Rik's reviews
Review of Le Mercury
09 Dec 07, 21:17
Great french food 
For some reason, I'd always thought that Le Mercury was an expensive French restaurant. I don't know why, maybe to do with the rather nice exterior and being situated bang in the middle of Upper Street. When I checked out the prices, I knew that I had to go in! It's a great idea to price all main courses (and starters too) at the same cost, and at only £6.45 for a main, it's great value for money.
I ordered the tilapia with couscous and fruit. When it arrived, it didn't look too great, but it tasted delicious. The combination of tangerine segments and fish may not have sounded too nice, it worked particularly well.
We managed to get two sets of starters, mains and side vegetables for under £30, which is an absolute bargain. Definitely worth going.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Pick More Daisies
09 Dec 07, 18:17
Amazing burgers!
I went here not only based on the great reviews, but because I love burgers. I'm a big burger fan, and when the restaurant has an accolade of Best Burger in London, I just had to try it.
Usually I wouldn't go for the most expensive thing on the menu (mainly because I'm tight), but I thought I'd go crazy and try the 10oz Kobe Beef burger, and I'm so glad I did. It was indeed the best burger that I've had in London, and the best burger I've had anywhere else in fact. An absolutely amazing burger. Really juicy, succulent and the taste was delicious.
On the very slight down side, and these are just minor criticisms, I have had better chips before (even at Fine Burger Co) and tastier milkshakes. That's definitely not to say that the chips and milkshakes were bad, they were very good, but I've had better.
If you're looking for a good burger or just a great American restaurant, then it's definitely worth the trek out to Crouch End to have the best burger in London.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review of Unpackaged
05 Dec 07, 14:30
100% organic
Unpackaged is a great little shop on Amwell Street that sells eco-friendly, Fair Trade and organic products. The concept is quite simple, you bring your own containers from home and fill them up with whatever you need - no need to get more than you require. They sell foods from fruit and veg, to seeds and even chocolate!
The staff are really friendly and helpful, and they are genuinely passionate about providing the best quality products. I bought quite a few vegetables from them and it's far superior in quality and taste than anything at Sainsburys or Tescos. By far, the best red pepper I've had is from here.
When people think of organic food, they think of the price. Luckily Unpackaged is really reasonable, especially for what you get. The only reason I've give it four, rather than five, is that I wish they did more products, maybe some organic meat products for instance, but the shop is still really young, so maybe it's on the agenda.
If you're a fan of high-quality, reasonably price, incredibly tasty food, then Unpackaged is the place for you.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review of Oregano
01 Nov 07, 10:37
Good Italian food, just needs better presentation 
Oregano is a little Italian restaurant, tucked away down a little side street from the busy Upper Street. I'd heard of a lot of good things about this place, how it was the best Italian in Angel - it's not quite that good, but it is a rather nice place to eat.
The restaurant is quite small, but there's quite a bit of space between tables, which doesn't make you feel claustrophobic. The food was rather good, I had garlic bread starter - on the dry side though, bit like a pizza base with some herbs sprinkled on it - and a creamy sausage and broccoli pasta main course, which was delicious, the sausage was tasty and the pasta was cooked to perfection.
I feel that the place could do with a bit more work on it's presentation. The tables are covered in this strange wipe-down plastic material which makes you think you're at a greasy spoon cafe and the menus are a bit unprofessional in a laminated-plasticky way. It does have a lot of potential to be a great Italian though, and I would recommend going, if only for the food.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Magma
24 Oct 07, 10:00
Arty toy shop!
This isn't a toy shop for kids... this place sells toys for adults... no, not those sort of adult toys, but design and art style toys. Everything from stationary and cards to fashion accessories and games - "anything that bears the stamp of creativity and intelligence" according to the founder.
Compared to the other Magma a few shops down the street, this place is great, it's spacious and well set out. The products are great too, I was like a kid in a toy shop... hohoho... but seriously, the range is fantastic and I did want to buy half the stuff in the shop. The prices are still on the expensive side, but as you're buying premium quality designer good, you kind of expect it to be.
If ever you want anything for your desk at work, something for the home, or you're looking for a great present, this is the place to go.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Afghan Kitchen
20 Oct 07, 21:34
Good, but not that good
All I can say is thank god I'm not claustophobic. If you think Wagamama style seating is bad enough, then at Afghan Kitchen, you're literally sitting on top of each other. The woman next to me had to apologize several times because her elbows were getting in my way.
If you're not claustophobic however and don't mind very small spaces, then the food here is rather good. The chicken in yoghurt is rather nice, although they could do with bigger portions as it's not as satisfying as I would have liked.
It is pretty cheap though, and there's not too many things on the menu (which is a good thing), it's not as good as the other reviews say, but it is worth going at least once, just to try.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review of The Masque Haunt
14 Oct 07, 23:05
Average Wetherspoons
Wetherspoons does have something of an undeserved reputation of real ale and old men. Well, the old men bit does always seems to be true, probably because being older and wiser, they know it's best not to spend all their money in an expensive bar. It's actually quite a nice, calm atmosphere with all the old people, bit like visiting an nursing home. There was football on in the bar at the time, and it did take a good five seconds before anyone over 60 realised someone scored.
Anyway, the old people actually make the pub quite relaxing, and to be fair to Wetherspoons, they do have a superb range of beers, ciders and drinks for the ladies, and to top it off, everything is really cheap. Two drinks for under a fiver. A round for under a tenner. Excellent.
Although I wouldn't want to go to the pub every week, it is a nice place to go, have a quick drink and hang around with some eldery people.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Bread and Honey
14 Oct 07, 22:47
Great little clothes shop
Bread and Honey is a small independent clothes shop that does both men's and women's clothing. Being based near Old Street, you do get the odd Nathan Barley style clothing but on the whole, the range is a lot better than what you get at Topman or Urban Outfitters.
The price of the clothes are quite similar to Urban Outfitters actually, you wouldn't buy all your clothes there, but maybe one or two nice things every so often. I bought a rather smashing stripey woolen jumper from here - very nice I must say. But the price is the downside, if it was a tad cheaper, I would buy a lot more things.
The guys who work here are as genuine as anywhere in London. They're actually bothered about what clothes you get and are always incredibly helpful and pleasant. Full marks to the staff.
If you're after a fetching jumper or a snazzy t-shirt, this is the place to get it.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review of Jessops
12 Oct 07, 11:11
Pleasant and helpful
I've visited this shop on quite a few occasions, not only are they pretty cheap for a high street camera shop, the staff are always nice and knowledgeable.
I bought my first DSLR from here, and it was the cheapest place that I could find, both in the shops and also online - you don't usually find shops beating online prices.
When my film camera broke, the guy behind the counter had a quick look at it for me, for free, and told me what the problem was (faulty shutter) and what I should do with it (send it back).
The only downside is that there tends to be not enough staff, so the queues can get pretty big, even during the week you can be queuing for a while before talking to someone.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Gerrys Off Licence
01 Oct 07, 17:36
Awesome range of spirits 
Fed up with run-of-the-mill vodkas? Fancy trying something a bit new and different? Then Gerry's is the place to go.
You can't walk down Old Compton Street without noticing the people looking at all the strange spirits in the window, they sell everything from toffee flavoured Swedish vodka to expensive liqueurs, and when they recommend something, they're rarely wrong. For example, last visit I got a bottle of vodka because it was recommended in the window, even the guy behind the counter said it was an awesome vodka, and he wasn't wrong!
It's the only place in London where you can get quality imported spirits that taste amazing. Try it, you won't go wrong.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.