Restaurant Spy - Cafe/Coffee Shop/Tea Room

Fish 'n' Fritz 9 Market Street, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 8DD

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:02:37 +0000

Address:
9 Market Street, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 8DD

Review:

Such a shame! This used to be a super little restaurant, a runner-up in a national competition, and winner in the south-west, but it's been going downhill for aome time now. Last Friday we ate there and it was awful - soggy batter, tired chips, and inefficient staff. We had to ask three times for our drinks, which were clearly in view on a tray behind the counter, the plates weren't cleared when we'd finished - in fact, I called the waitress over and asked for an ice-cream while surrounded by dirty plates. She brought the ice-cream and left the plates! The proprietor used to be in evidence and keeping an eye on things, but she's invisible now and the restaurant seems to be staffed by school leavers, who don't look at you, move at a snail's pace, and chat amongst themselves. We will not be going again, or recommending the place to visitors to the town, as we always used to do. budmouthbabe

Relish, 28 Camden Rd, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN12PT

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 10:11:54 +0000

Address:
28 Camden Rd, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN12PT

Review:

Relish is one of those places that doesn’t do what is says it does on the tin.

The tin says that you will get a hearty wholemeal type, organic, free range massive breakfast with proper cooked mushrooms and tomatoes from the ground not the tin. What you get is anaemic food and lacklustre service.

Red asked for a bacon sandwich on white. “Do you want warm bacon?” the waitress asked. Red, with incredulous look on her face, replied, “Yes”. How else would you serve it?
“Butter?”
“Uhm… yes!” We should have left at this point.

Cafe Roza, 100 Holburn Street, Aberdeen AB10 6BY

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:39:31 +0000

Address:
100 Holburn Street, Aberdeen AB10 6BY

Review:

The blokes are work are keen for a feed for Friday lunches and this place does not disappoint them. They have been raving about it for a while so today I went along to put the nosebag on. Not many other places can you get a homestyle breakfast any time of the day for £4, with a full plate the size of a small island.

Captain Old Timer and his sidekick The Bunnyman certainly polished it all off. I enjoyed my macaroni cheese, but my chips weren't tasty enough to entice me to overeat. Great milkshakes too! Captain Old Timer is a bit of a regular, on top of the breakfast, he also recommends the burgers and sausage butties. The cake selection was impressive, so we might need a re-visit for coffee and cake.

Sophie's Of Exmouth

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 17:22:30 +0000

Address:
22 Rolle St, Exmouth, EX8 1NJ

Review:

New Readers Start here

If you don't visit Spy's message board, the phrase "Sophie's of Exmouth" won't mean much to you. Unless you live in Exmouth of course. Even then, it may not, the nice woman in a shop 2 streets away said she'd definitely heard of it, but it was in Exeter. She kindly got her phone book out to check and said, wonderingly "No, you're right, it's here - 22 Rolle Street" So you can see the impact Sophie's has had on the town. In an attempt to drum up business, someone called Maureen posted the following on the Spy message board in early June:

Whistlers coffee shop / cafe, Whistlers, Hart Shopping, Fleet, Hampshire

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 11:06:35 +0000

Address:
Whistlers, Hart Shopping, Fleet, Hampshire

Review:

What a find... The coffee shop cafe scene has become so saturated with the chains over recent years I'd lost all hope of having a positive experience in this sector again, but I could have been knocked over by a feather after my first ten minutes in this place.

The fare was nothing too adventurous; baguettes, focaccia paninis, salads, dessert pots, baked goods, pies etc. We had the usual 'made fresh' signs and the obligatory claim to gourmet coffee too, and a selection of syrups - all dressed up in what seemed to be a chain type frontage.

Montmarte, 71, Chalk Farm Rd Camden Town London NW1 8AN

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 09:44:28 +0000

Address:
71, Chalk Farm Rd Camden Town London NW1 8AN

Review:

One Sunday morning walking round Camden Market made for a good appetite so L and I headed for Monmartre where I had eaten once before. Despite the market being heaving a short stroll up the road towards the Roundhouse theatre saw us far from the madding crowds and the restaurant was only half full.

