TomatoFemale, United Kingdom
Member since April 2008
Reviews written: 4 (1 voted helpful)
Restaurants rated: 1 (this year)
Posts written: 25
Favourited by: 4 members
Tomato's Forum Posts
Reply to “Top notch gluten free” (in Recommend me a restaurant or a bar)
Read the thread 28 April 2011Last night we ate at Otto which does wheat & gluten free ‘pizzas’ based in Notting Hill/Bayswater very laid back spot with good knowledgable service and they also serve gluten free beer…definitely not high end dining but if you are in that neck of the woods a good option. More
Reply to “To River Cafe or not to River Cafe…” (in Recommend me a restaurant or a bar)
Read the thread 1 April 2011Maybe I was being a little generous with sublime and looking back with rose tinted glasses! Thank you for the L'anima recommendation I went for a lunch a year or so ago and it was absolutely fantastic, just hoping for a west London outpost! More
Thread “To River Cafe or not to River Cafe…” (in Recommend me a restaurant or a bar)
Read the thread 1 April 2011I am in a quandary…I have a reservation for the River Cafe and at first I was super excited but having read the reviews on the Square Meal site I am now wondering if I should spend my hard earned pennies elsewhere. I have been before (quite some time ago) and thought the food sublime but reports of bad service and lacklustre experiences are putting me off. Anyone have any thoughts?? More
Thread “Royal Wedding Street Party?!” (in Venues & Events talk )
Read the thread February 2011I promise I am not a mad old woman with a house full of royal mugs but I am thinking about organising a street party for the the royal wedding – am I too late? Am I actually completely mad? The street I live on is perfect as there is a pub at one end and can easily be closed off but just wondering before I just get going whether I am biting off more than I can chew…it is a very residential area and plenty of families so it seems like a good idea…does anyone have any bright ideas or anyone organising their own one? Or any nightmare scenarios to avoid -any advice welcome! More
Reply to “Summer Party” (in Venues & Events talk )
Read the thread January 2011What a clever boss! Nothing like a summer party to boost morale in grim January! We hosted a fabulous summer party last year at London Zoo – perfect for family fun days especially as you get to pet the animals, I think it was the animal adventure package or something similar. It depends on the people you are inviting, roof gardens is always a safe bet as is somewhere like Fulham Palace. I'd also check out some of the city options – a number of the livery halls have courtyards if you just fancy a bit of outdoor space. My advice would be to bear in mind the good British weather, go somewhere that if it starts raining it is not a complete disaster and you can all run for cover. Or very different how about an outdoor activity – we had a great sailing day last year, a bit different and not for everyone but most loved it. Oh and one more, not been there myself but the tower of london has a new pavilion offering this summer, maybe look into that?
Good luck! More
Thread “metal wine measures” (in Restaurant & bar talk)
Read the thread June 2010Last night I was in a very established gastro pub and a proper good food good pub gastro pub, atmosphere great, service great but they felt it neceassry to measure out a glass of wine in one of those horrible metal wine measures?! With such a relaxed atmosphere could they just relax about the wine level? If you are serving £8 glasses of wine to put the wine in one of those is just bad and wrong…does anyone agree or should I just get over it?? More
Reply to “Corporate Hospitality” (in Venues & Events talk )
Read the thread May 2010I think it is very rude of people not to respond to a hospitality invitation, regardless of how the invitation was sent. I wonder whether it is because people are unsure if they can justify the time out of the office rather than they are inundated with invites. However they could still respond, so ultimately I think some people are just plain rude…
That said and as you know hospitality is incredibly expensive ,from experience I would recommend treating the tickets like the hot tickets that they are so for example if you send out a ‘save a date’ email followed up by an actual in the post old school invitation and then they may realise that they are being invited to something very special and behave accordingly!
The one aspect of hospitality that really gets my goat is when people say they are going to come but then drop out at the last minute leaving you in the lurch with the awful dilema of inviting someone new at the last moment without them feeling like they were an after thought, anyone have any ideas on how best to work that situation???
p.s. If you ever need a last minute guest to Wimbledon I will happily oblige!! More
Reply to “Anyone been to The Capital recently ?” (in Recommend me a restaurant or a bar)
Read the thread May 2010Do not fear! I have been a fan of The Capital for some time now and shared your apprehension of the change in the kitchen however if my experience is anything to go by I will be continuing to visit regularly.
The service is just as seamless as before and the food was sublime. When I first read the menu it did seem quite minimal but the food that came to the table was far beyond the description – I would strongly reccomend the wild mushroom and jerusalem artichoke soup, delicious and with just the right amount of theatre added in.
Hope that helps! More
Reply to “Festival entertaining” (in Venues & Events talk )
Read the thread April 2010Goodwood are doing a vintage festival during august celebrating all things british and vintage? Might be something different.
