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Chains per se are not the end of the world if they provide decent food, consistently, and at a price. Independent is probably better so that there is a multiplicity of voices and choices in a market, but if the choices is between a decent chain and a lovely local independent, I'll have a chain meal, thank you very much. We've had some East London recommendations; I work (and eat) in Soho, so I can talk about that: Koya does fantastic udon. Not that strongly flavoured, but incredibly clean, well-defined ones with wonderfully textured udon. I love this place so much. Koya was full the other day so I tried @Siam next door, and was pleasantly surprised. It was pretty decent Thai. I had flavourful, crispy, non-oily corn cakes, followed by a pad thai with a refreshing amount of tamarind sharpness, and certainly not too sweet. Rosa's on Dean Street is also pretty decent Thai; both are better than busaba, which has, in my view, gone downhill. If you want to treat yourself, Arbutus does an amazing set lunch: three courses for £17. They use cheaper cuts, like rabbit or lamb shoulder, and the dishes are not quite as sophisticated as the usual a la carte, but it is nonetheless wonderful food and incredible value. I had a delicious lunch the other day at the Giaconda Dining Room; a small, old-school place serving old-school food, and doing it well. I retain a soft spot for Fino, which is upscale tapas-style Spanish food. In Friday I returned to Salt yard, where I hadn't been for a while, and really enjoyed my lunch there; everything was delicious. At a similar level to Salt Yard, and cheaper than Fino, is tapas Brindisa 9formerly Tierra Brindisa), which I also really like. Across the road from there is another fairly old-school bistro-type restaurant, Andrew Edmunds. Lovely. Yauatcha is around the corner for dazzling high-end Chinese food and dim sum; or go for tea in the beautiful tea room and enjoy French-Chinese patisserie. On the cheaper end of the spectrum, just across from Yauatcha is the fish and ships shop on Berwick Street, which is the best in Soho. Alternatively, the wagon which is parked between the two, Pit Stop Cafe, does really good Malaysian/Singaporean food. There is always a queue. Two more! Vasco and Piero's The Pavilion is another old-school classic serving very simple but absolute beautiful Italian food in a slightly shabby but charming setting. A more modern alternative is Dean Street Townhouse, which is not cheap, but not extortionate either. This is a good option for lunch, breakfast, or even afternoon tea. the atmosphere is of an upscale modern members' club, but it isn't. I could go on - Soho has a lot of good choices! One more, but in N4 Stroud Green, where I live - Season Kitchen. Fantastic, with one of the best puddings I've ever eaten in the form of the rosemary chocolate pot.
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Nov 7, 2011 18:19
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sweek0 posted:I've tried to go to 500 so many times because it's so close, but I was never able to make a reservation for the same night or the next weekend - they seem ridiculously popular for a neighbourhood restaurant. I've never made it but intend to - it's just about walking distance from me. Does anyone know any good Ethiopian restaurants in N London? There's a fantastic one on Shoot-Up Hill, but it's a bit far.
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Dec 1, 2011 14:19
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PainterofCrap posted:I will be stepping off the train at St. Pancras in the second week of May as a rank tourist on a day trip from Paris. Looking for a decent pub with food (or food near it), possibly decent fish & chips. As far as I know the area near St Pancras is a bit of a culinary desert so you might have to go a bit farther. Great Queen Street in Holborn is excellent modern traditional English food (if that makes sense), in Holborn not TOO far from St Pancras. Probably not quite walking distance. The Eagle is the original British gastropub, not too far either. If you don't want to venture too far The Fellow in York Way is apparently quite good. The only good fish and chips I know is in Soho in Berwick Street.
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Dec 21, 2011 11:34
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Junior G-man posted:Hey London types, can you help me out? Had Bodean's beef ribs recently. They were tender enough, but the meat itself lacked flavour.
