Helen E.

Review of The Chair

24 Jan 08, 15:05

Seriously Good Cuts!

I have been frequenting the Chair for nearly two years now after my old hairdressers did a bad colour where by I emerged from the salon looking like a badger.

I always try to see George, she is a true wonder with scissors and really listens to what you want and delivers. The salon is off the beaten track of the Hight street but I don't mind as it makes it feel even more like my own little secret place.

It has a real laid back feel, away from any trendy salon stuffiness. I love the way the salon and staff all know what is going on, but don't try to give you a hair cut that is difficult to maintain or will be out of fashion in a week.

They enter and have won lots of hair dressing competitions and this is reflected in their cutting abilities. The best thing about this cute and cosy hairdressers is not all the usual stuff like; head massages, free drinks and product advice but the fact the cut they give you grows out well, and looks as good in 3months as is did when it was done - which when you don't have all the money in world is a real treat.

They also do free fringe trims, and that means not just the one but as many as you need between cuts. Now that adds great value to already reasonable hair cut!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of The Ritz Hotel

16 Jan 08, 17:38

Tea for two, and two for tea!

All the great things people say about the Ritz are all true - they really are! I recently got taken here for afternoon tea on my Birthday and what a treat it was. From the moment you walk into the lobby the quintessential Englishness is overwhelming.

The decor is fantastically grand and kept to an impeccable standard, the waiters and staff are attentive yet incredibly discreet and the quality of everything in the building is amazing.

High Tea is served in the Palm Court area of the hotel and as you dine you are entertained by an impressive pianist at a baby grand piano. The tea room is breath taking in all its cream, gold and mural glory. It is awash with starched white linen, silver teapots and three tiered cake stands. There was not one table free and its popularity was even more apparent in the six week waiting list - up to six months for a weekend slot.

The food was divine sandwiches and hand crafted cakes were served first - followed by fresh warm scones (raisin and plain). The choices of tea were overwhelming, but as a real tea fanatic I opted for the Darjeeling - the champagne of teas! It says something of the quality when this place can make sandwiches, cakes and scones taste so good. Portions were re-filled often - thus it was incredibly filling.

I can't rate the overall experience enough, it was lovely from start to finish - not just because it was the Ritz but because it was all such quality and attention to detail at every level.

Expensive but worth every penny!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Review of Coco

16 Jan 08, 17:19

Florentine Fun!

Ok I am guilty, this shop has been in my home town for a considerable amount of time (years I think?) and it was only the other day that finally ventured in - well, was kind of bullied in by my chocolate mad friend.

Both the interior and exterior are very plush and stylish - very in keeping with the rest of Harbour Street. It is sometimes very easy to miss this shop as it is at the very top of the street almost where the street ends and turns into the real harbour.

Inside it stocks all different types of chocolates from all over the place. There are fresh truffles in the fridge/counter and packaged chocolate on shelves all around the shop.

They offer unusual chocolate like chili chocolate, sea salt chocolate and many more. My fellow shopper and I opted for the fresh truffles - 'when in Rome' and all that. The lady in the shop ( the owner I think?) was really friendly and advised us on what all the chocolates were and what ones were good. They are quite pricey - well a lot pricey, so we only got a few to sample but what we did have was rather tasty.

I would highly recommend the Florentines, they were particularly yummy! They also do really cute/kitch chocolate praline horses heads and gold fish. If you are in the area it is well worth a visit - great for unique gifts.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Satsuma

07 Jan 08, 14:06

Good Quick Bento

This place is, as all the other reviews state very similar to Wagamamas, but with more lived in and more established feel to it. It is like they believe in the food they are serving, however in Wagamamas it's no so convincing.

The atmosphere is buzzing and busy, but service was quick and efficient. I opted for the chicken katsu bento and was suitably impressed. I love the idea of bento and having lots of different type of food, suits me well. This is my first try of bento so I may have it all wrong.

Great juices - the strawberry and orange is really worth a try!

This place is ideally situated for a quick bite before going out in the west end, or even before a trip to the Curzon cinema.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Carluccios

02 Jan 08, 15:15

Noisy But Enjoyable

I stumbled across this place in a real 'I am starving, lets eat here' kind of way. It was on the way to a shopping destination, I had heard mixed reviews about the brand but decided I wanted to make my own mind up - so I went for it.

It is funny because I would have to agree with Lucy C and say that I dined at the weekend and I did fee like I was brunching in a play school or junior school hall. However we were seated in a cozy corner and this provided some relief from the noise.

So with all the moans aside, I could not fault the food - mine was delicious! I ordered the spinach and ricotta ravioli, which came with butter and Parmesan cheese and was really dreamy. It literally melted in the mouth and it was the nicest pasta I have tasted in a long time.

