Max J.

Review of Bar 43

05 May 07, 14:51

So So 'Member's' Club

Private members club, though I've always managed to get in without any problem (without being a member). The cafe downstairs (open during the day) is a great place for a cheap lunch just off Oxford Street where most other options are pretty poor.

The bar itself, however, has never convinced me - very overpriced bar snacks and drinks. Subdued, dark decor comes across as dated faux-chic rather than contemporary cool and you always get the feeling that most people drinking there are there because they think it is cool place to hang out, rather than actually enjoying themselves. Zero atmosphere.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Galleria Ceramics

05 May 07, 23:04

Bad experience

I'm in the middle of fixing up my flat and ordered bathroom floor and wall tiles from this little local tile merchant. Having ordered the tiles at the start of May, they initially told me that they would be ready for collection the following week - one week on I was told the floor tiles would be another week and a half and the wall tiles didn't turn up until just under two weeks after I orginally ordered them.

My biggest annoyance was not necessarily the delay, but a series of empty promises that they would be ready for collection, which left me constantly going to collect them and returning empty handed. Sadly, in the end, I had to switch my order to Fire and Earth around the corner who matched their price and were able deliver directly within two days.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Fopp

06 May 07, 14:43

Cheap CDs, DVD's and Books

I first found about Fopp a friend from Sheffield whoseemed to be able to replenish his CD collection of older must-have albums everytime he returned from home. It wasn't until they opened off Shaftsbury Avenue that I learned the ways of Fopp, which reveals how shamefully overpriced Virgin, HMV et al are. Now with this megastore on Tottenham court road, there is very little reason to ever shop at a chain (HMV, Virging) store for DVD's and CD's again which stocks a reasonabel selection of film and music £5. True, Fopp probably appeals a little too much to the male music and film nerd collector with endless £5 deals, but I don't necessarily see any problem in that.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Pickering D.R Associates Dental Surgeon

06 May 07, 16:35

Easy-to-join London Dentist

Finding a dentist in London is not easy, so I was surprised how easy it is to join this dentist. Turn up on the day, no appointment necessary, pay £20 towards future treatment and that's it. The place is deceptively big, sprawling across three floors with two waiting rooms. It is always busy, so you can expect a long wait (just when I thought someone was going to finally see me and was told to go to the second floor, I found out that I had just hit the second waiting room). That said, my dentist was friendly and very professional and when I returned four weeks later for a filling he picked up our last conversation which I though was very impressive given the number of people he must have seen since.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of The Drapers Arms

08 May 07, 18:57

Quite Pub Escape from Upper Street

Beautiful pub hidden away north of Islington's Upper Street, a great place to escape the crowds particularly on a Friday or Saturday night, though definitely only if you're looking for a quiet low-key atmosphere. Has a great restaurant, especially if you can get a table upstairs in the double fronted dining room which is sparingly and stylishly decorated to fit the age of building. We dined with friends at Christmas on a busy night, food was excellent all round, though the service was extremely slow - it took us 40 minutes to order our mains,

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of I C A Gallery

14 May 07, 14:43

Eko Eshun sort it out

The ICA is a mixed art space covering three main gallery spaces, small theatre/live performance area, two cinema screens and a great little bar/restaurant.

While the bar and restaurant remain a safe bet when everywhere else starts to close (ICA bar open until 1am most nights), since Eko Eshun has taken over as Director the quality of the ICA's programme seems to have severely dropped.

During a time when ICA's programme of talks could never be more pertinent given the political climate, the breadth and quality of speakers and discussions seems to have faded away.

Rather than setting the agenda within London's ever growing film festival scene, the ICA seem to be a rent-a-venue add on to whatever festival is taking place. While Hans Hoffman's curated shows lack any real bite or big names.

I love the ICA, but I feel that it now severely lacks any real direction, something which rests heavily on Eko Eshun's shoulders. I suggest, he spends less time tinkering with the logo and brochure format (two changes in less than twelve months) and more on the substance its shows and programme.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Eat

18 May 07, 13:10

Super Soup

My collegue Rik's interest in Eat Soup borders on the obsessive, however, his enthusiasm has spread throughout the eMomentum office quickly and he has managed to convert half of us (including me) to the ways of Eat Soup which is super tasty. From chicken pot pie to red lentil dhal, I haven't tried a poor Eat soup yet.

Eat seems to be carving a similar niche a la Pret in the 90's serving up no-nonesense, tasty lunch take-out at affordable prices. They are rapidly to be opening new stores acrossLondon at the moment, so I'm sure that MacDonalds will buy them soon.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Sausage and Mash

21 May 07, 16:21

Middle Class Greasy Spoon

A greasy spoon for people who don't want to dine in a greasy spoon. Always packed. If you like sausage and mash then this the place to come, choose from a wide range of sausages, mash and gravy to mix and match to get the perfect sausage and mash for under £8. I had parsnip mash with Cumberland sausage. Unsure whether the decor is original, but regardless it does the job retaining 50'ss style red white formica with chrome. If you can get a table a good Sunday morning option.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of The Jerusalem Tavern

21 May 07, 18:22

Beautiful Local Tavern

This is nearest pub to where we work - a beautiful old pub with stunning curved glass Victorian frontage which serves an eclectic mix of beers and ales that manages to steer clear of the ale pub cliches. A very friendly, cosy bar which is always packed, indeed the place suffers due to its size, which inevitably means that in the summer we tend to be drinking in the road. Serves grapefruit lager which is much nicer than it sounds.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.