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Jan 15, 2012 12:08
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Senor_Happy posted:Pitt Cue Co opens their new brick and mortar place tomorrow in Soho, if it's in line with the van it'll be cheaper and better than Bodeans. Tell me more! What do they serve, and where is it? Ah. ç. A bit far for me, but not THAT far - I'll have to check it out. Thanks!
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Jan 15, 2012 13:05
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I was in the area yesterday so I went to Pitt Cue Co to pick up a takeaway sandwich. The good: lovely friendly people. The owner had been sold some rum, and there was an open bottle on the counter that he and the staff had been tasting, so he offered me a nip, which warmed me nicely on the cold walk back to the office. However...the food was disappointing. Not in terms of flavour and texture (good), but it was a really small portion of brisket, onions, and slaw served atop a small half bun (no top half). It was literally about 10cm in diameter, and it wasn't like it was absolutely overflowing with topping. I do not have a big appetite, and I always go for quality over quantity, but it was really small - like large hors d'oeuvres size. I could have easily eaten two, and a good 50% more would have made it come close to a satisfying lunch. There wasn't that much brisket on it, and among the meaty pieces were two large pieces of fat. So while I enjoyed the flavour, I felt really unsatisfied by quantity - especially since I had paid £6.50 for it. I don't mind paying for quality (which is why I now go to Koya weekly - not cheap, but awesome), but I REALLY hate feeling like I've been ripped off, and £6.50 for that itty-bitty sandwich felt like a rip-off. On another note, some colleagues and I had a very good meal at Barrica tapas bar on Goodge St. I thought it was about as good as Salt Yard, but cheaper. Every dish was good to excellent.
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Feb 1, 2012 12:12
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RazorBunny posted:My husband and I are planning a trip to London in the summer, and I've definitely bookmarked this thread as part of my prep I'm not much of a cider drinker but I always understood those brands you listed to be part of the mainstream, the UK cider equivalent of a Miller or Bud. I am sure you could get better here. I think Aspall's does one, which is probably pretty good if their vinegar is anything to go by. This looks like a good centrally-located pub with a wide variety of ciders. http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/pubsandbars/bree-louise-info-12054.html Or, y'know, you could do a 2-second google search for london pubs cider and get this: http://www.ukcider.co.uk/wiki/index.php/Cider_Pub_Guide_to_London
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Feb 2, 2012 11:48
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Neither of us has ever been to the UK.
), and there are lots of really good American brands popping up, but I've always heard that there's a lot more to be had in England. I think there's only one ginger beer from the UK available here, Idris, which neither of us really liked, but I'd be interested to try other brands and in-house brews.
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Refried Noodle posted:Another prospective first-time visitor to London here. This thread is great! My girlfriend recently turned vegetarian and Mildred's will definitely be on the program. Any another places you would recommend for veggie goodness? We are staying on the South Bank if that helps. If you want to splash out, Vanilla Black is rather good.
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Mar 7, 2012 22:19
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Neris posted:Man, I have heard nothing but bad things about Vanilla Black. Have you eaten there yourself? What did you reckon? I have eaten there twice and enjoyed it both times. It isn't quite successful at doing what it sets out to do, but it comes pretty drat close. Decent reviews on london-eating and from newspapers.
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Mar 8, 2012 11:36
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angor posted:The Gate in Hammersmith. W had dinner at L'Autre Pied, Pied a Terre's more casual sister, and my wife had a vegetarian meal which was absolutely sensational. Better than the veggie option at The Ledbury. I can't remember that much of it, except that the main was one of the best dishes I've eaten, veggie or non. The Gate is very nice too, good call. El Parador on Eversholt St is a tapas place with an extensive and fairly imaginative veggie menu (although I have not been there for years, to be sure).
