Restaurant Name: Genghis Khan's Mongolian Barbeque
Type of Food: Global
Average price per person: £18- £25
Website: n/a
Branch Visited:
15-17 Middle Street, The Lanes, Brighton, BN1 1AB
Review:
Mongolian????? Yes Mongolian ... Mongolian BBQ is where you choose your own ingredients and the chefs will cook it for you on a flat grill.
I am not normally a fan of All you can eat places cos i always think of the food being sub standard.
But I have to make an exception with this place as all the the ingredients are raw so you know what's going into your food. There are recipe leaflets that you can try and you can just pick up random ingredients and create your own dishes...
Rating (Out of 10)
Atmosphere: 7/10
Great place to eat.... doesn't feel cheap as with othe rall you can eat places...
Service: 9/10
Staff are really friendly, polite no problem at all.
Food: N/A /10
Hard to rate this one becuase you are the chef you decide what goes into your dish...
Quality to Price: 8/10
you get meat, and seafood all fresh
Final Rating: 8/10
A very good place if you are really hungry! Food is nice as well.... all you can eat for £14 value for money!
Monday 28 May 2007
Genghis Khan's Mongolian Barbeque
Wednesday 4 April 2007
Hi Sushi
Restaurant Name: Hi Sushi
Type of Food: Japanese
Average price per person: £13- £20
Website: n/a
Branch Visited:
40 Frith Street, London, W1D 5LN
16 Hampstead High Street, London, NW3 1PX
Review:
Hi Sushi is a weird one... it's a Japanese place run my Chinese people... but if your a novice with Japanese food you will never notice.
Hi Sushi at Frith street can get quite busy. Tables downstairs are very unique with low level tables. Most people who eat here don't order the menu dishes and 98% go for the all you can eat sushi buffet.
The food is not very high quality... but for the price you pay its good value. I would recommend this place for a casual night out...
Rating (Out of 10)
Atmosphere: 7/10
The atmosphere is quite nice..... considering the place is small sound levels are not to loud... it plays cheesy jpop tunes which you will either love or hate.
Service: 8/10
Because the Restaurant is small service is never a problem.
Food: 7/10
food is not bad for the type of restaurant...
Quality to Price: 8/10
Quality to price it is very good... Sushi is freshly made but selection is small..
Final Rating: 7/10
All you can eat places are normally rubbish and cheap... i must admit this place is quite decent for an all you can eat place... go here if you want cheap sushi
Sunday 25 March 2007
Giraffe
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Type of Food: Global food geared towards healthy and ethical eating
Average price per person: £15-£20 (excluding wine)
Branches Visited:
270 Chiswick High Road, London W4 1PD
30 Hill Street, Richmond, TW9 1TW
Terminal 1, Airside, Heathrow Airport, Hounslow, TW6 1QE
Review:
'LOVE, EAT, LIVE'
This is their motto. Is it going to live up to expectations..? Well, read on to find out...
I'm always a little bit doubtful about award winning restaurant chains. You don't really know the true meaning of the awards they've won and how credible they are. With Giraffe serving global food, I was even more dubious: how can they replicate so many different cuisines and keep a high level of standard across their branches? I bumped into the Richmond branch a couple of years back and have gone back to Giraffe time and time again. The food is good (without being extraordinary), the service fast & friendly and the ingredients used are geared towards fresh, healthy and ethical eating. The menu offers an extensive choice of foods from around the world and there are even weekly specials to add to the mix. Whether it's for a dinner or a quick bite, the menu has everything you would want: from salads, fresh burgers, sandwiches to full brunches. I must say, I haven’t tried their Oriental dishes as there are better places for this. But if you want good burgers, salads or a nice full brunch then you won’t be disappointed.
