Gemma R.

Review of E Pellicci

28 Mar 08, 13:01

Heaven on earth

If this cafe were a man, I would marry it. I used to work just opposite E Pellicci, and would have lunch there every day. Bad for the arteries, so very good for the soul.

The menu features the usual cafe staples, basic food done well, and the desserts are a glorious throwback to the nursery food of yore (jam roly poly pudding anyone?). It's the atmosphere that really makes the place - it has been owned by the same Italian family since Edwardian times, and they are an absolute delight. You are made to feel like a regular from the minute you step through the door. One day I showed up carrying a load of circus equipment - hoops, clubs, diabolos, that sort of thing - and when my cappuccino arrived it had a picture of a diabolo made from cocoa on the top! You just don't get that sort of thing at McDonalds.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Marine Ices

28 Mar 08, 12:47

We all scream for ice cream

Go for the ice cream, stay for the pizza (hang on, no, reverse that - ice cream really doesn't work as a first course). If I'm in the Chalk Farm area I always make a bee-line for this place, because it makes me glad to be alive. Justly famed for its ice cream, Marine Ices is also a superior pizzeria that is well worth a visit. The proprietor is immensely friendly, the food is great - proper pizza with a wide variety of excellent toppings - and the ambience is lively (though, as has been mentioned, the family-friendly nature of the place does mean that you run the risk of sitting next to a children's party).

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Kurz and Lang

27 Mar 08, 16:53

Ich habe hunger

If I'm hungry in the Smithfields area, I find it very hard to resist popping into Kurz and Lang. A fiver is pretty good for the amount of food you get, and the wurst are the best (see what I did there?).

At Christmas time, they also sell mulled wine - pleasingly, this is served in takeaway cups so you can take it back to the office and it looks like you've just bought a coffee rather than a cup of steaming hot boozeahol. Result!

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Little Bay Restaurant

27 Mar 08, 16:42

Cheap as (goose fat) chips

This is a great place to go if you're on a budget, as you get lots of good food for very little money. The chips fried in goose fat are particularly fine, though a nightmare if you're of the vegetarian tendency. It is justifiably popular restaurant, and can get crowded so it is wise to book ahead at peak times. My only criticism is that large parties tend to get stuck downstairs in a very noisy, very dark room, so when you're booking try to get a table upstairs if you want to have an icicle's chance in hell of hearing what your dining companions are saying.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of James Selby

27 Mar 08, 14:28

Small is beautiful

This is a nice little department store to have on your doorstep if you just can't face going shopping Up West. Concessions include Topshop, Warehouse, Dorothy Perkins and Faith, and there's a smattering of French Connection stuff as well if you can be bothered searching through the rails. Ideal for a Saturday morning browse before you pop off to do your weekly grocery shop in Morrisons (or Waitrose, if you're posh/loaded). But James Selby really comes into its own at sale time. You can pick up some cracking bargains in the homeware section upstairs where you can make some serious savings on cutlery, glassware, bedding, cookware and so on. Definitely worth a look.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Pizza Hot 2 Go

27 Mar 08, 14:13

Pizza with extras

I've got a real soft spot for Pizza Hot 2 Go and it's much better choice than going a few doors down for a Domino's, in my opinion. The guys who run it are pleasant and laid back, the pizza is good and you really can't argue with their "any pizza any size" deal for £6.99. And you can nip next door to the Crown for a swift one while your pizza cooks. Lovely. Also, the proprietors will throw in the occasional unexpected freebie - indeed, I one time they presented me with a pair of gold flip-flops. Pizza seasoned with a touch of surrealism just tastes that little bit nicer, no?

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of The Quays

27 Mar 08, 13:38

Strange place, good grub

The Quays seems to suffer from multiple-personality disorder. Once you've got past the electric blue facade you find yourself in a traditional Irish boozer, complete with old men supping Guinness and Gaelic football on the telly. Then turn the corner and you're in a strange Gothic dungeon with chains everywhere. Go upstairs and there's a sleek, modern bar-cum-restaurant. Basically, the decor is what I imagine the inside of Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen's head looks like. Still, despite the hodge-podge interior, this is a nice pub (though it looks like it might get rowdy on Saturday nights). They do good comfort food too - the bacon and cabbage is a particularly good hangover cure.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of The Swimmer At The Grafton Arms

27 Mar 08, 12:48

Go on, dive in

This is a delightful little pub which is a real refuge from the chicken shops and grime of the Holloway Road. The food is particularly good - they do excellent chips, and my friend's burger was a thing of beauty. Definitely a pub to cherish.

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.