london restaurants

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mmm, Gallipoli is lovely.

I've heard far too many stories about Pollo ever to go back there, which is a shame as I used to like it.

― chris (chris), Thursday, 6 February 2003 13:49 (twenty-three years ago)

I've only been to Pollo once. Friendly staff, fast service, a lengthy menu, cheap, and better food than you have a right to expect at the price. I'll go again.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Thursday, 6 February 2003 18:22 (twenty-three years ago)

Gallipoli is grebt and I've never had anything that wasn't lovely at Pollo either.

― RickyT (RickyT), Thursday, 6 February 2003 18:25 (twenty-three years ago)

We're trying Bodean's tonight, I'll report back.

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 6 February 2003 19:20 (twenty-three years ago)

Bodean's is great. We sat in the upstairs fast food/order at the counter bit. We ate ribs and chicken wing. The food was perfect. Nice smoky taste good marinade an sauce, great beans and pickles on the side. Let down by poor beer selection, Becks, Budvar, Miller G Draft. Downstairs looks nice but upstairs sets the right mood, Food is served on plastic trays with a greaseproof sheet no ceremony. Quality fast food.

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 6 February 2003 22:03 (twenty-three years ago)

I was quite a regular visitor to Pollo on my London jaunts up until a couple of years back and found it cheap and cheerful. But sharp metal objects in pasta tend to spoil an appetite. Besides, it was my idea to go there that day and they made me look bad in front of two Swedish laydeez and I can't forgive them for that.

― Tag, Friday, 7 February 2003 13:44 (twenty-three years ago)

I heard about the cockroach crawling over the ceiling and decided not to go back.

― chris (chris), Friday, 7 February 2003 13:48 (twenty-three years ago)

Just down the street from Pollo is Derek Jarman's old haunt, Presto. You will be served by nice down to Earth staff and will not find anything in your order but what you ordered.

― suzy (suzy), Friday, 7 February 2003 14:10 (twenty-three years ago)

six months pass...

Any recs for me? Anna's goth luncheon? I like the more veg and Asian side of the spectrum.

How is Cafe Grove? Has anyone tried Viet Hoa? What about Goddards Ye Olde Pie Shop?

― Mary (Mary), Thursday, 21 August 2003 04:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Has anyone tried Viet Hoa?

Viet Hoa is very reliable (and popular) but since the opening of about a dozen Vietnamese restaurants next to it, of course there are one or two of these that are better than Viet Hoa, like Song Que a few blocks up and the Viet community centre on the Dalston end of Englefield Road.

― suzy (suzy), Thursday, 21 August 2003 04:31 (twenty-two years ago)

two months pass...

I think the best Indian food in London by far is the Muhib Indian Cuisine at 71 Brick Lane. Blinding Dansak and the best Onion Bajia since Star Of India on Old Brompton road was still trendy.

― Steven Burke, Friday, 31 October 2003 19:24 (twenty-two years ago)

sorry that's 73 Brick Lane

― Steven Burke, Friday, 31 October 2003 19:25 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

a sushi place seems to have popped up on seven sisters road, (i think its called Hana, or something), its between hornsey road and finsbury park. i am...tempted

― charltonlido (gareth), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 11:50 (twenty-one years ago)

wow that sounds awesome.

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 11:52 (twenty-one years ago)

there's one on 7 sisters near to holloway road that's great - maybe colette remembers the name? fantastic raw tuna salad and tempura rolls, mmm.

― toby (tsg20), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 11:56 (twenty-one years ago)

which side, the camden or the finsbury park side?

― charltonlido (gareth), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 12:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Finsbury Park side. I've seen it too and been tempted. Though round there I am usually about the Caribbean.

― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 12:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Sushi? In FINSBURY PARK?! Blimey. Must be gunning for the Highbury type clientele but keeping rent down by keeping north.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 12:49 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, i think the one we went to is called hana. very good. any other good restaurants i've been to lately have been in chicago, so not so helpful in this thread!