We sat at a table near the window and L chose grilled Aubergine to start followed by Monkfish casserole. I opted for the duck and orange pate followed by grilled chicken breast in honey, ginger and herbs with bacon. We ordered a couple of glasses of Pinot Grigio and after a few minutes the starters arrived. My pate was moist and full of flavour but the lettuce with it was somewhat tired. The toast was fresh though. L described her Aubergines as excellent and I sampled a small amount and can confirm that. Mains followed a few minutes after plates were cleared and we ordered more drinks which arrived within 2 minutes. My chicken was well cooked and served with a tangy sauce and nice crispy bacon. Saute potatoes and some more tired lettuce accompanied the dish but I was surprised at the lack of other veg. L loved the Monkfish Casserole and said the fish was firm and the sauce was full of flavour and actually tasted like fish! The portions were large so we passed on pud and L ordered coffee. Then came the bill. A smidgen under £30 for everything and I considered this excellent value for money for 2 courses, drinks and coffee. It's a bit of a walk to Montmartre but for a Sunday lunch in a small Camden eaterie far from the madding crowds with good service this place is hard to beat at £30 for 2. Approved. The Tallguy

Millenium Cafe, 500 Holloway Road, London N7 6JA

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 09:33:25 +0000

Address:
500 Holloway Road N7 6JA

Review:

Far too many people had the idea of calling themselves something millennium related in 1999. It was going to be the party to end all parties, we would all stride bravely forward and nothing would ever be the same again. Now, this just has a depressing effect; we didn't even get a Y2K bug that wiped out all our bank records and removed all that credit card debt. This is another one of those greasy spoons where you get all the usual with a page on the menu that is country specific, in this case Turkish. Although not a desperately exciting range of choices, they're relatively cheap and with big plates, mostly filled with bland frozen chips. I didn't try any of the Turkish wines but they were all priced the same as the Liebfraumilch. I find it somewhat chilling that there is anyone still serving it. Rejected King Mob

Joes at Fenwicks, 63 New Bond Street London W1A 3BS

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:11:23 +0000

Address:
63 New Bond Street London W1A 3BS

Review:

A light lunch late on a Saturday afternoon proved tempting in Fenwick's. Joe's compact cafe restaurant looked just what we were looking for after a wet slog round the shops, and we didn't have long to wait until we got a table for two by the window. The food was good quality. A dish of grilled vegetables, including some very late season asparagus, with salad and parmesan was delicious. Well-presented, crisp yet cooked vegetables, and not too much oil. A glass each of house red accompanied it well. Unfortunately, a customer at the table beside us lit up with a pipe. Our meal's appearance and taste disappeared in his smoke. (He hadn't even waited to finish his meal before lighting up). We looked around for no-smoking signs, or at least the no-smoking section of the restaurant. Nothing. At another table two customers lit up on their cigarettes. Mmm. Maybe the chargrilling of our food was meant to continue outside the restaurant's kitchen. No sign of much air-conditioning either, so the smoke just mingled with us and the other customers. We asked the manageress. If she had any choice yes, she would ban pipe-smoking and create a no-smoking area, but no she couldn't do that. We also ordered chips with our lunch. They didn't arrive. We asked a waitress to check if they were coming. She never returned, and nor did the chips. So, if you like the 1960s approach to food served with cigarette and pipe smoke, mixed in with poor service, you know where to head. Also, if you like buying good quality clothing with that extra whiff of cigarette and pipe smoke, head for Fenwick's. The restaurant is part of the open-plan sales floor. Don't worry about waiting: the queue will be shorter by two people - permanently. Rejected. Q Tips

Hot Pepper Jelly, 11, Broadway Parade, London, N8 9DE

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 11:23:20 +0000

Address:
11, Broadway Parade, London, N8 9DE

Review:

A tiny cafe in the heart of Crouch End, notable for its top-notch coffee and laid-back atmosphere, Hot Pepper Jelly is one of the best of its type. An exhaustive (and exhausting!) menu of sandwiches and cakes - all big enough for two - features favourites such as roasted vegetables on focaccia, as well as other lip-smacking combinations of cheese, meats and fish on a variety of breads. Prices seem a little on the high side but are entirely fair given the quality of the food. An absolutely perfect stop in the middle of Saturday shopping. M

The Crypt, St Martins In The Fields, Trafalgar Square, London W1

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 14:34:09 +0000

Address:
St Martins In The Fields, Trafalgar Square, London, W1

Review:

It's worth knowing about this place, because there's a dearth of modestly priced places in touristy central London. Stand facing St Martins, on the right is Duncannon St, walk down a few yards and on your left you will see a few steps which take you down to the Crypt. It's self service and a pot of tea and home made cakes for two came to £5.80. There was enough for two cups each, and the cakes were good, too. Big slices. No room for supper. DM

Cup a Cabana, 12 Dane Road, SEAFORD East Sussex BN25 1LL

Fri, 26 May 2006 09:09:06 +0000

Address:
12 Dane Road, SEAFORD East Sussex BN25 1LL

Review:

Small and clean with bright metal tables and chairs, Cup a Cabana is apparently run by three teenage girls. They are absolutely lovely: friendly, cheerful and very easy on the eye. The tea and hot chocolate we ordered came quite quickly, but there was quite a long wait for our jacket potatoes, and when they arrived (separately - there was quite a bit of the old “oops – wrong table”) they were just about warm. Each time we had to ask for cutlery.

