Qype: Vasis Restaurant in London

London – Eating & Drinking – Restaurants – Greek

After a drink at nearby Jetlag bar, a friend and I decided we needed a quieter place to eat. A quick glimpse at the menu told me all I needed to know – Lamb Kleftico in the House!
I love Greek food and this was no exception -
a mixed meza plate of bread and 3 types of homemade dips ( hummus, tzatiki and tarramousalata) were light and delicious.
We’d been brought some olives and pickled chillies first – nothing to write home about there, but my oh my, the main course was lovely!
I had the lamb kleftico – slow-cooked lamb that is so succulent it falls off the shank ( NOT cheaper shoulder cut) like butter. Sides of rice or potatoes were a nice non-overwhelming accompaniment.
Mains were around £10 – £12 which wasn’t too bad but sides etc push the bill up.
The house wine was actually really lovely ( I was expecting retsina-esque sharpness) so we had a bottle of red to boot. All in all, for our shared starters and mains and drinks it came to £49.00 or so, not super-cheap but decent quality food and friendly service that makes it worth the money.

Check out my review of Vasis Restaurant – I am kristianak – on Qype

Qype: Jetlag Sports Bar in London

London – Eating & Drinking – Restaurants – Eating & Drinking – Pubs & Bars – Bars – Cocktail Bars – Eating & Drinking – Pubs & Bars – Bars – Sports Bars

Well I don’t know about sports, but it’s a pretty cool little bar, tucked away in Fitzrovia. I had heard they were doing some movie screenings of home-grown films for Australia Day but didn’t realise how packed it would be!
Upstairs (ground level) is a small bar and tables for about 30 people while downstairs is a bit more futuristic with massive plasmas across the wall and more booths and seating areas.
Seemed pretty noisy as the music was definitely much louder downstairs.
Was happy with my Tasmanians Boags beer and although we didn’t eat, the choice of Aussie fare for the special menu looked great so might consider this again on a less busy day.

Check out my review of Jetlag Sports Bar – I am kristianak – on Qype

Qype: The Book Club in London

London – Arts & Entertainment – Eating & Drinking – Pubs & Bars – Bars

I’m with Siany on this one – Book Club is the kind of place you either love or hate. I came here on a Saturday night for my friend’s birthday and he had booked a table in the centre of the ground floor. Arriving fairly early the atmosphere was good, slight queues at the bar but good music.
In a way it deteriorated as the night went on, 20-minute wait to get a drink, toilets were dirty (and I’m honestly not a fan of the unisex loo option) music getting lounder and more random (s-express got my attention but there were some very dodgy moments as well)
Cocktails were from £6.95 – £8.00ish, which is fairly cheap for this area.
Liked the decor, tiled walls, quite open-plan, a thumping dark dancefloor downstairs whith different music and a ping-pong table in the rear.
I’ve actually heard it’s a lovely place to come in the daytime for brunch etc so that sounds more like my scene. Plus under-25 ‘hipsters’ that are painfully image-aware freak me out when I’m out of an evening.

Check out my review of The Book Club – I am kristianak – on Qype

The turquoise travelling is taking a dif

The turquoise travelling is taking a different track with Boris-biking this year. Hyde Park never looked so good! http://ow.ly/i/7mk0

Qype: The Grand Union in London

London – Eating & Drinking – Pubs & Bars – Pubs – Eating & Drinking – Pubs & Bars – Bars – Cocktail Bars

It had been quite a while since I’d ventured in here ( despite it being a 2 minute walk from my house) so when I spied a discount voucher for cocktails, I jumped on it.
The Grand Union was one of the first ‘gastro-cool’ pubs in this stretch of Camden and I’ve even spent a drunken New Years Eve here dancing to indie with a my masquerade mask half stangling me.
It’s got cool furniture mis-matched from a variery of eras, a large bar in both main rooms, a fuz-ball(?) table and some ironic floral wallpaper to counteract all the black.
Generally quite a cool crowd and more laid-back than the high-street bars, the prices are average and they serve a pretty impressive range of food from burgers and pizzas to stacks, ribs and general pub food.
I had a bit of a misunderstanding originally with my voucher and was told by one of the staff I couldn’t use it as I hadn’t booked ahead ( despite other staff telling me a few days prior there was no need to book) so left empty-handed. So miffed was I, that I decided to contact the manager to see if there was any way I could still use my £15.00 of pre-paid vouchers. To her credit she sorted it out and was very flexible so my friend and I fronted up again to try 5 drinks from their classic cocktail menu.
The dark and stormy was just that – lime, dark rum and ginger beer making me feel like a need a Caribbean holiday, ditto the Long Island Iced Tea. My favourite was the Lychee Martini – sweet and small enough to sip on, but packs a big alcoholic punch. The drinks were well-made and the regular price of £7.50 each is a good price for such flavoursome drinks.
I think I might try coming in here again soon for food now that I’ve been re-acquainted.

Check out my review of The Grand Union – I am kristianak – on Qype

Qype: Milagros in London

London – Shopping – Arts & Crafts – Art – Shopping – Arts & Crafts – Potteries & Ceramics – Shopping – Gifts & Cards – Shopping – Home Shopping – Tilers & Tile Stockists

Fab, Fab, Fab.
Positioned right in the centre of the action on Columbia Road, this ceramics store was a great find – on popping in on a steadily darkening Saturday we ended up chatting with the owner about how the shop concept came about.
Originally opened to get more space to store imported tiles, the shop now stocks all manner of decorative arts such as glass vases and jugs, bowls, icons, tin hanging decorations and tableware. They even supply those cool wavy water glasses to Wahaca ( you know the ones..)
Everything in here is handmade in Mexico and the tiles are some of the most beautiful I’ve seen – now I’m positively bursting to get my own house in order to tile every available surface. (don’t tell my Delft cousins)
A lovely little shop to get gifts or something to jazz up your kitchen, the owner was lovely and I’m sure will be happy to chat with you about the origin of your purchase!

Check out my review of Milagros – I am kristianak – on Qype

Qype: The Bridge in London

London – Eating & Drinking – Cafes & Coffee Shops – Cafes

Popped in on a freezing cold Saturday afternoon to warm up with a coffee and was not disappointed! Loved the downstairs counter area where you order; long polished dark wood bar, walls heaving with old photographs and memorabilia and the cabinet of cakey-goodness.
There’s no particular era the owners seem to love, more an eclectic mix of everything they think is cool. Some of the pieces I spied: leather boxing gloves, bagpipes, gilt mirrors and Victoriana, old radios behind the bar, glorious coffee machines, leadlight lampshades and classic movie posters.
Yes, it was a bit pricey, but loved the feeling of being in a ’30s Manhattan cawfee shop.
Then we went upstairs to the first floor dining area. Basically, they’ve shoved as many regency chairs and Chesterfield sofas in there as will fit, decorated with floaty, sheer fabric and strange lamps. I liked the fact that it was cozy and quirky – sure beats the sterile Starbucks-esque environment of other coffee houses.
Coffee was great but sadly my millefeuille was a little dry and a tad overpriced for what it was. If cakes seemed a little fresher I’d go for 5 stars.
I think I’d love to go back here for a coffee now and again just to enjoy the atmosphere – anywhere that plays Ella Fitzgerald gets my vote.

Check out my review of The Bridge – I am kristianak – on Qype