― colette (a2lette), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 13:08 (twenty-one years ago)

ah, ok, was the outside kind of red? i think i shall go there soon

― charltonlido (gareth), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 13:10 (twenty-one years ago)

can't remember the color, but it was between hornsey road and finsbury park on seven sisters, and it's pretty nice, so pretty unique along that stretch of road! toby and i have been meaning to go again soon, want to have a sushi* party?

*ok, i don't eat sushi, but i like loads of their food.

― colette (a2lette), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 13:12 (twenty-one years ago)

maybe it was pink?! i can search for the email when i get home and check...

― toby (tsg20), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 13:15 (twenty-one years ago)

FAF(ish)?

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 13:16 (twenty-one years ago)

We tried to hve a FAF before, but it seemed impossible to organise. People would not commit.

― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 13:18 (twenty-one years ago)

they were always faffing about, then?

― colette (a2lette), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 14:34 (twenty-one years ago)

World Cup Dining Club lives again?

― Lucretia My Reflection (Lucretia My Reflection), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 14:36 (twenty-one years ago)

email research confirms it is indeed hana. it also suggests it's number 50, but i'm 99% sure that turned out not to be true...

― toby (tsg20), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 18:49 (twenty-one years ago)

its 150, not 50

― charltonlido (gareth), Thursday, 12 May 2005 09:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm game for sushi.

― $V£N! (blueski), Thursday, 12 May 2005 09:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Are you also sushi for game? I know I am.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Thursday, 12 May 2005 14:33 (twenty-one years ago)

the last time i checked there isn't a camden side of seven sisters road.

― ken c (ken c), Thursday, 12 May 2005 15:16 (twenty-one years ago)

did you check behind the sofa?

― charltonlido (gareth), Thursday, 12 May 2005 16:17 (twenty-one years ago)

there was a big article in the new york times recently about how CLERKENWELL is now the place for GREBT RESTAURANTS.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 12 May 2005 17:59 (twenty-one years ago)

They mentioned the naff looking placing near The Eagle (Little Bay), but not the phenomenal little narrow place on Exmouth Mkt that makes their own oatcakes. (can't remember name off top of head; suzy or Ed could help me out here)

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 12 May 2005 18:08 (twenty-one years ago)

http://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/05/08/travel/08clerk.html

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 12 May 2005 18:09 (twenty-one years ago)

i want to go to st. john. where else combines authenticity and quality?

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 12 May 2005 18:31 (twenty-one years ago)

NOWHERE IN THE WORLD.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 12 May 2005 18:37 (twenty-one years ago)

*cries*

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 12 May 2005 18:44 (twenty-one years ago)

If they loved St John's they would have loved the Quality Chophouse, too, but maybe they saw the "Working Class Restaurant" frosted glass on the Farringdon shopfront and moved on, taking it literally.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 12 May 2005 18:49 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, we saw that article on the way back here...i wasn't impressed with the choices, as a vegetarian.

so, when should we FAH? (fancy a hana?)

― colette (a2lette), Thursday, 12 May 2005 20:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Did you mean medcalf on exmouth market?

Apparently the little bay is meant to be really good, but I've not been in. I've also heard that the quality chophouse has gone downhill.

Moro on exmouth market is absolutely fantastic, if a little pricey, but the service in Sofra, the turkish place, is absolutely dire. We didn't even wait to order, having seen everyone else suffering while we waited 10-15 mins without a waiter coming near us. They even tried to give us someone elses starter!

― Porkpie (porkpie), Thursday, 12 May 2005 21:17 (twenty-one years ago)

yes, Medcalf, exactly. That place makes me very happy.

London def needs some cheap sushi although given how expensive even normal restaurants are, is there any hope for that?

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 12 May 2005 21:24 (twenty-one years ago)

there are loads more sushi places than there used to be, though a lot just cater for the office lunch market. Prices are about £5 for a good plate - 5 pieces and 4 rolls, so not cheap, but not much more than getting a substantial lunch elsewhere

― Porkpie (porkpie), Thursday, 12 May 2005 21:29 (twenty-one years ago)

i was not overly taken with kulu kulu

― charltonlido (gareth), Saturday, 14 May 2005 09:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Gareth, Kulu Kulu is always excellent on a Thursday, or when it's REALLY busy. Although I must admit that I have agedashi tofu, chicken toriage and Japanese potato salad with miso more often than sushi, and nowadays having eaten the menu I prefer a hand roll and miso soup. Try a chirashi box at Taro instead - best new place since Kulu Kulu. And cheap.

