Oliver's reviews
Review of Agenda
15 Jul 07, 20:51
City bar boredom 
Agenda is a city nightclub bar which is largely forgetable. Ok, it does have it's good points. It's free to get in. The music is usually pretty good - almost exclusively modern dance chart music. And it's no more expensive than you would imagine for a late night city bar. So all in all it should be ok, but it misses out on something and it's hard to put your finger on it.
The clientelle are a mixture of typical city suits and Essex overspill on a night out. There's the associated unnecessary aggression around the dance floor as these types of places tend to attract. And it also tends to get very busy on Thursdays and Fridays and, when it does, the temperature can reach unbearable levels.
Overall, I would suggest going to this place only if you've not got any other options. You're unlikely to be too disappointed by what you find, but then you're also unlikely to be blown away by the experience.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Borough Market
11 Jul 07, 16:44
A market marvel 
Friday at Borough market is as much an experience as it is a place to buy fresh produce. And in both, it is really great. It's got pretty much everything you'd expect from a food market, but it's probably better than anywhere you've been. You want cheese. You got it. You want olives, meze, or bread. Fill yer boots. Fresh meat or quality confectionery? There's plenty of that too. And it has more giant fresh fruit and veg from the four corners of the world (some of which you'll never have heard of) than you could shake an oversized legume at.
The fresh fish stall is quality entertainment as well, although a little gory! If you've ever wondered how they fillet yellow fin tuna which, incidentally, are as big as a medium to large sized family dog, then the public demonstration reveals all.
Then there's the beer stall. Amazing! If you love larger, ale, wine, cider etc from all over the world this is a revelation. Ok, so the stallholder might look like a cross between Anthony Worrel-Thompson and a particularly angry Hells-Angel reject but he's really helpful when you're selecting that special 14% Belgium beer for a quiet night in.
There are also numerous places to get a spot of lunch, whether that be Chorizo rolls, venison or veal burgers, kebabs or much more. They all look good. They all smell amazing. And, sadly, they'll all have a long queue.
There is, however, a sting in the tail. It's usually really busy, especially at lunchtime, and it ain't cheap. I once bought a hand picked bag of fresh salad (various lettuces, rockets etc)...and not a very big bag at that...and it came to about £4. So, you're unlikely to do you weekly shop there but it's worth treating yourself now and again because the food is really good and, if you look for them, there are bargains to be had.
I hope I'm doing it justice but, if you have haven't guessed, I really like it.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Kaslik
11 Jul 07, 12:56
Lebonezer good 
I'm partial to Meze. In fact I love it. So when I stumbled across this restaurant near Soho square I had great expectations.
It certainly looks the part. When you go in there are a multitude of lamps and lanterns hanging from the ceiling and Persian artefacts adorning the restaurant. Then there are the "seats", or rather "perches" which are a little uncomfortable. That said, coupled with the traditional music, this place has a really cool vibe.
Service was a little slow to start with, but once our order was placed the food appeared shortly after. The food itself ranged from the sublime (Hummus and Baba Ganoush) to the overcooked and disappointing (Halloumi and Falafel). Still, overall it was pretty tasty, plenty of it, and reasonably priced.
I'm not sure I'd go back, but I did enjoy it while I was there. It's also probably best to book as it was very busy even on a Monday evening.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Tesco Metro
08 Jul 07, 22:01
Checkout charlies 
Right, it's a supermarket. It sells food and the normal Tesco stuff. No surprises, no frills...and reasonable service. Right? Nope! Someone forgot to tell the staff here that the people who come into the store who aren't wearing the blue pull-overs are the customers! On numerous occasions I have been barged, sneered at or ordered about but staff who are clearly on a insults-for-cash incentive scheme. Never is this more evident than when you use the self-checkout system. For some reason, Tesco see fit to employ someone to point to one of the three empty scanner and shout at the next customer in line that it is free. I wouldn't mind, but if you hesitate for even a fraction of a second you’re made to feel like you're on some kind of day release from the local nut house and really shouldn‘t be somewhere as intellectually demanding as a Tesco Metro without your carer!
Maybe I’m going a little overboard but I have never been somewhere where I am so consistently disappointed and often insulted by the service as I am here.
