells
15 Oct 07, 17:17
Great pub in a lovely Oxfordshire town 
This is actually my parents' local (genuinely local: we're practically next door) so I have to review it here. It is a genuinely pleasant place, with a warm, cozy atmosphere (featuring a real fire) and filled with squidgy leather sofas as is the norm with these sorts of places. The restaurant area is contemporary and serve excellent food, especially good Sunday roasts. It is a Fuller's pub so it doesn't serve many local ales which is a shame, but has a decent enough range to keep you interested. The outside area leaves something to be desired, so it really is a place for Winter.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Trout Inn
15 Oct 07, 17:11
Perfect riverside Oxfordshire pub 
The Trout is a quintessential Oxfordshire pub in Lower Wolvercote (middle of nowhere, but worth the drive). While the interior is perhaps nothing mindblowing (though very pleasant, having been very well restored), the selling point of this place is the outdoor seating area with views over the Thames. On a sunny day, it's absolutely perfect. The pub is not independent: it is part of a chain (I forget its name) that specialise in rennovating pubs tastefully and offering a standard menu across its venues. Thankfully though the food is actually very good compared with that of many pubs, and prices are very reasonable. More information can be found on its website: http://www.thetroutoxford.co.uk/
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Review of Red Star
15 Oct 07, 17:03
Nice Wagamama alternative in Cowley Road
Red Star is a noodle bar in the heart of Cowley Road, and given its clientele of mainly students the prices are pretty decent. The layout is similar to that of Wagamama's canteen style, but feels independent and more intimate. Service is rapid and food is excellent. Highly recommended.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Something Blu
15 Oct 07, 16:56
Something special in Fallowfield
This restaurant is in the heart of the student area of Fallowfield, so the quality of the food on offer is actually a surprise. You'd most likely drop into this place as a bar, to sample the great array of cocktails on offer. But the a la carte restaurant towards the back shouldn't be overlooked: great food at reasonable prices... but not exactly cheap. This means the clientele tends to be students with their parents (and their credit cards) but also groups of twenty-somethings celebrating something special. The atmosphere is great, and staff are friendly and helpful. Highly recommended.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Bistro 21
15 Oct 07, 16:50
Uncommonly outstanding bistro in Durham
I have no idea where I heard about this restaurant, but as a family we have dined here many times, usually for occasions since the place feels genuinely special. It is housed in a 15th Century converted farmhouse, and the main dining room is dark and intimate, beneath vauted ceilings. The menu is very seasonal so I can't comment on the current array of food available, but judging from the fact that this place serves the best chedder cheese souffles and confit of duck I have ever eaten (beating anywhere in London hands down) I would expect all dishes to be perfect. The puddings on offer are unctious, including rich sticky toffee puddings and one of the best creme brulees around. The quality of the food and the hugely friendly staff make this a gem in an area not exactly renowned for its range of top-end restaurants.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Infernos Nightclub
19 Aug 07, 10:30
Vile place. 
This is the sort of place you never decide to go to... you just end up there. But now, with a good dose of discipline (and, let's face it, a few more years under my belt) I will now refuse to go to this place. I don't think I have EVER had a good night here.
Largely agree with the reviews here, but I don't find it full of Sloanies... it tends to be full of people who have found themselves in London after graduating (and obviously having moved to Clapham) and aren't sure where they should go out in London so revert to Infernos by default. Lots of attitude as well, which often ruins what already is going to be a terrible night out.
One extra thing to mention is that the place absolutely stinks of vomit and congealed years of nicotine and spilled vodka and Red Bull. I haven't been since the smoking ban but I'd imagine the relative sweet smell of smoke was actually the equivalent of Fabreeze, hiding the disgraceful stench.
Keep this one for the rugby tours. Don't ever expect a decent night here.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Review of The White House
19 Aug 07, 10:23
Saturday night - thumbs down 
I went here last night after the recent supposed refurbishment. Could someone explain to me what exactly has been made better from the refurb?
It seems they have just removed all the cozy booth-style seating with a long single 'bench' which runs down one side of the bar, a lot like something you might sit on at a train station.
The door policy was an absolute joke. A surly bouncer and some bit of fluff were wandering up and down the queue asking for *couples* to come to the front...! What is the rationale behind this policy? Why would somewhere want their place to be full of couples who presumably won't spend as much on drinks?
Eventually got inside to find - no surprise - plenty of capacity.
Generally a pretty boring crowd - very few dancing downstairs, and the upstairs bar was rammed such that nobody was really getting involved, which is a shame for a Saturday night.
A double Jack and coke was £9.60 and entry was £12. Please.
All in all a low rating for what was a great place having been turned into somewhere completely average. I give it two stars since it's better than Infernos.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review of Nordic Bakery
18 Aug 07, 19:32
Emperor's new clothes
People have been buzzing about this little cafe so I thought I'd check it out.
The place serves an assortment of open sandwiches featuring toppings like salmon tartare, gravadlax, and sliced boiled egg and anchovies, all on breads like ryebread imported from Finland. These looked very appetizing, but at c. £3 the prices were fairly punchy for what is essentially half a sarnie...!
Finns apparently like their coffee very strong indeed, as do I, so rather than eat I thought I'd try a small cup of their strongest. It wasn't mind-blowing by any means, and after I wished I went across the square to get a Grande Latte from Starbucks instead of my two quid's worth (a tiny polystyrene cup...) of okay-ish coffee.
Apparently the cinnamon rolls are the thing to go for, and clearly they are popular since they had run out when I visited.
The decor is simple and unpretentious, and the atmosphere was reasonably buzzy, especially given it was a Saturday afternoon (I expect the place is heaving with ad creatives during the week). But ultimately, it was nothing particularly special.
So two stars for not really living up to the hype and being really rather expensive.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Shelby Vehicle Services
16 Aug 07, 14:24
MOT tastic.
Just a quick note to say I'd really recommend these guys. I took the car in for an MOT not so long ago, and I was pretty stuck in that I wouldn't have been able to pick it up.
This wasn't a problem for the guy since he offered to deliver the car back to a suitable parking spot in my zone, and posted the invoice through my letter box on his way back. He even folded the road-side wingmirror back!
Small thing, but nice added value. Bear in mind I'm local, so I doubt they'd return your car to Clapham!
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of David Lloyd
14 Aug 07, 09:10
Little gripes. 
Sometimes I feel this place only deserves 2 stars but I have to give it 3.
Generally the place is actually very good - the location is superb if you're in the Fulham area, being as it is right above Fulham Broadway tube station (in the FB shopping centre). It is therefore far better located than any other gym in the area (the two Virgin Actives in the area are just slightly too inaccessible).
The gym itself is very spacious and airy, with plenty of kit to keep you busy. I've never been stuck for a spare machine.
HOWEVER, and this is where my gripes come in:
1) There are simply not enough lockers. They have acknowledged this problem, where a lot of people just leave their kit in a locker in the morning and only collect it at night. And while they do remove unclaimed kit they cannot leave a new key in the locker since it'd mean another key is out there in circulation thus posing a security risk. Solution: replace key-based locks with padlock-able locks. It's pretty easy but they seem to prefer to suffer with this issue.
2) The shower area in the gents is often really dirty and smells lightly of sewerage! Nice! They need to get a handle on this and clean the place more regularly.
3) The reception staff are rather unfriendly. You're often greeted with a fake hello without being looked at.
Prices are steep, but that's a given due to the location. So all in all I've given it 3 stars rather than 2 since other gyms will have other similar problems, but you can't beat the location and reasonableness/quality of equipment.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.