Qype: Haagen Dazs in London

London - Cafes & Coffee Shops - Ice Cream Parlours - Cafes & Coffee Shops

They may have delicious ice cream, but after being chastised by one of the staff in Haagen-Dazs today, i feel it is my duty to tell the world. Let me set the scene -

We were sitting outside the shop in the Haagen Dazs seating area when it began to rain. We had about 1/2 a coffee left, so we decided to go inside to the indoor seating area. As soon as we sat down with our coffees we were immediately approached by an ill tempered staff member and were informed that customers who purchase £3.50 coffees in cardboard cups cannot bring them into the inside area.
"But it's raining" i said....
"Sorry you must leave" she replied.
"But you only have 3 customers sat down. The area looks like it could accommodate 50!".
"Sorry, please leave" she said again.
"Are you honestly telling me you are going to make us (customers!) drink this coffee in the pouring rain outside"
"Yes" She said coldy.

This is where i almost lost it. Wild thoughts of pulling out a sawn off shotgun, firing into the ceiling and announcing to everyone that the sheriff was in town and that he was taking prisoners. But alas, in true English fashion, i held my tongue. Instead, i vent my frustration here (where it will probably reach more people anyway).

Review in one line: Great ice cream, crap staff. It's as simple as that.

Check out my review of Haagen Dazs - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Amato's Patisserie in London

London - Restaurants - Italian & Pizza

Sweet Jesus the cakes look good in here. I'd just had a huge pizza but my eye was caught by the mouth watering window display in Amato (see pics). I ended up picking up some biscuits which i am currently wolfing down with my cup of tea. Perfect. When i come back i will write more. But i hope the pics speak for themselves!

p.s Look at the size of those doughnuts!

Check out my review of Amato's Patisserie - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Amalfi in London

London - Restaurants - Italian & Pizza

"I didn't know whether the waiter was going to serve me or slap me" were my words to my colleagues after about 5 minutes in Amalfi. Poor bloke though look very rushed off his feet so i will give him the benefit of the doubt. Although we did have to wait over 20 minutes for our pizzas to arrive. When they did arrive though, they were delicious. I can highly recommend the Quattro Stagioni. Very nice indeed.

So my summary would be 2 stars for service and 4 stars for the Pizza. Great location too, so it's not all that bad!

Check out my review of Amalfi - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: White Horse in London

London - Restaurants - British - Pubs & Bars - Pubs

Also known as the Sloaney Pony, The White Horse is probably the most popular pub in Parson's Green. They do a great Sunday roast and the barbecue in the summer is also very nice. Lots of real ale on tap (including Black Sheep!) and plenty of organic ciders. 2 things that annoy me about The White Horse though (and this is why it only gets 3 stars)

1. The bar staff tend to be a bit slow. We were in here yesterday afternoon. 5 bar staff and about 10 people waiting to be served but still it took about 20 mins to get a drink! Training issues perhaps? Who knows....

2. The punters - this is definitely a cricket jumper round the shoulders and let's talk about my summer house in Tuscany kind of pub. Sometimes i just find all the Toffs a bit overwhelming.

All in all it's a decent boozer and i will go back. Nothing better than getting a pint in a plastic glass a wandering onto Parson's Green!

Check out my review of White Horse - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Marie's Cafe in London

London - Restaurants - Thai - Restaurants - British - Cafes & Coffee Shops

I agree with CaribQueen below. The Thai food is very cheap indeed (£5 for most things on the menu), the folks in here are really friendly AND they are open around pub chucking out time. BUT, portion sizes are too small (probably only about 3 bits of small chicken in my meal), taste wise the food was ok (but not great) and it was just a bit too spicy for my liking. Don't get me wrong, i love spicy food, i just like to be told on the menu if something is going to put hairs on my chest.

I got home last night and had to make myself a cheese sandwich. So, if the question here is Quality or Hype? I would definitely have to say hype.

Check out my review of Marie's Cafe - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: The Camel & Artichoke in London

London - Pubs & Bars - Pubs

A nice pub with a cracking outdoor seating area. We staggered in here last night after a bit of knitting just down the road (I know, I know). At first site, the pub doesn't look like it would have real-ale on. But fear not! They were well stock and had some interesting ciders knocking about too. We sat at out on the patio for about an hour last night which was very nice given the heat. Staff were friendly and efficient. Must come back and try the food!

