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

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

5a, High St Tunbridge Wells Kent TN1 1UL

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.

By elfigo at 22/04/2008 - 16:41 | 2008 | Ambience | Approved | Country | England | Italian | Kent | Review | Service | UK | Views | ££££/$$$$ | 2 comments | read more | 440 reads

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

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

5-6 Langley Street, London, WC2H 9JA

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.

By chloe at 17/04/2008 - 11:48 | 2008 | London | Mexican/North American | OK | Review | ££££/$$$$ | 1 comment | read more | 168 reads

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

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

129 Church Road, Hove BN3 2AE

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.

By Perry Stalsis at 03/04/2008 - 09:56 | 2008 | British | East Sussex | OK | Review | ££££/$$$$ | add new comment | read more | 245 reads

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

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

Butterfly Lane, Elstree, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6 3AD

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.

By Daisy Middleton at 01/04/2008 - 10:36 | 2008 | Herts | Pub | Rejected | Review | ££££/$$$$ | add new comment | read more | 295 reads

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

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

Newlands Lane, Stoke Row, Oxfordshire RG9 5PU

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.

By Harry at 26/03/2008 - 23:18 | 2008 | Ambience | Approved | Modern British | Oxfordshire | Review | ££££/$$$$ | add new comment | read more | 216 reads

Ristorante Maffei, Piazza Erbe 38, Verona, Italy.

Ristorante Maffei, Piazza Erbe 38, Verona, Italy.

Piazza Erbe 38, Verona, Italy.

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.

By Uxbridgecouple at 26/03/2008 - 15:07 | 2008 | Italian | Italy | Rejected | Review | Views | ££££/$$$$ | add new comment | read more | 216 reads
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