A medley of fresh seafood including shrimp, crab, and mussels, served with lemon wedges and a side of cocktail sauce.
Asian • Balti • Indian • Pakistani
"The best balti in all of Great Britain. We have been coming here for 15 years, and last night I brought my girlfriend along. We had a fantastic time, the staff were as welcoming and friendly as ever. The food was delicious and very affordable. We ordered katlama, chicken pakora, chicken balti, huh jalfrezi, two naans, and a side of rice, all of which were excellent. For dessert, we had gul road jamun and chocolate barfi. The total bill came to £27, what a great deal!"
Bars • Beer • Steak • British
"We had lunch at Smith’s. It’s one of those places where you enter and the first impression is mind blowing. The renovated building is beautiful and the location is quite unique, just by the river in Paddington basin area. The vibe when you walk in is great. Despite it being really busy, the service was super fast and efficient. And very friendly. We had the seasonal set menu and it was real good very convenient. There is an extensive selection of wine with a professional sommelier that can help you choose the right one for you, overall it was a magnificent experience."
Pizza • Steak • Pasta • Tapas
"Well, where to start? On arrival, we were processed by the chap on Reception who we now know to be the Owner. Rude doesn 't do it justice! He started by saying that our table wasn 't ready and asked us to wait. The place was only half full at best. Our party made their way to the window seats and I went to the Bar. Despite several Staff running around busily, there was no one serving. I stood at the Bar and waited. The ignorant Owner knew I was there (I was less than a yard away from him) but to no avail. I waited. A lady appeared behind the Bar, looked at me, procured a bar order and then dashed off again. I waited. She came back, looked at me and started to mess with glassware. She dashed off again. I waited. Again she returned, looked at me, messed with Barware items and dashed off. Having waited long enough, I sat down with my Family. I 'll be kind; I had waited over 10 minutes without any acknowledgement at all. At this point, the Owner stormed over, confronted me and suggested that I was being unreasonable. I pointed out to him that I had said nothing. He immediately began to rant that my body language was inappropriate and kicked off, telling me that they were very busy and the Staff were all working hard indeed they were (except him). There were just not enough of them. We should have walked out there and then. Five minutes later, our order was taken and we received our drinks. We waited for our table to be procured. We had another round of drinks. Fully one hour after our arrival, we were shown to our table. I was of the distinct impression that I had been disciplined for my inappropriate body language . The service remained slow, the food was ok. I would not have left a tip, but my Wife took pity on the Staff, so she did. I insisted that be a maximum of 50% of what we would normally tip. Our bill was £167, we paid £180 (just so you know). I hope the Owner didn 't receive a penny. To the Owner: Sir, your manners are appalling. There is an English adage which suggests that The Customer is always right. I do not totally concur with that sentiment, but it was not my fault that your restaurant is under staffed. CAUSE. I had waited for at least ten minutes and my presence had not even been acknowledged. No apology, just a rant from you. EFFECT. We have enjoyed previous visits to Spargo. Perhaps that was because we hadn 't encountered Mr Angry. Good luck with you Business going forward. I do hope that you consider this review appropriately and, moreover, the implied sentiment therein. Sadly, I don 't think you will."
Pub • Steak • Pizza • Fast Food
"Very pleased with Sunday lunch as a carvery and the usual menu was offered and we like varied dishes. First class service, easy free parking around the back and a nice walk along the adjacent lane made it a lovely experience. We will be back. We did come back and had the fajitas. They were too hot taste wise which spoilt the flavours. Please ask if cool, medium or very hot needed thanks. WARNING I guess we did not notice on our first visit but the menu prices did NOT include VAT. This was added at the end of the whole bill including drinks etc and bumped up the bill by 20%. In view of this I was unable to afford a decent tip. This is the first time I have had a menu not including VAT. I cannot recommend this pub on that basis as it is totally underhand to to charge that way and gives a feeling of being ripped off to your customers. It may affect repeat business. Please include VAT in the menu prices and we might comeback."
Pub • Steak • Vegan • British
"Had a lovely overnight stay and a meal here yesterday! The decor is LOVELY, gives a great warm feeling. Plenty of drinks on offer! The staff are so lovely and welcoming! I wouldn’t hesitate bringing my 3 kids in here!! The rooms are lovely and cosy. I could have stayed all day the food we had was lovely. The Filipino pork was perfect! 100% recommend the Shepherd we will defo be returning! Thankyou for having us!! ????"
Fish • Cafés • Coffee • Bakeries
"Spoilt by a magnificent day, we were able to enjoy our coffee au-dehors and appreciate Howth in the far background and the bustling park in the foreground. Some observations: Accessibility: Steps up to the entrance of Fallon Byrne's have no handrail for the elderly. Sustainability: no recycling is done (at least it's not evident as everything ends up in a bin as pictured below). Food experience: just had a coffee that was hot and creamy. Would have liked a scone, but sadly all were sold out! Some interesting products sold in the shop: e.g., garlic and vinegar-flavoured crisps from Spain the flavour really tickled my taste buds! Place to visit again. Would be a real step forward if Fallon Byrne could at least begin to segregate e.g. their plastic waste, which is actually mushrooming for everyone since the onslaught of . Suggestion: start with some coloured bins (see Ireland's National Waste policy for more detail)."
