Rik L.

Review of Wagamama

01 May 07, 16:39

Terrible!

Wagamama's service never seems to be their strong point. All the London restaurants seem to suffer from bad service and the only time I've had good service at a Wagamama was in Manchester. Usually the reason that I go to Wagamama's is the high quality, tasty food - I'm kind of expecting bad service now. Not a good business strategy for them I'm sure, but the staff never always let them down completely. Anyway, I went to the Soho Wagamama during a mid-week lunchtime, a particularly quiet time of the week, so I was slightly hoping for better service. But I was totally wrong. Admittedly, we were in a large party of about 8, but still, the food shouldn't take an hour to arrive. We shouldn't expect forgotten drinks, forgotten meals, meals arriving at completely different times (half hour between them), unhelpful staff, etc.

Okay, so service isn't their strong point, but the food will be good I thought. Again, I was wrong. I was served a lukewarm katsu curry, with a thick layer, similar to the ones you get on custard, that you get from microwaving meals. Not nice. I strongly believe that my meal was microwaved and not to a correct temperature. Why they need to microwave my meal when I'm expecting freshly cooked food, I will never know? I thought my opinion of the Wagamama brand couldn't be damaged much more. The visit to this branch certainly proved me wrong.

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.

Review of Fopp

02 May 07, 11:17

Suck it and see

Fopp's motto - "Suck it and see" - sums up the shop pretty well. If you want to buy mainstream CDs, DVDs and books at sensible prices, this should be your first stop over the HMVs and the Virgin Megastores. The range at this shop isn't too big, but there's always the huge one up Tottenham Court Road if you want a bigger Fopp.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Foyles

02 May 07, 13:24

Best bookshop in town

Foyles is possibly the largest bookshop in London with five floors of shelfs. With all these books, you'd think that it could get a bit disorganised. Luckily, it's one of the most organised and well laid out bookshops that I have visited. The range of books is huge and even the most specialised of subjects are well organised. The staff obviously know what books should be grouped together. The place never seems to feel too busy which is perfect for browsing books. Highly recommended.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Wong Kei

03 May 07, 15:57

Amusingly Rude

My mate loves this place for one specific reason. The fact that the waiters are so rude. He finds it something of a challenge to get a waiter here to be even slightly friendly, and he always seems to fail. I came here with him one day and literally had plates snatched away, bills slammed on the table, no please, no thank yous.

Apart from this, the food is really good and really cheap. We managed to get food for 3 people for under a tenner, something that hardly ever happens in London. The food is good too, albeit slightly greasy, but for a few quid per plate, I shouldn't complain.

The place is massive and is always packed. Maybe other people secretly love the insane level of rudeness of this place too!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Toni and Guy

04 May 07, 14:39

Variable, make sure you ask for what you want!

The problem with getting a bad haircut is there's not much you can do with it for a few weeks. Apart from wear a hat. Or paper bag, perhaps. Which is why I tend to pay a bit more than ordinary guys for my haircuts. Call it a luxury, but I quite like my hair and want to make the most of it before I go bald. That's why I went to Toni and Guy. Good reputation, plus mid-range prices (not super high salon price, but not dirt cheap either). Although, they don't specialize in mens hairdressing, but I thought I'd give it a go. First time I went, I told them exactly what I wanted, which meant that I came out with a rather good hairdo.

Second time I went, I told them a more general idea of what I wanted, and came out with a complete mess. They had given me short back and sides with medium on top, and a long fringe. I looked like a new romantic. Not a good look I can assure you. I asked for more to be taken off the fringe and literally they cut half a millimeter from it. I came out looking stupid, and I had to cut my hair myself when I got home. I think I did a far better job than they did. I'm going to give them two stars. I would have given 4 for the first cut, but just 1 for the second cut, and we all know a bad haircut is a more life-changing than a good one, which is why it's getting knocked down to 2.

0 out of 0 people 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.

Review of Hoxton Apprentice

05 May 07, 23:28

Second time disappointing

The first time I came here was about a year ago, and it was one of the best meals I've had in London. Would have been a five star review. However, second time I visited, for my birthday, it was a disappointment.

The menu had completely changed from the first time and had gone decidedly downmarket (e.g. from prime beef to steak and chips). My steak was so tough that I couldn't physically cut through half of it and being a posh restaurant, the portions are small, meaning that you're still hungry when you leave. Not a satisfying birthday meal...

Apart from the food, everything is great. The place is nice, the wine is really good and the waiters are pleasant. I just really hope that they change their menu back to what it was, as it was so much better.

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.

Review of American Apparel

06 May 07, 18:09

American basics

American Apparel is very basically Gap for people under 30. They do basic clothes such as t-shirts and vests to sock and undies, all in a range of colours with no fancy designs so it's very good for basics.

The quality of the clothes is pretty high, mainly because the clothes are sweatshop free and use fairly good materials.

Some of the clothes are a bit too Californian, I don't know anyone in London who would wear some of the things. I've never seen any girls wearing gold hotpants and bikini top... maybe I'm just going to the wrong places...

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Hummus Bros

06 May 07, 22:34

Are you in a hummus mood?

How much hummus is too? Luckily for the Hummus Brothers, they generally manage to stay on the thin line between too little and too much hummus.

I couldn't eat here every day though as it can get a bit stodgy and bland. Chickpeas by their very nature are stodgy and bland, but don't get me wrong, the fillings are nice (especially the chicken or beef) and there are some days when you get a Hummus Bros craving.

If you are in here, try the aloe vera drink, it's the most refreshing drink I've ever had.

The staff are welcoming, if not slightly over-friendly, and if you're eating in, you have to sit at Wagamama-style bench tables which can get a bit uncomfortable and awkward if you're not sat facing someone you know.

You really do need to be a hummus mood to go here.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.