Dave 's reviews
Review of Smallridge External Floral Design Co
30 May 08, 15:51
Flowered up 
They do do some nice arrangements and bits and pieces in here, but I'm always a bit disappointed when I see the big lorry coming in with their delivery of flowers from Holland. I'm sure they could find suppliers closer to home, and the blooms might last a bit longer too.
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 Lytton And Lily
28 May 08, 14:41
Vintage style 
It's gorgeous stuff, I just wish that I could afford it! This places is full of all those nick nacks that you know would make your home look just incredibly beautiful if you could only bear to part with all of your old tat.
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 Ali's Alcove
28 May 08, 14:36
Kebabylon 
This is the sort of place you wouldn't look at twice in daylight, but put your beer goggles on et voila! I believe it is traditional to spill most of your kebab on the pavement outside.
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 Samuel Daw & Co
28 May 08, 14:30
Suits you, sir
I hate buying clothes with an absolute passion and the problem with this place is that you can't really browse, you need the staff to help you, and that's just what I don't want! I want to go in, get the gear and get out, not be measured and have to pretend I'm bothered what colour it is.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Mughal Brasserie
28 May 08, 14:22
Curry tastic
If there's a whole load of you going out for the night then this is probably the best curry house in Barnstaple for you. There's bags of room inside and the staff work hard to look after you.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Jalapeno Peppers Mexican Restaurant
27 May 08, 09:12
Tequila!
Surprisingly funky for conservative with a small 'c' Barnstaple. It's more of a bite to eat before you hit the town party place rather than a romantic dinner for two venue and great fun. I'm addicted to the onion rings.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Padfields Of Barnstaple
20 May 08, 12:46
Take a seat. Or a bed. Or a...
I wonder why you'd go to one of the big sheds on the outskirts of town when you've got this place. It really is enormous inside, loads of choice, they know what they're talking about, and it's actually a little bit more contemporary than you think it is...
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of B B Stores
20 May 08, 12:13
So near so Spar
It's a lot smarter and a bit more 'corporate' now it's been done up but it still provides a good service to the Newport area, especially since places like the newsagent and the other shop at the top of the road closed.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Costcutter
20 May 08, 12:10
Convenient
This shop's all about convenience, and with the dreaded Tesco only just down the road I'm glad it's there. Handy for popping in to pick up the bits and pieces you need without having to queue for hours just for a pint of milk.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Barnstaple Music Centre
19 May 08, 14:28
Out of tune 
Where's this one gone? It was part of old Barnstaple, and like so much about that town you don't miss places like this until you suddenly find that they are not there any more. Shame.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of North Devon Leisure Centre
19 May 08, 14:26
Sink or swim
It wins by being just about the only place around here with a swimming pool, but apart from that most of the facilities can be found elsewhere. It'll be good to see what happens when the new one's built in a few years time: this one does spoil the view of the river a bit.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
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 Barnstaple Bus Station Cafe
09 May 08, 15:26
All change
It's functional rather than fun. Handy if you're waiting for a bus because at least you're inside in the warm and dry with something hot to drink. It's somewhere to pass the time rather than somewhere to make a date to go to.
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 Rolle Quay
09 May 08, 09:44
St Awful Ales
I wish I got to go in here more often that I do, but the trouble is it's not really on your way anywhere, and the fact that they sell St Austell beer isn't enough to draw you in.
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 Bob's Buttery
08 May 08, 14:06
Just an idea...
You always see the Bobs Buttery van driving around town, so why don't they do that Stop Me And Buy One thing like ice cream vans do? Can I have a bacon roll please? Sure, do you want a flake in that? Err...no!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Ebberley Arms
08 May 08, 13:44
Pension Day Party Time
I call it The Wobbly Arms because it's always full of oldies! There's nothing really wrong with it, there's just nothing right enough with it to make you go there rather than somewhere else!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of North Country Inn
08 May 08, 13:41
Always shut
Whenever I walk past this place (and that's exactly what I have to do) the doors are always shut! I once read a sign in the window saying it was going to be quiet in January so they'd be closed at lunchtimes! It's going to be quiet if you don't open the doors!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Seamus O'Donnells Public House
18 Apr 08, 11:51
An Irish pub in name...