Fish • Wine • Seafood • Peruvian
"We ordered Tapioca Marshmallows, Corn RIbs, Grilled Sweet Potato,Padrones , Black Rice and the large grilled seafood platter to share across 5 pax and most of them were good especially the Black Rice but small points to make the sweet potato was somewhat undercooked in the middle and the corn ribs were just quartered cobs when in fact at other establishments, the corn ribs do NOT have the thick stem inside. Hoping they can perfect the technique and that it can make a difference. Otherwise, another small piece of advice is if they keep there squid cuts so thick, they really should give customers a sharper steak knife maybe as current supply of knives is not strong enough to cut well or easily. Service was a little patchy (we were an indoor table in a corner close to the main street) and we had to wave about quite a bit to get the attention of staff. Otherwise, very happy to return again soon!"
Coffee • Mexican • British • Burgers
"We visited on a Sunday lunchtime in early August to celebrate a couple of birthdays. We had booked and were offered a table inside the restaurant (pub? which was all but empty while it was a nice day outside. We asked if we could be seated outside to be able to enjoy the weather and to watch the world go by. We were told very rudely If there 's a table out there then you can eat out there, but you can 't run a tab and you have to order at the bar . We did as we were told, trying to make light of the rudeness. To be fair, it was only one of the staff who had this unfortunate attitude. We ordered drinks at the bar and then our food There 's a 30 minute wait the rude server told us. Dressed Crab, Mussels, and a fish and chips. Turned out there were no mussels left, so we ordered another fish and chips. The food, when it arrive (not as long as 30 minutes was ok, but only ok. My mother 's fish and chips was overdone and dry. Mine was less well cooked, but still rather bland and fish was dry. The whole experience was rather disappointing. We cut our losses and left to eat an ice cream elsewhere. It would hurt any of the staff to crack a smile and perhaps a lesson in manners and customer service wouldn 't go amiss."
Tea • Vegan • British • Italian
"We enjoyed a 3 course vegan menu with 3 options for each course. Our meal began with bread, though there was no vegan butter available, the staff kindly provided us with olive oil and balsamic vinegar as an alternative. For our starters, we shared the tempura vegetables and garlic bread with mushrooms, both of which were delicious. Our main courses included a strudel and vegetable tart, both bursting with flavor. We had planned on sharing a sticky toffee pudding for dessert, but the waiter surprised us with a vegan brownie that wasn't on the menu - a wonderful addition to our meal. Despite the generous portions, all three courses were priced at just £17.50 each. The service was excellent, and we had a fantastic overall dining experience. We highly recommend this restaurant."
Beer • Wine • Fish • Seafood
"We went here in July and we got a lovely sunny evening. We had some wine outside first as we’d arrived early. Lovely atmosphere having a drink in the sunshine and just chilling out. We had our meal inside. Lovely restaurant and a nice menu. I had the mussels to start and they were delicious. For the mains I had the steak. It was ok but I’ve had a lot better elsewhere for less. The steak came with just chips and a battered onion ring. It just felt like a fast food meal. It was ok but I would’ve liked a choice of mash or veg instead of just chips. There was a wedding going on upstairs, it didn’t bother me but for some people it might be too noisy. You could head the band and a DJ later on so it might get a bit intrusive for some. I liked the restaurant and the decor of the place. It was very cosy. The only fault I had was the prices. The meal was expensive for what you got and at €30 a bottle for the house red it felt a bit expensive. It was also hard getting a taxi home so order early. I enjoyed my night at The Anglers Rest but probably wouldn’t return as better value elsewhere and it’s a bit remote for getting taxis home."
Pubs • Beer • Wine • Casual
"We were celebrating a 40th birthday for my son 6 people in total. We ordered whilst having drink outside in the garden. However, when our food arrived there were several issues: 1. I had to remind the staff that my starter came with Fig Chutney it had been forgotten. 2. It was assumed that white toast would be my choice with my pate I should be asked as many people have intolerance to white bread 3. The Prawn Cocktail was very basic 4. Worse of all they forgot one of the £35 Sirloin Steaks!! Surely it's not difficult to know when there are 6 people present that it's likely to be 6 main courses. We were told it was being done but the issue is that it not only needs cooking but it needs to rest too my son who's birthday it was knows that is correct. So instead we would get a quickly prepared steak and at £35 no thanks!! All in all the experience was pretty poor. We won't be rushing back!"
Pizza • Seafood • Asiatic • Mexican
"I have been coming to this pub for many years as I used to be local however not since the big renovation. The update has been done respectfully to the area with keeping the cosy village pub we all love. With that said it still feels modern and chic thus pleasing all. We were served by the very polite and attentive Sarah. Lovely smile and gave great eye contact, fast serving and all round wonderful customer service. Definitely an asset to the business. The building is easily accessible with an electric wheelchair (apart from the original cobbled short path to the front door) and is dog friendly. I had hoisin belly pork with beansprout salad and my guest had the French onion soup. Both were outstanding. To drink we had pot of local tea and pint of Korev which is a Cornish lager and really smooth drink. We will definitely be returning! Well done team!"
