Jp's reviews
Review of Cha Cha Moon
09 Jul 08, 08:42
Teething Troubles? 
This being the new offering from the guys behind Wagamama and Busaba Eathai, I was expecting tasty, wholesome food in communal surroundings. Having gone there for the first time for a spot of lunch, I was woefully disappointed at my expectations being half met.
The premises are situated between Ganton Street and Kingsly Square - and certainly look the part of a noodle bar. The place is bustling with noise, noise, and more noise. Trying to talk to my friend seated opposite me needed a raised voice, and talking with the waiting staff was hard work.
The food was certainly nothing to write home about. I had duck and noodle soup, which was nigh on tasteless - and the noodles looked like something out of a pot noodle. As is said in the previous review, portions are not that large either, so we also ventured for the wontons and a spring onion pancake - the former were probably the tastiest thing I ate there - the pancake was the greasiest.
I also had a lemon tea, which was far too sweet and wasn't really worth what they were charging for a small cup.
The £3.50 promotion period is still ongoing, so perhaps worth a try out just so you say you HAVE tried it. However, I certainly won't be going back for a long time - I'd rather spend an extra 10 minutes walking to an eatery in China Town.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Kulu Kulu Sushi
25 Feb 08, 13:34
Just simple, tasty food 
Don't walk in here expecting a full glamorous experience - this is as basic as it gets.
Help yourself to tea from the sideboard - pick your food from the conveyor belt - and enjoy. Completely unpretentious environment which will see you in and out in 30 minutes.
The food is pretty tasty - a mixture of fresh vegetable and fish dishes, with the occasional bit of chicken for good measure. Lots of hand rolls, sashimi, some deep friend tofu - with plenty of wasabi, ginger and soy sauce on the side. The lack of covers on the conveyor-belted food could be a bit off-putting, but we didn't hear anyone sneezing whilst we there!
The price is pretty good considering what you're getting - presumably kept down by the lack of requirement for waiters.
If you're a fan of Yo! Sushi - treat yourself - you wont go wrong.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Soba
27 Jul 07, 17:25
Go to the other branch!
I'm not sure if its because they were quite busy, understaffed, or what, but I found this branch of Soba to be the more dissapointing restaurant of the two.
Staff were run off their legs, looking pretty angry, and had an air of "its all going wrong" about them.
The food, although having the same ingrediants (presumbly recipies) as the Poland Street restaurant, tasted different, more oily, and it took us 25 minutes to receive our food after ordering.
I note they do have a larger offering of dishes at this branch, with sushi on the menu as well, but thats not enough to pull me in the door - i'd rather spend 5 minutes extra walking down to Poland street for an overall more pleasent experience.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Il Bordello
23 Jul 07, 12:55
Large portions of hearty dishes 
Having stumbled across this restaurant whilst walking down the Thames Path, its one of those welcome suprises you love getting. I've only been here 3 times, but its a firm favourite as far as Italian restaurants go.
The restaurant is always buzzing with customers, and once you've tasted the food its no wonder why.
There are always plenty of staff on hand to ensure you get the attention you require; however, they all have the Italian accent, but as with all Italian restaurants these days, you can never be sure as to their country of origin.
My lasting recollection from this restaurant is the Lamb Shanks. £15 gets you two monster pieces of shank served on a bed of mash and smothered in gravy - and its absolutely delicious, even if it does take you that little bit longer to get through it all. If you're having this - I recommend skipping the starters.
The only downside is that the tables are packed in a little bit too close, so you end up dining with the strangers to the left and right of you.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of The Breakfast Club
23 Jul 07, 12:45
Perfect for a hearty Breakfast
I've only ever ventured through the doors of this cafe for breakfast, but its something I do time and time again.
Be it something simple and healthy, or a downright dirty wedge of bread filled with double bacon and egg, you just can't go wrong with The Breakfast Club, and its all to be had at a price thats healthy for the wallet.
Their smoothies are healthy and filling, and really help set you up for the day.
Staff are friendly and helpful, but service can sometimes be a tad slow if they're busy.
The cafe is filled with pictures and toys from the 80s - we've had fun with the Simon memory game a few times! Oh - and don't forget to pick up a Breakfast Club badge on your way out.
Grab yourself some friends and get down here for some quality grub - just save a table for me.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review of Yi Ban
22 Jul 07, 11:05
Quality Chinese Dishes in a relaxing setting
Yi-Ban is housed above the London Regatta Centre in East London's Royal Docks, and has a wall of glass facing out onto the dock and the runway of City Airport.
The decor is modern, with lights at the base of the walls which change colour every quarter of an hour, which give the place different moods.
