Restaurant Spy - THE independent restaurant reviews site

Waterside Inn, Ferry Road, Bray, Berkshire SL6 2AT

Tue, 06 May 2008 21:52:06 +0000

Address:
Ferry Road, Bray, Berkshire SL6 2AT

Review:

In the dark days before Britain discovered food, you would head into the countryside for a meal with all the enthusiasm of a Roman centurion venturing into Boudicca’s local for an afterwork pint. Dining options seemed limited to a clutch of dowdy restaurants and woodbine-scented pubs, all seemingly locked in an eternal battle to see who could get the most breadcrumbs onto the menu. It was not a good time to be a scampi.

Shish, 2-6 Station Parade, London NW2 4NH

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:46:05 +0000

Address:
2-6 Station Parade, London NW2 4NH

Review:

It's kebabs gone posh. Shish in Willesden Green, adjacent to the Tube station, is one of 3 Shish outlets that have garnered popularity amongst locals and critics alike. At £20 per head, it's not a cheap meal, but it's definitely worth the pounds. The spinach borek was crisp and fresh, although a little oily but the mains are definitely the highlight of the menu. Skewers of meat and haloumi cheese with potatoes, roasted capsicum and onions, next to a bed of salad and fries is done to perfection. And for dessert, don't go past the halva ice-cream with baklava.

Signor Franco's, 5a, High St Tunbridge Wells Kent TN1 1UL

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:41:52 +0000

Address:
5a, High St Tunbridge Wells Kent TN1 1UL

Review:

Signor Franco's is rather much an institution in Tunbridge Wells,with a reputation to suit and having lived in this hallowed town for so long and not sampled their culinery delights was quite simply unacceptable.

So on a delightful Monday evening we decided to pay them a visit and to say they live up to their repution would be a safe statement to make.

Even initial contact was a pleasure, with the booking procedure being nothing but a pleasant experience with a polite friendly person on the other end. My flatmate and I were greeted well and promptly taken to our table which had wonderful views of tunbridge wells and had a wonderful ambience to the whole establishment.

Sakoni's 127-129 Ealing Road, Wembley, HA0 4BP

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:59:38 +0000

Address:
127-129 Ealing Road, Wembley, HA0 4BP

Review:

Look to where the locals go and head to Sakoni's for cheap, filling and mouth-watering vegetarian Gujarati food. Populated as it is already with sari, jewellery and Indian grocery stores, Ealing Road is packed with locals who pop into Sakoni's for their spicy masala dosas, burning hot chai and crispy bhajiyas.

If you don't mind being packed into a corner in a clinical and sometimes dirty interior, its well worth it for the food. In fact, sometimes, it adds to the authentic Indian experience.

Café Pacifico,5-6 Langley Street, London, WC2H 9JA

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:48:52 +0000

Address:
5-6 Langley Street, London, WC2H 9JA

Review:

I've been here twice and have not been impressed. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't completely unhappy about the whole thing, but I don't think this place is the best Mexican you can get in London, a claim that's made by a lot of reviewers.

The rice is soggy, and the dishes are bland and flavourless, definitely not what we have come to expect from Mexican food.

The staff aren't that friendly, and it is expensive, for what it is. You can definitely do better than this, I just haven't found it yet.

The True Heart Inn High Street Bishopstone Swindon SN6 8PH

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:40:31 +0000

Address:
High Street Bishopstone Swindon SN6 8PH

Review:

It was only when we came to order that we were told that much of the menu was unavailable – pity they didn’t tell us when we ‘phoned to book. Only my 5th choice was available. We were told that they had no steaks but we then overheard the chef/owner offer rump steak to a local – a touch of rationing, I suspect. The treacle roly-poly was rock hard (probably over microwaved). The coffee machine wasn’t working and we were offered instant coffee but at the same price as the decent filter machine price. To finish the evening off an ‘extra’ bottle of wine appeared on my bill that we hadn’t had. Would I go there again? NO

The Canteen, Dolphin House, Market St, Newport, Dyfed

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 20:25:24 +0000

Address:
Dolphin House, Market St, Newport, Dyfed

Review:

We first went for a cuppa and I had a bottle of ginger ale and a slice of lemon cake. The ginger ale was delivered to the table still in its decorative brown bottle along with a nice glass containing ice. It’s little touches like this that make a turn a fizzy drink into an occasion. The lemon cake was just delicious.

