Rik L.

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 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 Mambo

31 Jul 07, 17:56

Quite surprised

I was actually quite surprised by Mambo. I'd never visited one of their shops in the past, and was slightly put off by their style of clothing, which usually involves putting their branding all over the clothes. I don't want to walk around with a massive advert across my chest or arse.

But, over the weekend, I was after some summer clothes and thought that I might as well give it a go. Mainly because there was a 50% off sale, so I thought I might get a bargain. And I did.

As with Topman and their ilk, you have browse through a lot of rubbish to find something nice. You have to wonder who buys 90% of their clothes sometimes. Luckily I did find things that I could wear without looking completely stupid.

The store isn't amazingly organised though. It's very hard to tell where the women's and men's sides of the shops are. I kept picking up things that were meant for girls. I even bought a belt that I realised later had 'Mambo Goddess' on. Meh. Anyway, you can get good clothes here, you just need to sort through the stuff, and not buy things that are meant for the opposite sex.

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.

Review of Cybercandy

28 Jun 07, 22:02

Sweet, but expensive

Cybercandy is technically a great sweet shop. It has sweeties, chocolates and drinks imported from America, Japan and Europe. For example, it's the only place in London to get Mountain Dew, the slightly popular green-coloured caffeinated citrus drink that was around in the 90s. I love this drink, but unfortunately, not everyone else did, which is why it went out of production.

The main problem with Cybercandy is the price. I know that they have to import things so I should expect some kind of mark up on the prices, but £1.10 for a can of Mountain Dew means I will only buy it on special occasions. £1.20 for a pack of Nerds too - I remember when they were 35p from Mr Patani's shop on my street when I was a kid. If they reduced their prices a bit, I'd buy more stuff here. As it is though, it's only stopping me from getting high blood sugar levels.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Review of Urban Outfitters

25 Jun 07, 21:45

Expensive

Sometimes I wonder why people shop here. It's pretty expensive for what it is - fake-vintage t-shirts for 30 quid, jeans that cost over £100 that aren't as great as the price tag suggests, trendy CDs with excessive mark-up. Being in Covent Garden, you can get everything at Urban Outfitters at a cheaper price in shops very nearby.

The quality of items at Urban Outfitters does tend to be pretty high, I've got things that have lasted ages, so you do generally get what you pay for.

However, the range of products at this store is always pretty small, so it's pretty hard to find something nice. There are other Urban Outfitters around central London which are larger so have better ranges. If you can't find much in this place, either go to another Urban Outfitters or there are enough shops around Covent Garden to find exactly what you're looking for.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Review of Loewy Vintage Clothing

21 Jun 07, 23:50

Very cool t-shirts for low Loewy prices

There's a bit of a fashion for retro t-shirts going around at the moment. All the major clothes stores are making their own vintage t-shirts, but instead of buying something that's pretend-vintage, why not buy a really cool t-shirt that is actually vintage?

Loewy is a great place for buying vintage clothes. If you're one of these people who get a bit worried by wearing second-hand clothes, then don't panic because the clothes are all of the highest quality - some might say better than high-street originals!

The price is particularly cheap too, with most t-shirts cost around the £10 mark, which is a bargain considering Urban Outfitters would sell you a similar t-shirt for triple.

The reason why the place isn't getting five stars is only because you have to do a lot of searching to find something you like. There can be a lot of tat sometimes, especially when it comes to non-t-shirt things like coats and jackets, but with perseverance, you can find really cool things.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of The Coal Hole

03 Jun 07, 22:28

Stroll down to the ole Coal Hole

I've been to this place quite a few times before, it's a pretty average pub, with good food but not an amazing selection of drinks. It always seems to be busy at weekends with people standing outside on the pavement and down the side alleyway.

It was only the last time I went that I realised there was a downstairs bar, which no one else seems to know about either, as it was really quiet, even on a Friday evening. If you're looking for a bit of peace and quiet, away from the bustle of Covent Garden pubs, then this is a pleasant little hideaway.

Apparently, this place is owned by a pie-maker, which is why the food is rather good compared to the standard pub grub. I definitely recommend the pies, especially if you're hungry, as they're colossal and take a good two hours to eat.

I did feel a bit sorry for the rather nice staff as they were serving to a large room with only about ten people in. They weren't exactly rushed off their feet, which is not so exciting for them, but not exactly a bad thing for the customer.

The Coal Hole is a good Covent Garden pub, nothing particularly outstanding about it but nothing terrible about it though. It's a pleasant but ordinary pub that does good food.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Zizzi

17 May 07, 19:31

Nicely surprised

It was my leaving do and I didn't really have any plans apart from go to the pub and then maybe get some food later. Secretly, I wanted a curry or something spicy, but I got dragged into going for an Italian by a workmate who recommended it. Yeah go on then, I said, why not? Luckily, for me, and the rest of my workmates, the place was rather good. For the price, you get very tasty food in generous portions. The place looks really nice too, maybe a bit too generic-posh-restaurant, but it does kinda work. The staff are helpful, nice and pretty quick. I have been back a few times since.

One of the downsides is how hot it can get in there. I went there one summer evening and it was roasting hot. Literally sweat dripping down my face. It's not going to impress the ladies desperately trying to eat spaghetti and wipe your face from sweat at the same time. Hopefully they'll have air-conditioning soon! Anyway, it's a rather nice place to eat tasty Italian food without forking out loads of money.

