Amanda J.

Review of New World

06 Nov 07, 12:05

Good for Groups

I can count on just my thumb the number of times I have ventured into this place sober (once for dimsum with my work colleagues).. I have however lost count of how many times I have entered these premises after a few wee shandies at around 10pm with a big group of friends.

We've always managed to get a table and they always tolerate our umm cheery temperaments!

The food is hardly ground-breaking but they do a great peking duck to share and all the other dishes tend to be of a reasonable standard. I wouldn't recommend this place to take a first date but great for groups and families. It's also easy on the hip pocket.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of The Crown and Two Chairmen

06 Nov 07, 11:45

Good selection of beer

Went here last night for their pub quiz with some work colleagues which is held every Monday from 7:30pm. We arrived slightly late and had to squeeze into a tiny table (it's held in their upstairs room).

Was really impressed with their selection of beers on tap -- Peroni, Staropramen, the Belgian cherry beer Kriek and the Belgian raspberry beer Frambozen -- amongst other more usual sorts.

Wasn't so impressed with the portion size of the food - we ordered two plates of chips at £2.50 each and both came out with maybe 15 chips on them. So they were lovely tasting and even came with mayo but it was pricey for pub chips. They also sell peanuts and wasabi peas in mugs for £2.50. Mains looked tasty but I neglected to check the prices.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of The Morpeth Arms

21 Oct 07, 21:39

Finally a pub!

We walked from Waterloo, all the way along the Southbank, crossed at Lambeth bridge, and then to the Tate Britain without seeing one pub doing a Sunday roast.

Thankfully my boyfriend remembered this pub just a little way down Millbank and it was serving Roasts!!

The interior seemed impressive and there was a number of tables outside. It was a beautiful Autumn afternoon and sitting inside would have been a great injustice to it so we took our place outside and awaited our late lunch.

The roast looked impressive, good size yorkshire pud, reasonable amount of beef, plenty of roast spuds and some freshly steamed vegies to go with, all topped with gravy. Unfortunately it was a little lukewarm in places and the meat was a bit dried out but otherwise it wasn't too bad. Maybe I have high standards as my Mum is the roast queen.

My boyfriend ordered the fish and chips and that looked a lot more impressive, with lovely golden chips and a fresh batch of tartare sauce on the side.

I didn't spend too much time lingering at the bar but I did notice they had Waggledance on tap.. Honey beer! Yum.

All in all, nice place for a pint in the sun.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Fire and Stone

08 Oct 07, 17:17

Crazy Pizzas

I was impressed with this place. Nice decor, friendly service, reasonable prices.

What I wasn't so impressed with was the strange pizza I ordered. I went for the Bavarian pizza - Roast Pork, Cabbage, Sour Cream with cheese and a tomato base. I was hungover and I think this severely affected my judgement because the pizza was disgusting.

I'd probably give this a 4 stars if I had actually ordered a decent pizza but that pizza was truly revolting. Sometimes it pays to play it safe.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Ginnan

25 Sep 07, 15:32

Good Monday Special

Met some friends here for the all you can eat sushi special they have on Monday. Only costs £15 a head for all you can eat between 7pm and 8pm - Bargain!

The nigiri was all great - especially the salmon and tuna. Sushi consisted of some interesting choices but was again not to bad for buffet style eating. They also had chicken and vegetable katsu, rice, some noodle dishes, miso soup as well as a fruit buffet.

Service was friendly but the interior seems a little dated. Definitely recommend getting a group together for some serious sushi munchies!

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 Green Papaya

21 Jul 07, 14:57

Reliable Vietnamese

I've been to the Green Papaya on a number of occasions now and generally found it to be quite reliable in terms of both service and quality. Not to mention, quite friendly on the finances.

My most recent visit last night was with some friends from Australia. We started with some entrees - mini spring rolls and fried slices of sweet potato with king prawns. Spring rolls were as expected but the sweet potato and prawn were an unusual discovery and definitely worth a try - kind of like a strange rosti with a prawn in the middle!

Mains took quite awhile although given that I ordered "slow-cooked lamb" it wasn't a suprise. I thought the other dishes may have been left to cool but they were all warm when they arrived together. I felt the slow cooked lamb was the strongest of the three - the galangal, lemongrass and coconut milk combining to form a wonderful flavour without being overpowering. The prawns with spicy basil dipping sauce appeared as an appetizer on the menu as well and I felt they were stronger in that incarnation than as a full main course. The satay sauce with crispy chicken received praise from my dining companion but I felt the chicken was a little burnt for my liking. Portion sizes were decent enough that a late joining dinner companion also got a full meal!

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.

Review of Amhurst Cafe

21 Jul 07, 14:41

"Lets get prepared"

Imagine my dismay as I arrived at Mess cafe this morning to find a sign saying they would be closed for 3 weeks... However their loss was Amhurst's gain as we settled for a proper greasey spoon instead.

The place was certainly busier than I had ever seen it before and we managed to find a table. It wasn't long before we had settled in, newspaper spread out. I went for the set breakfast with no egg and some bubble. After seeing a big pile of chips on someone else's table the BF went for egg, bacon, chips and mushrooms.

Tea (Builders) and Coffee (Instant - yuck!) arrived quickly. Our food came out not long after with the waiter saying just before they arrived "Awwright let's get prepared!" It made me laugh. I was expected a meal fit for a giant after that but I think he just wanted us to clear off the papers. Food was ok but I was expecting a bit more squeak in my bubble (vegies that is!)

Bill was cheaper than Mess. I think I'd definitely go back if I was keen for some bubble or just a proper greasy breakkie.

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.

Review of Cilicia

20 Jul 07, 18:02

Interesting Decor

I'd passed by this restaurant a number of times and was intrigued by the interior decoration of the restaurant and outdoor patio type thing at the back. It seemed quite busy too, so boded well for a visit.

My first choice for dinner on Monday was closed and the second was a bit too pricey for my dining companions so we decided Cilicia was the next best thing.

The interior has lots of authentic touches and felt quite homey rather than cluttered. We got the menu which was a bit of a shock as entire sections and lots of dishes were crossed out. Time for a reprint me thinks!

Food was of standard fare, my dish consisted butter sauce on lamb and pitta with yoghurt and peppers on top. A bit plain but quite tasty. My dining companions reported their dishes as "good but a bit sweet" and "excellent". I think the better option would be to share the mezze platters. Another table nearby ordered that and I was quite envious. I'd definitely come back to give that a try!

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.