We went back with some local friends for a lunch of fish and chips. We were nattering away when the proprietor came over and said: ‘I do apologise but I put your order in a while ago and when I went to ask about it, they’d mislaid it in the kitchen. They promise it will be out very shortly.’ When it arrived shortly thereafter, the batter was crisp, the portions large, the chips hot and all that stuff. Indeed the chips were real French fries: crisp, thin and spiky. The batter apparently from a recipe supplied by the chef at the Tate Modern (Newport has a big contingent of London types). The boss knocked one of the orders off the bill because of the delay. Everyone makes mistakes, but the best places handle them properly. And you go back and write nice reviews on RestaurantSpy.

Riddle & Finns Champagne & Oyster Bar, 129 Church Road, Hove BN3 2AE

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:56:41 +0000

Address:
129 Church Road, Hove BN3 2AE

Review:

I’ve reviewed Riddle & Finns Brighton establishment before but they’ve recently opened a branch in Hove so I popped in. I’ll keep this review short since the general feel is similar to their Brighton place, but smaller.

We sat down and ordered a drink. ‘Does your Guinness come in bottles?,’ I asked the waitress. ‘Yes, I’m afraid so,’ she replied. Well, since I like bottle Guinness and not draught, this was good. It arrived already in a glass. ‘Did this come out of a bottle?,’ I asked the (different) waitress. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Then why has it got an inch and a half of head on it?’ I wanted to know. ‘We pour it so well,’ she said. I frowned. ‘Oh, and there’s a widget in the bottle.’ I smelt a rat and took a sip. It was out of a can or I’m a Dutchman. I returned it and ordered a Budvar, which – interestingly – arrived at the table in its bottle, just like all the other beer I saw that night. If it’s in a can, chaps, why not admit it, or better actually get a few bottles in. Some of us know the difference.

The Spread Eagle, 119, Forest Rd, Hawkenbury, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 5BT

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:23:11 +0000

Address:
119, Forest Rd, Hawkenbury, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 5BT

Review:

I came here on Thursday evening last week with a friend. When we arrived the dining area was empty, although both bar areas were relatively busy and a table of four people, who appeared to be regulars, arrived about 20 minutes after us. I wasn't the person who wrote the original review on Spy although I had been here before. It had now changed hands and I noted a couple of changes. Firstly, they now served take away fish and chips which I found strange for a public house and perhaps offputting to some, and they had done out the dining area in a nautical theme, this was quite apt given that they now specialise in fish.

The Battle Axes, Butterfly Lane, Elstree, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6 3AD

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:36:58 +0000

Address:
Butterfly Lane, Elstree, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6 3AD

Review:

About 20 family members assembled for a pub lunch at the Battle Axes on Good Friday. The food was OK, but very overpriced for what it was. Sirloin Steak, one grilled mushroom, two deep fried onion rings from a frozen catering pack, half a tomato and chips – almost £14. Service was sweet but slow and wrong: my crab soup was announced as “red pepper soup” and placed before L, while his red pepper soup was announced as “crab” and given to me. You could tell what they were by the colour and smell, but the staff’s English wasn’t up to it. There was quite a lot of this. The décor is shabby: the garlands of dried flowers overhead had been there for a few years, had turned to dust and doubtless been commandeered for insect overspill housing – so you have to keep an eye on any food directly below it, in case of falling bodies.

