Restaurant Reviews

1. Okawari@China Town – Japanese

This restaurant is reasonably priced and the food is just so-so. The Chirashi was not that fresh. However, from previous visits, I thought the Salmon Teriyaki was OK(obviously Hi Sushi is better for this). The space in this restaurant is not that large but it is OK. At the back, there are seatings like Hi Sushi style(where your legs go underneath and you sit at floor level). Meal costs about £6 – £12.

2. Bento Cafe@Camden – Japanese

This restaurant has a nice ambiance and good space. The food was OK and the price was good for lunch meals. I had a chicken/tofu bento for only £6.20. Went there with Mel after our FCUK sales shopping; hence food tasted good(might be because we were sooo hungry). However, the salad that came with the bento was tasty!!!! The sauce was awesome – never had that anywhere else. Mel has a feeling they might be linked to Sushi King because their logo is very similar!!! Check it out:

3. Yung’s@China Town – Chinese

It is a Chinese restaurant, but they have specialities(Malaysian food). So far the best Hokkien mee I have tried in London(closest to home) – could improve if they use the normal pork meat instead of char siew. I tried the prawn mee as well – it was good. Prices are reasonable £7 – £8 pounds for the normal meal. One thing I liked about them is not setting a minimum order per person as one of us did not eat there(happens in most chinese restaurants, especially during meal time). However, this might be due to the fact that Jia En was there 3 nights in a row – so they gave chance! hehe

Went to Yung’s again, this time with Sara. Tried the Cantonese fried noodles and kangkung belacan! Loved those two dishes – really reminds me of food back home(close to). It is one of the best Malaysian Chinese restaurants in London! Plus everyone working there are Malaysians – friendly service as well!

4. Kiasu@Queensway – Malaysian/Singaporean

The food used to be excellent, priced apropriately and came in large quantities. Since it has gained recognition in many magazines and won several awards, the quality has deteriorated. The price has gone up by about 10%(from about £6+ to £7+ now), the portion smaller and not that tasty. Only two things are still good – the teh tarik and the hainanese chicken rice.

5. Taza@Queensway – Kebab place

The kebabs here are excellent and priced only at £3.50 each. Also the fruit juice(freshly blended) only cost £1.50!!! Highly recommended for those close to Bayswater. Too bad when I was living thre in my second year, could not afford to eat out that often and only had Taza kebab once in the whole year!!!

6. Cha Cha Moon@Kingsley Street(off Regent Street – Malaysian Chinese

Situated at a very posh area, one must think that these place cost a bomb. Well, the ‘promotinal’ prices are far from it. From the inventor of Wagamama, Cha Cha Moon is born. Food is priced only at £3.50 each for mains or starters. Although the portion is not something to shout about, the food quality is good. We totally loved it! The cha kuey teow, seafood ho fun, prawn dumpling, shitaake mushroom and also the milk tea were awesome. All those costed us £9.00 each! The place is big, people were queueing up to get in and yet service was fast! Man, hopefully this will not be another Kiasu story…Well, check out the pictures(the menu&logo, prawn dumplings, shitaake mushroom):

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7. Elephant Siam@Elephant Pub(just outside Elephant and Castle Station) – Thai Cuisine

This is one of the best cheap and fast Thai place there is in London that I have tried. The food tastes good, the portion is reasonable(might be huge at times) and the service is really fast! Also, the people working there are so friendly and they give you chocolate at the end of your meal. No service charge or tips required. Food price ranges from £4.00 to £6.00 for standard phad thai, red curry with rice, noodles etc. They also have starters etc. The only downside(or upside for some) is that it is in a pub. However, it can be good for quick and cheap dinner while watching a football match!

8. Jom Makan@near Trafalgar Square – Malaysian Cuisine

This is another place recommended by Jia En. The nasi lemak was good(they also cater for request such as mine to change the beef rendang in the nasi lemak to chicken) and the teh tarik was good. Located in a prime place, food at reasonably priced at between £7 – £8 ish and the portion was of average size(Jia En preferred a larger sized meal). The teh tarik cost £2.60. There’s no service charge included in the bill but they had pretty good service. The waiters and waitresses were not Malaysians though. To my surprise, the turnover was low(but they just opened not long ago). Well, we had the chance to spend more than 2 hours there without feeling forced to leave(unlike most Chinese restaurants). Let’s just hope the standard remains and does not go down like Kiasu!