Check out my review of The Camel & Artichoke - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: I Knit London in London

London - Shopping - Shopping - Arts & Crafts

Even though i will most likely never knit again, I still had a cracking time at "I Knit London" last night. The staff are brilliant and we felt very well looked after all night. They even joined us in the pub for drinks afterwards! My kind of people....

Highly recommended if you are an avid knitter looking to pick up equipment or get some tips, but equally as good for complete beginners like me. The 2 hour tutorial will get you off to a flying start and you'll be "purling" in no time (unless you are all thumbs like me!). The saving grace for me was the well stocked bar. After 4 coronas i couldn't care less if i was good at knitting or not. I was just happy i had a nice purple eye patch :)

Check out my review of I Knit London - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Make Mine in London

London - Cafes & Coffee Shops - Sandwiches

A very decent little sandwich shop in Soho. £5 will get you a big ciabatta sandwich stuffed with all kinds of goodies and a diet coke. I went for the beef parmesan and rocket sandwich which was excellent. More and more of these sleak, modern eateries are appearing in Soho and I personally think it's a good thing. Much better than Pret :)

Check out my review of Make Mine - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Chez Gerard Restaurant in London

London - Restaurants - Steak Houses

Great to sit outside Chez Gerard on Charlotte Street on a nice sunny day. The salad Basque was excellent (chicken, leaves, pepper dressing, cheese) and the waiter was reasonably attentive. Menu is wide ranging (I need to come back and try the steak!) and they look to have a decent wine list too. If you are in Fitzrovia and looking for a nice lunch, Chez Gerard is a safe bet.

Check out my review of Chez Gerard Restaurant - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: the bull pub in Cranbrook

Cranbrook - Pubs & Bars - Pubs

I'm giving The Bull in Benenden 5 stars for 2 reasons.

1) Even though i didn't get to go to the world class carvery on Sunday, The staff put out leftovers on the bar for all the punters to tuck into later in the afternoon. Roast potatoes, sausages, bacon, chicken legs. The lot. All free.

2) The have a very nice summer ale on at the moment called Summer Perle. A very nice Kentish Ale.

The pub is also next to one of the finest village greens in the country, the staff are always very nice indeed. I could go on, but basically, this is one of the best pubs in Kent.

Check out my review of the bull pub - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: The Carlton Hotel in Edinburgh

Edinburgh - Travel & Hotels - Hotels - 4 Star Hotels

Things i like about the Carlton Hotel:

- Killer location, literally right on the Royal Mile
- Friendly staff, they were considerate and nice throughout
- Good hearty breakfasts
- Reasonably priced rooms

Things i don't like about the Carlton Hotel:

- Weird lifts that you always seem to be waiting for
- Tiny, expensive conference rooms. I mean really tiny
- If you get back to the hotel late, you are given a cross examination by the night porter before being let back in
- £15 for 24 hours wifi access. Rip off.

All in all, the price was right so i would stay here again if i was travelling on business. If only they could sort out the negative points!

Check out my review of The Carlton Hotel - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Subway in Edinburgh

Edinburgh - Cafes & Coffee Shops - Sandwiches

Last night this Subway actually ran out of bread. A multinational sandwich shop runs out of bread. Unreal. They also ran out of chicken, peppers, lettuce, mayo and cheese. I ended up getting a wrap with pepperoni, turkey, chillis, pickles and a little squirt of honey mustard dressing. They wacked it in the microwave for 30 seconds to try and make it a bit more appetizing but it had the reverse effect. It was disgusting. Why didn't i just get a kebab......

Check out my review of Subway - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: The Royal oak in Edinburgh

Edinburgh - Pubs & Bars - Pubs

I have only been to 5 or 6 pubs in Edinburgh, but as a visitor, this by far my favourite of them all. I wasn't too sure what to expect when i walk through the front door of the Royal Oak. The upstairs area is quite small and some of the reviewers below are right, it does have a certain "old man pub" quality. But go downstairs and you'll find yourself in a fantastic lair of fiddles, guitars, beer swilling stories and deep belly laughter. This is a proper pub. Plenty of Deuchar's on tap and very friendly people working behind the bar and scattered around the tables in this cosy, folk den.