Fred’s Fish and Chip Shop, 55 Pier Road, Littlehampton, West Sussex

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:48:29 +0000

Address:
55 Pier Road, Littlehampton, West Sussex

Review:

If you ever look at the Restaurant Spy messageboard (see top of home page for a link) you will be acquainted with a quantity called Mark White. He helpfully suggested Fred’s chippy when I was looking for one in Littlehampton in November. Well, I finally took him up on his suggestion during a bitterly cold March Easter.

‘Situated by the banks of the picturesque River Arun,’ says Fred’s website, ‘in the old town of Littlehampton in West Sussex, Fred’s Fish and Chip Shop is a traditional family owned English Fish and Chip shop… Fish and Chip Shop of the Year for 2002 and in SIX previous years, Fred’s has been serving high quality fish and chips for two generations.’

The Spice Club, Mount Ephraim Tunbridge Wells Kent TN4 8AA

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 12:17:37 +0000

Address:
Mount Ephraim Tunbridge Wells Kent TN4 8AA

Review:

I have to confess that I have avoided the Spice Club, mostly because of the roller-coaster reviews I have seen on this and other sites. A sharp splash of rain and rumbling tummies fixed our minds and, in we went, caution to the wind.

I'm happy to say that some of the real and persistent worries I had read about were not in evidence on this visit. Service was attentive and formal, although a smile would not go amiss, and the food - from poppadums, pickles, through to main courses were all tasty with satisfying heat where required. My lamb dhansak was succulent and tender with a refreshingly sour taste.... just perfect.

The Crooked Billet, Newlands Lane, Stoke Row, Oxfordshire RG9 5PU

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 22:18:34 +0000

Address:
Newlands Lane, Stoke Row, Oxfordshire RG9 5PU

Review:

On the door of the Crooked Billet is a sign which I have never seen before and hope very much that I will see again elsewhere - 'local produce swap for lunch'. So they really do serve local produce on their menu. The local producers would get a good deal, too, because the food here is, not surprisingly, excellent. The Crooked Billet can't do much passing trade because it is buried deep in the Oxfordshire countryside and is the sort of place you need to know about to go to. You also need to book.

Ristorante Maffei, Piazza Erbe 38, Verona, Italy.

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:07:14 +0000

Address:
Piazza Erbe 38, Verona, Italy.

Review:

I booked the Maffei some months in advance, as part of a trip to Verona to celebrate my wife’s birthday. The online booking system worked well and the web site gave a lot of information with regards to menus, wines and historic location.

The restaurant premises are quite spectacular, being housed in a magnificent palatial building. We were greeted by very friendly staff and shown to our table, as well as ourselves, there was only one other couple in the restaurant, despite this being 9pm on a Friday night. I confess that the alarm bells did start to ring.

Palm Kerala 49, Grosvenor Road, Tunbidge Wells, Kent, TN1 2AY

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:35:25 +0000

Address:
49, Grosvenor Road, Tunbidge Wells, Kent, TN1 2AY

Review:

Kerala is just about alive in Tunbridge Wells but at a cost.... McDosa was a marvel: great food at a low price albeit with random service and somewhat dodgy surroundings. The revamped and sold on version still has some great Keralan specialities like parripu vadai and dosas but now costs far more with possibly even more random service.

In the McDosa days you could get more top quality South Indian specilaties than you could possibly eat and a decent dose of Cobra and wine for about £30. Now prices have risen and apart from a more even coat of grey paint on the walls there is little on the plus side to explain the 25-35% increase in price. The food is generally okay but £6.25 for a small quantity of some shop bought paneer and peas as a main course is about £3 too much. They also advertise the chutneys as a speciality but failed to deliver, returning only some Patak-style lime pickle instead of the promised lemon pickle (which is so easy to make in advance) and home made mango chutney. This came with achappam which was more akin to stamped on sugary square hula hoops than the flower shaped crunch that I remember from the delights of Rasa on Church St. N16.