Food fiend's Reviews

We went here for a big birthday bash – this being one of the few nice Sri Lankan restaurants in London. The first thing i noted was the beautiful decor – really an ideal place for a group of friends as nice big tables but still with an intimate feel.

I ordered the samosas which were freshly made – having tasted many of these types of starters, i thought the price was high but had to admit these were very tasty (if a little pricey in my opinion!). For my main, i chose the coconut lamb which was still very hot, despite saying mild, accompanied by the sag spinach and the aubergine salad (outstanding dish of the night). The food was very hot but id say ask the waiters for their opinion on what is mild etc if you are worried. You also can have the option of having thali style – ie a selection of curries, though i wasnt adventurous for this. The other people in the group scoffed down their meals but seemed to really enjoy the food too, preferring the much hotter dishes.

Pricewise – its high (£25 for starters and mains per person) but the food was of a very high standard and i loved having an authentic taste of Sri Lanka again! It also may not be so politically correct but would have been nice to see more Sri Lankan staff, to get more of a knowledgeable opinion on the dishes – however the service we had on the night was excellent. If the place wasnt so far away from where i live, id certainly be a regular, though i will definitely recommend it to my south london friends!

My sister had read that Roti Chai Street Kitchen had some good reviews and so given it was Boxing Day, and we were hitting the sales, we picked this place for some hot lunch (i was also armed with a bad cold and was in need of some decent spice!)

Foodwise – everything was very good – the paneer was probably the best ive ever tasted – mainly because you tend to find paneer is often covered in a gloopy sauce in most indian restaurants, whereas this was deliciously spiced, but hot enough to make my nose stream (weirdly, just what i needed!). I also decided to have chicken samosas, which were good, and fresh – still samosas but something i will have again. We then ordered the lamb curry, which was very mild but tasty – together with the lamb burger. The burger was spiced well, and accompanied by the softest bread bun ever! Even me who was trying to do ‘no carbs’, found myself scoffing some of this!

The meal came to £30 for 2 but we were nicely full. I agree with one of the other reviewers in that portions arent huge – but then id say if you are coming to the kitchen portion, youd be more likely to be wanting to have several small dishes and dip into each – and not roll out. My suggestion to the venue is maybe increase the menu as i think ill end up having the same things over and over again

The only comparable indian cafe place i think there is is Dishoom, in Covent Garden, which is always busy – however i think this is due to location and the food is hit and miss too. This place might find it hard as its tucked away behind M&S Oxford St, but certainly will be somewhere i return to after a hard few hours shopping!

I have a completely different experience to the other reviewer – though perhaps this was due to the dishes i ordered which were very simple!

Ive been to the Salusbury a few times now, both for drinks and food. Im a simple soul so ive tended to have the rib eye steak when ive been before. Yes, its extremely expensive in my opinion, around £17 for a medium sized steak with salad – you are looking at almost £25 for one course if you add on the sides. Queens Park seems to have become a lot more gentrified so maybe the price now reflects the areas. My steaks have always been extremely good and ive always felt well fed post my meal. They dont have the biggest or most exciting selection of desserts but id say people here are enjoying more of the savouries, of which there is a lot (mushroom risotto, chicken livers with crostini etc etc)

The atmosphere is ok – half the pub is the restaurant and the other half is normal pub tables but where you can eat. the crowd is mixed, more middle aged locals or familes – it doesnt have the young vibe that you have in somewhere like the Alice House opposite, though the food here is 100 times better. Additionally, the toilets arent huge and could be kept better, get a mirror in the ladies guys!!!

It is an expensive yet tasty night out here but a trusty food haunt for me and a reasonably good pub to hang out with friends. i would suggest if you are cutting the costs, have some drinks here but pop over to Sundaban (the long running popular indian opposite) for a curry in between drinks. Thats what i often do when i cant stomach Salusbury prices but certainly, this is definitely one of the good pubs to go to.

Im surprised this got a ‘best of northwest’ in Squaremeal, i think they need to update their records somewhere.

We recently went to Paradise for a spot of dinner. Each time ive driven past on the weekend, there always seemed to be a huge queue to get in with various girls who looked like they were from TOWIE. Anyway, i was surprised on a Thursday night to find the dining area sparsely full of much older people. The rest of the bar was much quieter too – so a huge contrast from the weekends.

Anyway, foodwise – its standard gastropub fayre – steak, chicken, crab, partridge, risotto etc etc. Food was nothing exceptional but relatively well cooked. Desserts was similar. Cheesecake looked like the gelatine version rather than the usual delicious baked type but was ok. Service was friendly but very slow and the place got busier as the night went on but still a much older more subdued crowd. There is a ‘beer garden’ which is small but where you can eat. Unfortunately the door to the kitchen is there and you find the chefs storming in and out for breaks which doesnt give the best of impressions.

This place is expensive – for two people, its close to £70 though now ive spotted the 50% off on here, id rather have gone elsewhere on the Thursday (offer not available on Thursdays) and if i had to come here, id do so on another night and got the discount. £70 for two is hefty for what is quite average food. Youre there for the kooky decor but nothing else. Alternatives are definitely The Westbourne which is a short drive away and is far better but im afraid Paradise isnt worth a second visit.

