Gemma R.

Review of Royal George

14 Apr 08, 15:26

A royal alternative

My heart used to sink into my boots when friends suggested meeting up in the centre of London, as it usually meant sitting in a noisy All Bar One wishing I was somewhere else. You know, somewhere cool. Then, happily, I discovered the Royal George. Squat and concrete, it doesn't look too promising but once you're inside it's a whole different story. The decor is pleasingly eclectic, with fairy lights and junkshop chairs and walls papered with old comic strips. There are some tasty beers on tap - I'd particularly recommend the Budvar Black - and they serve good food to soak up the booze. Downstairs is a tiki bar which can be hired for private parties - the last time I went there was a ukelele jam session going on down there, which sort of sums the place up really. So if the idea of going out drinking in the West End brings you out in hives, then the Royal George is definitely the place for you.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Nusa Soups & Salads

14 Apr 08, 14:56

Just souper

Walk past Nusa at lunchtime and you'd be forgiven for thinking that they were giving away free money - the queue snakes out of the door and down the road, sometimes merging with the queue for the HSBC cashpoint on the corner of Old Street. This soup 'n' salad place is justifiably popular: their ever-changing soup menu is always interesting, and they use all-natural organic ingredients. Salads are top-notch too, as are their breakfasts (my particular favourites being their delicious bircher muesli, and the Asian spiced eggs in flatbread). Forget Pret, Nusa is the ideal place to grab a nutritious, delicious lunch on the go.

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.

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.