The music in here is brilliant and everyone in the pub is welcome to contribute if they want (but there is no pressure). A portly, bearded fellow leads the revellers with traditional Scottish songs mixed with some classics that everyone can see along to. Songs are interspersed with stories from this chap (forgotten his name!) and if you can pick up 30-40% of what he is saying, you're a better man than me. "This woone is aboot eh wee lad wit a bit of a limp, annee pocket fool eh shortcake, yeh see. Hope yoos enjoy'it n' mines a glenfiddick if yoo'r askin' pal". It may not have been that bad, but you have to listen pretty carefully to get the message! The music was still going on when we left at about 1.30am, so i'm assuming that the people of Edinburgh have decided that pubs shutting at 11pm is a bad idea and that if you've got a full pint and a guitar, you pretty much control what time the lights are turned out. Perfect.

Check out my review of The Royal oak - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Brass Monkey in Edinburgh

Edinburgh - Pubs & Bars - Bars - Pubs & Bars - Pubs

A cool pub in the old town. I can see this place being very popular with students and even on Friday night, the age of the punters was much younger than any other pub we had been into in Edinburgh (I think the proximity of the bar to Edinburgh uni has something to do with it!). Very interesting (if not a little pretentious) decorations on the wall and a picture of Gordon Brown sinking a pint of Deuchar's hangs proudly on the wall in the main bar area. Lots of seats (we had no trouble finding somewhere to sit down at about 10.30pm last night) and the staff were very friendly. This place has a warm, young vibe and i will definitely be coming back!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention, the back room here is also a DVD screening room. Expect to see lots of hungover students lounging around watching Dude Where's my car on Saturday afternoons :)

Check out my review of Brass Monkey - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Sandy Bell's in Edinburgh

Edinburgh - Pubs & Bars - Pubs

If you like folk music, you should stop by Sandy Bell's. Musicians play here every night (and twice on Sunday). Locals and tourists alike sip pints of Caledonian ale and listen to the fiddles, drums and harmonica players. The musicians aren't particularly inclusive, so if you're looking for a sing song, this may not be the place for you. Oh, and the bar is small, so it gets very crowded. Other than that, i would highly recommend factoring Sandy Bell's into your Friday night pub crawl!

Check out my review of Sandy Bell's - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: The Outsider Restaurant in Edinburgh

Edinburgh - Restaurants - British

This is a very nice little restaurant only a hop, skip and a jump from the Royal Mile. Stunning views of the castle from the upstairs and downstairs windows, good wine selection and tasty food. We started with some delicious olives and warm bread and i followed up with a very nice cornfed chicken breast with chorizo and basil on chilli mash. Portion sizes are reasonably small so you are encouraged to order a couple side dishes as well. The garlic fries are delicious! Good selection of wine (with some very entertaining descriptions!) and ok service given they were so busy.

When i come back for the festival i might have to come back here and try the swordfish! All in all, a very nice meal.

Check out my review of The Outsider Restaurant - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Wannaburger in Edinburgh

Edinburgh - Restaurants - Fast Food & American

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.

I had a delicious burger in here about 2 hours ago and it did wonders for my hangover. I opted for the Mexican burger - Chilli, Mature cheddar, peppers and a 7 oz piece of Aberdeen Angus beef. Chips are crinkle cut and you get all the condiments you need in this kind of place - heinz ketchup, helmans mayo, french's mustard. All washed down with a glass of A and W root beer. Lovely jubbly.

Check out my review of Wannaburger - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: hôtel ibis in Amsterdam

Amsterdam - Travel & Hotels - Hotels

Great location, but a pretty rubbish hotel. I was under the assumption that Ibis hotels were generally quite affordable, comfortable and pleasant. I'm not sure these adjectives can be applied to the Hotel Ibis on Valkenburgerstraat :(

The location is killer, but the actual hotel is pretty ropey. We were in a tiny 3 person room with hard beds and dated furniture. The corridors looked liked they hadn't been hoovered in months. Staff were generally quite friendly and the vending machine in the reception area was great for midnight munchies, but those are the only good things i have to say about this Ibis. One of the cheapest hotels in Amsterdam and in this instance one of the worst.

Check out my review of hôtel ibis - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Montecristo in Marrakech

Marrakech - Nightlife - Clubs

I am bamboozled that Phil didn't mention the scores of "ladies of the night" that lurk around the downstairs bar area of Monte Cristo! I remember my thought pattern when a bunch of us went in here last December - "Wow, there's lots of leggy women in this bar, hmmm they all seem to be flirting quite alot with the 50 something German tourists. Hmm, champagne cocktails seem to be the beverage of choice in this club.... Ahhhhhh... i see what's happening here....."