About a quarter of the restuarant is given to a lounge-bar type area, with the rest dedicated to serving food. And what a selection there is! There's the staple dishes you'd expect on any chinese restaurant's menu, and then there's the extra special more traditional Chinese dishes, such as those cooked and served in clay pots. They have an emphasis on fish dishes (black cod, abalone, dover sole, sea bass etc), but don't let that put you off, as they have a great choice in meat and veg too!
Service is attentive, and staff are happy to give personal recommendations on dishes.
Every Saturday night they have a band on to serenade the diners, however, I've found the volume is sometimes just a little too high if you're sat anywhere near them.
However, that said, the restaurant is fantastic place to while away a night with good company over good food, and they make an excellent takeaway for those nights when we just want to stay at home.
If you're ever in the area, treat yourself :)
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Superstar ExCeL Chinese Restaurant
22 Jul 07, 10:49
Gerrard street comes to the east end?
We tried this as an alternative to Yi Ban, which is half a mile down the road. On a Wednesday night, the place had around 20 guests, half of which were Chinese (you know what they say about a restaurant being occupied by cusine natives...)
Its hidden away in one of units of the old tabacco warehouse buildings alongside The ExCeL centre. Aesthetics-wise, it wouldn't be out of place on Gerrard Street in Chinatown. Its a two floor restaurant - with the main dining area on the ground floor, and VIP areas downstairs - the VIP areas come complete with karaoke offerings, though we declined to check it out.
Service was friendly, and dishes were brought promptly.
Food was average, as was the price, but as a plus point they made up some dishes for us which were not on the menu. The Sizzling Lamb with Ginger & Spring Onion was on par with most other places we've tried it at, but nothing stood out about it; the Kung Po chicken was crunchy and flavoursome.
The bathroom was better than your average chinese restaurant bathroom, but had some signs of wear and tear - only after a year.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Dong San
02 Jul 07, 14:09
Lunchtime Gem
I've only ever been to this restaurant for lunch, and its a gem of a find.
They have a wide range of options available for choosing - but I've tended to go for Japanese dishes, which tend to include a portion really tasty meat of your choice, covered in a good strong sauce, rice, veg, pickles etc.
Service is top-rated - highly attentive and very knowledgeable. I've had one of the chaps serving us there provide our party with great advice on what food to choose (which we did, and were not dissapointed), and instruction on why we should eat lots of rice and a fair portion of meat, and not the other way around.
They also have a huge karaoke system in the back of the restaurant which I imagine goes on in the evening - not something I've attempted yet, but I will.....
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Ping Pong Dim Sum
01 Jul 07, 21:26
Great place for lunch
This particular branch was the first restaurant, testing the concept as such, and the group has now rolled out half a dozen or so branches, with the latest situated on the South Bank. On an evening this branch is very popular - with queues often seen on the street.
Decorwise - The walls are adourned with prints of steam, the tables made of solid wood with matching wooden stools or benches. The restaurant is split onto two floors, with seating around one of the steam-cooking areas (which looks good but teaches you little about how the food is made)
Ping Pong has had mixed reviews from day 1. Personally, I have never had a bad meal here - the food is reasonably priced and of good quality, and there's plenty of choice, be you fish lover, meat lover, or pure veggie. The jasmine flower tea always goes down a treat, and there's a great selection of cocktails to sample.
When it first opened, they had a noodle counter in the lower floor, offering freshly rolled noodles and soup, but sadly they discontinued this due to lack of demand. A loss!!
Their service staff keeps rotating - different faces every month - but generally the level of service is high, and they are attentive.
If you've not been yet,
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Loon Fung
01 Jul 07, 18:15
Great range of Chinese produce
A huge chinese supermarket, offering everything from stock ingrediants to pots and pans, and exotic fresh vegetables and a butchers and fishmongers. Take the car and park up in the free car park outside, because you'll want to stock up on whats on offer. There is also a bulk-buy section towards the rear of the store, which is heavily used by restaurants such as Ping Pong.
I often visit this supermarket to get those rarer ingrediants you find in Chinese recipes, which are unavailable in the high street english supermarkets. More common fruit and veg tend to be fresher and a little cheaper than the other supermarkets too. They have isle upon isle of top quality ingrediants from all over Asia, a friendly butcher, and freshly roasted ducks available on a Friday / Saturday.
They also have a noodle bar in-store, staffed by two recently imported China-mainlanders, willing to serve you up anything on the menu, and maybe more. Everything is cooked up in front of you, and whilst you wait you can be entertained by the traditional singing eminating from one of the chefs. I find its a good spot for a quick lunch upon a Saturday.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.