Dave 's reviews
Review of Notting Hill Gate Underground Station
30 May 08, 16:12
Avoid 
This is one of those stations that's right under a main road, so no matter what exit you take you always come out on the wrong side of the road to where you want to be. There's always a sense of relief after Notting Hill Gate because that's everyone gets off so you may finally get a seat.
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Review of Debenhams
30 May 08, 15:19
Deben Don'ts
The best bit is the view of the river from the cafe: apart from that it's just floor after floor of department store misery. How do you get 456000 pensioners in one place? Debenhams in Taunton.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of The Orange Brewery
30 May 08, 10:43
Nice but naughty...
It's one of those lovely old corner house pubs, but boy do they know how to charge for their beer. And to be honest there are better pints to be had in London...
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Clarks Shop
30 May 08, 10:38
Expensive
I'm a bloke so for me shoes are only ever functional rather than a thing of beauty to be admired. All I see when I go in here is that their shoes are two or three times the price of what you can get somewhere else.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Barnstaple Town F C Social Club
28 May 08, 14:38
Own goal
I think the problem that Barnstaple Football Club has is that this is a rugby town, so that's where the people and therefore the sponsors and the money end up. CAMRA have had a beer festival here a few times which improves it greatly!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of The Tavern
28 May 08, 14:33
Chavtastic
It's everything a pub shouldn't be. There's a bit too much of the pack 'em in, pour it down their throats and shove 'em back out in the street going on in here for me.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Tavern In Port
22 May 08, 16:21
Pack 'em in...
It's a Saturday night kind of place if you know what I mean: when there's a gang of a dozen people they end up in here because it's big enough for all of them to get inside, but there's not a huge amount going for it in terms of being a nice place to go for a drink.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Clovelly Cross Filling Station
20 May 08, 12:41
Take cash
Because it's only once you've actually filled up your vehicle will they bother to tell you that their credit card machine is broken, even though they've stood their staring at you for the last ten minutes. Could be more helpful.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Co Op
20 May 08, 12:17
Thirsty
I know that the Co-op is there for the good of the people etc, but this place really does need a bit of money spending on it now. Even getting in and out of the tiny front door with all the oldies trying to trip on the step is a bit of a nightmare. I think it says something about Appledore that nearly half the store is devoted entirely to booze!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of The Coppermine
19 May 08, 14:24
Hold the bells
It's things like the enormous day-glo porcelain clowns in the windows that worry me about this place. It wouldn't look so out of place at the seaside, but Exeter deserves a bit better. Not welcoming and not much fun as a result.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Drake Circus Shopping Centre
12 May 08, 15:44
Not all that.
It's not brought much new to Plymouth, it's just moved the old shops to new (alebit often much improved premises). It's left the rest of the city centre looking like even more of a wasteland than it did before. What ift gives with one hand it takes away with the other.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Leicester Square Underground Station
09 May 08, 16:33
Well hidden
Which is ironic seeing as it's in the heart of tourist London! It's 'near' rather than 'on' Leicester Square and busy at all of the peak times as you would expect.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Covent Garden Underground Station
09 May 08, 16:09
Well worth a miss
I really don't get all the fuss about Covent Garden, so it always surprises me that this station is so gosh darned busy! If you don't go then I couldn't hold my hand up and say that you've missed anything.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Marks & Spencer
09 May 08, 15:52
Cheap but not so cheerful
I can't see the point of this place. M&S is all about quality, so to find a branch that is just for seconds and stuff that's been taken off the shelves because no one wants it seems to be a bit of a waste. That said, if you want M&S but don't want to pay for it...
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Review of North Devon District Hospital
09 May 08, 15:39
Matron!
The NHS is about the people, not the places. That said the NDDH is a bit of a victim of what passed for architecture a few years ago. I'd much rather be there as a visitor than a patient!
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Bideford News
09 May 08, 15:34
Nott the best newsagent in town
This is the sort of newsagent which also sells those Christmas cards that start to wilt after a couple of days on your windowsill! Had to wait ages to be served while the woman behind the counter was on the phone apologising to someone who hadn't had their paper delivered that morning.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Exeter Central
09 May 08, 15:19
All change
It's not the sort of station you'd want to have to wait at for too long. The facilities are limited (few seats, no waiting room, a couple of vending machines instead of a cafe) and the view of the prison is a bit depressing too...