...but not in any other way. They have bouncers outside at night to keep people inside. It always depresses me to see so many abandoned prams in the window when I walk past.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of P V's Bar Restaurant
18 Apr 08, 11:48
Won't be going back
There's a bar downstairs and a restaurant upstairs where the one and only time I ever went there they tried to sell me a bottle of red wine that had quite obviously just come out of the fridge! That said I also know people who love it in there...
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Chicago Rock Cafe
18 Apr 08, 11:45
Grim
This is the sort of place that really does seem to bring out the worst in people. They can call it what they like it's still just a desperate attempt to fill people up with as many fizzy drinks as possible, flash the lights a lot, play bad music too loud and see who can be sick the first.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Hardings Leatherworld
18 Apr 08, 10:15
It's that smell!
It hits you as soon as you get inside the door! You really wouldn't think about going anywhere else for leather: the first thing you think of is jackets, but it's great for belts and for wallets and purses and for bags too.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Near By Store
18 Apr 08, 10:12
Very handy
This is one of those Spar/VG/Happy Shopper style stores where you're meant to go in, get what you need and get out. Handy for your newspaper first thing in the morning and you always end up getting a bar of chocolate as well but you wouldn't need it for much more than that.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Kafe Karumba
17 Apr 08, 16:21
Too small
This place is a bit like Gulliver's Travels: it's teeny tiny and they like to pack them in so expect to have to shovel your chair a few times while everyone else gets in and out.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Old Custom House
17 Apr 08, 14:58
It is actually shut...
But it looks like it should still be open because they haven't papered over the windows or anything like that. It's quite an interesting building inside and possibly one of the oldest in the town so it would be nice for it to be put to some use again one day.
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 Eric Dayman
17 Apr 08, 14:50
I'm free!
You keep expecting Mr Humphries to pop up from behind the counter. It's sensible clothes for sensible people who read the Daily Mail and will water your plants for you while you are away on holiday.
0 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Majestic Wine Warehouses
17 Apr 08, 14:48
Stick a cork in it...
and call it wine: it's not the good stuff, but you can buy in bulk for parties, BBQs, Christmas and the like. They do beers as well including some of the bottled varietes. Look out for the deals and stock up.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Upfront Records & Tapes
16 Apr 08, 15:57
Great shame
It was a real pity when this place went: they guys who ran it loved their music and you could tell that they really had a passion for what they did.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Toymaster
16 Apr 08, 14:48
What happened here?
All of a sudden there seem to be loads of businesses along this part of the High Street that just vanished: did all of their leases come up for renewal at the same time or something?
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of First Red Business
11 Apr 08, 13:34
It's not the driver's fault at all
But it is First Group's fault. They seem to forget that they are running a bus SERVICE and everything they do is geared toward them and their profits with scant regard for the customer. First Group's train services are just as bad.
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 Cox Of Devon
11 Apr 08, 13:30
Open all hours
Seeing as it's a 24 hour garage I couldn't help but wonder why they had a lock on the door. I asked the woman behind the counter but she couldn't tell me.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Tarka Books
11 Apr 08, 13:25
Bargain books
It's well worth going to Tarka Books whenever you're looking for secondhand or out of print titles (although they do sell some new books as well). The great thing is that the stock's always changing so you never know what you might find.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Solo Music
11 Apr 08, 13:23
Music to my ears
The great thing about this shop is the room on the right hand side as you go in. There's folk and classical music which is so difficult to find anywhere else in Barnstaple as well as jazz, blues etc. You can get some real bargains and good offers on CDs in the other room as well.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Music Zone Trade Direct
11 Apr 08, 12:02
What happened to this place?
It's such a shame that Music Zone's not here any more! You could get some really interesting stuff and the prices were just ridiculously low sometimes. Maybe that's got something to do with the shop being empty now...
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Shoe Zone
11 Apr 08, 11:51
These shoes are made for walking
I can wear through any pair of shoes in ten seconds flat so this place is ideal for me. I can go somewhere else and pay £40 for shoes that'll have holes in before I've even had time to do up the laces or come here and get a pair of equal quality for a quarter of the price.
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 Sports World
11 Apr 08, 11:37
Goal!
