Shakin' Swedens's Qype profile

We were very pleased with an excellent jug of Pimms in the sun outside this pub on a Sunday afternoon. The service was friendly and quick, and the overall atmosphere is comfortable and relaxed. The food that others ordered looked excellent as did their whole menu and the decor is full of lovely old features but done up in a clean and modern way. A really lovely old boozer in South London- worth making a diversion for!

Well I really liked this place. Being more used to Italian Food from Western and Central Italy, I thought the concept of smaller plates from Veneto complemented by the fantastic wines from the area really worked. The Squid Ink Risotto (around £8) was the real highlight for me- mouthwateringly tasty and pretty filling for those not splashing out too much cash!
We had started off in the cute basement bar whilst waiting for a table to come free. The barman knew his wines and found us a bottle that matched the description of what we fancied. We also had some little bites on cocktail sticks- asparagus and taleggio amongst others. Pretty decent sizes for what they cost too.
The vibe overall is relaxed and very much in keeping with the Soho setting- bustling, lively and casual. The food is mostly good with occasional fantastic and the odd let down (the tomato salad was good but for around £5 it stung a bit!). Well worth a visit- even if just for a drink!

The best hotel I have ever stayed in! It is a beautiful building but the personal care and attention, right down to the "cocktail party" we were invited to by the management was out of this world.
We ate at the riverview restaurant and it was sublime. We had dinner in the evening in "The Lord Jim" restaurant and were blown away by their take on fine dining. Of course all of this comes at a price, especially compared to "normal" Bangkok prices. But if you want to treat yourself or feel that you deserve only the best- don't even think about going anywhere else!

A lovely old pub- a converted Victorian Hotel with wood panelling and some excellent guest ales from Youngs and Adnams. You can watch football here or go to gigs and poetry readings and the like in the back room. They do a decent pizza at a reasonable price too. But what makes this pub really great is the bar staff. All 3 of the girls who served me last week were charming and smiley and the vibe that they create gives the pub an excellent friendly atmosphere. Highly recommended.

We rolled in, a little nervously, at 2pm on Saturday, knowing full well that pub lunch on a Saturday finishes at 2! Any tredipation we may have felt dissipated immediately as we were greeted warmly and shown a table straight away. The Jackdaw is a lovely old pub which has been decorated with ornaments and paintings from around the world. This may sound incongruous but works very well as you feel you get a sense of the landlady's tastes and reminds you what a proper public house should be!
They had a Harvey's and an Adnam's on draught which was a good enough selection for us and the food menu is split into "traditional pub fayre" (scampi and chips etc) and "something different" from which I ordered the fantastic succulent baked cod with celeriac. The food is well-cooked and arrived quickly and comes at what I would describe as a fair price.
All in all, a great place for a pub lunch or a pint by the fire after a ramble in the local countryside.

Shaka Zulu has the wow factor! This is a destination “signature” restaurant tucked away in Camden’s Stables Market. As you enter, there is an overwhelming assault on the senses that takes an hour or two to settle. The entire, vast subterranean space is covered in carvings and ornamentation, giving a feeling of a pharaoh’s tomb or similarly Indiana Jones setting. In fact, some of the designs were lifted from Zulu artefacts at the British Museum and the Louvre. To give some idea of the scale of this place, there is an escalator between the upper and lower floor- 3 huge bars and although we could barely see other diners from where we were sitting there were 250 covers that evening!
The lighting gives a warm glow that is immediately soothing and the wonderful mix of lighting, textures, colours and details takes a while to sink in. When added to the fantastic cocktails and South African wines the result is intoxicating! It was explained to me that £5.5 million has been spent on the space and it shows, with no space left undecorated and an incredible attention to detail. The idea is that each time you dine (or just drink and dance on a Saturday night) in this cavernous space you will notice different features and the venue itself will be a talking point. I have to agree, and the standout features for me were the relief wall sculptures of an elephant’s head and the megalithic statues representing the leaders of the Bantu peoples.
But what is the food like? The inspiration is, of course, South African and the head chef, Barry Vera, explained at great length and with infectious enthusiasm the provenance and inspiration behind the dishes. The best dishes for me were surprisingly the fish dishes. A wonderful Cape Malay inspired pickled Sea Bass (served cold) and an absolutely stunning Rooibos Smoked Salmon with pickled cucumber were not flavours I would associate with South Africa, but the breadth of influences in “Rainbow Cuisine” started to become apparent as the meal progressed. The 900g “Game Board” featuring Springbok, Kudu, Ostrich and Boerwors sausage was immense but at £70 it needs to be. Designed as a sharing platter for 2/3 people we were told stories of punters who had ordered one each, and as a starter! For most people with normal appetites, the platter will work as a main course for 2 and the Springbok really stood out for me. All the meats (bar the sausage) were beautifully pink inside and had a rich gamey texture.
I have to say that the scale of the place would preclude me from taking a date here, but as a space for a large group to let their hair down, Shaka Zulu is ideal and will leave all present with some fantastic memories, as it has done for me. A stunning space with a feel good vibe.
Thank you so much to Barry for his time and passionate explanations of the food and to Roger and Kristiana for inviting me along.

I'd never had a proper Vietnamese dining experience before eating here last week. The mini bowls at each place setting that you fill from the variety of dishes you order is such a friendly, communal experience...I wish I'd been on the boat before now! The zing of the fresh herbs and cold noodles with hot sizzling meats is a real delight, and everything we ordered was amazing. The highlight for me was the "Lemon Grass Chicken" but the pho soups and sizzling fish dishes were also top notch.
This restaurant is beautifully lit with really attentive waiting staff and it is a pleasure to relax in. I love this place! It's no wonder that this restaurant is always full when others around have just a few customers languishing in them. The Vietnamese way of eating really appeals to me and I will be heading back here often.

A great place to go for breakfast at any time of the day. The cappuccino is good and the breakfast muffins (sausage, mushroom and egg or salmon and egg) are incredible.
It's a small friendly place that also does great sandwiches and salads and there is always a selection of newspapers to peruse at the weekends. The perfect local cafe- clean friendly and not expensive!

Your standard Cafe Nero experience- in my humble opinion the only chain that serves a reasonable expresso! Always busy in the mornings but they get through the queue quickly. The only negative is that they have a high turnover of staff and newbies don't tend to make the coffee as well as the seasoned baristas.

What a beautiful restaurant! Luxurious wood paneling; soft warm lighting, delicious cocktails and melt-in-the-mouth food- this is going to be a very popular place if looking for quality around Covent Garden.
The bar area, with zinc top and skilled barmen is a fantastic place to enjoy a cocktail- the mint julep with a sprig of lavender demonstrating that they give a twist to the many classics on offer. Of the food that we tried, a perfectly crisp-edged and pink-middled lamb chop that just melted and a perfectly done lamb rib that just dropped off the bone were the best offerings but it was all tremendously tasty!
The dining area is plush, beautifully lit and comfortable. The service was friendly and informative. A genuine hit, and one I will be visiting again soon!