Kyra K.

Review of Dragon Castle

15 Aug 07, 10:48

The best dim sum in the south east

Dragon Castle is one of my all-time favourite places to go for dim sum, far outweighing most places in Chinatown. Its location in grimy Elephant and Castle may put some people off, but don't let the horrors of the huge grey roundabout stop you; once inside, you are transported to a beautiful calm and restful oasis with twinkling chandeliers and the pleasing sound of running water as the koi carp at the entrance splash about happily. Ok, so I might be going a bit overboard, but it really is quite a lovely setting. On our first visit, we arrived just after 5.15 and were crushed to find out that the dim sum menu finished at 5pm sharp. But instead we feasted on lovely, non-greasy noodles, enormous prawns and fabulous little accoutrements, all lovingly decorated with fresh edible flowers. Our waiters and waitresses were smooth and efficient, bringing dishes as soon as they were cooked and with perfect timing, whisking away empty plates to reveal more beautifully-presented dishes. Our bill, including plum wine and tea, was extremely reasonable and we vowed to return one weekend soon to catch the famed dim sum menu. Needless to say, we didn't leave it long between visits and set off at 1pm a couple of Saturdays later. The grand space, previously almost empty, was now populated with lots of beaming Chinese families and couples of all ages.The great thing about the vastness of the space there is that no matter how busy the restaurant gets, it never feels full. The dim sum menus were on the table and we tucked heartily into most of the dishes on offer. They are incredibly good value and you can eat very well for less than £18 per head, with tea. Again, the dishes arrived promptly and puffed mouth-watering clouds of fragrant steam when we opened the bamboo baskets. The staff seemed even sweeter than before, plying us with free samples of lychee and plum wine. The range of dumplings, steamed and fried, was marvellous- I would wholly recommend the specials of green tea prawn dumplings- little parcels of heaven in the mouth. Dragon castle has fast become one of my favourite weekend hangouts and I would highly recommend it to anyone in the south-east and beyond. Try it now before it gets hugely popular and the prices go up!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Review of Ciao Bella

15 Aug 07, 11:57

Bellissima!

I discovered Ciao Bella when looking for a place to have a birthday dinner and I have enjoyed many a long, lively dinner there with friends as well as smart, efficient business lunches and intimate tete-a-tetes. Upon arrival everyone gets a bowl of marinated queen olives, a small packet of grissini, and a plate of parmesan chunks. This immediately swayed me, and I was destined to adore this place forevermore. Despite the freebies, the prices don't go up with a ridiculous 'cover' charge, nor is the menu expensive. Most pasta and pizza dishes stay firmly in the £7 and under category. The food is top-notch: hearty Italian trattoria fare with an emphasis on fresh ingredients, and particular attention to Italian specialities not usually available in bog-standard pizzerias- bresaola,rucola, and parmesan salad; prosciutto crudo- and the service is second to none.

I always see the same smiling faces there and they are very accomodating, with a personal touch. They're always ready with a quip or comment, even for large groups. I went for lunch yesterday and was persuaded, nay, cajoled even, to finish the last mouthfuls of my panna cotta. 'Go on,' my waiter said, smiling cheekily. 'You can do it'. Of course I did, and I left happy and with some of my lunch money still in my pocket. Che bella.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Robert Gastro

15 Aug 07, 15:43

Quelle dommage!

My friends and I first happened upon Gastro after a trip to the Clapham Picturehouse, and as a late-night, smoky venue (this was back in May, before the ban), it certainly charmed us. We found the late-night staff to be pleasant, accomodating, and eager for us to practise our French with them. As a total Francophile, I liked this. We ate hearty French bistrot food, a little overpriced but what we expected when dining in this area. They seemed to be staying open late for us and a smattering of other couples whispering sweet nothings to each other in the darkened corners. This place certainly has atmosphere, by the bucketload. So it was to our great disdain that the same friends and I found the experience to be totally different upon our return a few weeks ago for an earlier dinner. The first difference was that the place was packed to the rafters. There was a small queue forming at the front, and we joined it, hoping to be given menus to look at while we waited. We weren't. Instead a very stressed- looking woman, presumably the manager on duty that evening, told us to wait as a table would shortly be available. We watched as it became empty and remained so for 5 minutes or so. We asked if we could sit down, as it was very near to where we stood, but were told to wait until the glasses were cleared. We waited another five minutes as the staff rushed around ineffectually, and then sat down anyway, amid dirty glasses and all. As she came to clear the table and take our drinks order, we still had no menus to look at. Once we had them , we hastily ordered- a starter for me, mains for my two friends. Judging by the despondent faces of the couple next to us who had been trying to get their credit card taken to pay with for the past 10 minutes, we thought ordering everything all at once and asking for it to arrive all together would be prudent. As the restaurant filled up further, the service became more and more erratic. My starter (a below par bouillabaisse) arrived, but not the mains. I waited to start, but after 5 minutes my friends told me to go ahead. They picked hungrily at the bread we had been given and stared at the kitchen doors. After a total of one hour waiting for their food, we got up, paid for our drinks and my starter, and walked out. We were offered no apology or any sign of remorse from the manageress- only a gallic shrug and a nonchalant goodbye. It's a real shame, because I liked it there a lot the first time. Unfortunately, their customer service wasn't up to scratch, their prices are inflated, and I've had better fish soup in a French train station cafe. I won't be going back. Instead, I'll be going to Pizzeria San Marco on Clapham High Street, where we hungrily ended up that evening- a complete and utter gem.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of East Dulwich Dental Care

15 Aug 07, 16:04

Smile!

