What mnakes this venue (in the summer at least) is the outside/inside split. There’s a nice big space just off Brick Lane where you can settle down with a beer and maybe some barbecue at the weekends and while away an afternoon very happily…

...Then it gets to the evening and you can retreat indoor, nicely sozzled and enjoy a live act or two before stumbling home.

It’s not the best venue in town, the beers a bit pricy and as for the toilet, the less said the better, but they have some great bands on here so worth keeping an eye on their website.

Tags: club venue live music brick lane east london

I guess the question is: how long are you prepared to wait for a bag of chips?

2 minutes? 5? 10?

How about 15 minutes? That’s 900, long, chipless seconds.

To be fair, we were at Ollie’s during the 7pm-8pm chippy rush hour, but still, any fish and chip shop worth its salt (pun totally intended) should have a batch of chips on the go that they can dish out at a moments notice.

And there were people ahead of us who had ordered four fish suppers who were getting their food before us! If their food takes longer then give me my chips so I can sat my rumbling stomach. I don’t care if Tom Parker Bowles likes your fish… I WANT MY CHIPS!

They were good chips though. Nice and thick, and cooked just right. But, fifteen minutes? Is there a chip worth waiting that long for?

Tags: chips fish chippie

Every community needs a venue like this.

Sick of having an empty shop on the high street for two years the local community decided to do something about it and rented out the shop for a month and created a unique and brilliant space for artists and musicians to perform.

The old video rental counter has been put to use as a bar (staffed by volunteers) selling wine and bottles of Stella for £2. There’s free apple juice for the kids, and everyone seems to be munching on bags of chips from the chip shop on the road.

It’s relaxed, fun and just a great place to have on your high street. Go visit while it’s still open!

Tags: community popup space venue arts herne hill apollo project

Lived in Crystal Palace for two years now and never been to this Thai restaurant. Don’t know why really - maybe it’s the incredibly over the top decor. Inside and out is just visual overload (look up when you go in for the biggest collection of parasols you’ve ever seen in your life) and it certainly dopens’t look 'cosy and inviting’, but we walked past on a Monday night and it was heaving, which is a pretty good sign so we decided to give it a shot.

The menu has a lot to offer with plenty of fish, meat and veggie dishes to choose from and I could kind fo tell (ok, I was guessing) that it’s all pretty authentic.. mainly because I didn’t recognise a lot of the names.

The chicken pieces wrapped in leaves I had for my starter came in the most chintzy, chicken-shaped whicker basket - but the food was great (and we got to have a good giggle over the chicken). And the chilli and thai basil seafood was good too (although my wife’s Pad Thai was better). The coconut rice is worth a try as well.

The staff were pretty good (I think we got about four or five bows throughout the evening) and we didn’t have to wait too long for anything, even though they were pretty busy.

Will definitely be going back (and might even order take away some time).

Tags: rice noodles traditional thai cuisine pad thai

I have fallen hard for this place.

I visited for lunch yesterday to pick up something to eat at my desk, and I was so impressed I went back today to eat in.

Yep, Scandinavian Kitchen is definitely my new favourite 'near work’ place.

The staff are really nice guys, extremely friendly (but stopping before they get to 'annoyingly needy’), the food is lovely and makes a great change from the usual Pret sarnie, and it’s great value!

You can pick three pieces for your smörgåsbord for just under a fiver. Or five pieces for under £7. And the selection is great: open faced sandwiches include smoked ham, blue cheese, gravlax, and there’s wraps and salad too (I’m a big fan of the beetroot and apple salad, mmmm).

Needless to say, the hotdogs and meatballs knock the socks off Ikea’s efforts.

The coffee comes in mugs which could double as sex toys (and the coffee’s really nice too), and the carrot cake is one of the best I’ve ever tasted.

Even better: they open at eight for breakfast and coffee. I am very definitely there.

Tags: sandwiches hotdogs scandinavian great service great staff good coffee carrot cake meatballs near oxford circus open faced sandwiches lunchtime gem

A great, authentice American barbecue experience.

Ribs, pulled pork (fnar fnar), steak, bottomless coke… Ireally think this is as close as you’re going to get to the proper US diner experience in London.

You can eat A LOT for not a huge amount of money and it all tastes good, right down to the condiments.

Tags: steak diner ribs bbq meat clapham pulled pork

One to avoid really if you’re in Crystal Palace.

There’s plenty of nice, independent boozers on the Triangle and surrounding area without having to resort to this Wetherspoons. It’s not as dodgy as some, but it’s still not that inviting.

The best thing about it: the awesome bookshop on the other side of the road.

Tags: wetherspoons cheap beer crystal palace

A great Japanese restaurnat tucked away in Crystal Palace.

It all feels very authetic, right down to the floor mats and the impeccable service.

The food itself is simpl, brillaintly fresh and lovingly prepaired and very very moreish!

if you go to Edo once then you’ll fast become a regular.

Tags: sushi japanese crystal palace

One of SE19s (and London’s) most recognisable landmarks.

Two-thirds the size of the Eiffel Tower, this monster dominates the skyline for miles around… and interferes with my TV recpetion because I live at the bottom of the bloody thing.

It is actually pretty impressive close up and while you’re here you might as well go and visit the dinosaurs in the park. What more do you want from a day out?

Tags: park architecture transmitter

Crystal palace’s oldest restaurant, it’s been here for 30-40 years I think, and gets its name fom the days when it used to have a piano in the widnow.

This is the place to head for in CP if you’ve got a date to impress or you need to take the parents somewhere 'nice’.

Traditional European food, modern British and French with a bistro-ish feel to it. Pies, burgers, steaks, seafood - it’s nothing adventurous but it’s pretty good quality and the service is pretty impeccable.

We got a snotty reception once when we turned up without a booking, with a baby in a pram but that’s about it.

My favourite eatery in SE19 without a doubt.

Tags: steak london ambience good service crystal palace great portions