If you're not super fit it's always a bit awkward when you have to go into sports shops, but at least at this one the staff don't let their despair at the shape of you show too much!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Stationery Box
11 Apr 08, 11:35
Just what you need
I know people who have a real thing stationary shops and can't get enough of pens and little knick knacks for your desk like staplers and things like that, and they love this place. It's well stocked, well laid out and there's much more choice that in Smiths.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Somerfield Stores
11 Apr 08, 11:30
Tiny
Give this place an award. I think that Somerfield on Barnstaple High Street has got to be the smallest supermarket in the UK. You can normally find what you need it you can manage to squeeze past everyone who's trying to squeeze past you!
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 Blockbuster Video
11 Apr 08, 11:22
Saturday night at the movies
What I like about Blockbuster is that as well as having loads and loads of copies of the top titles you can find all those films you wanted to see or read about that just didn't make it to the cinema down here. Mind you, they do charge cinema prices for some of the sweets and drinks...
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Medina Gallery
11 Apr 08, 11:19
Picture perfect
Some of the pictures they have in the window of this place are incredible. I could do with less of the sporting 'personalities' and more of the landscapes, but that's just personal choice.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Frame Warehouse
11 Apr 08, 11:17
You've been framed
They always do a nice job in this place. It's not easy to know what frame's going to work best with your picture, and they're really good at helping to pick out the most suitable colours.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Jessops
11 Apr 08, 11:15
Very helpful
Let's be honest, those machines that you use to print off pictures from your digital camera aren't always the easiest things in the world. The staff must have the patience of saints because they have to explain the same thing to people over and over again.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Bottle Shop
11 Apr 08, 11:13
Cheers
I find it incredible that in a town the size of Barnstaple this is the only specialist off licence in the town centre. It's only tiny so they have to make do with the space they've got, but it would be nice to see more choice.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Argos
11 Apr 08, 11:10
Much improved
This place has got a lot better since they installed those little terminals that let you key in your own order and pay by credit card. Before that you had to wait for hours and hours to place to find out that they'd run out of what you wanted.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of B J's Value House
11 Apr 08, 10:07
Why pay more?
Value House is unique: there really is nowehere else like it! In the spring and summer it's packed with all your compost and bedding plants for your garden then in the autumn they have all sorts for Hallowe'en and their Christmas stuff is incredible. You might not want to buy all of it, but curiosity always gets the better of you and you want to look just in case... There is some tat, but there are some absolute bargains too.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Banbury's
11 Apr 08, 10:02
It's the sort of place you can take your Gran
And she'll love it! Banburys is a good few years behind the times, but I think that's why people like it. It's a mini John Lewis or Peter Jones.
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 Julian Graves
11 Apr 08, 09:37
I'm nuts for Julian Graves...
Go for the flapjacks, stay for the dried apricots, that's what I say! It's great for ingredients for cooking as well. And nuts aren't just for Christmas you guys!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Marks & Spencer
11 Apr 08, 09:34
This isn't just M&S...
...this is Barnstaple M&S! There's a reason why people rave abourt M&S: it's because they're as good as they say they are. Decent quality clothing, good food, and the staff in the coffee shop all deserve MBEs for going above and beyond the call of duty.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Summerland Stores
10 Apr 08, 17:25
Open all hours...
I love the old painting on the side of this building. Cookies has been a bit of a landmark in Barnstaple for so many years now. It's a convenience shop that does what it says on the tin!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of H F Youings
10 Apr 08, 17:22
Sweet!
There aren't many places you can go for proper sweets any more. You can still see all of the boiled sweets etc in the jars and they'll pour them out on the scales and out them in the bag for you. It's what a sweetshop should be!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of American Graffiti
10 Apr 08, 17:19
Handy
When I have to find presents for people who like Star Wars or Star Trek or Doctor Who this place comes in very handy. Apparently they're not called comics anymore, they're graphic novels!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Clinton Cards
10 Apr 08, 17:17
You are a card
And at these prices you must be having a laugh. Do you really need to send your cat a birthday card? Do we have to invent occasions like Grandparents' Day? You do if you're Clinton Cards and you want to charge £2.75 a shot!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Cardfair
10 Apr 08, 17:15
Unfair
Is this place still going? I'm sure that there's something else in this store now. It always had a good selection of cards at a fair price.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Bitz
10 Apr 08, 17:12
It'll be sad to see it go...