I just moved to the area recently and was dreading finding a dentist, but when my gums became sore I knew I had to bite the bullet, so to speak, and was extremely surprised to find this dentist (listed on the NHS website as accepting NHS patients) was so nearby, was actually accepting new NHS patients, and wasn't charging an arm and a leg for their private care. Regular NHS checkups there will cost you less than �16. My dentist was really friendly, very efficient, and told me that all of the damage I'd inflicted on my gums over the last 6 years (that's how long it had been since my last visit) was completely reversible. I can't promise the same fate for your teeth, but I left the place smiling.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of The Lamb

20 Aug 07, 16:52

Bloomsbury's Finest

This pub is quite possibly my favourite in London. It is a true haven from the hustle and bustle of everyday London life- a quiet, dark-ish, proper pub that harks back to a golden bygone age, when you could hear yourself think, listening to your friend's hushed tones as they discussed some neighbourhood scandal with you, all the time avoiding the reserved glances of a familiar face or two.

The staff here are always charming and eager to please, the Young's ales seem to go down well with everyone I take there, and the setting is truly inspiring- you feel a bit like you could be drinking with the Bloomsbury set, back in the pub's heyday. Take a notebook if you really want to appear as a permanant fixture!

Having hired the upstairs room for an event earlier this year I can say with conviction that it was the most smoothly-run, friendly, and welcoming experience. I would highly recommend this pub to anyone passing through the Holborn/ Russell Square area- you may find yourself staying longer than you intended. More like this one, please...

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Regency Cafe

22 Aug 07, 11:14

Put all your eggs in this basket...

I used to work just around the corner from The Regency Café, and I miss it terribly. It's the kind of place I would now get up early on a precious Saturday morning to go and visit, that's how great it is.

But lunchtime is when this place really comes into its own. By 1pm every weekday, it's a steamy, buzzing place, stuffed full of an unusual cross-section of people: cabbies make up its staple trade, but they usually pop in a bit earlier along with local builders, to avoid the rush of Westminster suits, Civil Servants, and Channel Four workers.

The food here does exactly what is says on the tin. Hearty, stodgy mains courses are always plentiful, and the special changes every day. The most common orders are for eggs, beans, sausages, and their legendary chips- huge yet somehow light golden bites of fluffy goodness. The scampi and the chicken fillet burgers are some of my other favourites. Scampi salad is a real pleasure- a chunky, basic salad topped off with refreshingly unhealthy fried morsels. My only criticism is that they’re still stuck in postwar school-dinners era as far as their peas are concerned- they use those sludgy khaki-coloured tinned processed ones.

But the most memorable thing about this place is the sheer volume at which the owner/ proprietor, Marco “The Voice” Schiavetti, bellows out the orders to customers as the dishes arrive piping hot from the kitchen. You’re expected to be on the ball and remember what you’ve ordered, as well as be ready to step up and collect it. If you’re female, he’s a pussycat. If you’re male, you’ll get an appreciative nod if you get to the service counter promptly.

This place has been used in all kinds of film and tv adverts and is an iconic slice of postwar London. It’s a cheap lunch and an unforgettable experience to boot! Get down there before your food goes cold.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Pizzeria San Marco

23 Aug 07, 14:18

Clap your hands say yeah!

We stumbled upon the Pizzeria San Marco after a terrible experience at Gastro, a French restaurant around the corner. We arrived there utterly dejected and hungry after waiting over an hour for our food to arrive. As soon as we walked into San Marco, we were greeted with broad smiles and some delicious smells from the open kitchen at the back.

Our waitresses were so charming and listened to our tales of bad service. We were presented with some free olives while we waited as they took pity on us. We began to relax, glad that we'd changed restaurants.

Once the food came, it became clear that one of our orders has been misunderstood by the chef. Our waitress couldn't apologise enough and she rushed to the kitchen to make sure our dish was their priority. She chatted with us at length as we waited, and apologised again. Once we had finished eating- fantastic crisp pizza, a delicious seafood linguine, and some more of the delectable olives, she rushed over to see if everything was ok. Despite our protests, she gave us a free drink on the house after the meal.

We left full, slightly tipsy, and with much more money in our pockets than if our meal at Gastro had been successful: smiling and vowing to go there again as soon as possible.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Jin Korean Restaurant

23 Aug 07, 16:07

Hot plate, hot place

Jin is the kind of restaurant that is good to take a big group of friends or is equally good fun for a romantic dinner for couples. Its gimmick is that certain meat and vegetable dishes are cooked by your waiters on a hot plate at your table. The dishes worth having are the pork belly, the seafood, or the marinated chicken with a tasty, sticky teriyaki-like sauce. Their kimchee is really good and I have always found the service to be very friendly and efficient.

It's a reasonably priced and fairly stylish place to go. If you're looking for an unusal bite to eat in Soho, you could do an awful lot worse.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Two Floors

23 Aug 07, 16:18

Two bad...

Two Floors is the kind of place that makes you look really hip if you take someone there for thee first time. It's tucked away in a cool side road off Regent Street, it's got low lighting and an appealing 50s-style vibe about it, and lots of hip slouchy leather sofas. Downstairs has a kooky little tiki-style bar with lots of coconut wood everywhere. It's definitely got character.

What brings the place down for me is that the drinks are pricey, they didn't know what a White Russian was, and the last time I was in there, I accidentally left a case with some of my favourite DVDs inside. This, of course, was my fault. But when I called to ask if the bar still had them, they said yes. When I went to collect them, they said someone had taken them home. To watch.

Cheeky things. To my mind, that story is kind of indicative of the too-cool-for-school, slighty slouchy, and not very helpful attitude of the staff there. If they remedied that, this could be an amazing little hangout.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.