Kebab • Seafood • Asiatic • British
"The chef is brilliant here. My son has a restricted diet and they bent over backwards to accommodate us. I had the tempura squid which was melt in the mouth, everyone knows how difficult squid is to cook and this was top notch. The main course was a tuna steak salad, nicely cooked with an oriental twist to the salad. My companions were equally impressed they had the mussels which were so fresh they still smelled of the sea, and the pan fried sea bass I am told was absolutely delicious. I didn’t take pictures I was too busy enjoying! Check it out!"
Pubs • Fish • Meat • Coffee
"The food was awful, steak burnt to a crisp, chicken burger tasted like it had been done in the same oil as the fish if hadn’t been half price I wouldn’t have paid full price. The service was very slow. It was so disappointing as we were having a night away and was really looking forward to a nice meal but there was nothing nice about this meal at all ☹️"
Cafe • Bagels • Western • Bakeries
"For the longest time, I viewed bagels as unsweetened donuts that didn't quite make sense with pastrami and cream cheese. Then I visited the Bagel Factory and voila! They were not donuts at all, but rather the ideal breakfast I had been craving for a while. The great thing about bagels is that they can be enjoyed anywhere. The Bagel Factory always has amazing deals with a cup of coffee ready to go, making it the perfect start to my day."
Sushi • Indian • Asiatic • Mexican
"This is hands-down the best Indian food I've ever had, and, trust me, I've had a LOT. I'm amazed to write that this place is in - Winchester?"
Chinese
"My partner and I were really looking forward to this meal. She mentioned that she hadn't had Chinese food in a while and wanted to satisfy her craving. Unfortunately, this wasn't the right place for it. The food was just average, and while the service was decent, the atmosphere felt lacking since it was a midweek visit. However, when we received the bill, I found it quite excessive for what we had. Overall, it was a bit of an anticlimax and didn't convince me to choose Chinese over a Thai meal."
Indian • Starters • Main Veg • Main Meat
Asian • Fusion • Chinese • Vegetarian
"We normally use a different Chinese takeaway, however as it was closed for the Chinese New Year we decided to try Little Canton again. Never again. The food was tasteless and couldn’t tell the difference between black bean sauce, curry and the chow mien. Even the egg fried rice was appalling. I’m not entirely sure that the ‘chicken’ in the chicken and black bean dish was actually chicken. Chewy is an understatement. The only edible thing was the crispy seaweed. It gets one star only because I couldn’t give it zero. Complete waste of money, and ended up making a cheese and ham sandwich for dinner. Don’t waste your money."
Cafés • Pizza • Kebab • Fast Food
"Al Khayma is the best hidden secret in Illford! I had been wanting to eat Lebanese food for a while and knew there were a few decent restaurants in the city but my partner convinced me that his colleagues swore by this ‘fantastic’ restaurant in Illford but I was not convinced! However since he insisted and I wanted to eat, I begrudgingly took his suggestion and he booked us in for dinner. The place was easy to find. Just 7 minutes walking from Illford train station on the newly Elizabeth Line or 2-3 bus stop if one does not fancy the walk. There we were greeted by Saad who was super friendly and accommodating. He was extremely helpful and helped us with some choices on the menu while offering excellent suggestions! The restaurant had an ambient atmosphere and the gentle traditional music playing in the background gave it a relaxing vide that travelled the mind to exotic destinations. It also had a well decorated flower wall that would look great for those #hashtags on Instagram (if anyone is up to that kind of stuff! So when the food arrived, the restaurant offered little appetising sides with Lebanese bread that was warm and homely. I ordered the Shish Tawook (charcoal grilled skewers of chicken which was juicy and cooked to perfection with a side of chips but it also came with a complimentary salad. My partner ordered a grilled boneless baby chicken that he said it was crispy on the outside with a soft interior that was super tender and flavoursome. But wait. There is more..! Since it was B.H Monday and were were out-out, we decided to do a little extra and ordered a Halloumi side and another one called Batara Harra. In one word I would describe it as mind blowing! The portion of the Halloumi was surprisingly generous and the Batara Harra was a dish of potato cubes marinated in all sorts of flavours and served on a bed of sweet peppers and chilly. It came with a quartered lemon (which I thought was odd but after a few bites I decided to drizzle some on top of the potatoes (assuming that it might serve a specific purpose and boy was I right about that! I genuinely don’t understand how a few drops of lemon can transform a dish so much but honestly if you order this food, just use the lemon! You won’t regret it. After completion of dinner we were offered free of charge a traditional Lebanese tea which unfortunately did not have the time to be taste but that was not a problem as we were already decided that we would be visiting this place again. Overall lovely staff, great food with generous portions and a relatively reasonable bill that would work out about £20-25 per person including drinks. Extra bonus is the Valentine’s Park across the street. A huge park with a central lake for an evening stroll, that also includes a large playground area if you are visiting the area with children. So yes, that was our culinary experience at the Al Khayma. Friendly service, great food, clean establishment and reasonable prices. Really nothing more to ask. Highly recommended!"