Michelle's reviews
Review of Marks and Spencers Simply Food
18 May 07, 12:13
Full on food 
This store is next to Sainsburys on the Fulham Road. It is small but arranged really well, so it is completely stuffed with fabulous food, most of it already prepared (winner). It's worth remembering that these supermarkets are next to one another, so that you can buy your loo roll at Sainsburys and your dinner party grub at Marks. Check out the great selection of (very reasonably priced) flowers in the doorway.
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Review of Acrelane Builders Merchants
17 May 07, 20:36
Timber!
Whether you're an aspiring developer, a full-scale builder or you're just doing a spot of DIY, Acrelane Timber Yard is a great contact to have on hand. Although there are a surprising number of similar enterprises in the SW area, this is one of the most highly reputed and most popular. Open from around 8am every day, the team of staff is efficient and fast at serving you, no matter how small your requirements (I've been in for a couple of planks for shelves, and they didn't laugh.)
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Review of Creative Beadcraft
15 May 07, 17:39
Venerable beads 
To say this place is laced with the odour of an unhappy childhood is perhaps going too far, but it does smell like a village hall. Or the props department at the local am-dram society. And there is something, well, a little odd about the fervour with which the staff and clientele discuss, ogle at, purchase and peruse Beadcraft's wares. However, that said, if it's beads your after , whether it's to mock-up something gap-year-esque or to embellish your 12-foot fabric collage of The Last Supper, this is the store for you. One word of warning before you go too wild in the aisles, VAT isn't included in the prices and an extra 17.5 per cent soon adds up.
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Review of Michael Dyer Associates
15 May 07, 17:30
Professional photographic service 
This workshop photographic printing studio is used by artist and photographer Sam Taylor-Wood and several other clients of note. The staff are hugely knowledgeable, and while big-scale enlargements and unconventional prints etc are expensive, you are paying for real quality. Orders can take a while to turn around - at least a couple of weeks if they're busy - but it's worth the wait for an unparalleled service.
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Review of Clares Kitchen
14 May 07, 23:21
Home-style cookin'
Walk into this popular lunchtime takeaway and you'll be surprised to discover that it really is someone's kitchen. While you wait, you can watch the staff prepare dishes for you, then take them away on a paper plate covered with cling film , so much more tasteful than a polysterene box. With homemade Cornish pasties, jacket spuds and hearty sandwiches on the menu, it's a bit like going round your Gran's for some real comfort food.
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Review of Cloth House
13 May 07, 21:29
Cotton picking
Washed out cottons, vintage prints, ribbons and bibbons and buttons and cottons- Oh, Lord, this is arts and crafts nirvana. There are two Berwick street branches of this store, and this is the old fashioned and elegant one, where you want to buy swags of material to kit out your Country Living inspired cottage in style. Or trim everything you own immediately. The fabrics are sourced from all over Europe, and you are guaranteed to leave with something that feels both unique and entirely lovely.
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Review of Sassi Holford
10 May 07, 23:48
Wedding Belle
This store always seems to have a sale on, which i guess is good for brides to be as these things can be cripplingly expensive. The designs don't float my boat the girls who run this shop are really friendly and obviously know what they're doing.
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Review of Balham Kitchen and Bar
10 May 07, 10:26
A recipe for success
When it opened in 2003, Nick Jones's SW enterprise led the pack in Balham's gastro-isation and the trailblazer is still one of the best eateries on offer. The restaurant's focus is the stainless-steel clad kitchen where you can watch the legions of chefs preparing exemplary modern bistro food, guaranteeing a buzzy atmosphere. The clientele is a young, professional and fun crowd by night, but at the weekend the family shift takes over, so if you're heading there for a hungover brunch (think eggs Benedict, herb omelettes and the like), be prepared for ankle-biters.
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Review of Food For Thought
10 May 07, 09:36
Be good to yourself
This vegetarian restaurant near Covent Garden has great dishes at great prices. You can grab a take-away from upstairs or venture downstairs to the small dining area - be prepared to queue though, this place is popular. The menu featuring soups, stirfries, and exotic dishes changes daily. Vegans are well catered for and dishes containing wheat are highlighted. The cakes are great, and so wholesome you can almost kid yourself you're being healthy.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Sister Ray
08 May 07, 18:47
It's indie rock'n'roll for me
Until very recently this was Selectadisc, but was taken over last year by the slightly inferior Sister Ray. Fortunately, there has been no dip in quality. If it's an independent release you're looking for, you'll find here cheaper than anywhere else (internet included). The same also goes for old releases , some of the prices really are incredible. The store itself feels something like a cattle shed (low-ish ceilings, trough like bins for music), while the staff pitch themselves at the perfect level of snobbishness: aficionado status is appreciated, but not a pre-requisite, while teen pop-pickers need not apply.
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