Some of the prices you get charged for greeting cards and wrapping paper these days are frankly extortionate. Bitz was a good quality alternative to Clinton Cards. Maybe if it had charged more it'd still be around...
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Ottakar's
10 Apr 08, 17:09
Buy the book!
Now trading as Waterstones this store does a great job in a tiny space! They really could do with more room to improve the choice that's available, but the staff are great and very knowledgable.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of W H Smith
10 Apr 08, 17:07
Out of date
I'm not sure what WH Smith is meant to be anymore. It's an old fashioned High Street store that doesn't know if it's meant to be a newsagent, a bookseller, a stationer, a music retailer or something inbetween. Their book selection is limited to the most boring choices possible that you could pick up in any supermarket and I've not been in there since I tired to use their ordering service. Let's just say they didn't order it. But they had no hesitation in taking the money for it...
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Blue Gallery
10 Apr 08, 17:01
If a picture paints a thousand words...
...then I'd get some paints from Blue Gallery to do this review. And they'd have lots of different colours and brushes and canvases and easels and everything else. If you're feeling crafty then this is the shop to go to.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Wallis Newsagents
10 Apr 08, 16:40
A bit grim sometimes...
It's okay if you know what you want, can go in, get it, and get out again. It's when you have to search the shelves you realise that they also stock a lot of those magazines you wouldn't want your mum to catch you reading...
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Northgate Newsagents
10 Apr 08, 16:37
Read all about it
As well as the newspapers they also have a good selection of magazines. Some of the special offers in the window are a bit weird though: they seem to get offered a box of cheap junk at the cash and carry and see if they can have a go at selling it.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of John Menzie (U K)
10 Apr 08, 16:34
I don't think so...
This hasn't been John Menzies for several years now. (Hands up if you can remember those crazy years in the late 80s/early 90s when there were actually two branches of John Menzies in Barnstaple. We were spoilt really weren't we?)
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of W T Gover
10 Apr 08, 16:32
Good practical clothing
I'm one of those blokes who hates shopping for clothes: Govers is the place that makes it bearable. Sensible shoes, practical clothing, everything for the man who hates dressing up!
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 Presto
10 Apr 08, 16:27
Hey Presto
The great thing about Presto is the range of different pasties they have: the bad thing is the price, but as always you get what you pay for...
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Three Cooks
10 Apr 08, 16:24
Sweet
They're nearly always queuing out of the door here, but I think that's to do with the number of customers rather than slow service. Their donuts have just got the edge over Warrens!
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 East & West
10 Apr 08, 16:18
Bread of Heaven
The great thing about this place is that you can see them actually baking the bread in the shop. And it tastes fantastic too! I know people who buy the bread and just eat it on its own. Some of the cakes are nice too
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of National Missing Persons
10 Apr 08, 16:07
Good for books!
If you're prepared to spend your time scouring the shelves there are some real finds here. I found one book (well over a hundred years old) that I couldn't get second hand on the Internet at any price for just 50p!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Catherine Bishop
10 Apr 08, 16:05
A real gem
There are some incredible items on display here, but they can also design and create individual pieces as well. It was a real pleasure to deal with people who knew so much about what they were doing and had a real enthusiasm for their profession too.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of North Devon Athenaeum
10 Apr 08, 16:01
A fascinating place
If there's anything you need to know about North Devon then this is the place you'll find it. The staff know just where to look for what you're after and it's nice and quiet so you can actually concentrate on what you're doing.
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 Banburys
10 Apr 08, 15:53
Grace Brothers
It is a bit Are You Being Served in Banburys sometimes, but sometimes that's what you need! I went in there looking for a bolster and they actually had one: beat that!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Cookmate
10 Apr 08, 15:48
Cooking on gas!
If you can't find it in Cookmate then you probably don't need it. And it's a lot cheaper than Cargo! I've never come away from this place without being able to get what I went in for.
