Pete's reviews
Review of The Sun and 13 Cantons
31 Aug 07, 11:46
Sunny Delight 
Often derided as one of the more "meeja" pubs in Soho, the Sun and 13 Cantons is conveniently located on Great Pulteney Street, Soho. Extremely busy on Thursday and Friday evenings, at other times it's a great place to stop, relax, and enjoy a pint.
There is a good selection of beers on tap and a fairly extensive wine list, all at relatively reasonable prices for Soho. In the summertime a section of the pavement is cordoned off, so smokers can enjoy their pints without being barged by tourists.
For those people who have been waiting for decent and affordable Thai food in Central London, The Sun and 13 Cantons is a blessing. The attached Thai Lemon Restaurant supplies punters with everything from superbly spicy soups to the most amazing curries. Highlights are the fish cakes (sumptuous and perfectly cooked), the pad thai (great size, awesome flavours) and the green curry (spicy). Prices are reasonable too, at about a fiver a main course.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Review of The Jazz Cafe
20 Aug 07, 13:56
Nice
Not as old or as famous as most of London's other jazz venues, the Jazz Cafe has a good reputation and deservedly so. Founded in 1990 and bought by the Mean Fiddler organisation in 1992, it treads a tricky path between live music, all sorts of jazz, artists other big venues can’t or won’t risk booking, and club culture. It is conveniently located just outside Camden Town tube station.
Laid out with the stage along a side wall and the bar at one end, there is a seating area behind the bar and room upstairs for diners. Cloakrooms and the often talked about toilets are downstairs.
The real appeal of the Jazz Cafe is the fine selection of artists and support bands who play there. I have recently been to see 70s rare-groove band Cymande, and Italian movie jazzmeister extraordinaire, Nicola Conte. Although never sampling it myself, I do hear the food is good too.
On the other hand, drinks are expensive for a Camden venue, service is sometimes slow ( no wonder with 2 barpersons serving the whole venue!) and sometimes tickets can be had cheaper on the door than at the pre-booked prices.
Overall, a good place for a night out with a difference.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review of The Glasshouse Stores
16 Aug 07, 14:05
A little corner of heaven ...
... if your idea of heaven is sticky carpets, a cramped interior, and stinky toilets. Not forgetting, of course, the superb Sam Smith's ales. And their superb vodka, which most people forget about!
The Glassblower is located on Brewer Street, near the edge of London's salubrious Soho. The upstairs bar is light and airy, oft frequented by the older generation for gentle afternoon drinking - a good place to read the newspaper or catch up with a good book.
Downstairs is usually open from 6pm to accommodate thirsty workers having a sneaky pint on their way home.
Within stumbling distance of Piccadilly Circus tube, this is a good pre-club meet-up place, with cheap strong booze!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.