hayjane's Qype reviews
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Royal Festival Hall, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX
hayjane
wrote on 19 February 2011
Skylon is special, with fantastic river views, cocktails to die for and a really buzzy atmosphere.
Have knocked back a couple of swanky (and pricey - £12- £15 a pop) cocktails there over the years, I've always been gagging to eat there one day.
And, thanks to a cheapo set menu offer courtesy of the Evening Standard (£15 for 2 courses, £20 for 3, incl. glass of wine), last night I did!
Myself and five buddies ate early before heading to the National Theatre, but despite the early hour the restaurant already had a good vibe, and service was polite and efficient (question though: why are ALL the servers brunettes?!).
The selection wasn't massive with the set menu - only 3 choices per course - but my pumpkin soup was creamy and delicious (and, best of all, PIPING HOT, which is a must for me when it comes to soup. And to my my mum and dad, who will be reading this and will no doubt remind me that my carrot and coriander soup that I served up on Christmas day wasn't hot enough, so YES I'M A HYPOCRITE).
My main was duck leg with parmesan polenta and curly cale, which was also Tasty McTasty.
I must admit, however, that I always thought I'd easily give five stars to Skylon, but I think I'd have to go back there when I'm willing to spend more money to get the full, extravagant experience.
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Hayward Gallery, London SE1 8XX
hayjane
wrote on 6 February 2011
I (unashamedly) like to think I'm a bit of a 'secret places' expert in London, so when someone introduced me to Concrete this week I was a little taken aback that I hadn't been there before. A really cute place, despite the fact that it's, errr, concrete. And it smelt a bit of concrete, too. It's got a cement mixer outside all adorned with fairy lights, which is very endearing. Service at the bar was a little slow, but the poor chap was holding the fort on his own so I won't judge him on that.
Having read previous reviews I'm a little surprised that it's well-known for its loudness, since it was pretty quiet when we were there. Then again, it was a Tuesay night.
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Belvedere Road, South Bank Waterloo, London SE1 8XT
hayjane
wrote on 6 February 2011
I love the Southbank, but if you're looking for a nice bar it can be a bit of a struggle to find anywhere. That is why I was very happy when somebody introduced me to Benugo at the BFI a few years ago. It's all cosy and cool and effortlessy stylish, with lots of comfy sofas and mismatched cushions to squidge into and kick back with a glass of vino.
This week I ate there for the first time in the more formal restaurant bit. I had the lamb, which pleased me because it came with a mini sheperd's pie on the side. It was good! And so was the wine.
