Gareth's reviews
Review of Coffee Cake
19 May 08, 10:49
Amazing Cakes 
THE best cakes in the area. Without exception.
The only quandary is which one to buy.... Fabuous Meiulle Feuille, Chocolate Cakes, Fruit Tarts & Meringues all boxed for safe transit home.
I've eaten in restaraunts nearby and forsaken a dessert in favour of popping in here on the way home. It's that good! Not your normal high street bakery.
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Review of The Garrick Arms
12 May 08, 09:45
AVOID! 
Harumph. It's tourist prices, so stupidly overpriced. It's cramped and the staff are far from friendly.
I've never eaten here, but looking at tourists plates it's your standard, poor quality English pub grub - fish and chips fresh from the freezer.
Throw a stone in any direction and you'll probably hit a better pub. (Actually, you'll probably hurt someone - so don't do that. It's just a figure of speech)
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Review of Food For Thought
04 May 08, 18:23
Go Early/Late To Avoid The Queue 
Good quality dishes from good quality ingredients.The quiches are always great but so is everything else - I've yet to have a bad dish from here. It's not particularly cheap, but you get what you pay for I guess.
Takeaway service is well-mannered and efficient but queuing at peak times is the norm.
The "Strawberry Scrunch" is always tempting - a crunchy biscuit base with fresh cream, bananas and strawberries. Nice.
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Review of Greggs
04 May 08, 18:11
Pasties! 
You can't knock the Cheese & Onion pasties. Or the peppery vegetable option.
Everything else is a bit of a let down to be honest. You'll get better buns from Tesco.
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Review of La Porchetta
04 May 08, 18:07
It Shouldn't Work, But It Does
It's an unremarkable Italian restaraunt with a family-run feel. The staff are cheerful if not entirely attentive and the decor is shabby and tired. The pizza's are undeniably great though, and well worth what you'll pay.
What can only be the shining star of the pizzas on offer is the blend of gorgonzola and pear. It sounds like it shouldn't work, but (omigod!_ it does. The punchiness of the blue cheese counterpointed with the sweetness of the pear! Ace.
Can't recommend anything else because, as far as I recall, I haven't been able to order anything else from the menu. Oh, sure, I'll peruse the options. I'll consider the spaghetti vongole or the rigatoni... but in my heart I know I'll always be ordering the ol' favourite.
The beer gives me a headache, the toilets aren't pleasant and if you get a table by the window you'll find yourself gawped at by people waiting for a bus.
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Review of The Tiffin Tin
04 May 08, 17:54
Diminishing Returns 
I've lived round Hornsey for over three years now. The Tiffin Tin was my Indian Takeaway of choice for a long while, but I feel like I suffered diminishing returns. Deliveries are taking longer ad longer and the service generally can't be commended. It feels like The Tiffin Tin has been struggling to cope with its growing popularity. I've moved on, but I might be back.
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Review of Wahaca
04 May 08, 16:38
Accessible Mexican Street Food
Decor-wise and vibe-wise it's very 'Wagamamma' - the menus are aimed at the uncertain novice and the staff are more than willing to lead you thru what's on offer.
Wahaca is committed to fresh, and, where possible, locally sourced, ingredients. Their chillies are grown in Dorset!
The food itself is a taste-sensation.
In the trivia stakes - Wahaca is the brainchild of a former Masterchef winner. No doubt John Torode and Greg Whatsisname approve.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Cafe Pacifico
04 May 08, 16:28
A cliche, but a cut above most central restaraunts
It's cliched Mexican food with a decor to match.
During lunch service the atmosphere is one of free-wheeling chaos and the service isn't always great, but the food can't be faulted.
Non-meat options are limited, especially amongst the lunchtime specials - but what did I expect? It's a cliched mexican restaraunt...
Nearby Wahaca trumps Cafe Pacifico in the flavour and service stakes, but this is still a reliable lunchtime option.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of The Ottomans
04 May 08, 16:19
Dine Like The Sultans
The sign exhorts you to come in and "dine like the sultans!" On this showing the Sultans were indeed well-fed and it's no wonder they all ended up wiht pot bellies..
It's good quality Turkish food, a great VFM lunch menu offer and reliably cheerful service.
It's also vegetarian friendly and popular with families.
I'll personally recommend the Mousakka, the falafel and the chicken şiş.
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Review of The Magdala
04 May 08, 16:12
Great Gastropub - perfect fore refuelling after a walk on the heath
It's not to everyone's taste, but it has all the ingredients to satisfy me. Good quality gastropub fare, Leffe on a tap and a lazy Sunday afternoon feeling.
I should also admit to eating there on a first date with my girlfriend. We're still together 7 years later so maybe I'm biased. We had a fantastic Banoffee Pie that afternoon and I've since had a truly memorable mushroom soup (with a splash of truffle oil).
They get extra points for having a Dyson Airblade instead of the standard ineffective hand dryer.
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