Oh, and if you're wondering, yes, this is the place where a guy went mental and cut his penis off. But don't let that put you off!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of The London Graphic Centre

17 May 07, 17:25

Great place for art supplies

The London Graphic Centre is a great place for art supplies. It's such a big place that whatever obscure product you need, from sketch pads and pencils to acrylic paints and easels, will be stocked here.

Whilst the place is large, it's also well laid out. It's easy to walk around the store without knocking things over or getting lost. The staff are friendly too and always helpful.

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.

Review of Rough Trade Shop

12 May 07, 12:44

Alternative Heaven

Rough Trade is the well known independent shop and record label famous for bands such as The Smiths, The Strokes and millions of other less famous alternative bands. Just like the record label, the Rough Trade shop specialises in the very best of indie. The staff are not your average HMV-type spotty oiks - they definitely know their stuff - and the range of music is unmatched in London. The place can be a bit cramped on the weekends, but if you go when it's quieter, you can get lost for an hour just browsing through a range of great CDs.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Review of Walkabout Inn

12 May 07, 10:53

Cheesetastic

As with most clubs, nights out are what you make of them. Some people can enjoy any clubs no matter how bad the places are, some people will hate going to even the best club. Walkabout, the chain of Australian 'sports' bars dotted around the country, is no different.

This Walkabout is based in a rather large chapel from the 18th Century which could have given the place a rather strange, spooky place to be, but they've managed to make it a friendly, comfortable setting to drink and dance.

The music is pure cheese. If you don't like cheese then there's a million different places to go, but if you do enjoy a bit of cheese, the quality is pretty high here. Tunes that will make drunken girls go "ohmygodohmygod" really quickly, over and over again. Drinks are pretty cheap for Soho but especially on the weekends, it can take a while to get served.

Seems to be a good place to pull too, seeing as two out of two of my single mates did within half an hour of being there. This might sound like there's a load of rough slappers, but the people who go there seem nice and friendly, and you don't feel like guarding your wallet all night. I would go there again, despite not being a 'club' sort of guy, I had a surprisingly good night there.

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.

Review of Mongolian Barbecue

10 May 07, 23:35

Do-it-yourself Barbecue!

I don't know what a Mongolian barbecue actually is. For all I know, it could be completely different to this restaurant, but if they're anything like the do-it-yourself buffet of its namesake, then that's a good thing. At most buffet places, the food is usually cooked before you stick it on your plate. Here, however, you pick and mix your ingredients in a bowl. You choose all the spices and sauces you want in your meal, which you leave at the barbecue place to get cooked. If you mess up the taste of your meal, then there's no one else to blame but yourself.

For example, my first dish here had far too much pepper and spice, mainly because I put a whole spoon full in. It's a good idea to follow the example menus behind the counter. Obviously, with this type of place, there's no particular skill and no kind of chef wizardry involved, so you might have a nice meal or completely mess it up. The price is quite reasonable for Covent Garden, drinks are particularly cheap, and the staff are friendly. The place itself isn't amazingly pretty, but it does have rather distinct decor. I did enjoy eating here, it was quite exciting to see if my masterpiece of a bowl did add up to a tasty dish, and it was certainly a different restaurant experience.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Superdry

10 May 07, 17:32

Trendy but not achingly trendy

Everyone wants to be ahead of fashion. Be a bit of a trend setter and wear clothes that your mum would think would be a bit out-there. Most people would think of Topman/Topshop for these types of clothes, but the trouble with Topshop is that most of the clothes are dire and you have to sort though the rubbish to get the good clothes that don't make you look like you hang around bus stops late at night. Luckily they sell a Japanese brand of high-quality (take note, Topman) mens and womens clothes. Yes, they are a bit more expensive, but they don't fall apart after two washes, and not only that, they look better. They look smart, less generic and still look trendy. Some of the clothes can tend to either make you look like a Manga cartoon or one of those overly-trendy guy with crap haircuts. Which is generally true of most mens clothes shops too. But here, there's a lot less crap to sort though. Oh, and the missus says the womens clothes are good too.

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.

Review of Scotts Sandwich Bar

07 May 07, 12:58

Two thumbs fresh

There's a lot of sandwich shops around town. Some being really good, some being... not so good. Luckily, Scott's is one of the really good ones. It's a cliche to say that it's like the sandwiches your mother used to make, but it's quite true in this case. Rather than boring, flimsy butties, you get big, chunky, delicious sandwiches that fill you up properly. No surprise that it's always busy there. They don't just do sandwiches either. They do jacket potatoes and a range of salads, all of which look very nice too. The price is quite reasonable at £3-4 a sandwich considering how large and how tasty they are. The staff are always friendly, if not a bit quick to ask what you're eating if you sit in.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Magma

04 May 07, 15:37

Too small and too busy

I love Magma, it's a great place to find books and magazines on art and design. There's 3 Magma shops, two being in London (the other in Manchester) and this place is where it all began. Despite the great range of books, the problem is the shop itself. It's far too small and is always packed full (usually with Nathan Barley types, like myself). I may be far too used to bookshops with some room to actually look at the books, but now I always end up either staying two uncomfortable minutes in the shop or looking in the front door and deciding not to bother. I would recommend the Clerkenwell shop though, it's a lot more roomy and quiet, or if you are ever in the north, the Manchester shop is far better than the London shops.

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.