LesG's Qype profile

Wiltons is an established, very traditional restaurant in the heart of the posh west end serving primarily English fayre - sauceless meat and fish. You have to wear a jacket which you must keep on during your meal despite any inadequacies in the a/c system. The decor is Gentlemen’s club, and the atmosphere is subdued. There are booths if you are looking for a little privacy but on the evidence of our visit, it isn’t soemwhere that gets too crowded in the evening. The food is OK - plain but well cooked and served, but the price…...Jesus! Three of us sharing an average priced bottle of wine burned our way through £300+ for 3 courses plus coffee. In vfm terms, this place does not even register. If you want this style of restauarnt, go to the Guinea Grill which has better food, more atmosphere and is 2/3rds the price. Leave this one to the tourists.

This was my first visit to Clos and I have no idea why it has taken so long to get there as it has quickly climbed towards the upper echelons of my “Favourite Restauarant” list. Relaxed and intimate, with excellent food and a truly intimidating wine list, it is an excellent special occasion restaurant for couples or small parties alike. The decor is great: we were downstairs at the back under an impressive canopy of twigs in spring blossom (not real, but the effect is excellent) and the whole effect is subtle lighting and discrete charm. Good aircon too which was essential on the balmy July evening that we visited. The food was superb with the meat dishes particularly impressive. Service is friendly, efficient and non-invasive and winos can spend hours working through the encyclopedic wine list. This isn’t a cheap restaurant, but it is not outrageously priced either - the problem is that with the relaxed atmosphere it is very easy to get pulled towards all the little extras that produce a bill larger than you might have wished! It is hard to regret it though as Clos is a really satisfying place to spend an evening. Highly recommended.

When you walk into Mexicali, you feel that you are going to have a good evening: there is an attractive bar from where you are led to a very well designed and dressed, split-level restaurant. The menu is interesting with different variations on the Mexican theme and as you sip your Sol or your Margarita, you smugly congratulate yourself on your choice of restaurant. And then the food arrives…..

Disappointing is an understatement - what looked interesting on the menu is bland and dull. The chillis have no pep and the dry and sour sauces that make a good mexican meal are entirely missing. It isn’t bad - it just isn’t particularly good, especially for the price. The service was OK but a little disinterested and the whole evening left me feeling flat and somewhat let down. Maybe it was just an off-night, because the infrastructure is in place for a very successful restaurant. But if that was the norm, it is probably best avoided.

This is a really good Chinese restaurant. It is set in a large airy building which is beautifully decorated inside and out, and eating here is quite an event. The menu is standard chinese fare, but it is all well cooked and very tasty. The restaurant has the feel of a well-run family business with low staff turnover and a familiar feel each time you go in. It is usually busy so book beforehand on a Friday or Saturday. It is popular with families and sometimes the staff are too tolerant with badly behaved children, but otherwise it gets thumbs up in all departments. Take aways are available.

In my experience this is the best pub in London. Run for many years by a friendly and gregarious Irish landlord it has all that you could want from a traditional pub: good beer, excellent food (Thai), and a marvellous atmosphere at any time of the day or night. Pubs where you can walk in and feel immediately comfortable and at home are quite rare but that is the case with the Churchill, whether you are a tourist or a local. I am lucky enough to be the latter and whilst not a frequent pubgoer I am a regular visitor here. Outside in the Spring and Summer, the floral display is worth the visit alone and the greenhouse restaurant inside serves extremely tasty and amazingly good value Thai food. The bar staff are friendly and efficient and one end of the bar is dedicated to sports on the TV and this is a fun place to watch a major event. Only downside - it is usually crowded because many obviously feel as I do. Hats off the landlord - his infectious sociability sets the mood. If only all pubs were like this….

On a warm summer’s evening, The Terrace is a very inviting place with an outside area on the side of a pretty Kensington side-street, but oh dear. The hostess is friendly but the general standards are way below what you would expect of a Kensington bistro, especially for the prices charged. The service was slow and unprofessional; bread arrived after starters, cutlery often had to be asked for and dishes for a table came out piecemeal rather than ll together. The food itself is bland. The menu at first sight is OK, but the reality of the dishes is disappointing and the piece de resistance was something in my wife’s fish that really should not have been there. We paid and left early and will not be back.

Probably the best and most consistent Indian restaurant I have been to outside of London. Not near anywhere on the A259 this is a real surprise. The decor is modern and sharp in a very traditional building. Staff are discrete and efficient and the food is excellent. The menu has most of the standards but a good range of chef’s specials, some of which I have not seen elsewhere, all of which are good. The food relies on spices, not chilli and be it curry, bread or side dish, the preparation is good and the standard high. I have never had a poor meal here, or even a standard one come to think of it. Highly recommended if you are a curry fan. Oh and a great fish tank.

This is a very good Gastropub on the pretty village green at Rowland’s Castle. Modern, sharp decor and an interesting menu, all well served. Staff are generally young and whilst enthusiastic, occasionally lack some care. Food though is good and a standard array of beers are well kept. Nice little terrace overlooking the Green and the pub will also let you take your drinks on to the Green in the summer. Has live music some evenings and other events. Well worth a visit if you are in the area.

This place justified a review as I was pleasantly surprised how good it was. With a healthy aversion to restaurant chains, this worked simply because it was closest to the cinema in Gunwharf. The meal was very good, well served in a lively and interesting restaurant. Fajitas are the benchmark by which any TexMex should be judged and these were excellent as was my wife’s steak. Service was prompt and friendly and even the hen night from hell on the adjacent table (20 middle aged women dressed as Disney characters) could not spoil the favourable impact. Probably be rubbish next time, but initial impressions were good.

If you like large, impersonal pubs full of sharp suits and skirts, selling improbably named beers and playing music to crush the soul of any conversation, then this is your Nirvana. Every corner is packed; every corner has music or a screen; everybody is hyperactive. There is a large screen downstairs for sports events followed late evening by dubious soundalikes. Not aimed at my age group but even in my more tender years, this would have been hard work. I scoffed at the bouncers on the door but was grateful when they moved quickly to stop a fist fight between co-workers and it was only 6.20 p.m. Beer was good though and you can’t deny the buzz.