Interesting, I've never seen a member of staff in this store wearing a "happy to help" badge and it seems, in this, Tesco have got something right!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Review of Vertigo
08 Jul 07, 21:46
Vino and vertigo
Vertigo 42 sits, unsurprisingly, on the 42nd floor of the Tower 42 (formerly the Natwest Tower) and offers a truly unique view of the City of London and beyond.
Essentially, Vertigo is a city wine bar with bells on and as a result it's not cheap. At about £7.50+ for a small glass of wine it's probably not the type of place you'd want to spend the whole evening. But, the reason you'd go there in the first place are the views and the near 360 over London make this a memorable experience. It also serves food but I've never tried it, although it does look good.
As you might expect, the clientele are mostly smart city types and there really isn't much of an atmosphere to speak of. Still, even though I'm a real hater of heights I loved it!
You also need to book in advance and it does get busy so give them a few weeks notice to avoid disappointment.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Italian Kitchen
08 Jul 07, 21:24
Flavoursome fun 
This restaurant, conveniently situated between Holborn and Leicester Square, is a real find. The food was a treat from start to finish (the deep fried mozzarella was fab!) and the service was both prompt and friendly. It was also reasonable value for money, certainly for theatre land.
My only reservation was that the ambiance was a little stagnant but, then again, it was early evening and the restaurant was only half full.
All in all, worth a visit.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Coopers
04 Jul 07, 23:22
Sandwich bar bliss
Coopers seems to have been around for ever, and for good reason...it's very good. Offering lunchtime jacket potatoes, salads and soups, it's the sandwiches that set it apart. There's a large choice of fresh fillings and of the ones I've tried I've yet to be disappointed. And they are generous with the portions too so after a Coopers sarnie you're likely to be pretty stuffed.
It does get very busy around 1230-1330, and there's often a long queue, but it usually goes down fairly quickly. They also occasionally run out of the popular fillings, so go early to avoid disappointment.
My tip: try the all year round Xmas special (turkey, cranberry sauce, sausage and stuffing), it's awesome!
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Clause
04 Jul 07, 23:14
Cocktails a plenty
This is a city cocktail bar which will spring few surprises. The decor is modern and clean with comfy chairs or some standing room depending on your mood. The bar offers a happy hour between 5pm and 7pm where cocktails are half price otherwise they're normally circa £6-£7. Still, the cocktails are very good (they do a mean Caipirinha) and bar and floor service is provided. It can take a little while to get your order, but then again that's what you expect.
The food is nothing more than average, and very generic pub grub on the go fayre.
Be warned it does get very busy and the music can get a bit oppressive. But it's probably not somewhere you'd want to stay all night anayway.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Casaba Meze and Shisha Bar
04 Jul 07, 23:01
Middle Eastern magic
Just away from the hustle and bustle of Upper Street is this bar come restaurant, a what a find! The first thing you'll notice is that there are fewer chairs than you might expect. Instead there are cushions and rugs on the floor and low tables. This, along with the shisha pipes and middle eastern decor, gives this place a really amazing atmosphere.
Then there's the food. The meze menu is comprehensive and caters well for both vegetarian and meat eating diets. And it's all really very good. Sometimes service is a little slow, but when it arrives it's worth it. And the staff are really friendly, helpful and polite. The food is reasonably priced but beers and wine can be a little expensive.
I've never understood why this place isn't busier than it is, in fact it's never been very busy at all. But it's well worth a visit.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of The Pumphouse
04 Jul 07, 22:47
Not you typical city pub
This pub is a real enigma. Firstly, it's easy to miss and as you decend the stairs into a non-descript small-sized bar area you will be underwhelmed by the decor and atmosphere. Then there's the staff, surly and rarely pleasant or even polite. But here's the rub, I like it and I keep going back!
In the heart of the city where else can you get a pint of mainstream larger for about £2? And in a part of town which is dominated by neon and crome chain bars or sit-in-the-corner-and-sup-an-ale boozers, it's pretty unusual. It rarely gets over busy and there's often a good mix of suits and civies. Also, having 2 darts boards and 2 pool tables, it's a good spot for a bit of entertainment.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.