Gareth's reviews
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.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
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.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
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.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
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.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
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.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Pavillion Cafe Highgate Wood
04 May 08, 16:03
A hidden cafe that thrives in summer
A cafe on the edge of highgate wood might not be the best business idea - access is limited pretty much to arriving on foot - but it;s family friendly and stupidly popular on a sunny weekend afternoon.
The menu reads tastier than it is but it's still good value for money and the location more than makes up for any culinary shortcomings.
The drinks menu is also a bonus with a shedload of herbal teas to choose from and some quality, mostly locally brewed, bottled beers.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Tas Restaraunt
04 May 08, 16:02
Talking Turkey
Turkish food just insn'y fashionable is it? Maybe it's got something to do with Turkey's appalling human rights record.
The Tas chain has s decor and vibe comparable with a Pizza Express or a Zizzi. The menu, packed with unpronouncable words, is just as tasty as in any high street Italian chain, even if it's more of a mouthful to pronounce. (for the record, the Cs are pronounced as Js, Gs are always hard, Hs are never silent and the cedilla Cs and Ss are pronounced 'ch' and 'sh').
I'll particularly recommend Mercimek (spicy red lentil soup) and the Elma Dolmasi (battered almonds, rice, dill and cinnamon in apple - which sounds really sweet but is somewhere between sweet and savoury, which is surely some kind of Holy Grail)
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Phoenix Cinema
09 Apr 08, 17:22
Small, but perfectly formed
This is a refreshing alternative to the mainstream. I prefer to catch two buses to come here rather than walk to my local multiplex.
The cinema itself is small so you're guaranteed a good seat! Picture & sound quality is good. The selection of movies is limited since they only have the single screen - but you can catch the odd gem here that you won't find elsewhere. I managed to catch a rare screening of Stanley Kubricks first two feature films a few years back! Nice :)
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.