London - Nightlife - Clubs

Who would have thought that high above KFC and the drug dealers of Brixton high street you would find this pretty decent club with an enormous roof terrace (with jacuzzi!). In my opinion, this is probablly the best club in Brixton (unless you're into Hip Hop, in which case i would recommend The Fridge or Plan B on a Friday night). Drinks are pricey mind, and you'll be looking at £10 entry fee, £2 per item for the cloak room and about £5 for a beer, £10 for a cocktail.

A few facts about the Jacuzzi -

- It's warm, but not hot. I imagine it would get pretty cold after a while!

- There is no man waiting with a robe and fresh towels when you get out.

- There are no changing rooms.

3 out of 5 overall. I seldom go out in Brixton, but when i come back, i will probably come here again.
Check out my review of Dex Club - I am ahunter - on Qype

London - Eating & Drinking - Cafes & Coffee Shops - Cafes

Take "Pret a Manger",mix in a little "Eat" and a little "Make Mine" and you've got Benugo. There's nothing particularly unique about this place but i do like it that they make their sandwiches fresh and name them things like - Londoner, New Yorker and Andalucian.

I ended up going for the Andalucian - Chicken, Chorizo, creme fraiche, rocket. It was actually delicious but it was miniscule! I could have easily eaten 3. At £4.95 for the sandwich and a coke, i do feel slighty ripped off. In order to eat well in Benugo, you're going to have to spend more than £10. Worth keeping that in mind!
Check out my review of Benugo - I am ahunter - on Qype

London - Shopping - Food & Drink - Farmer's Markets - Shopping - Markets

What a great little market. We ate very well here today with a mix of pies from Pieminster, chicken wraps from Temple farm and salads from Market Quarter.

This is a wonderful place to come and eat or to buy fresh cheese, salad, olive oil, bread, cupcakes and more! I'll be back with a shopping bag!
Check out my review of Covent Garden Market - I am ahunter - on Qype

London

What a cracking little cinema!
This was my first trip to Bermondsey and it definitely won't be my last! The Qype Shaun of the Dead night was awesome and it was great to see so many beer guzzling, zombified Qypers out in full force. The cinema itself is great and the staff were very friendly indeed. I think they could probably improve the sound system in the actual theatre (a bit crackly) and i was amazed they didn't serve popcorn which is why i'm sticking with 4 stars for the moment. If they can fix these 2 things, i reckon they'll make it onto my top 10 cinemas in London list.

We'll be back!
Check out my review of Shortwave Cinema - I am ahunter - on Qype

London - Sport - Leisure Centres

Clapham Leisure Centre is far from a luxury spa & health centre :) It's sort of what you'd expect from a local community sports complex. 1960's architecture and decor, a swimming pool too small and too cold for even the bravest of brits and a changing room which always seems to be wet! The gym equipment is quite dated and the sports hall i'm sure doubles up as an exam room in the summer months!

In the defence of the Clapham Leisure Centre - the location is great (just off of Clapham High street) and the staff are always really friendly. Set your expectations low, and you won't be disappointed :)
Check out my review of Clapham Leisure Centre - I am ahunter - on Qype

Woodstock - Arts & Entertainment - Parks

Now this is a very fine Palace indeed. We frequently came here when i lived in Oxford and it is a fantastic spot for a picnic in the summer. Most of the reviewers have detailed the history of the palace below, so i won't get into that. Instead, i thought i'd tell you all about a little event which happens every October called "Bike Blenheim Palace".

Bike Blenheim Palace is held every year in the grounds and surrounding villages of the Palace. Last years event attracted almost 5,000 people (not only cyclists). As well as the race and various competitions there is a trade fair and various exhibitors raising money for charity.

You can enter and read more here - www.bikeblenheimpalace.com

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Check out my review of Blenheim Palace - I am ahunter - on Qype

London

A decent pub with an excellent food menu. Very disappointed that we arrived at 10pm and they had shut the kitchen. Humph!

Lots of ales on tap and very friendly staff. I'm also told there is excellent live music here, but there was any on this friday night. Lots of good restaurants within spitting distance including Hot Stuff and Estrella (Portuguese place).

I'll definitely be coming back. wonder how the Wheatsheaf squares up against the Vauxhall Griffin when it comes to Sunday Roast?
Check out my review of The Wheatsheaf - I am ahunter - on Qype

London - Shopping - Computers

I like the apple store. I like apple products. But i felt a little bit let down by the customer service in the store today. They must have had 50 people working the floor and it still took me 10-15 minutes to be helped. It seems really unusual that only a small % of employees are authorized to sell iPhones. Weird. Anyway, i was finally helped after a bit of sitting around and the chap that served me was actually very efficient.

