Coke
Pollen Street Social

Pollen Street Social

8-10 Pollen Street London, W1S 1NQ, w1s 1na, United Kingdom

Beer • Wine • British • Creative


"Stopped in for a burger at the bar. The staff were all friendly and helpful. However, the burger was exceedingly average at best; one of the, if not the poorest “fancy” burger I’ve had in London. A beautifully-plated double stacker, it seemed as if the chef had looked at many pictures of burgers but eaten very few of them. Sadly I didn’t even finish it which is a first in my years of burger eating escapades. Here are a few thoughts on how it could be improved, in no particular order: 1. Patties: Too thick for a smash burger and thus not properly smashed. You could easily remove 10g per patty to achieve a crispier texture and better meat to bun ratio. Bonus: higher profit margins. 2. Bun: While seemingly baked fresh it was far too dense and doughy. An airier bun will better compliment the rest of the ingredients. 3. Fried pickle: Pure form over function. Looks cool toothpicked on top but doesn’t taste of much and is apparently a substitute for any pickle on the burger aside from an insufficient amount in the burger sauce. Given the overall fat content of the meat there needs to be more acidity to cut through it. Non-fried pickles would do the trick. 4. Bacon: Not needed at all. Adds nothing but more grease and higher price point to the equation. 5. Napkins: The little diner-style napkins at the bar are kitschy but aren’t sufficient without using a small forest’s worth. A proper napkin would be better suited for the amount of grease dripping down one’s hand and the level of the establishment. 6. Hot Sauce: The Three Darlings hot sauce on the bar, while tasty, is not properly packaged. The sauce is watery, though the bottle does not have a Tabasco-style stopper on the top resulting in a Niagara Falls-level of liquid escaping onto the plate. Seems like an easy fix. On a cheerier note, the basque-style cheesecake being prepared in front of me at the bar looked tasty and I may one day return for it. Sadly, I will not give the burger another go until at least some of the aforementioned issues are addressed."

Frankie & Benny's

Frankie & Benny's

Clarks Village, BA16 0BB, Mendip, United Kingdom

Pizza • Steak • Pasta • Seafood


"We popped in on a Sunday after some shopping. Coffee shops in the area were packed, no tables busy but we needed a respite after some shopping with our 11 month old baby. We stood at the door waiting to be seated which felt like an eternity. When we got in with our baby who was sleeping in the pram we were told that there was nowhere to pop the pram while he was sleeping but he could be popped in a highchair no problem at all. No checking how old he was etc (he was under his rain over not visible) what if I needed to breastfeed once he woke up? Or if he was a newborn the parents just wanted a bite to eat? There was adequate space for a pushchair, fancy turning away a family with a sleeping child. While I completely understand that you don’t wish to place a child next to friends couples dining out it’s a little unfair to turn away people on the basis of what are your restaurant regulations or whatever you want to call it do what’s morally right surely? Anyway the host was lucky our child decided to wake up at that moment because we were about to walk away considering the rather unwelcome greeting. We were hungry. Once we were seated it was all great from there. They managed to get a £50 lunch out of us! Myself my partner had black blue burgers which were cooked lovely came out within 10 mins of ordering. Our waitress was really lovely very friendly toward us smiley at our baby. Our baby had fish goujons with veggies fruit chocolate pot for dessert. He thoroughly enjoyed it. The highchair was a bit low for such a small baby so would be better if they got some with trays to avoid mess help out baby eat be more supported but he was excited either way. The high hairs were definitely more suitable to toddlers as opposed to infants. Generally a friendly service once we were there felt full satisfied so thank you to the lovely waitress for changing our experience. Just a quick fyi to the restaurant in general not all babies are loud cry. If your younger clientele aren’t happy with children in the middle of the day then maybe they shouldn’t be popping into a family restaurant?"