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Bhs Exeter (British Home Stores)
09 May 08, 15:14
Grim
This place really is starting to look a bit old and grotty now, and so are some of the clothes they have as well. Could really do with smartening up a bit and there are plenty of other department stores you can go to in Exeter instead.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Inn On Sqaure
09 May 08, 11:00
Not so Golden Lion Tap
If there's a huge gang of you out doing the town then this is the sort of place you end up in just because they've got the room. Apart from it's size there's not really a huge amount going for it. It's a pack 'em in and get 'em drinking type place rather than a local pub.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Furniture Warehouse
08 May 08, 14:13
Uncomfortable
We got quite a hard sell from the guys in Furniture Warehouse. The trouble was that they seemed to be just desparate for us to buy something/anything rather than what it was we actually wanted. In the end we didn't buy anything.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Fullam Restaurant
08 May 08, 14:09
Not a fan
I've not been in there for ages now, but it's like anywhere you go to eat, if you don't enjoy it you're loathe to return. I was amazed by the price rather than the food itself. I could've got the same somewhere and quite possibly cheaper.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of HSBC Bank
08 May 08, 13:57
The Honkers and Shankers
This place has still got the old Midland Bank griffin on its letter box. The guy I dealt with to open an account told me all about the arguments he had with his local vicar and them managed to arrange for all of my paperwork to go to someone else's address. I was not amused!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Ottakar's
23 Apr 08, 11:57
Now a Waterstones
And sadly it's slightly the poorer for it. They used to have quite a good section on local literature, but that space has been reduced and even their choice of Thomas Hardys isn't what it was. A town like Dorchester with its literary tradition deserves better.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Rose Of Mossley
18 Apr 08, 11:21
Where's the soul?
This is the first pub that I ever saw 'measured dispense' where you ask for a pint, they stick a glass under the tap and press the pint button and out it comes. I was devestated: is this what pubs are coming to? Especially pubs like this that could/should be a nice little local.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Havana Coffee Co
18 Apr 08, 10:10
Wholesale only these days
Which is disappointing. When they had their shop in Holland Walk in Barnstaple you could get some great coffee in there, but now they only supply to the trade you've got to find out who they sell to and go there instead. The place was full of cups and saucers and nick nacks too, it was great fun...
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Warrens
17 Apr 08, 14:53
Not great
This is the chain that seems to have a stranglehold on Barnstaple: what is it, three branches? And none of them really that spectacular. Maybe I'm getting ol but the cakes don't seem to taste as good as they did when you were a kid.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Londis
16 Apr 08, 13:46
Not good
It's meant to be a convenience store but sometimes it seems like they're trying their hardest to be as inconvenient as possible. You know what you're getting with Londis and this does nothing to improve the reputation.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Famous Little Store
15 Apr 08, 16:37
I do like to be beside the seaside
This place reminds me of those shops you find at the beach now that sell all sorts of plastic tat that you kids like to take home for you as a present from their holiday and you have to pretend they like. That said the sheer volume and variety of brightly coloured knick knacks they have can make your eyes ache.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Woolworths
15 Apr 08, 16:34
Teeny tiny
I don't think that I would be at all surpised if someone was to tell me that this is the smallest branch of Woolworths in the whole of the world. That said they still seem to be able to cram a lot of stuff in there... It's like a normal Woolworth, but smaller.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Country Cottage Bakery
15 Apr 08, 16:11
Why so glum?
If I was surrounded by cakes and pies and sausage rolls all day I would have the biggest smile you ever did see! I dread going in here, they always really seem to grudge having to serve you.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Cafecino Plus
15 Apr 08, 15:54
Why are we waiting?
I hope that I don't always catch them on a bad night, but the service in this place always seems to be so incredibly slow: I wonder if that's why the drinks are on the expensive side? You've got to do something while you're sat there...
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Cadbury Shop
15 Apr 08, 12:30
Not so sweet
For a factory shop it doesn't really seem to be that much cheaper than just going down the newsagents to get your Dairy Milk. The best thing is the bag of mis-shapes, but it's a bit like playing Russian Roulette. You can end up with a load of horrid toffees if you're not careful.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Banana Bookshop
15 Apr 08, 12:13
The Remainders Of The Day
When a publisher prints a lot of copies of a book that nobody wants to read they end up here. The trouble is even though they're a fraction of the price it doesn't alter the fact that these are still books that people didn't want to buy or read in the first place.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Lethbridge Arms
15 Apr 08, 10:33
Disappointing
I felt like I was rattling around like a pea in a drum in this place. It's huge and the only other people who were in there seemed to be someone's noisey. The food is a little bit expensive for something that is so basic.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Sainsburys
14 Apr 08, 14:15
Don't like the refit
All they've done is introduce build a big bit on the end so they can move everything along a bit and stick in a load of clothes etc that you don't want. Can't you just go in these places and get your groceries any more? And why have so many tills if you're only ever going to staff six of them?