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 Wildens Tools
10 Apr 08, 15:42
Four candles
Wilden Tools is great for all of those things that you don't think that you can get any more. It's a friendly local alternative to all of those big our of town DIY centres where you either can't find what you want or have to buy in bulk.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Vision Express UK
10 Apr 08, 15:33
Read this chart
I've been to cheaper opticians, but not better. It was a thorough examination and then rather than the old 'go and choose yourself a pair of frames' I got plenty of helpful advice on what to go for. They also took me through several different options to pick the right lens. You get what you pay for, but the staff couldn't have done more.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Lloyds TSB Bank
10 Apr 08, 15:26
Not good enough
Maybe it's just bad luck, but every time I go in here and deal with someone behind the counter it always seems to be the worst day of their life. And the cash machine's always empty. Maybe it's part of their plan. Perhaps they keep it empty so you have to go inside and get frowned at.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of NatWest
10 Apr 08, 14:56
Helpful hint
If you're going away to University open your student account in the city you'll studying in. They'll have a lot more experience with the type of money issues you'll be dealing with. I opened my account here and it turned out to be a mistake. They didn't understand anything about what was going on.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Queens Theatre
10 Apr 08, 14:53
Applause
You do get some good shows at The Queens, but boy do they know how to charge for them! It's cheaper at the Northcott in Exeter. Sit downstairs if you can, there's no room for knees in the balcony!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Museum Of Barnstaple & North Devon
10 Apr 08, 14:50
Creepy crawly
Some of the rooms are more of a natural history museum than anything else and some of the bugs and stuff like that are just horrible! It's really a collection of artefacts than a tour of North Devon through the ages.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Central Cinema
10 Apr 08, 14:44
Always best on the big screen
Barnstaple deserved a better cinema than the Astor for a long time, and what Scott Cinemas have done to the place is just amazing. You can pre-book now, comfortable seats, lots of choice, it's now one of the best cinemas in the UK and a lesson to the big boys in how to do it properly. You don't hear people say that they'll wait for it to come on TV anymore, because they'd rather come here and see a movie how it was meant to be seen!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Razor Bill's Fish & Grills
10 Apr 08, 14:35
Wrong category
I'd have put Razor Bills in Fish and Chip Shops rather than Seafood Restaurants, but that's no reflection on this place. It's just a good chippy! The onion rings and battered sausages also come highly recommended.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Pizza Hut
10 Apr 08, 14:31
Why are we waiting?
If you like waiting for your food then this is the place for you. If you don't it isn't. Everyone knows that these places try and operate with military precision, so how on earth can it take so long to get your pizza?
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Broomhill Art Hotel
10 Apr 08, 14:27
But is it art?
The great thing about Broomhill is that it's real experience. The food is great and you won't find anything like it anywhere else in North Devon, but you've got the sculpture garden as well. Some of those things are incredible! It loses one star because the bar is nowhere near big enough.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Chambers Brasserie
10 Apr 08, 14:23
There's nowhere else like it in Barnstaple...
When we decide the WAGs have nagged us enough this is where we take them. Plenty of choice, plenty to drink, and it's a nice place to be in. Is it just me or are all the waitresses blonde?
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Silver Cod
10 Apr 08, 14:17
The Silly Cod
One of the happiest moments of my life happened in The Silly Cod. I saw someone open a sachet of tomato sauce and it squirted them right in the face! I would've laughed for longer but my chips were getting cold.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of McDonald's Restaurants
10 Apr 08, 13:46
Naughty but nice!
No-one ever lost money by underestimating the taste (or lack of taste) of the great British public. Someone must be eating it, and I have to admit that despite the huge moral dilemma, sometimes that person is me. I usually regret it straight away, but what did I expect?
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 62 The Bank
10 Apr 08, 13:34
Not another Christmas Party!
It feels like every Christmas, every time somebody leaves work, and every birthday you end up at 62 The Bank! I think it's because they always seem to be able to fit you in. Their greatest asset seems to be the fact that there aren't many other places you can choose to go instead!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Barnstaple Delicatessen
10 Apr 08, 13:30
I love it in here!
It's a tiny shop but you can spend ages looking around, and the staff are so helpful and friendly. It's great for unusual presents too. It looks nice, smells nice, and tastes fab!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.