Amanda 's reviews
Review of Fernandez and Wells
14 Sep 07, 13:46
Fancy Pants Sandwiches 
Stuck for lunch choices, I wanted something nice but not a full meal. I'd walked past this place a few times and been intrigued by the beautiful interior and design. Someone suggested it and actually having some money in my purse I thought "Why not?"
I'd heard good things about the bread, being some fancy French gear, so was keen to try a sandwich. I was torn between the big hunk of chorizo with peppers and buffalo mozarella, rocket and tomato as well as the myriad selection of salads. It was lucky the paella came out after I made my choice, otherwise I would have been stuck there for hours umming and aaing over what to have. In the end I plumped for the mozarella, rocket and tomato sandwich in the fancy French bread. It was £4.50 which is on the expensive side for a sandwich but you can tell where that extra money went on - proper fresh ingredients and lovingly put together.
I was also pleasantly suprised by the service too - They actually wished me a nice day and it seemed genuine!!!
It's a little expensive for an everyday treat but I'd go back in a heartbeat.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Wagamama
30 Aug 07, 15:29
Very Quick Bite 
I was starving and hungry, with less than 30 minutes before my movie started. I didn't feel like a greasey kebab or burger and after waiting 5 minutes in Yo Sushi next door without even an acknowledgement from the service staff, I was beginning to think I may end up having popcorn for dinner.
We decided to give Wagamamas a shot, given we already knew what to order before walking in the door (I don't think they have changed their menu since I first went 2 years ago!)
When the waitress came to ask what drinks we wanted, we asked to order our food. Within 5 minutes my boyfriend's meal was on the table and mine followed not much longer after that. We had about 15 minutes total to wolf it down and get the bill to make the start of our movie. Lucky we were both starving!
The food was nothing special but it was of a decent standard for the price. I was impressed with the speed of delivery and service compared to other times I have eaten at Wagamamas.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen
20 Aug 07, 18:04
Not on a Saturday Night 
I probably woudn't mind this place on another night of the week but Saturday night.. no way!
It's dead in the middle of Hoxton.. and lets face it - Hoxton isn't what it used to be. The scenesters have migrated out to Brick Lane / Hackney / Stokey long ago. Instead its filled with people who come from out of town and don't know better... Or those that just haven't realised there are better bars just a bit further East.
The drinks were pricey, service was average and when I finally did migrate to the dance floor the music was so bad I left within 15 minutes.
Next time someone suggests this as a venue, I'll be making sure we go to an alternative (rather than keeping the peace)
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Satsuma
20 Aug 07, 17:54
Better than wagamamas 
The other reviewers are right that it is a classier Wagas... The set-up is the same with the menu focused slightly more on Japanese food.
The food is great. I had a bento box with chicken katsu which was served with a vegetable fritter, rice, salad, sushi and miso soup. For £10 it was great value for money. My companion ordered gyoza dumplings which were brilliant and a spicy laksa. I didn't taste it but it looked great.
The only small complaint (and the reason why I didn't give it 4 stars) was the fact that the bento box took ages to arrive. It does say that it takes awhile but my companion had almost finished his food before I got mine. I actually had to prompt the waiter to check my food hadn't been forgotten because it had taken so long. A bit of reassurance wouldn't have gone astray. Given they add a suggested gratuity, you expect the service to be better than that.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review of Montys Nepalese Cuisine
13 Aug 07, 13:20
Average fare
I never expect too much with this kind of cuisine.. It tends to be rare to get something that is outstanding good or bad and this restaurant tended to be somewhere in the middle.
Service was reasonably prompt for the large group. Although they only gave us one dips tray for our pappadums which wasn't really enough for 10 people. I ordered a chicken dupiaza which was pretty good, as the Rogan Josh that I tasted. Butter Chicken looked great. A whole mound of beautiful rich sauce dying for a naan to be dipped in it.