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Cedars Lodge Inn
14 Apr 08, 12:53
Identity crisis
So what is this place? Is it a pub? Is it a hotel? Is it a restaurant? No its Cedars! It tries to be so many things that until it picks which one it wants to be and concentrates on doing that well it'll continue to do lots of things badly.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of The Bar
14 Apr 08, 12:05
What happened?
When it was The Quay this was the local's pub and you could have some tremendous fun in here! Now it's some hideous extension of The Yacht Club. And it's overpriced. Put it back to how it was and leave it alone!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Somerfield Stores
14 Apr 08, 12:00
Access problems
A supermarket on the High Street is a good idea in theory, but in practise it's a nightmare! You have to park in the car park to the rear (if you can find a space) but there's no direct access to the store and you have to walk down the road and round the corner with all your bags. Best for filling up on the neccessaries rather than the weekly shop.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Costcutter
11 Apr 08, 15:48
Looking its age
This place always looks a little run down. I think that half the problem is that it's too big to be a convenience store but it's also too small to be a supermarket so it's stuck in the middle and not sure what to do. It's handy to have the Post Office there though.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Agricultural Inn
11 Apr 08, 14:09
Not as good as it used to be
The Aggy used to be the place to go in Braunton, but it's really gone downhill in recent years. I hear it's got some new owners now and they're trying to turn it around, but let's hope it's not a case of too little too late.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Chichester Arms
11 Apr 08, 13:48
Local pub for local people
Whenever I walk in The Chichester Arms it always feels like everything stops and every single pair of eyes in the place turns slowly toward me. It's a bit unnerving, but when you go in there with people who actually live in Bishops Tawton that never seems to happen...
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Pilton Bridge Garage
11 Apr 08, 13:32
Unleaded
They're really not the friendliest staff in the world here and the location is a bit of a problem too. Because it's on the corner of a busy junction you really do have to go all round the houses to get there if you approach it from the wrong direction.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Green Lanes
11 Apr 08, 11:49
Not for me I'm afraid
Shopping centres seem to be a necessary evil in so many town centres these days and I can't see why. They're just brightly lit tunnels of crowds of people shoving each other and unfortunately Green Lanes is no different. The empty units always seem to be the ones that look the most interesting.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Carlton Westcountry
11 Apr 08, 11:25
Turn off
I'm sure there's a reason why we have local news programmes, but I don't know what it is. They only ever talk about what's happening in Plymouth. If you live in North Devon someone being a bit naughty in The Barbican again really isn't that interesting.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Woolworths
11 Apr 08, 09:58
Should never have moved into Green Lanes
This place is my idea of hell! I don't know what it is about the lighting, the cramped conditions and the endless queues that makes people want to go there when they haven't got anything that you can't find somewhere else.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Birthday Boy
10 Apr 08, 16:29
No cake left for you
Birthday Boy's one of those shops you go in when you've completely run out of ideas for what to get someone. The trouble is they don't have that many ideas either. You've seen it all before somewhere else.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Warrens
10 Apr 08, 16:21
Make more pies!
By the time I get here they always seem to have run out of pasties, pies, sausage rolls etc. It's a shame that Warrens have a bit of a monopoly in Barnstaple/North Devon...
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Barnstaple Library
10 Apr 08, 15:59
A smile is free
Barnstaple Library's become somewhere that I have to go to out of necessity rather than choice. You real feel like you're taking up someone's time if you dare to ask them anything.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Barnstaple Rugby Football Club
10 Apr 08, 15:56
Come on Barum!
There's nothing I like better than a drink and a bit of a shout on a Saturday morning, but where's the Barum ale gone from behind the bar? They only have St Awful Tribute there now and it's undrinkable. I've started taking a hip flask instead.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Cargo Homeshop
10 Apr 08, 15:44
Expensive for what you get
Cargo's one of those places where you think you're going to get what you want only to find you're going to have to pay big bucks for it and so you end up trekking down the road to the Cookshop instead...
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Wimpy
10 Apr 08, 13:42
Or me.
Is North Devon still the only place in the whole of the world where you can find a Wimpy. It really does seem to attract a particular type of customer... How on earth do they make those round sausage? It's not right!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Corner House
10 Apr 08, 10:47
Hit and miss
I always want to enjoy The Corner House a bit more than I actually do. It's changed a lot in recent years and not always for the better. Part of its charm was that it didn't have slot machines and a jukebox but those days are gone and the real ale can be a bit hit and miss...
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of The Lamb Inn
10 Apr 08, 10:39
Isn't this place called Monkey Island now?
Monkey Island is a terrible name for what was a great drinking pub back when it was The Check Inn. It got a little bit unpleasant when it became The Lamb, but now it's been refurbished it looks like it could be worth a visit again. The only trouble is that every time I go past it seems to be shut!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.