Rik's reviews
Review of Leon
22 Feb 08, 14:46
Not as good as I expected 
I'd heard a lot about Leon, how the food was an experience to remember and that it would change lunchtimes forever, so as you can imagine, I was pretty enthusiastic about going there.
Walking into Leon is reminiscent of entering a bar in Shoreditch. Old wooden tables, plastic chairs and lots of quirky furniture decorate the place. The place is almost a haven from the sanitized lunch-time fare you get in the City.
The food, while enjoyable, wasn't as amazing I was led to believe. I had meatballs and rice, which was nice, but rather plain. You can tell the ingredients are of high quality, but it isn't exactly a party in your mouth.
Although the food isn't too pricey, £5.65 for a large meatballs, they seems to cover their costs by charging £2 for a bottle of coke, which is completely over the top. I would have smuggled in a can from the newsagents if I'd known!
Overall, it was a nice place to eat, just not as good as I had hoped for.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review of The Larder
22 Jan 08, 16:05
Amazing sandwiches 
Okay, let me just say that I've never been to the restaurant part of The Larder just yet, but I have been to the sandwich shop part and wow, their food is fantastic!
I don't usually give out 5 stars to many places, but The Larder is now one of those places that I will definitely recommend. Everything is made with quality ingredients, the bread here is absolutely amazing with the best crust, they give out very generous portions of our sandwich fillings too. The other homemade foods, from the casseroles to the cookies, are also amazingly good too.
The sandwiches are quite expensive, but when you take into account the low prices of the sundries, getting your lunch here is no more expensive than going to Eat, Pret or the nearby Benugo. In fact, you can get a delectable lunch time meal and change from a fiver - what more could you ask for?
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Review of Klute Disco
16 Jan 08, 17:28
Don't bother! 
I met my girlfriend of now-4-years at Klute. Usually when couples tell you how they met, they might say how it was in a beautiful bar or a homely pub, but no, I had to meet her, of all places, at Klute.
Klute is well known around Durham as being the worst place to go to on a night out. Unless you were reasonably pissed and your mates were going, you would literally have to be forced to enter, and you would usually regret it.
Like Fifi said in the previous review, the dance floor is tiny and full of posh toffs who seem to love the place. It stinks of sweat and the place looks like a barn.
FHM voted it second worst nightclub in Europe. The winning club apparently burnt down after the results were announced...
Don't bother!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review of Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes
14 Jan 08, 22:05
Lots of fun 
Situated in the middle of Bloomsbury, underneath a smart-looking hotel lies Bloomsbury Bowling, a 50s-style bowling alley, featuring everything from pool and arcade games to karaoke and burgers. And of course, lots of bowling.
My only real experience of bowling in recent times has been Wii Bowling, and that hasn't particularly improved my skills a great deal, and although the Wii is a good laugh, you don't get that great feeling when you get a strike, and the more likely disappointment of missing all the pins, in real life.
Bloomsbury Bowling isn't particularly high tech - it still has the 1980s computer screens and plastic benches that you probably associate more with your childhood, but that doesn't matter, as these things are all superficial when it comes to the pure fun and enjoyment of bowling.
Apart from the bowling itself, the bar doesn't have a great range of drinks - a massive choice of three beers on offer - but they do have a good selection of foods, mainly American themed.
If you're looking for something to do, a good plan is to get some friends and take them bowling! It's tons of fun!
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Holloway Sports
07 Jan 08, 14:28
Good little sports shop
Unlike JD Sports across the road, Holloway Sports actually know a thing or two about sporting equipment, rather than just selling the latest line of "leisure wear" for the more discerning scally.
Proof of this comes when I went to JD Sports and asked for shin pads, and they didn't do them. They do thousands of tracksuits but no shin pads... anyway, that's not the point.
Holloway Sports seem to have a good range of equipment and the staff all seem rather friendly and know what they're talking about. Plus they'll give you 10% off if you have a loyalty card which is a great little bonus!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Review of Tommy Guns
15 Dec 07, 12:41
Good haircut though
After the debacle of my messed up appointment (see the other review), I finally got my hair cut at Tommy Guns and surprisingly, they've done it really well.
I was always a bit worried about getting a haircut in Hoxton and coming out with a Nathan Barley hairdo. This worry wasn't helped when the girl cutting my hair had a bit of overly-trendy haircut herself, but she definitely knew what she was doing as I came out with one of the better cuts that I've had in London.
The only downside was the price, it is a bit on the expensive side at £38 for a wash and hair cut, but it is always better to pay more for a good hair cut than be cheap and get a crap cut.
I would recommend Tommy Guns, just make sure they get your appointment correct...
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review of Selfridges
13 Dec 07, 12:00
Badly laid out 
Out of all the department stores on Oxford Street, this is the worst one for getting around. All the passages are narrow, it's hard to browse without a queue of people trying to get past. Even on a weekday morning, you still have to trudge around slowly because there's too many people trying to get to the same place at the same time.
The products here are nice, but the prices are marked up so high, it's not worth spending the money. You can go down Oxford Street and get the same thing for cheaper.
I always find it a disappointment leaving Selfridges. I always go in thinking I'll be leaving with lots of bags full of stuff, but I inevitably come out leaving with nothing.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Review of Rasa W1
13 Dec 07, 11:51
Cold food
After some hard morning shopping on Oxford Street, I decided to go to Rasa W1 mainly because I'd been to their other restaurants and I'd heard they did a mean lunch box.
I walked into the restaurant and three of the waiters were just staring at me. Not the friendliest of welcomes, eventually I got a lunch box and asked if I could sit down to eat it. The waiters again looked at me strangely and started talking to each other in Hindi. Eventually they checked if it was okay and I sat down. It was a bit odd to check if I could sit in an empty restaurant on my own, especially as they cleared me out of the way by putting me upstairs.
I got to my lunch box and it was pretty cold. I knew it wasn't meant to be cold, mainly because it was slightly lukewarm, and even the rice was cold. Not great, I thought. So I managed to eat it and left.
The lunch box would have been nice if it was hot, as Rasa usually do really good food. Plus the lunch box was only £3 so it was a bit of a bargain. Even so, it's not good to serve cold food and then have the waiters check if I can sit down.
I would recommend Rasa, just make sure you go in the evening!
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Tommy Guns
13 Dec 07, 11:39
Terrible Admin
This is the first of a (hopefully) two part review. Why it is in the two parts will be apparent.
I booked my appointment here yesterday for today. So today, I went along and they'd messed up the booking, and that I was actually booked in for Friday instead. I don't know how you can Thursday and Friday mixed up, but they did and it's definitely not good enough.
Anyway, I'll be posting the second part of my review tomorrow. Maybe I'll actually get a hair cut...
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Japanese Canteen
09 Dec 07, 21:27
Good for a quick snack
Japanese Canteen do exactly what they say on the front of the shop. They make fast Japanese food for you to eat in or take out. The portions are generous and the food is generally good - although the last time I went, the chicken and ginger was literally 80% ginger and the chicken wasn't of the best quality. Try the chicken katsu curry, it's a lot better!
The price is quite good, £5.50 for a good serving of Japanese food, although the drinks are pretty expensive.
The set up of the place is very basic, chairs and tables look like they've been taken straight from the local sixth form, the staff aren't particularly friendly, the only reason for coming here is for a good quick Japanese snack.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.