Another local – you cant move for the abundance of gastropubs in North London, and this is one of the goodies.

The Wells is a lot more posh than my other favourites up North. The pub lives in a leafy Hampstead street where one can only dream of residing in (4 storey properties and the like). There is seating outside, as well as upstairs – but the downstairs has no booking policy. It tends to get busy with the walkers, plus dogs are welcome, so its even more lovely in my opinion.

Foodwise – delicious. I again went for the simple burger choice but it was lovely and meaty – as a simple dish like this should be. It came with homemade coleslaw and probably some of the best chips id had in a long while. It costed around the £8 mark so not extortionate. My companion had the roast – and this was huge. At £15.95, i think he got a decent meal and the plate had a healthy portion of meat, oven roasted veggies, yorkies and gravy. If i was feeling very hungry, this would be it. There was a decent array of other choices, fish, duck, pies – but nothing seemed too overpriced and other diners did seem to be enjoying it all.

Puddings – i refrained but companion had the sorbet which looked lovely – other choices were banoffi pie and eton mess – everything i saw others eating looked very well presented, not just plonked on a plate. The Wells obviously takes a lot of pride in presentation/

Im giving the Wells good marks because service was great and it certainly has a very good and cheery atmosphere. The food i had was delicious, and its one of the few pubs where im sure ill break my ‘one time only’ rule and will be back. Its ideal for a stop over after a leisurely walk in Hampstead but just make sure you are hungry and ready to feast!

Nothing better in London in my opinion – i wont bore everyone with details but we had all the menu highlights which have been raved about on the web. Starters, we had the meat fruit and the salmagundy (chicken oysters). The meat fruit was like nothing id ever seen, plus the creamiest chicken liver pate EVER. The salmagundy which was like a very tasty chicken salad – again, delicious, and other restaurants could learn from this and put this kind of salad on the menu – sure to be popular.

For the main, we shared the rib of beef. The service was excellent and the waiter explained the cuts on offer, and offered other cuts if this didnt please! At £75 for two for the main, it was expensive but we both agreed, it was a delicious cut of meat, and completely melt in the mouth.

For pudding, we shared the Tipsy Cake, which was a type of brioche which had been soaked in a sweet pineapple type juice. Im not a fruit fan but this was to die for. i noted Ashley Palmer Watts floating around and got a smile from him, though the famous nitrogen ice cream machine he was wheeling around only seemed destined for the chefs table, sadly.

The bill with a couple of cocktails came to £140 for two – bearing in mind we shared the pudding and main – so not cheap. Bookings are hard to come by but id recommend calling up as we got a Sunday lunch on the offchance. Hestons place is the best in town, and deserved of all the great reviews. Fantastic!

This was the second time ive been to BBR – but the first time for an actual meal. Prior to this visit, i did wonder how people would pay such a high price for breakfast and so made the assumption that the rest of the items on the menu would be overpriced too. Anyway, i was wrong and i was very impressed. The venue itself is well designed and reminds me of scenes from Titanic, ie very opulent.

Service was very good and not intrusive in the least. As id been overdoing it a bit in the dining out stakes, i went for the set menu which was 3 courses for £24. Mine comprised of eggs florentine, then burger for main and ended with a lovely raspberry cream pudding.

This, in my opinion, is one of the very good places to go to in Soho – the food is good and nothing strays too far from the norm and its a zillion times better than Hix which is the only style place that could compare. But sometimes thats just what you want, nothing fussy, just a decent tasty meal. Also, to an extent, you get what you pay for so its a little pricier than your normal diner type places, but this is catering to a cool, media, business lunch crowd. I cant really fault the place and will definitely be back. If you want something a bit different, try Nopi which is a few doors down, but for some tasty, hearty, stylish food, this is the place to go.

The Alice House is a funky, gastropubby place in West Hampstead. It certainly stands out in the area, with its decking and funky decor – its ideal for after work drinks, or a good night out on the weekend. They have a great selection of drinks including cocktails – both alcoholic and non. Service is very good and informed. One big gripe was that I personally didnt like to put my card behind the bar but this seemed to be the done thing – perhaps they have had many people running off without paying but even buying one drink at the table meant doing this.

Foodwise – i had the burger, which was delicious and extremely meaty, all served on a stylish chopping board with a small pile of chunky chips. There is a selection of 4/5 mains, same for starters like goats cheese or rabbit rillettes. The burger itself would be a 9. Unfortunately the score was let down by the simply awful dessert – they only had two options, a chocolate tart vs a rhubarb food. I opted for the chocolate tart which was thick and stodgy and pretty foul. For me to actually say this about chocolate is a big thing! Even this was served on a small tea plate, which seemed crazy given the obvious efforts they went to with the starters and mains! Bill came to £50 for drinks and 2 course meals so wasnt extortionate.

Id definitely go back to The Alice House as its a well designed, cool hangout and perfect for Saturday night drinks – but id avoid the desserts at any costs, complete waste of money. Otherwise go to the Banana Tree down the road and just hit this place for drinks.