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Mar 8, 2012 15:36
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Neris posted:What's the word on Stroud Green/Crouch End - have just moved there. Howdy neighbour! I live on Corbyn Street. The coffee place is Vagabond, and it is REALLY nice. Really nice people who are not themselves hipsterish, with v good coffee, and excellent hot chocolate made by melting the choc of your choice (of 3) with hot milk. V good carrot cake. If you see a dark-haired woman with a cute baby and a sand-coloured monstrous bugaboo pram (a loaner) sitting there, that's my wife and son. She's there a lot! Boulangerie Bon Matin food is not that good; I prefer the delicious crocque monsieur/madame at The Front Room. Season, for a classy dinner, is great. Their chocolate rosemary pots are sensational. So much so that I've wangled the recipe from t'internet and made it myself. Amazing. I LOVE Season. Cats Thai is OK, as is Petek. Serviceable without being excellent. Haven't been, but people love Dotori right at the bottom of SGR. Hana on Seven Sisters is not bad for Japanese, and corner 7 Sisters and Blackstock is a decent bagel bakery. For Indian takeaway, Dinnerbox is fantastic although slightly variable. Good quality ingredients and proper spicing though. Check out the discussions on stroudgreen.org - lots of restaurant discussion. Apparently Il Piccolo Diavolo on lower Crouch Hill is v good but have not been there. In Crouch End there are no real stand-outs. WOW Japanese is pretty good, and Khoai Cafe Vietnamese is apparently good but my recent meals have been a bit disappointing. O's Thai is reasonable, as is banners, although slightly overrated. The tapas place is also OK without being that good. Oh! Thaitanic is pretty good - excellent corn cakes. They deliver!
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Mar 21, 2012 16:24
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Neris posted:AMAZING. Thank you so much! The coffee place is really near to me, so I will absolutely check it out as I am a coffee fiend. And keep an eye out on all these other places too. I really like FF as I really love rugby and it's a rugby pub, and it has a very nice atmosphere. The garden area is great too, and the Thai food pretty decent for a casual night out. Where exactly are you? The greengrocer just before Tollington Park/SGR on the left going up the road is newish and very nice.
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Mar 21, 2012 22:34
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GiantAmazonianOtter posted:Went to Hache last night and thought it was pretty good. OMG, the onion rings. We ordered from them on Monday. Either they were having a bad night or you don't know poo poo about food. Vegetable dumplings were fine, and had a very good ginger sauce. The pad thai was far too sweet (and I really like sweetness), and had no contrasting sour or acidic elements to balance it - just sweetness. This contrasted with the ginger mushroom stirfry, which was almost inedibly salty (and again, I like salty, and usually add salt to food, but this was gross). The green curry had a good flavour, which was aided by the lovely hairs I found in it (see pics below). We accidentally ordered two green curries, and had leftovers from the pad thai and stirfry, which was fine as we thought we'd have leftovers the next night, but it all went in the bin. I was disgusted. It was really loving bad. I am going to complain, but I don't want a free meal, as I never want food from there again.  
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Apr 4, 2012 11:21
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Neris posted:Okay, am totally avoiding that Thai place now Xarr, I'm no expert on Korean food, but I like Han Kang on Hanway street and Koba on Rathbone street.
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Apr 10, 2012 11:49
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VEGETARIAN FOOD
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mynameisbatman posted:It's embarassing to admit but I've never really tried falafel more than once or twice. What I was getting at though is that paying 7 or 8 quid for a burrito is really a loving rip-off and it's just a horrible thing to do. Maoz is good stuff. £7-8 for a burrito is a bloody rip-off, I agree.
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Apr 10, 2012 16:10
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Loving Africa Chaps posted:Not London but has anyone here tried to get a table at Noma?
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May 1, 2012 12:49
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Mourning Due posted:Just chiming in to say that Lemon-Shaped Rock and I tried Navarros the other week, and it was absolutely delicious! I've never tried squid-ink anything before, but we had baby squid and squid ink rice as one of our dishes, and it was a definite stand-out. All of the items we had were totally fantastic, and while it did feel a little cramped, all in all a fantastic meal. Fino does the most amazing arroz negro topped with some pieces of squid, which is just sensational. No doubt Navarro's is good, but I can't imagine that it's better than the Fino one. I am literally salivating thinking about it (and their garlic olive oil mash).
