hayjane's Qype reviews
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44 Cranbourn Street, London WC2H 7AN
hayjane
wrote on 24 August 2010
The Cork and Bottle never lets me down. Whether you're looking for some laid-back post-work drinks, or a cosy long lunch on a weekend, the Cork and Bottle always seems to do the job very nicely indeed.
You'd never expect to find such an unassuming little wine bar in this rather brash corner of London's West End, but when you walk down the staircase into the cave-like bar it feels like you're a million miles away from places like Zoo Bar, which is directly opposite. The food is rustic and tasty, and they do fantastic cheese boards.
There are millions of wines to choose from, to the point of confusion, but don't let that put you off as they're always happy to recommend something.
Gordon's Wine Bar is probably what I'd compare it to, though you're much more likely to get a seat and be able to have a decent conversation in the Cork & Bottle.
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19 Rupert Street, London W1D 6DF
hayjane
wrote on 12 August 2010
Two stars may sound harsh (especially since I'm normally quite generous with my ratings), but the more I think about my visit to Ed's Diner the more bad stuff I seem to remember!
Having recently returned from a holiday to the States I was on the hunt for a milkshake. But not just any old milkshake - specifically a 'chocolate peanut butter malt' which I had fallen in love with during my trip. I'd been reliably informed that Ed's was the place to go for this so a few of us headed there one Saturday lunchtime to try them out.
The staff were very friendly when we walked in, but as soon as we said we were mainly interested in milkshakes we were informed in no uncertain terms that, since there was no room at the counter to sit down for a quick drink, we'd have to sit in a booth and ALL OF US had to order food as well as drinks (personally, I think calling their milkshakes a 'drink' is a bit rich since they probably contain more calories than a three course meal, but anyway). Well, we were a bit peckish, so after being reminded that we'd HAVE TO SPEND AT LEAST £20 ON FOOD ALONE we sat down, feeling ever so slightly under pressure to order more than we'd like to.
Well that didn't turn out to be a problem because, crikey, the food wasn't cheap. Knowing that my milkshake was probably going to keep me going for the rest of the day I went for the 'light' option of a caesar salad. My friends ordered burgers and, although they insisted that they were fine, to be honest they didn't look much bigger or nicer than what you'd get in McDonalds. And they were about £7 without chips. We ordered glasses of water, but that never arrived so we had to remind them (since milkshakes aren't all that hydrating), and when they eventually arrived the water was lukewarm.
Then they took our chips away before we'd even finished them. Oh, and my salad had a really funny aftertaste, and the jukebox wasn't working.
But Oh My God, the milkshakes. They were awesome. And huge. You could blatantly share one between two, but if you can't finish it you can take the leftovers away with you in a paper cup.
So thumbs up for the milkshakes, but massive thumbs down for pretty much everything else I'm afraid.