Betty's, 6-8 St Helena's Square, York, Yorkshire

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 09:44:38 +0000

Address:
6-8 St Helena's Square, York, Yorkshire

Review:

Not just tea rooms, but restaurants. They also sell a huge range of the best coffees and teas, imported directly by them, plus they make their own breads, cakes, biscuits, chocolates, preserves, etc. (We buy all our coffees and teas from them--- Sumatran Mandheling coffee is ideal for after meals-- rich, smooth and almost chocolatey. Ceylon Orange Pekoe or Tippy Assam are the teas to drink at tea-time.) Around 1900, "Frederick Belmont, a young Swiss confectioner, arrived in London and, unable to speak a word of English, boarded the wrong train at the wrong station and found himself in the depths of Yorkshire. In 1919, he opened his first Café Tea Rooms in Harrogate, where the unique combination of Yorkshire and continental specialities...quickly brought Betty's popular acclaim." It's still "in the family". No-one knows who Betty was---there are lots of theories. During the Second War, Betty's catered for many service-men, especially Canadian, Australian and New Zealanders. There is a large mirror with about 600 of their signatures scratched on it. If you want to know what real, traditional fish and chips is, try it here. Also, if you want to know about real English cream teas, eat one here (but do not complain, as we heard two Americans do, that the butter and cream are bad for health). The menus are a mix of traditional Yorkshire and Swiss---superb. Yorkshire rarebit (with tomato or apple chutney), rösti or mushroom pancakes with cheese are excellent. Of course, they have a wide range of freshly brewed coffees or teas, plus good Samuel Smith's beers, homemade juices, etc. The one weakness is their wine list, which is also strongly Swiss influenced, and does not suit us. Excellent service. Good pianist in St Helen's Square 1800-2100 daily. It is a beautiful place designed by the interior designers of The Queen Mary liner, with huge plate-glass windows. Little Betty's is in a 16th century building. They don't take bookings, so you might have to queue at busy periods. Air-con Annie Ethel

Seasons, 9 Silver Street Ottery St Mary Devon EX11 1DB

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 11:13:58 +0000

Address:
9 Silver Street Ottery St Mary Devon EX11 1DB

Review:
Our daughter has just moved to Ottery St Mary with her family, so expect a surge of West Country reviews from me. Ottery is a nice little town, birthplace of S T Coleridge, and far less precious and touristy than you might expect. They do have two tea shops, Seasons and Poppys. We went to Poppy's once and it was fine, but E and her children have fallen in love with Seasons, so we went there three times in a week.

Port and Starboard Cafe/Fish and Chip Shop, Chapel Road Indian Queens St. Columb, Cornwall TR9 6JZ

Fri, 10 Mar 2006 09:50:17 +0000

Address:
Chapel Road Indian Queens St. Columb, Cornwall TR9 6JZ

Review:
Just off the A30 at Goss Moor lies the best excuse I know of (if your're not a surfer) to go to Newquay. Over the last few years Mrs Wildfrank and I along with my two entrancing daughters have whizzed past a brown sign on the motorway saying 'Port and Starboard Fish and Chips' and have never even thought about popping in, until a shortbreak holiday brought us past that sign one more time. As soon as we walked in we were welcomed by a wonderful lady from Lancashire who made us feel totally at ease and escorted us to a table whilst the wildfrank nostrils were alerted to the wonderful smells emanating from the kitchen.

Trellis, High Street Rottingdene Sussex

Thu, 02 Mar 2006 09:17:55 +0000

Address:
High Street, Rottingdene, Sussex

Review:
There are two tea shops (I should perhaps say Tea Shoppes) in Rottingdene. "Which one do you prefer?" I asked my Mum. "Don't think much of either of 'em" she replied, so as it was sunny, we chose the one with seating outside. We ordered a pot of tea for 3, toast and cake. "Buttered toast, brown or white" said the menu. We asked for brown "We've only got white" said the waitress. The tea came first, stainless steel pot with a jug of hot water, but the cups and saucers were weary from the dishwasher, the glaze almost worn off and sticky old brown stuff round the handles.