You must also try their delicious range of smoothies, more specifically their Mango Mama fruit smoothie (mango, strawberry, banana, apple and lime juice). Although Giraffe will never beat your local traditional home cooking restaurant, it is probably one of the best affordable restaurant chains I know. It's simple and does what it says in the tin and use ingredients which are fresher than in most restaurant chains. They even have a branch at Heathrow Airport so make sure you dine there before you hop on the plane… unless you fancy the dirty food served on airplanes? (e.g. microwaved chicken and mash)
Rating (Out of 10)
Atmosphere: 8/10: Nice dining experience, warm atmosphere. The decoration is quite distinctive and uses very bright colours and unusual patterns and materials. There are quite a lot of families going to the Richmond and Chiswick branches. But if you go to the Liverpool Street branch, it'a more spacious and less crowded.
Service: 8/10: Good service, welcoming and friendly staff. Tend to be a little bit long when it's crowded but then this applies to pretty much all places...
Food: 8/10: Good fresh and healthy food. For a restaurant chain, it's quite an achievement. To put this into perspective, TGI Friday's would sit at the other end of the spectrum when it comes to quality and variety of food for a restaurant chain. Obviously, the freshness of the ingredients will never be at the same level of your local traditional home cooking restaurant.
Quality to Price: 8/10: Reasonably priced and generous portions as well. If you share a starter and take a main course you'll be full! Their burgers and smoothies are tasty. If you want a nice brunch, go for it, it's really good value for money!
Final Rating: 7.5/10: Not the most amazing or original food you will eat but the quality to price ratio is one of the best I know for a restaurant chain. And at £15/£20 per person (excluding wine), it's actually quite cheap for what you get.
Wagamama
Restaurant Name: Wagamama
Type of Food: Japanese
Average price per person: £8- £20
Website: http://www.wagamama.com/
Branch Visited:
26 high st, kensington, london, W8 4PF
180 - 182 earls court road, london, SW5 9QG
50-54 high street, putney, london, SW15 1SQ
Brent Cross shopping centre, london, NW4 3FP
Review:
One of the reasons japanese food has gone main stream is due to the sucess of Wagamama. Problem is that it isn't really japanese food... its kinda like japanese inspired food.
Anyway the place is shared seating and no background music... I find the atmosphere is very good for lunch and even dinner with your friends... I still find that even though you are sharing seats with other people you tend to forget about them very quickly because of the face to face seating.
Service is good but i have had some bad expirences with some of the branches where service is really bad due to the fact that it's busy (surprisingly it's at the smaller branches).
Foodwise due to Wagamama being a chain they should be following the same instructions on preparing a dish... but this is not true here... I've tasted a Yaki udon in one place which was really good but was very disappointed in another branch... Same with other dishes.
On the whole i do find Wagamama really good when they do make good food and even though i find some of the branches poor with the food.
Rating (Out of 10)
Atmosphere: 7/10
As with the trend these days... its the canteen style shared seating with no music atmosphere which really works here. Seeing the chefs cook your food adds to the expirence. Lighting is really bright and doesn't set a nice mood...
Service: 8/10
Fast.... They use electronic pda to take your order so it's faster to get to the kitchen.
Food: 7/10
Food is normally nice but can be inconsistent at times.
Quality to Price: 7/10
Price you pay for the food i think its fair but i wouldn't say it's cheap
Final Rating: 7/10
Wagamama was voted Zagat's most popular london restaurant 2006 above Nobu and Hakakasan, i don't know how... I guess it's one of the those place where it is main stream and everyone thinks it's cool to go to.
If you live in london i'm sure you can name so many other japanese style places to go to which would do way better food.
Saying that it is a good place to go to... i just think it's a little bit overated.
Saturday 24 March 2007
Blue Elephant
Maxim's
Restaurant Name: Maxim's
Type of Food: Chinese
Average Price Per Person: £20 - £25 excluding alcohol
Website: n/a
Branch Visited:153-155 Northfield Avenue, London, W1
Review: A pleasant discovery. Having lived in Ealing for over 5 years, I have passed this restaurant numerous times but never ventured in as it didn't really excite me. From the outside the restaurant doesn't look all that inviting. After several recommendations from friends, I decided to give it a go. This place is also rated by Alan Yau, the founder of Hakkasan and Yautcha.