Possibly the strangest thing I saw was the label in the toilets... "To the left you will find a specialised mechanical cleaning device" (or something along those lines).. All I could see was a toilet brush!!!
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Red Veg
09 Aug 07, 13:49
Meat for Vegetarians
I went here for lunch the other day..
Service was prompt and friendly. Price was reasonable (a little over £5 for a burger and decent portion of chips) and quality was good. Nice crispy chips and a good solid vegie burger. There was so much I could barely finish it but.. well... I'm not a vegetarian so I like my burgers with meat. So, if you're a vegetarian or just not feeling like meat I'd thoroughly recommend it. Otherwise a safer choice might be the hamburger chain across the road.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Evans Cycles
07 Aug 07, 14:43
Great Service
I broke my bike seat fittings this morning on the way to work. I was stuck, with a bike with no seat. I remembered there was some bike shops at Liverpool Street, which was a lot closer than trekking back home.
Surely I'm not the only cyclist who has had a mishap on the way to work, yet the first shop I went to was closed! Thankfully Evans Cycles was open.
They replaced my bike seat post and I took the opportunity to get a new more comfortable seat. All fitted, I was able to get to work only 30 minutes later than normal. What a lifesaver!
I've been to this shop previously and they've always been friendly and helpful. Highly recommended.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Las Vegas Nails
01 Aug 07, 15:55
Wouldn't go back.. 
I came here on a whim - they had a deal for a manicure and pedicure for £30 which I was desperately in need of.
First, I was put on a chair with a foot soak and left for a good 20 or 30 minutes. The bubbles started coming over the top of the tub and wetting my clothes but no one bothered to help me. Finally, someone came to my rescue but when I spoke to them they could barely understand me.
The manicure and pedicure itself were fine but whenever I tried to make small talk, the beautician just looked at me and smiled. She could barely manage a few words of English. Oh well, so obviously no gossip at this salon but when she couldn't even understand the nail colour I was requesting (silver) I was like :O
When it came time to pay - they informed me they didn't have a cash machine. Despite offering to leave the contents of my purse (credit cards etc) they made me walk up to the ATM with flimsy disposable flip-flops that broke within 10m because they wouldn't let me put my shoes back on until I paid. The pedicure was a bit ruined by the time I trudged up the dirty high street and back.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of The Great Northern Railway Tavern
31 Jul 07, 10:51
Too long for food
I went here on Sunday evening having spent a beautiful day up on Alexandra Palace. I was lured with the promise of cheap and tasty Thai food.
Unfortunately we were in a largish group - around 9 or 10 of us... and another large group had just ordered... and there was only 1 chef in the kitchen! They warned us it would be a short wait - which was fine, we had a few drinks and good company. When they said short wait, I thought maybe an hour tops...
1.5 hours later, we hadn't even got starters. We checked with the staff and they brought out our starters with free prawn crackers. 2 hours later and we still hadn't got our mains. Finally the mains started dribbling out and the chef appeared, weary, to apologise for the long wait. We said we had everything but a pad thai. Cue said chef running to the kitchen and the arrival of the possibly freshest pad thai we'd ever seen.
The food was pretty damn good and the prices even better but it was far too long a wait. If they sort out some extra kitchen staff this could be a real gem (or alternatively don't go in big groups)
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Fuel Bar
27 Jul 07, 15:30
Tourists Only
I've never been a big fan of bars in the West End. Maybe it's the combination of clientele and we don't have to try very hard snobbishness because being in locations like Covent Garden or Leicester Square virtually guarantees them with enough tourists to more than keep the afloat.
I was sceptical about this place to begin with and if I wasn't for a work function that brought me here, I'd hardly go here by choice. They did have half decent cocktails at brilliant prices (love happy hour)
We were seated downstairs.. not really ideal if you want to just have a few drinks and chat. The food was ok but if I had of ordered it because I was sitting in the restaurant for an actual meal I would have been quite disappointed.
I'd go back but only for happy hour and if I was sitting on the bar terrace. Downstairs is too miserable!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.