Anyway, it's not all smut and sleaze in the Monte Cristo. Drinks are cheap and the three floors are really varied and fun. The roof terrace is awesome and is a great place to go and chill when you are tired from dancing on level 2. Oh, they also do live music during the week (a blend of traditional Moroccan with some cheese rock as you move later into the evening).

Highly recommended fun times.

Check out my review of Montecristo - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Gerrard's Corner in London

London - Restaurants - Chinese

A nice little chinese restaurant on Wardour St. Canto pop in the background and the air conditioning is cranked onto high (which is nice on a day like this, but not so noce for the environment i guess). Reasonable prices and a good selection of dishes. Chicken and cashew nut was particularly good. I'll go back, but there are so many more chinese restaurants to try in china town!

Check out my review of Gerrard's Corner - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: The Light Bar & Restaurant in London

London - Pubs & Bars - Bars - Restaurants

Went to the T3 summer party here last night and had lots of fun. I think my star rating is somewhat skewed by the fact that the booze was free and there was a giant hog roast cooking away in the corner, but all in all this is a decent venue and perhaps a good place for a future Al Fresco Qype party! The outdoor space itself is pretty massive and can easily accommodate 2-300 people. Lots of picnic tables and low walls, so definitely no shortage of seating. Inside seemed a bit bland and i'm told that upstairs kicks off at the weekend (didn't see it last night).

If i'm back in Shorditch any time soon, i may drop by again.

Check out my review of The Light Bar & Restaurant - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Crown and Sceptre in London

London - Pubs & Bars - Pubs

A reasonable little pub just off of Oxford Street. We went in here early Saturday evening for some beer and food and were lucky enough to score a table outside. The food menu, at first sight, looks awesome. Mounds of Maris Pipers, Thick cut steaks and honey drizzled vegetables. What arrive was adequate, but definitely not what we expected after reading the menu.

What saves this pub is the Schneider Weisse wheat beer on tap. Excellent beer.

Word of advice - Tone down the language on the menu guys. This is pub grub, not 5 star dining.

Check out my review of Crown and Sceptre - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: London Zoo in London

London - Arts & Entertainment - Zoos

I have lived in London for quite some time now, but Saturday was my first visit to London Zoo. The Zoo is located on the northern edge of Regent's Park and is pretty easy to get to on public transport (Mornington Crescent and Camden Town are probably the closest tube stations).

The zoo is very well maintained and the staff are extremely knowledgable. I'd recommend visiting 3 areas - Gorilla Kingdom, Bird of Prey show and the feeding of the penguins! All lots of fun.

The London Zoo doesn't touch some of the big Zoo's in the US like San Diego, but it's still a fun day out. £17 for Adults and special discounts for kids and families.

Check out my review of London Zoo - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Red Fort Restaurant in London

London - Restaurants - Indian

I have to second CaribQueen's praise. I imagine if Jesus didn't go for the bread and wine option at the last supper, he most likely would have popped into Red Fort on Dean street for a Rogan Josh and a pint of Cobra.

This place is fantastic. We were very well looked after and the curry was absolutely DELICIOUS. Of course, for such "death row" curry, one has to pay a premium, but in my eyes it is worth every penny (+ you can always go for the cheap £12 lunch menu). Red Fort, in my humble opinion, is head and shoulders above The Cinammon Club, Bombay Bicycle, Spice Tree et al. and if i will be having some pretty firm words with myself if i don't go back again in the next month.

5 and a half stars.

Check out my review of Red Fort Restaurant - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Caffe' Vergnano in London

London - Cafes & Coffee Shops - Cafes

A rather nice little coffee shop and excellent coffee. I opted for the hazlenut blend which was delicious. I can definitely see why this place has been voted best coffee shop in London a couple of times. Friendly service and i love it how they dust "1882" in chocolate onto the top of your brew.

This place beats Starbucks on any given Sunday. Highly recommended.

Check out my review of Caffe' Vergnano - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Ex-Sparr in Hamburg

Hamburg - Pubs & Bars - Pubs

Fun times here last night. This is definitely one of the best bars on Hamburger Berg. Good mix of music (lots of nostalgic rocky stuff) and reasonably priced drinks. It gets very full in here, but you can always spill out onto the pavement. A youngish crowd all looking to have a good time. Fun times.