5 stars for the products, 3 stars for the service.
Check out my review of Apple Store - I am ahunter - on Qype

London - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Bars

Aquum - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The Good

Really quite nice food. We ate delicious steaks with chips and fresh asparagus. Perfectly cooked and a delicious peppercorn sauce. The roast dinners looked fantastic (but we were too late! They stop serving these gems at 5pm. D'oh!)

The Bad

Aquum certainly attracts the wannabe snobs and nobs of south London. This is probably still considered to be an "exclusive" place to come in Clapham. Keep your eyes peeled for Trust Fund Henry's and Wide Boy Gary's talking about "the new Lambo".

The Ugly

Certainly not the waitresses. The majority of the staff in here are schmokin'! Beautiful, friendly.... the manager deserves a medal for his hiring policy :) I personally find the interior pretty kitsch and ugly though. Imagine a geezer eastender wins the lottery and buys a place in Ibiza - this is exactly how he would furnish his new pad. Tacky chandeliers and white leather sofas dominate Aquum. Yuck.

I'll come back. If only for the lovely waitresses, the roast dinners and the promise of a roof terrace opening very soon.
Check out my review of Aquum - I am ahunter - on Qype

London - Shopping - Secondhand Shops - Charity Shops

Another great charity shop on Clapham high street, although not quite as bountiful as Save the Children i would say. The staff in here are super nice and were more than willing to help with my questions. I really hope places like this survive the credit crunch!
Check out my review of Age Concern - I am ahunter - on Qype

London - Shopping - Secondhand Shops - Charity Shops

I was actually really suprised by the amount of designer labels in Save the Children. Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss, Gap and more. Amazing! Unfortunately most of the really nice stuff was 2-3 sizes too big for me. Ho hum. I still managed to pick up some golf shorts for and a computer chair for the study for less than a tenner.

Bargain!
Check out my review of Save The Children - I am ahunter - on Qype

Cranbrook

Benenden school sits on the fringes of the leafy Kentish town of Benenden. This is my home town, so even though it's a girls school, i'm still going to review it (come on, we had combined school discos!)

The schools centre piece is a victorian mansions which sets within 250 acres of grounds, playing fields and woodland. Benenden is well known for its sports facilities with scores of tennis courts, a sports centre (SPLASH) and (what seems like) hundreds of playing fields.

Benenden is one of the most famous Girls schools in the country and is well known for turning out terribly nice young ladies called Felicity and Hermione :) Famous alumni include Princess Anne, Lady Victoria Hervey, Rachel Weisz and my cousin Cecilia :)

Worth a look if you are in the Weald of Kent. The grounds really are spectacular.
Check out my review of Benenden School - I am ahunter - on Qype

London - Eating & Drinking - Cafes & Coffee Shops - Coffee Shops

This is one of my favourite little streets in London (although it is a bit snooty!). Posh shops, great restaurants and a few pokey little bars. Tourists will struggle to find this street (which i think is a good thing!).

Stars of South Molton Street are - Browns, Kurt Geiger, Karen Miller, Pied a Terre, Bang & Olufsen & Ramsay.

Perfect for after work drinks or a nice evening stroll. Remember to bring your wallet! You're going to need it!
Check out my review of South Molton Street - I am ahunter - on Qype

London - Shopping - Food & Drink - Supermarkets

I know it's a costcutter, but it's a bloody good one. These guys have everything you could possibly need for late night munchies AND they've been known in the past to serve beers after hours. Friendly staff and very centrally located. This is my convenience store of choice, probably because it's only 50m from my house!

Fresh baguettes on a saturday and sunday morning. Arguably better than Sainsbury's across the street.
Check out my review of Costcutter - I am ahunter - on Qype

London

I stupidly lost my iPhone on Sunday (on the golf course) and had to replace it yesterday. The staff in the Oxford street branch were super helpful and i was served almost immediately. The process was quick and simple and I walked out of the O2 store within 10 minutes with a new iPhone and sim card.

Looks like i made the right choice jumping from Tmobile to O2!
Check out my review of 02 Shop - Oxford Street - I am ahunter - on Qype

London - Nightlife - Clubs

Oooh... goodness. The Clapham Grand takes cheese to the next level. The is just your standard supermarket cheddar. This is an applewood, smoked mature a cheddar. A mouldy stilton which has been sitting in grandmas cupboard for the last 3 years. CHEEEEEEEEEESE!