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May 2, 2012 10:25
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Neris posted:I went to Vagabond's, behind Finsbury Park with my mate on Sunday and we tried the americano, latte, hot chocolate and mocha and all of it was divine. I also had a piece of their fruit bread, which came with butter and it was yummy. Yes! It's great, innit?
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May 3, 2012 14:24
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sweat poteto posted:Not really London but I finally got down to Terre a Terre in Brighton. loving amazing, every single thing Mmm, that's good eatin'. They do amazing salted caramel chocolate truffles too.
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May 8, 2012 10:42
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The rule is never go to buffet restaurants unless it's the Carlton Beach in Cannes.  New World is decent for dim sum, and Yauatcha is fantastic - although neither cheap nor greasy. I've done most of those vegetarian restaurants - The Gate and Manna are indeed very good. There's also Orchard, the Vanilla Black sister restaurant that is apparently good, as discussed here previously.
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May 28, 2012 11:44
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Bollock Monkey posted:Yup, Finsbury Park/Highbury and Islington are pretty much the ideal places! Tottenham itself sucks for food, unless you fancy greasy chicken etc.
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Jun 9, 2012 21:43
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RazorBunny posted:Well, today we leave - we're sitting in the terminal at Heathrow now.
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Jul 8, 2012 15:06
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Camden, ugh. I'll be at Borough Market on Saturday; anywhere good thereabouts for Modern British (I'm with food-appreciating Yankee relatives) apart from Anchor & Hope?
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Jul 10, 2012 11:41
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YourCreation posted:Therattle, I usually just get small things from lots of different stands at Borough. I think that's the best way to play it. Then you can sit in the church yard and just chill and eat. Thanks, I'd usually happily do that but with older relatives we want a proper sit-down lunch.
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Jul 11, 2012 14:58
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sweat poteto posted:Or for a nicer (and better IMO) curry, Rasa. There's one just off Oxford St. Not anymore! It's been replaced by a loving Cote. Had a very good lunch and glass of wine at 40 Maltby St (Gergovie) on Saturday, as well as an excellent coffee from one of the stalls before, and some delicious patisserie from another after.
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Jul 16, 2012 14:09
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sweat poteto posted:The one on Dering St?? D: The one on Charlotte Strasse got converted. tentish klown posted:Went to 10 Greek Street for the fourth time on Saturday. It's consistently good food, prices aren't too high (75 quid for dinner for two including a 25 pound bottle of wine). I definitely recommend eating at the bar - you can watch over the kitchen and see what's going on while you eat. I'm awful tempted but I so rarely go out to dinner (with baby) and it's so near work that I'd only go there for lunch, and it is too expensive for a regular lunch.
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Jul 16, 2012 17:24
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GiantAmazonianOtter posted:Managed to score a free breakfast at Wahaca Charlotte Street this weekend as part of their opening. If their other food is anything to go by it's going to be delicious! I walked past it yesterday and saw that it had opened. How's you wangle that? I'd love a free lunch! (Although they do say there's no such thing...)
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Aug 29, 2012 18:55
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Neris posted:Tried Seasons in Stroud Green the other night - loads of potential but the food just fell flat, although my miso-glazed aubergine was really wonderful, the blackberry eton mess had far too little meringue, and the starter of beets and goat curd had too little cheese and too many watery beets.
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Sep 1, 2012 15:54
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Neris posted:No, I didn't! I have to say I liked the atmosphere a lot though, and the staff were very friendly. It's just a pity that they aaaaaaalmost had it right, only for it all to fail at the final hurdle.