Check out my review of Ex-Sparr - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Hamburger Elbinsel-Tour in Hamburg

Hamburg - Arts & Entertainment - Landmarks

Lots of fun and a great host. We took an hour long tour and i actually learnt quite a bit about this famous harbour. A few interesting facts -

1. Abramovich's (sp?) yacht is currently being built in the harbour and will be over 150m and will have its own private submarine.

2. This is Europe's second largest harbour (the largest is in Holland)

3. Drinking flensburger in choppy waters can make one feel a bit queezy!

A great evening out and very well organized. Highly recommended.

Check out my review of Hamburger Elbinsel-Tour - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Zum Anleger in Hamburg

Hamburg - Restaurants - Beer Garden - Arts & Entertainment - Landmarks - Pubs & Bars - Pubs - Restaurants - German

A very nice little beer garden south of the Elbe. Excellent for sitting outside with a weizen on a nice summers evening (if you were travelling on anything other than a boat though i have no idea how you would get here - it's a good 30 minute drive from the city centre!). Excellent wurst and pretty barmaids make this place a solid 4 star beer garden.

Check out my review of Zum Anleger - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: The Mango Tree in London

London - Restaurants - Thai

A very nice Thai restaurant walking distance from Victoria train station or Hyde Park Corner tube. The chicken satay, Tom Yum soup and green curry were all excellent and the service was also very good given the restaurant was so full. Expansive wine list (ranging from about 20-500 quid per bottle) and a very tempting dessert menu (i could quite bring myself to do it after such an amazing starter and main!)

HIghly recommended, i will definitely be going back.

Check out my review of The Mango Tree - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Chowki in London

London - Restaurants - Indian

A very decent 4 stars. We had the lunch menu here today which was excellent value and delicious. Portion size could have been a bit bigger, but for £8 for 2 courses what do you expect? Samosas were fresh and tasty and the chicken curry, with rice, naan and daal really hit the spot. Service was decent (although a bit vacant at times). It's always a good sign when i say "I will definitely be coming back" and those were my exact words as we left Chowki today!

Check out my review of Chowki - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Move Masters in London

London

A great removal service operating in and around London. We had to move offices from Buckingham Gate to Leicester Square early in the week and we found Move Masters to be quick, efficient and very friendly. High looked after us really well and made the whole process very painless indeed. We were helped with our boxes as both ends and what i thought was going to take hours, only took about 45 minutes.

Great service and the price is right too. Highly recommended.

Check out my review of Move Masters - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: The Queue in London

London

I am British and I love to queue. You heard me. I love it and i'm proud of it. As a nation, we are exceptionally good at it and this and it's typified every year for a fortnight at SW19. You can queue for tickets at Wimbledon for about 12 of the 13 days of play (depending on the weather) and this ranges from a 50m line for ground passes on day 2, all the way up to a 2 mile long queue snaking around Wimbledon for front row tickets on centre court later in the tournament. In 2005 i queued for 36 hours to get tickets to see Tim Henman play (self confessed Henmaniac) and we ended up sitting below John Mcenroe, Boris Becker and David Mercer who were a court level commentating (so it was worth it!). The Wimbledon Queue certainly attract enterprising individuals - Umbrella salesmen, burger vans, cold drink vendors and even the local takeaway places deliver to your spot in the Queue! Cool, huh?

I could go on, but let's just say queuing is half the fun at Wimmers. You'll meet great people, drink lots of beer and hardly get any sleep, but in the end it's definitely worth it!

Check out my review of The Queue - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Marquis Of Granby in London

London - Pubs & Bars - Pubs

Nice little boozer with London Pride and Adnam's on tap (although apparently the Adnam's was a bit off last night). They also do Erdinger if you are interest in wheat beer. Quite a good function room upstairs (we watched the tennis in this room) and friendly bar staff. Amazingly quiet for a wednesday night on Shaftsbury avenue, so if you're looking for a place to sit down and have a beer in town, i'd recommend here.

Check out my review of Marquis Of Granby - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Aragon House Ltd in London

London - Arts & Entertainment - Day Trips

And i thought the Sloaney Pony was posh! Aragon House is an explosion of chinos, pashminas, deck shoes and people called Henry. The bar is quite nice though and they have a great beer garden out the back, so not all bad. I didn't try the food, but they looked to have had a barbecue setup out back and the burgers coming through from the kitchen looked very tasty. Deuchar's IPA on tap and friendly, helpful staff.

Good pub, good ale, great location, but don't say i didn't warn you about the punters!

Check out my review of Aragon House Ltd - I am ahunter - on Qype