Good luck! More
Reply to “Petanque” (in Venues & Events talk )
Read the thread April 2010The Hurlingham Club have superb croquet facilities – I have been to an event there and a dear old chap explained all the rules to me. More
Reply to “Royal Ascot” (in Venues & Events talk )
Read the thread April 2010If you want a real wow factor it has got to be the Royal Enclosure. However, it depends on what you are looking to achieve, do you want to take a large group and be able to take more people if so, I would take them to the Bessborough but if you have one or two really top clients that you want to impress, the Royal Enclosure is definitely worth the price tag – have fun!! More
Reply to “short notice party” (in Venues & Events talk )
Read the thread March 2010Eek! There are so many options and if you are prepared to call around I am sure at this late stage you should have no problem finding a venue with no room hire fees. Without knowing more eg, numbers, whether you want a dinner/drinks reception etc.. I can not be much help but I would recomend the Square Meal Helpline, I've used it a could of times and they email you a selection, there is a click through on the website.
good luck! More
Reply to “Cocktail conundrum” (in Venues & Events talk )
Read the thread March 2010Pornstar Martini from London Cocktail Club woof they are sooooo good, too good. Although the one query I have – is it wrong to pick out the passionfruit from a cocktail and suck the seeds out??!! Am I an embarrassement to my friends and family? More
Reply to “For the love of cheese…” (in Recommend me a restaurant or a bar)
Read the thread February 2010I have not been there (yet!) but this place looks amazing…
L'art du Fromage in chelsea
artdufromage.co.uk
/restaurant.htm Happy cheese eating! More
Reply to “The little things” (in Venues & Events talk )
Read the thread January 2010wow you lucky things! I have to confess I am always left a little disappointed at events that the organisers don't think of the little things that make the difference – I have had to trudge through rain at hospitality without a branded umbrella in sight!
Although yes – the shoreditch house people know what they are doing – straighteners, cowshed, fluffy white towels – what more could you want after a dip in that pool. More
Reply to “Top London Venues” (in Venues & Events talk )
Read the thread January 2010Interesting choices!
NHM super venue and yes Vinopolis is great but I do love the grandeur of the old palaces, Tower of London, Hampton Court etc.. there is something very special about having an event in a really old building with so much history so I would put one of them in the top ten.
I would probably also put The Wellington Arch in the list somewhere too, ok it is small but excellent wow factor for clients.
One Marylebone absolutely agree, Madame Tussauds I find the wax people thing a bit creepy.Good work though! I could never decide on a top ten, far too many choices!! More
Reply to “Scottish restaurant/venue for dinner & whisky-tasting?” (in Venues & Events talk )
Read the thread December 2009Hi Denise
Albannach in Trafalgar Square have whiskey tasting evenings and have had a refurb I think – not been there for a while! More
Reply to “Hen Dos” (in Venues & Events talk )
Read the thread November 2009Great ideas – thanks everyone! More
Thread “Hen Dos” (in Venues & Events talk )
Read the thread November 2009I have to organise two separate hen dos next year and struggling to find inspiration.
Has anyone been to a really good hen do in London recently? Does anyone have any bright ideas? Any new places opened that suit the age range mid 20s to 50s?
Any suggestions welcome! More
Reply to “birthday drinks” (in Venues & Events talk )
Read the thread October 2009That's fantastic – thank you! I didnt realise you could hire soho house so I'll definitely look into that and I love Busaba, went there for the first time recently with some buddies and yum yum yum. There will probably be about 20 of us so beginning to think the nibbles and drinks would be the best option.
Thanks again for your help. More
Thread “birthday drinks” (in Venues & Events talk )
Read the thread October 2009Hello! I am looking for a restaurant/bar in the west end for birthday drinks, the trouble is the birthday is next month and everywhere is doing all the Christmas packages and I don't fancy turkey! Anybody had a party somewhere recently that had good food and a good bar for afterwards? The Zuma/Roka set up is good but looking for something a little less pricey – thank you for any suggestions! More
Reply to “Excellent city restaurant please!” (in Recommend me a restaurant or a bar)
Read the thread September 2009Green's have just opened a new restaurant in the city, brand spanking new but in an old bank buidling so a really spectacular space, think it opens this Thurs/Fri can not vouch for the service but the canapes at the launch yesterday were very good!
Here's the link to their website
Hope that helps… More
Reply to “Is ‘hotel dining dead’ – surely not?!” (in Venues & Events talk )
Read the thread July 2009One word – Nahm. More
Reply to “Last-minute invitations” (in Venues & Events talk )
Read the thread July 2009I have recently been responsible for organising hospitality for our clients and it is a really tricky issue as you do not want clients to feel that they have been left off the list in the first place but a late invitation to a hospitality event is definitely better than no invitation and I did have some very happy clients who stepped up at the last minute and had really enjoyable days out.
The ideal scenario is that when people accept an invitation they then do not leave it until the last minute to say they can no longer attend, which leaves you in the tricky position in the first place, very frustrating! More
Reply to “London venue close to Old Billingsgate EC3” (in Venues & Events talk )
Read the thread July 2009Not sure of the size/budget but Sugar Quay, right on the river is one option, Trinity House is just round the corner or there are some bars/pubs nearby on the way up to Monument tube, Balls Brothers and I think there is a Fine Line or similar type bar. Gaucho and the deck on HMS Belfast (opposite side of the river) are also nearby.
Hope that helps! More