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Sep 2, 2012 14:59
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Neris posted:^^ Awesome, loads of people ask for fish and chip recommendations and so few people have any to give! I'm terrible for advice on fish and chips as well, the only thing I'm after with my chips is that they are soggy, soaked in salt, vinegar and ketchup and wrapped in paper - then I'm happy. Right! I'll ask you if you have stairs in your house! I'll probably be pushing an oversized pram.
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Sep 3, 2012 16:46
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angor posted:Birthday dinner at Ledbury tonight. 9 course vegetarian tasting with wine pairing. SO. loving. EXCITED. SO. loving. JEALOUS. Took my parnets there for my father's 70th birthday, because they just wouldn't have eaten somewhere like that (they live in South Africa). One of the best meals I've ever had, and it was as much to do with the experience. It's very pleasantly friendly and unpretentious. I've also had the Sunday lunch. Both times the sommelier has been the same woman, who is absolutely excellent.
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Sep 14, 2012 12:47
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Bumping this so that you are all aware that Koya is doing their spiced venison udon special at the moment. All the food there is very good, but this is a truly exceptional dish. Ate at Brasserie Blanc in Charlotte St the other day: starters and pudding excellent, mains slightly disappointing.
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Sep 25, 2012 12:31
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My wife has been to Dotori a few times and really likes it, although I don't think she had sushi. She has good judgment. I've tried once but couldn't get in.
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Sep 26, 2012 18:42
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Neris posted:(Spuckuk, I thankfully got a massive headcold two days later and was justified in working from home, which I rather seriously needed. Maybe see you at the one they've just announced on the 21st in December!) I've eaten at Viet once and it was OK. I have yet to find a really good Vietnamese place in the West End. Cay Tre is pretty good but doesn't quite nail it. Had decent meals recently at Rosa's Thai on Dean Street, and a few later lunches at Koya and Princi which are always very good. Nothing spectacular lately though. Oh wait - Gail's Bakery cinnamon buns. Holy gently caress, those things are amazing. Expensive but so so good. SO GOOD!
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Oct 4, 2012 13:33
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Bollock Monkey posted:Any suggestions for a Chinese/Thai place that delivers to N4? I have a poorly partner in need of tasty comfort.
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Oct 5, 2012 17:28
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Penguingo posted:Finally tried the Harwood Arms on Saturday, as it's like three minutes from my house. It's not like I often go to Michelin places so I don't have much to compare it to, but I'd say it's definitely money well spent. Just, uh, don't go on a match day because getting there would probably be a pain.
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Oct 9, 2012 07:56
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Neris posted:Oh poo poo, this reminds me. I went The Cube Electrolux thing for a work lunch (the most amazing treat in the world) the other day and it was ASTOUNDING. This extrodinary glass building shoved on the side of the Royal Festival Hall looking over the river. Shame the weather was pissing it down. Does anyone have a recommendation for Sunday lunch in West End, preferably near Holborn, for godparents in their late 60s/early 70s who appreciate good food? I've booked the Delaunay but feel like I might be missing something.
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Oct 28, 2012 23:12
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pointsofdata posted:Dabbous is nearer Holborn and would be pretty cool, no idea if you'd be able to get a table though. Their lunch menu is only £26 for four courses.
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Oct 29, 2012 09:02
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Nonsense. Nando's is pretty good. The chicken is tasty and free-range, the chips are good, and so are most other sides. Its cooked to order and not sitting in a heating cabinet. It's decent-quality proper food: miles better than a KFC or (insert US state or descriptor here) Fried Chicken. I don't love it or post on FB about it, but I eat at Nando's every now and again and I enjoy it. I'm pretty picky, by the way.
therattle fucked around with this message at 16:54 on Oct 29, 2012 |
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Oct 29, 2012 16:32
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Byron is pretty good. I'm no fan of chains but they are rather decent. A good £3-4 more per meal than Nando's though, which I do prefer to wagamamas - haven't eaten there for years. I can't say I've ever bragged about eating at Nando's though!
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Oct 30, 2012 23:49
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