Qype: Supercuts in London

London - Health & Beauty - Beauty & Wellness - Hairdressers

I didn’t realize Supercuts existed in the UK, so i was please to find one within striking distance of the office. I usually go to the Rose and Crown in Covent Garden (which is awesome by the way), but i was pressed for time so i popped in here instead. At £11.99 for a chop, this is a definite short back and sides place, so don’t expect anything fancy. My hairdresser was friendly, chatty and then end result was a pretty decent haircut (well, i haven’t had any comments yet).

I’ll go back again if i’m in a rush.

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

Qype: Quiksilver in London

London - Shopping - Sport

I wasn’t terribly impressed with the Quicksilver store on Regent Street this weekend.

Issues:

- Really damn expensive. The cheapest pair of board shorts was £50. £50! Amazing.

- 1000s of French and Spanish exchange students running around the shop does not make for the most ambient shopping experience.

- Staff - Rude. Nonchalent. Uninterested in customers.

- Temperature - It was like a furnace in here! No air conditioning.

With all this said, they still have some nice stuff and some discounts. I bought a nice jumper which was reduced by 60%. I couldn’t quite bring myself to spend £200 on a wetsuit though.

2 stars at best.

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

Qype: Carluccio's in London

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

A great evening last night in the upstairs function room of Carluccio’s on Garrick Street. Carluccio’s have a long standing relationship with a Sicilian wine maker called Planeta and these were the wines we were tasting last night. All of the wines were fantastic (although i think the Cometa tipped it for me) and our host was friendly, knowledgeable and a generous decanter!

Carluccio’s on Garrick Street certainly feels a much more classy establishment than its sister restaurant behind Top Shop on Marketplace. This would make a great date spot or a place to take the other half if you’re in the dog house! The stair case is grand, the ceilings are high and i must admit i felt very well looked after all evening.

I’ll be back!

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

Qype: BHS (British Home Stores) in London

London - Shopping - Fashion

That’s right folks… i was shopping in BHS at the weekend and i’m not afraid to say it! It was my first trip here for quite some time (20 years?). I’m pretty sure the last time i was here was to buy school uniform with my mum!

Anyway, BHS hasn’t really changed in the last 2 decades. Products are still cheap, quality is still questionable and staff are still zombies. Word of advice if you are in the Oxford street branch - don’t go upstairs. It’s a complete maze and it took us about 15 minutes to find the exit!

Check out my review of BHS (British Home Stores) - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Crescent Lodge Dental Practice in London

London

Crescent Lodge Dental Practice is a private dentist on one of the nicest streets in Clapham (about a 30 second walk from Clapham Common tube station). It’s expensive, but the staff are top notch and very friendly. I just went for a standard check up, but you can find the list of services below:

Cosmetic Dentistry, whitening, porcelain veneers, fillings, gum countouring, teeth reshaping, orthodontics and dental implants. I’m not really sure what all of that means, but i think we can assume they do pretty much anything related to making your teeth straighter and whiter :)

Highly recommended if you’re willing to go private.

Check out my review of Crescent Lodge Dental Practice - I am ahunter - on Qype

Exploring the pubs of Oxford - The Isis Tavern

The Isis has to be one of my favourite pubs in Oxford. If not for its picturesque riverside setting, then for the real ale they stock on tap. A wonderful, wonderful pub and well worth a visit if you are a local student or just passing through. A massive improvement in under a year and a great spot to finish up a walk, cycle ride, run etc.

A great place to take Mum and Dad if they are visiting!

Definitely one of Oxford's top pubs. I think it just about squeezes into my top 10.

Qype: The Anchor in Chelmsford

Chelmsford - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Pubs

A charming country pub about a 10 minute drive from Chelmsford town centre. The flowers outside the Anchor in Danbury are incredible (deserved winners of the 2007 “Britain in Bloom” competition) and the pubs interior is old, rustic and harps back to its nautical history (fish hang on the walls and the menu tries to push fresh seafood).

Staff are friendly and efficient. I didn’t see a huge number ales on tap, but they had IPA which was good enough for me!

What lets The Anchor down (in my opinion) is the food. We ate a very average bangers and mash on Sunday afternoon which was disappointing given the beautiful surroundings.

A good pub, but probably not worth the 10 minute drive off of the A12 if you arer heading from North to South.

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

Qype: Levington Marina in Ipswich

Ipswich

If you’re looking to wake board or water ski in Suffolk, this is the place to come. Levington Marina sits on the river Orwell in Suffolk and has long been a popular venue for boating and sailing. The Orwell protrudes out past Felixstowe into the sea (after about a mile from the Marina), so both the experienced and novice seaman can have fun around here. On a flat day, this place is PERFECT for water skiing. Great for children or beginners learning.

