Brad W.

Review of Laureate Restaurant

25 Oct 08, 09:58

Delicate dim sum

We only came here for a lunch visit based on a friend's recommendation - our usual poison would be Chinese Experience.

Boy, are we glad we came here.

The dim sum were delicate, perfectly cooked, and very tasty. Having just come back from Beijing, and eaten Cantonese there, this must be seen as a high compliment!

Service was quick, and we were in and out in under 50 minutes - just about right for a decent lunch.

Only downside is that the price is slightly over what you'd normally look to pay for dim sum/yum cha, but to be honest I can personally live with the price hike for the amazing pork buns.

Recommended!

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Fifteen

05 Oct 08, 14:19

Training restaurant

When visiting Fifteen one should never forget the original premise—a restaurant designed to train young and under–privileged chefs into professionals.

Bearing that in mind, the food is regular Anglo/Italian fare (Italian food made by English people), and uses very high quality ingredients. In latter case, the owner’s commitment to local produce really shines through, and to a degree carries the restaurant.

As for the food itself, it’s nothing special. Good, safe menu with decent portion sizes, and extremely delicate pasta. Service is friendly and effective.

I think what sticks in the back of my mind is that I feel if I had access to the same suppliers I could cook almost the same meal myself. And I’m not sure that’s worth £40 a head.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of The Prince

27 Apr 08, 17:29

Great but for the Yorkshire...

In this nice, off-the-high st pub, where local families and hipsters intermingle in equal proportions, lies a sleeping giant in the London Sunday Roast club.

Generous portions, quick service, and fresh ingredients point towards a superior meal. If only it wasn't for the doughy and burnt Yorkshire pudding they send along with the rest of the meal.

Reputedly their burgers (not served on Sundays, sadly) are also excellent, so this may turn out to be a new favoured local eating pub.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Review of The Oxford Retreat

29 Mar 08, 20:12

Great pub food

If it wasn't for the lads expedition at the bar, this would have been a great pub experience. That incident highlights the failing of the Oxford Retreat—the bar and eatery are literally right next to each other and share open space, meaning that all your typical bar noise trickles into your dining.

Other than the noise, the food itself was very tasty and of quite good quality, and the dessert was enormous and generous. The cocktail range was solid as well, making for a great low–key night out: for us, that is. Not for the lads, presumably.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Cycle Surgery

21 Oct 07, 22:04

Great - for a chain

As a somewhat specialist consumer (single speed converted track bikes), normal stores just don't appeal to me. There's something about fluorescent yellow jackets and gears that drives me away as quick as my single gear will carry me (quite fast, if you're counting).

However, on the way to my place of employment in Soho I had the misfortune of getting a flat tyre. Given that they were on my way I thought it best to stop off and get a fix.

The staff were quite helpful and the repairs were very competitively priced - and the up-sell of a puncture-proof inner tube was well worth the investment. They even had a few solitary single speeds in the store--although their primary trade was clearly of the commuter variety.

Great for all your "normal" bicycling needs.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Brick Lane Bikes

21 Oct 07, 21:58

Best place for single speed bikes

If you, like me, prefer your bike to be of the elegant single speed variety, this is your mecca.

The store specialises in vintage, imported steel track frames and all the trimmings (multi-coloured Velocity Rims, road tyres etc.). They also sell a smaller variety of very well-made and maintained off-the-shelf track and fixed bicycles.

The staff are all very helpful and knowledgeable, and all work is done on the spot by their team to guarantee you walk out with the bike in the best possible condition. Their passion for bikes truly stands out as an asset, and this buyer was very pleased with the results.

Very highly recommended.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Review of Lemongrass

30 Sep 07, 22:04

Home delivery not to even delivery quality

I'll confess that I've never set foot in the restaurant itself. However, after ordering the home delivery service it seems unlikely that I'll bother.

The food was an hour in the making, and yet arrived in undersized portions swimming in grease. Even the prawn crackers were skimped on--it seemed like they provided just a single cracker per member of my party (4).

The price was competitive for delivery Thai food, but I'll be looking elsewhere for my favourite local.

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.

Review of The Dove Freehouse and Kitchen

14 Jul 07, 15:47

Not really Belgian

The owners of this pub don't seem to actually be Belgian, and this shows in the quality and care taken in their food.

Thin gravy, too-fatty meat, and too noisy to enjoy a nice meal. Luckily the meal isn't so nice anyway.

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.

Review of Pub on the Park

14 Jul 07, 15:45

Nice if you can avoid the queues

What a great spot. Decks on London Fields. Full of all the young "new media" types you could possibly want to see on a sunny London Fields day (the last sentence is said with only a hint of irony).

Sadly the bar service can be quite spotty, and the kitchen closes early on a Sunday.

Still a nice place to enjoy the sun--but stay away if it's raining.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.