They play all your favourites in here - Abba, Rick Astley, David Hasselhoff, Chesney Hawkes. You name it, they've got it.

£10 to get in, so if you're in "The Junction" you might want to jump on the 345, 35 or 37 buses up to the High street. Much better action up by Clapham Common.
Check out my review of Clapham Grand - I am ahunter - on Qype

London - Nightlife - Clubs

I'm going to go ahead and disagree with the Evening Standard here. The ES voted Inigo the best bar in South London in a recent reader poll.

Really? Seriously?

Ok, let's be a bit more friendly. What does Inigo have going for it?

- The club is open every night and has a late license until 4 am.

- The drinks are reasonably priced

- They have a decent patio for smokers.

- They "sometimes" get good DJs. I think Seb Fontaine played here recently.

....and that's about it. While it attracts some good DJs, Inigo is seriously lacking in atmosphere and attracts a bit of a druggy crowd. In my opinion, Lost Society is head and shoulders above this place.
Check out my review of Inigo - I am ahunter - on Qype

London - Nightlife - Clubs

I am completely amazed i have never reviewed The Artesian Wells in Clapham. We used to come here all the time as it was the only place near the high street open after midnight that wasn't Inferno's!

2 big floors in Artesian wells. Downstairs is a lot more chilled out with decent amounts of seating and hip hop music. Upstairs is a fully fledged meat market. High energy house spliced with a bit of cheese and lots of 20 somethings trying to get off with eachother.

Unfortunately i'm almost certain Artesian Wells has lost a huge amount of business to Lost Society which has opened next door. Lost Society IS a better club, so now "the wells" gets all of the fallout from here.

I'll go back, but only if i can't get in next door.
Check out my review of The Artesian Well - I am ahunter - on Qype

London - Education - Libraries

Not to be mistaken for Battersea reference Library, this little gem is a hop skip and a jump from clapham junction train station. I popped in here to use the free internet access a couple days ago (no wifi unfortunately). Looks to be a decently stocked library with a decent video section in addition to all the books. I came in during kids story time too, so imagine this is a pretty decent library to take the little ones.
Check out my review of Battersea Lending Library - I am ahunter - on Qype

London - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - American

Automat in Mayfair do a cracking American breakfast. Buttermilk pancakes, bourbon vanilla french toast, country ham muffins, eggs florentine, tropical fruit smoothies and more! The food is very good and the dcor of the restaurant is cool - very 1930's. I particularly like the lamps.

And the service i hear you cry? Well.... Half way through the meal i turned to Rob (aka Linus) and said "I guess this is what prison is like" - very firm service indeed. Not particularly rude or lazy, just quite hard and to the point. There was certainly no "you folks want some more coffee?" or "Gawgeous weather today ain't it hunny?". More a sort of Gestapo esq. "eat your food or you'll be heading east with the others" vibe.

Anyway, i'll go back because the food was great. If they lose odd/crap service, this place may be 5 stars one day.
Check out my review of Automat - I am ahunter - on Qype

London - Eating & Drinking - Cafes & Coffee Shops

Hmmmmm.... Horrific service, but actually quite good food. This one of those places where i'm not sure whether to give it 1 star or 3 stars. Tell you what, i'll settle in the middle.

The Service - As i said, awful. The staff in here were rude to me and seemed pretty flustered and incompetent. I was practically lambasted for not having the exact change for my meal. I really hope they read this review, because i'd rather other customers didn't suffer the same fate as i did today.

The Food - Good. I'm currently munching on some spicy chicken kebabs with a greek salad. The chicken breast is tender and the greek salad fresh.

The Price - £6.95 for the above. Not quite Carluccio's prices, but still pretty steep for what is essentially chicken and salad.

The Conclusion - I'm not going to go back until a trusted Qyper reviews it and tells me there has been an improvement. Sorry guys!
Check out my review of Fratelli Deli - I am ahunter - on Qype

Hamburg - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Bars

A very agreeable little bar on schulterblatt. Friendly, quick staff and cheap beer. This place was particularly good last night as it was an excellent vantage point for the May day riots :)

Popular with the younger crowd and plenty of outdoor seating. Highly recommended if you're in the Schanze.
Check out my review of Katze - I am ahunter - on Qype