As you walk in, you're struck by how simple and clean the decor is, there is nothing tacky or cliche about this place.
The service is impeccable and quite unexpected from a London Chinese resturant, there is no 'Wong Kee' - esque (moody looking staff, dishes thrown on to tables) service here! The staff are very friendly and well mannered and managed by an entertaining manager who likes wearing colourful neckties.
Dishes I would recommend trying: for starters, the crispy duck, sesame prawn on toast and the hot and sour soup. For mains, the prawns in chilli sauce and the beef in oyster sauce are a must try. Personally, I find their starters excellent and the mains could be better but still good.
Make sure you make a reservation before coming here as they are always busy.
Rating (Out of 10)
Atmosphere: 10/10 Warm and friendly.
Service: 10/10 As above, well mannered staff etc. The speed of the service is typical of a chinese restaurant; quick!
Food: 8/10 Food is always good and I've never been disappointed.
Quality to Price: 8/10 Well priced for London.
Final Rating: 9/10 The food and service never disappoints. Good for both meals for 2 or group dinners.
Hakkasan
Type of Food: Stylish High Class Chinese Cuisine
Average price per person: From £50 to £100 (excluding alcohol). Seafood and special dishes are very expensive so your bill will vary quite dramatically.
Website: n/a (they want to keep the place like a gem waiting to be unearthed and rely on word of mouth rather than heavy publicity)
Address: 8 Hanway Place, LONDON, W1T 1HD
Review: ‘Created by Alan Yau, also behind the Wagamama Japanese restaurant chain and Yauatcha, Hakkasan was rewarded by a Michelin Star in 2003. It's also regularly listed in the Top 50 best restaurants in the world each year. The renowned, multi-million pound interior was designed by Jonas Carp of Habitat Design. The bar has been designed by the mercurial Christian Liaigre who is responsible for the interior design in the private homes of both Calvin Klein and Karl Lagerfeld’.
With such strong credentials, it was with great anticipation that I decided to sample Hakkasan's Stylish High Class Chinese Cuisine. I must say, although our bill was pretty high for 2 (and we didn’t have any wine or alcoholic drinks), the quality of the food is top notch. Expect a modern style of Chinese cuisine, a special atmosphere, top class service and a remarkable venue.
Rating (Out of 10)
Atmosphere: 9/10: Very stylish design and decor, dark lighting, modern look and feel. A really good place to go to for a romantic meal, it feels very exclusive. Make sure you book your table two weeks before you go, especially if you intend to visit it on a weekend. This place is packed…
Service: 9/10: You're greeted by someone at the door, you then go down the stairs and enter a reception area where someone else takes you to your table. The service itself is fast and discreet. The waiters/waitresses are efficient without being intrusive. Top class…
Food: 9/10: Although not authentic, the food is very tasty and you can't deny that they use very fresh ingredients. I suggest you order the dim sum assortment as a starter, they are so fresh (Ping Pong taste like frozen ones in comparison). The menu also include great seafood dishes but be prepared to pay a pretty high fee for them!
Quality to Price: 7/10: Pricey... you're paying for the top quality of the ingredients, the venue itself and the faultless service. However, if I had to base my judgment solely on food, then I would say dishes are over priced for what they really are.
Final Rating: 9/10: If you're looking for authentic Chinese food, then go somewhere else. However, if you're looking for a unforgettable dining experience with top quality food, impeccable service, an very exclusive atmosphere and an immaculate decoration, Hakkasan must be at the top of your list, it is a beautiful combination of classic and contemporary style and colour. I wouldn’t go there on a regular basis but if you want to take someone on a romantic meal then go for it, you won’t be disappointed and you guest won't be either... especially if you pay the bill...!