Clerkenwell trufax: it's not that the Chophouse has gone downhill, it's just been kicked into touch by Moro/Metcalf and the ever-reliable Eagle. You can still have a nice meal there. I'm glad the NYT didn't discover Metcalf, and it can KEEP the Little Bay - part of a chain of restaurants with cheap three-course meals where one of the courses is always bitty and one of the puddings offered is always banoffee pie. It has a few branches and although it offers the same meals at every one, the EC1 branch is more expensive.

Colette, veggies don't do well in Clerkenwell because of the Smithfield factor but at least Edible, the restaurant where they served BUGS, has closed. All the same, I'd still rather eat chocolate-covered scorpions than ever go to the Exmouth Market Sofra (which might, ironically, be your best bet for a veggie dinner).

― suzy (suzy), Saturday, 14 May 2005 10:03 (twenty-one years ago)

hana was actually really rather good!

i regret not having the sea urchin though.

i'd go again for sure

― charltonlido (gareth), Thursday, 19 May 2005 04:09 (twenty-one years ago)

They mentioned the naff looking placing near The Eagle (Little Bay), but not the phenomenal little narrow place on Exmouth Mkt that makes their own oatcakes.

Were they hanging with Grauniad/Observ3r journos or summat? Little Bay is king of the cheapo management chat work hangout, apparently. The food's OK, decor OTT and tacky.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Thursday, 19 May 2005 08:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Or that amazing vegetarian curry house behind Euston Station whose name I can never remember.

Any recommendations from the cluster of indian restaurants around Euston?

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Thursday, 19 May 2005 10:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Not an indian at all, but go to the African Kitchen Gallery on Drumond Street. Its aces.

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 19 May 2005 11:35 (twenty-one years ago)

i've been looking forward to trying the new location of the malaysian student cafe, which i used to go to many years ago when it was in bryanston square (my friend's father worked in student services). but curses - i just found out that one needs to have a malaysian passport to eat there, or be accompanied by a passport holder. any ideas?

― lauren (laurenp), Thursday, 19 May 2005 11:53 (twenty-one years ago)

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I think I went fairly standard with twice-cooked pork at DanDan, but it was really good. I've eaten at the one in Aldgate also and it's nice.

Not tried Yun Gui Chuan tho I think they have one nearer me on Brick Lane or similar also.

I ate at One Rice on Brick Lane a couple of weeks ago, it's Teochew food which was new to me. The place itself is a bit sparse and was kind of cold but the food was nice, fairly simple, not spicy, more hearty.

― LocalGarda, Wednesday, 29 October 2025 08:02 (eight months ago)

six months pass...

s/o to Clara's Bistro in Shoreditch for filling my algorithm with influencers hyping it up as a "hidden gem" and thus making me aware that I should avoid it at all costs

― a ZX spectrum is haunting Europe (Daniel_Rf), Tuesday, 26 May 2026 13:35 (one month ago)

one month passes...

ISO kid-friendly spots in Marylebone?

also: sunday roast in Paddington area?

― imperial frfr (Steve Shasta), Thursday, 2 July 2026 00:27 (yesterday)

I like the Victoria in Paddington. It's 5 min walk from the station. It's a Fullers (big brewery) pub but the food has been good on the three times I've been in the last year. There's not a huge amount go prime seating so you may need to book in advance. Beware the steep steps to the W/Cs!

There's lots in Marylebone. My kids, both under 10, enjoyed Trishna (Indian) a couple of months ago. They were accommodating on spice levels.

― mmmm, Thursday, 2 July 2026 09:21 (yesterday)

'of' not 'go' prime seating.

― mmmm, Thursday, 2 July 2026 12:41 (yesterday)

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