london restaurants

they don't stare in a pervy way, i could deal with that! it's more like "what is this person doing in my pub".

i am not really interested in ales but the wenlock serves one (1) type of wine and it's not very nice

xp/ also in between venues, E took a lot of private bookings for music and fashion people/events - buzz comes from places for good reasons and I hate it when my friends go all snap-judgement about style press like they're somehow above it all.

In fairness I was being sniffy about style blogs rather than style press. With Dalston it's usually a case of "food looks great, is the place going to be full of cocks?"

The Prince Arthur is a really nice space but TOO FVCKING CROWDED at weekends. Like, ridiculously so. If they'll let you book a table you should be okay though. Clientele is a bit tossy as well in my experience.

The times I've been in London I've always found the florist to be first choice

for a pub that is

I love it but sometimes the bad bar staff (not all of them) make me want to go elsewhere. I just kinda feel I spend enough money in there for people at least to be polite or whatever. It is still great tho.

wasn't there a chance that the Wenlock was going to be closing down? is that still happening? i think it's a great place, despite the likelihood of any session there resulting in a weirdo old barfly hijacking your conversation

I think the sale to the developers fell through so it's just going on as before. The owners are looking to sell but there's still the chance that whoever buys it will continue to run it as a pub, rather than just knock it down and put flats there.

i decided to go for drinks on friday instead, at the palm tree (feel free to join any ilxors!) but went for an impromptu meal last night to brawn on columbia road. it was pretty great, tho think going there for a few bottles of wine and lots of small dishes would be even better than having one of the larger mains. amazing rillette and brawn to start with.

xxxxxxxp ha a few of my friends work at the florist, will pass on yr comments LG

some of them are really pleasant as i said...some are not. i won't give descriptions just in case!

good to hear that abt brawn!

now it's warming up weekend bike rides to the counter cafe in hackney wick are in order, last time i went it was the best breakfast / coffee evah!

had raclette at walluc in shoreditch. it was average. raclette works best over about 4 hours with a never ending supply of wine anyway, cheese didn't seem as nice as the stuff i get from that cheese place in spitalfields

finally did the meatwagon before playing a show at the birds nest in deptford last week (good little venue / pub - lex you won't like it). pretty darn good, prob the best burger i've ever had but it was just a burger.

fancy going to allistairs brasserie this weekend in stoke newington/church st, anyone been? any good?

Kept on meaning to go, kept on getting put off by the prices. Obviously if it's good it's worth it, but the menu never entirely convinced me, can't remember why now. Be interested to hear what it's like tho. He used to run the kitchen at the Defoe I think.

we went to counter cafe on sunday for breakfast, really good food + like you said the coffee's amazing

Ah the Bird's Nest in Deptford, probably the only pub in SE London that's happy to put on bands that are just four people with laptops playing noize. There's an excellent Ugandan restaurant called Afab Star right round the corner as well (huge speakers playing African pop, football on the TV, feel of being in someone's front room, amazing food).

what about forman and sons in hackney wick? apparently does v cheap dinners once a month...anyone been?

Haha LG, I live just the other side of Grove Road from the Palm Tree.

ah not far away then!

anyone got any takeaway delivery recommendations in east london? i normally walk out but there are times when a good one would be useful.

was at the young vic tonight and had an octopus salad in the anchor and hope after...amazing. such a good fun place to eat too.

went to moo grill today...had a lomito and chips. it was fucking great...would go back.

Moo is opposite my Gym.. I should def check it out.

the guys in there are a great laugh too...

any tips for a good place around soho where i can have a few beers and some food? looking for sort of informal, but i guess soho doesn't really have gastropubs does it? any help would be good...

The upstairs of Bodeans?

john snow?

(but yeah bodeans)

Bodeans is a good bet, but it's a great day for the terrace at Dean Street Townhouse. They do homemade Scotch eggs.

garlic and shots, if that's your thang?

probably be tomorrow night, I think bodeans, much as I like it, is a bit too like...I dunno, not pub like enough.

is dean st townhouse terrace open in evenings?

polpo or spuntino? altho depending on how early yr getting there there might be a huge queue

yeah spuntino sounds great...but have heard really hard to get in.

also lol ken literally THE DAY AFTER johnsnowgate I was coming back from baron's court and a friend texted me, and this never ever happens, I'm never in soho at the weekends, "hey am in the john snow if you fancy a pint..."

I was gonna suggest those but QUEUES.

Terrace is open in the evening but there's something really lovely about the bar, if you can't get a seat.

cool that might be a good shout, i guess if we can just eat something casually but not necessarily dinner it'll be grand.

have you been to spuntino, just sayin?

http://www.fancyapint.com/pubs/pub1611.php

no i havent! ive only been to polpo because my friend used to work there. has anyone been?

will prob try it out in the next few weeks tho, since the friend is back in town + will be interested to see what its like. i remember him saying they'd been planning on opening it quite a while ago and it kept getting delayed.

also, would some burgers and booze at byron followed by pub beers work?

possibly...my friend i'm meeting is a 62-year-old yorkshireman i acted in a play with recently, he's pretty hip but not sure bodeans or byrons is exactly his bag!

de hems? not gastro by any stretch but idk what you're after here really.

pub where you can eat nice food, doesn't have to be a full meal, basically is my requirement.

Lyric is good and old-man friendly then.

Also does it have to be Soho?

not really...anywhere loosely central would probably do.

how about phoenix artist club (it's charing cross road underneath phoenix theatre/"blood brothers")?

it's members but they let everyone in before 8

Ronan - try the Bountiful Cow in Holborn, just behind Red Lion Square. The clue as to the food is in the name.

p.s.

also lol ken literally THE DAY AFTER johnsnowgate I was coming back from baron's court and a friend texted me, and this never ever happens, I'm never in soho at the weekends, "hey am in the john snow if you fancy a pint..."

think that was a booty call

yeah the guy in moo is really funny.

yeah really good laugh.

haha ken