The staff at the Marina shop are very helpful and were kind enough to lend us life jackets and a spare set f skis!

Check out my review of Levington Marina - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Ray's Bar in Ipswich

Ipswich

I want to slam Ray’s and tell you what a horrible little bar it is, but actually, it served us well on Saturday night.

We were stupid enough to hit the town wearing trainers and sandals, which massively narrowed our chances of getting into late bars/clubs in central Ipswich. Ray’s is perhaps the only place on Silent Street without a dress code so we snuck in here at about 1am on Saturday night. In addition to late drinking and no dress code, they also do £2.50 Jager Bombs! Very dangerous indeed….

Everything else in Ray’s is pretty horrible (odd footballers wives, white interior to mention just one thing). To be honest though, they were the only place to let us in, s i can’t bring myself to give them less than 3 stars.

Check out my review of Ray's Bar - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: P J McGinty & Sons in Ipswich

Ipswich - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Pubs

A favourite among the 20 somethings of Ipswich, McGinty’s is the big Irish bar in town. Plenty of ales and lagers on tap and a massive outdoor seating area (seats undercover as well as exposed). Mcginty’s also hosts live music on Friday and Saturday nights (Saturday’s band were reasonable…. probaby quite good for Ipswich).

This is most certainly a warm up pub before hitting one of the late bars/clubs in town.

Check out my review of P J McGinty & Sons - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Fresco in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Cafes & Coffee Shops

Fresco (just off of Regent street) have some delicious wraps. I’ve just this minuted wolfed down a chicken, garlic and hummous wrap which really hit the spot and at £3.50 that’s quite a bargain. “Mental” is a bit of a strong word for the guys that work here, but they are certainly full of character :)

The juices at Fresco are also supposed to be very good but i didn’t try one on this occasion. I’ll definitely be back though!

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

Qype: Oak & Ivy in Cranbrook

Cranbrook - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Pubs

A nice little pub in the Weald of Kent often frequented by Cranbrook School 6th formers. Excellent quiz night on Thursday nights and very nice food. This is one of those pubs that’s great to stop off at if you’re driving from London down to the south coast.

Plenty of real ale on tap (mostly Kentish/Sussex beers) - try Harvey’s or Spitfire. Delicious!

Check out my review of Oak & Ivy - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: The Fish Club in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Fastfood & Takeaway - Fish & Chips

I think the ~Fish Club in Clapham is probably the best chippy in SW4. This is upmarket fish n’ chips, so expect to pay a premium, but in my book, it’s well worth it. Staff are friendly, fish is VERY fresh and best of all for me, it’s only 200m from my house!

The fish club is about until about 9pm on most nights, so don’t expect to come here once the pubs have shut!

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

London

Nowadays known as "Murray Mount", The Hill is the best place to watch the big Wimbledon games if you don't have centre court tickets. I spent the vast majority of my times with mates on the Hill yesterday watching the Men's quarter finals.

At capacity, the Hill can hold about 4,000 people, but to be honest, only about 2,500 of those people will have a decent view of the screen, so it's best to get there early! Fans picnic, guzzle Pimms and generally have a ruddy good time watch the tennis.

As with the Queue, here is my guide to Henman Hill, Murray Mount or whatever it is called these days! -

*A guide to the Hill*

- Get to the hill EARLY. Access will open up around 10.30am. I would recommend going straight there.

- Bring a blanket. Spreading a blanket and marking your territory is great way of shotgunning spots for your mates (Fellow fans are unlikely to sprawl across your blanket but will have no problem nestling in next to you on the grass)

- If you are in a group of 3 or more, do rounds of drinks. As you can imagine, the queue for refreshments is pretty monstrous. For a busy game, you can expect to be away from your spot for about 3 service games if you are on drinks detail. The best bar go to is the "Drinks Spot" immediately to the right of the big screen (it may look long, but it moves very fast)

- Bring a Cool Box. You're allowed to take 2 cans of beer or a bottle of wine/bubbly into the grounds. I'd highly recommend bringing in drinks (but make sure you can keep them cold!).

- Don't worry about position yourself too close to the screen like in the cinemas. Given the slope of the hill, you never really have to crane your neck.

- Finally, watch out for drinks toppling over uphill from you! As the day goes on, fans tend to spill more and more drinks. This seems to have a Himalayan/Ganges "run-off" effect where streams of lager, pimms and ice find their way into the back of your shorts. Don't say i didn't warn you!
Check out my review of The Hill (aka Henman Hill) - I am ahunter - on Qype