Salsa
Gourmet 4 Shirley

Gourmet 4 Shirley

Unit 2, Parkgate Shopping Centre, Stratford Road, Shirley, Solihull, United Kingdom

Grill • Drinks • Asiatic • Gourmet


"To our surprise, I was asked to pay upfront even though we hadn’t received any food or drinks yet. I declined, opting to pay after our meal, a decision that proved wise. While we waited, a Just Eat delivery driver entered to pick up an order. He politely showed the manager his phone with the order number and requested that social distancing be maintained. Instead of cooperating, the manager shouted at him, refusing to hand over the food because he couldn’t see the phone clearly. He even told the driver to find another job and not to return. The manager then yelled across the restaurant for someone to handle the situation since he didn’t want to deal with the driver. A woman in a tracksuit eventually stepped in and handed the order to the driver while the manager continued to berate him for simply trying to do his job. After this disturbing encounter, the manager came to our table to justify his actions, claiming that if the driver needed to practice social distancing, he shouldn’t be a driver at all and that he had the right to check the driver’s phone. I disagreed, stating that the driver might have vulnerable family members and this job could be his only option. In an astonishingly inappropriate response, the manager exclaimed, “BUT I WAS HAPPY TO GO UP TO HIM AND HE COULD HAVE HAD AIDS!” I was taken aback and could hardly believe what I had just heard. He backpedaled slightly but continued insisting that the driver might be diseased. At that moment, our server returned to inform us that they had also run out of chili. In disbelief and disgust, we decided to leave. Overall, it was an appalling experience, completely marred by the ignorance of the staff. Would not recommend."

Ping Pong

Ping Pong

Unit 6870 London Designer Outlet, Park Boulevard, Wembley, United Kingdom

Pizza • Asian • Coffee • Chinese


"So I did Ping Pong twice in a week. Once with a friend because it was local (St Paul's) and second, because I was at Wembley for a concert and it was the one with the smallest queue. Ping Pong has never really been a draw for me in the past, its never been a case of I MUST GO THERE. I have passed it several times when in Westfield Stratford and settled on Bumpkin, Busaba Eathai, even TGI Friday's. I am starting to come around to dim sum. With recent visits to Hakkasan, Bintang and Mama Lan, these tasty Chinese style bite sized pockets of goodness are growing on me. Ping Pong spaces are always quite big. I love the dark wood and rich chocolately interior. I live for the island seating, watching the Chefs do their thing (not at all locations). For now, I will focus on Wembley, simply because I was impressed with the seamless service regardless of the fact that it was mad busy with concert goers everywhere. We queued for 45 minutes which is to be expected with 65,000 people in the area. This was made up of actually standing in the queue and then having a drink at the bar. The system they have is good, they take your mobile and call you when your table is ready. This is the only way for them to successfully navigate through the traffic of bar customers and queuing hungry people. At the bar, my only negative so far was that the wine was not chilled so we needed ice. Diluted wine is not a good thing. Once we were sat, our waitress was unaffected by the demanding clientele in her section, was chirpy and attentive. The sequence of service was flawless. Drinks arrived promptly, food arrived as it was ready. The food was good. All the staff floated around the room, appearing to be in control. If there was tension, I could not see it. This site is obviously built for volume on days like this and they have the right team to facilitate it. In terms of food, I will amalgamate both dining experiences as they were on par. We went all out ordering duck spring rolls, prawn on toast with mango salsa and soft shell crab. There was also prawn and chive dumplings, I had black prawn dumpling. Honeyed chicken and mushroom rice pot and vegetable sticky rice completed the banquet. I think that Ping Pong lends itself well to sharing. There is so much goodness, it would be rude not to share. I will continue my dim sum journey and if Ping Pong happens to be in the vicinity, it will certainly be considered for another visit."

Gidi Grill

Gidi Grill

Camperdown Street, Dundee I-DD1 3JA, United Kingdom

Mexican • African • Barbecue • Jamaican


"We booked a table at Gidi Grill recently and had a generally lovely experience. My wife ordered the prawn starter and the sirloin steak with burger sauce, whereas I opted for the lamb starter, and a rump steak, with jerk sauce and my 3yr old son had fish goujons with french fries. I was undecided between their green chilli sauce and their jerk sauce, so when I asked for a small taster, they happily obliged in order to help me decide. The starters were absolutely impeccable... and they were presented well on their respective plates. The prawns were just right not overcooked and 'rubbery ' and the lamb starter was flawless. They arrived in a timely manner within 10 15 minutes, and were devoured so quickly that I didnt have a chance to take a photograph of them. My son loved his fish goujons and fries too, which were conveniently served alongside our starters. My wife 's steak arrived as requested well done and although I requested mine to be medium, it was more of a medium rare. I raised this politely with the waiting staff, and they were happy to oblige, returning my now medium steak to me within a few minutes. An overall very fine dining experience was had by all, albeit with a few minor niggles. When we arrived, i felt we could have been seated, a tad sooner as I did see 2 3 staff lingering around the front seemingly unoccupied. And, although we had finished our starters before the main course was ready, it was served before the plates and cutlery from the starters were removed, causing alot of congestion on the table. Usually the mains are served once the table has been completely cleared of the previous course. And finally when we requested another drink (a coke) our waiter went to order it and seemed to start doing other things (clearing tables etc). After 5 minutes (which felt like 15 because i was really thirsty and had already finished my first drink) i asked him again, only to be told it was on it 's way, after which it did arrive after a couple of minutes. But as I said earlier, these issues were minor, and if they were not a part of my experience, Gidi Grill would recieve 5/5 starts from me, however I feel that, although 4 stars give an accurate reflection of my experience, I would have given 4.5/5 if that were possible. All in all, our food was absolutely delicious! If i could give it a standing ovation, I would. It was worth every penny, and we 'd highly recommend their steaks as well as their prawn and lamb starters. We 'll definitely be back to check out the rest of their menu."