My fellow diner and I shared the mixed bread tin which was yummy, we also managed to escape in a fairly short amount of time which was pretty good considering just how busy this place was.

Lovely food, but do beware if you don't like to dine with a lot children and families don't venture here at the weekend. An all round enjoyable experience. Would love to go back on a weekday evening or to try the deli/shop.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Strada

18 Dec 07, 15:33

The Best of the Bunch!

Out of all the Italian food chain Strada is by far my favorite. The food is always of a really high quality and no matter which one that you visit their quality is always high.

The decor is clean and stylish and makes for a really unfussy but polished dinning experience. I have sampled both their pizza and pasta offerings and both have impressed me. My favorite dish is the very simple but very effective 'Spaghetti al Ragu' this is a very well made and it always tastes fresh.

They have a good wine selection and their special wines are always worth a try. With regards to the food, the thing that keeps me frequenting Strada is the fabulous Pana cotta that comes with fresh rasberries. It is to die for!

The staff are always great and if your in a hurry it makes for a great place to have a bite. Away from some of the other more mass produced and boring Italian chains.

It is slightly more pricey than other places but well worth it in quality.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Leon

17 Dec 07, 12:07

The Best!

I loved everything about this place - everything!

I adore the food, the fact that it is empty a lot of the time really suits my nature of liking space,peace and somewhere to escape! The thing is, the streets of London are crazy enough as it is, and so many eating establishments seem to be even crazier, so this Leon was a real treat.

When I went here I felt like I knew a secret that everyone else didn't. It was busy as it was a Saturday, but it was so refreshing to go somewhere to eat that wasn't scarily busy. The chilled out atmosphere makes for a great lunch.

Ok, on to the food. The food is amazing, I love how fast simple and fresh it is. Good quality for a real steal. They do meals of varying sizes and cater for all food needs and allergies. It is so healthy and really well balanced.

I opted for the sweet potato falafel with brown rice pilaf and raw slaw - with a side of fresh real chicken nuggets. It was all to die for, I was so impressed at what my £10 got me.

I loved the shabby chic interior and the highlight was the super cool clashing colours and floral tiles in the bathroom! Plus the old tin can stools were pretty special.

Can you tell I am a fan?

I'll be going back for more very soon!

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.

Review of Indish

11 Dec 07, 16:57

Great Sourcing of Unique Products!

I was so excited when I discovered this shop, I was walking down Broadway Parade minding my own business when it caught my eye. I may have let out a slight squeal, and may have almost got run over in my attempt to get into the shop from the other side of the road as quickly as possible- but hey, it was worth it!

I must confess I am a real unique design fan, and I could tell from the outside that this shop was going to tick the boxes - I wasn't wrong! Everything they stocked was lovely and of the rarer design variety. For example Sukie cushions and handkerchiefs, Norman Copenhagen light fittings and much much more (too much to list). So all boxes ticked there.

However the thing that really let this shop down was, for one the size, too many people attempt to cram into this little heavily stocked shop, and the two people who own the shop were a little frosty.

By this I mean the service was a little frosty and quite unfriendly. This would be Ok, but when your sending money on very highly marked up goods you would expect to be treated a little nicer.

Not to moan about an otherwise nice shop, maybe they were having a bad day. Great for gifts and real rare home ware finds. A treasure chest of lovely design finds!

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of The Electric Bird Cage

11 Dec 07, 10:21

60's Retro Cool!

This place is amazingly cool. It screams Austin Powers, 1960's Psychedelic cool this may have something to do with its kitsch carousel styled bar dominating the main space.

It is located in the heart of London and is very popular, it has two rooms and is often hired out for private functions. We went on a Monday night and there was a good atmosphere, the decor is really quite refreshing, and when you walk in the atmosphere is quite tranquil (unusual for somewhere so trendy in London).

It serves both food and drinks and has the most spectacular array of cocktails I have ever seen. Not only were the choices amazing, but they tasted amazing too. In fact I would go as far as to say they were the best cocktails I have ever sampled. They tasted super fresh and they were incredibly imaginative. The whole party that I was with was uber impressed with the quality of their drinks.

They were not the cheapest drinks but I did not think that they were over priced for the quality that you got, and at £7- £7.50 each they are not out of place in London.

Next up was the food, after 'ooohhing' and 'aaarrring' over our drinks the food followed and this too was of great quality. The food menu was not hugely extensive, and was based around dim sum style eating. Lots of little Asian inspired dishes went down a treat.

I ordered the prawn and chive dumplings, golden purse and a Thai green chicken curry with coconut rice, all was lovely and just enough - a great accompaniment to our fabulous drinks .

I can't recommend this funky little place enough, if you are looking for something seriously different they give it ago. Beware ladies taking your men, there the very attractive waitresses change into very skimpy air hostess outfits after about 9pm, adding to the 60's kitsch feel and attracting much attention!

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.