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

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

2-6 Station Parade, London NW2 4NH

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.

By chloe at 30/04/2008 - 18:46 | 2008 | Approved | London | Mediterranean | North | Review | £££/$$$ | add new comment | read more | 83 reads

Oriental Palace, 38 Mount Ephraim, Tunbridge Wells, TN4 8AU

Oriental Palace, 38 Mount Ephraim, Tunbridge Wells, TN4 8AU

38 Mount Ephraim, Tunbridge Wells, TN4 8AU

If you were to give me a choice I would not go to a Chinese Restaurant. I’m not entirely sure if it was my first experience, going to my “girlfriend” Barbara Muir’s birthday party as a ten year old at the Hong Kong in Dundee or not. I was a dead cert for the Chicken Maryland, but Barbara’s dad Jim insisted I try the sweet and sour pork. Sour? Where was the bloody sour? It was sweet, sweet, sweet, sticky, gooey, violent infra-red gloop surrounding a bit of pig. It was so horrible I didn’t eat anything remotely Chinese until I was in my twenties. Even then it was a backdoor through. I fell in love with Korean food – bitter Kim Chee and barbecued Bul Gogi - a heavenly combination with noodles and sticky rice. Korean through to Thai, Indonesian, subtle Vietnamese and finally to fiery Szechuan and ceremoniously dumped on the door of Cantonese.

By m at 18/04/2008 - 17:55 | 2008 | Chinese | Kent | OK | Review | Service | £££/$$$ | add new comment | read more | 109 reads

The True Heart Inn High Street Bishopstone Swindon SN6 8PH

The True Heart Inn High Street Bishopstone Swindon SN6 8PH

High Street Bishopstone Swindon SN6 8PH

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

By Stratton Spy at 14/04/2008 - 12:40 | 2008 | Pub | Rejected | Review | Wiltshire | £££/$$$ | 1 comment | read more | 148 reads

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

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

Dolphin House, Market St, Newport, Dyfed

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.

By Perry Stalsis at 04/04/2008 - 21:25 | 2008 | Approved | Modern British | Review | Wales | £££/$$$ | add new comment | read more | 212 reads

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

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

55 Pier Road, Littlehampton, West Sussex

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.’

By Perry Stalsis at 31/03/2008 - 19:48 | 2008 | Approved | British | Country | Review | Takeaway | Traditional | £££/$$$ | add new comment | read more | 235 reads

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

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

Mount Ephraim Tunbridge Wells Kent TN4 8AA

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.

By m at 30/03/2008 - 13:17 | 2008 | Approved | Indian | Kent | Review | £££/$$$ | add new comment | read more | 191 reads
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