On my second visit to Jom Makan(5 days after the first), the teh tarik quality has declined – this time I would not recommend it(Kiasu’s and MSD’s are better). The Nasi Kerabu Ayam Percik(GBP8.20) that I had was not good – not enough kuah for the meal and the only nice thing was the keropok served with it. The kuah served in this place is always lacking(even the nasi lemak I had earlier didn’t have enough of it). The lamb curry was not a bad dish that would not mind recommending, but then again Elephant Siam(see above) serves a much better lamb curry dish at only GBP 5.50 as opposed to GBP 7.80 here(but it’s in a prime location). The chicken satay also didn’t taste to good and costed GBP7.60 for only 6 sticks!

During both visits, the place was only less than 20% filled up!

9. Jade Garden@China Town – Chinese/Hong Kong(Dim Sum)

Quite a good place for Dim Sum(usually on Sundays). Been there twice(in two weeks) with Mel and Thien. The normal dishes are good (cheong fun, dumplings, char siew pau etc) and the octopus is really good (kuah kacang style). The X.O sauce noodles are good too. Average prices are about £10-£15 per person for a filling lunch!

10. CNR@China Town – Malaysian

The food here has improved so much that I keep on going for more! It’s getting too crowded now that there’s queue every time I visit CNR. A must visit for Malaysian lovers. Good nasi lemak, chicken rice, nasi goreng, char kuey teow, wantan hor and teh tarik!!!

11. Magic Wok@Bayswater – Hong Kong Chinese

The duck is not as good at Four Seasons of course. We were so late that the duck in Four Seasons and Gold Mine were all gone – had to settle for this. The Ma po tofu was not good and the hot and sour soup just so-so. I would not recommend this place.

12. Reviews of Restaurants in Dubai

http://sohas.wordpress.com/2008/09/04/review-for-restaurants-in-dubai/

13. Melur, Edgware Road – Malaysian(Mawar’s old place)

Vix got this invitation for dinner at Melur, which he can bring 6 people – so we went on 13 September. The place is due to officially open on 16 of September 2008(Malaysia day!!). The setting and ambiance are really good. We were also treated and served well(also because it was empty that day). There were 4 cocktails on the menu  – and they were all really good, we had two rounds each! The food was limited to lamb soup, rice, chicken korma and veg. The soup was really good and well prepared. However, the chicken korma was average, and the veg was just plain veg! Not even Malaysian dish – stir fried broccoli. I would like to check this place out and see what they have on their full menu. Still not sre how the prices will be. However, highly recommended for their cocktails!

14. Rosso Pomodoro@Fulham Road – Italian

We went here for dinner to celebrate Pierluigi’s birthday. The pizza looked authentic(similar to a naan bread). The taste was ok I thought – but many of them did not like it, especially the spaghetti. Prices for pizzas ranged from £6 to £11, which is reasonable for London. The house red wine was not too bad too – but costed £4.80(more than average for a glass of house wine). However, I really liked the setting and ambiance in this restaurant.

15. Story@Brick Lane – Organic Pizza

Very unique restaurant just off Brick Lane. All the things are organic and the pizzas seem very fresh. The place itself is kinda chilled out , with a ‘warehouse look’, and long framed mirrors around(one was broken) – nothing posh, but rather ’selamba’. You can bring food from elsewhere(not eat in, but outside it’s allowed). Overall it was a refreshing experience.  Things were priced above normal(pizzas at £11 each), but that’s because of the organic factor.

16. Le Pain Quotudien@all over London – Organic French cafe

The bread and spread here are good. Coffee and juices are excellent too. Wine selection is alright. Soups tend to be good and fresh. The Italian platter was not too bad – with a bit of everything. It is really nice to chill out at this place, catch up with friends when  you are not in a rush. Prices are above average, but reasonable as they use organic stuff.

17. Hare and Tortoise, London – Japanese/Malaysian

Good Malaysian curry laksa for only £5.95(large bowl with prawns, squid, chicken, fish cake)! A must try(also recommended by Easyjet in their inflight magazine – specifically complementing the curry laksa. The penang mee is good as well. Both come in huge portions and really fills you up. There is a huge selection of sushi as a resonable price. The ambiance is good and the place has a friendly and casual atmostphere. What’s also good is the fast service.

http://www.hareandtortoise.co.uk/main.html

18. Malaysian Kopitiam, Charing Cross Road, London – Malaysian

The tom yam here is good and priced reasonably for a small portion(around £4). Teh tarik,cincau and luo han guo are good. But the nasi lemak is average compared to satay house and CnR. The ABC is not very good. It is all reasonably priced and the service is also reasonable. Small place, with good ambiance – good to chill out!

19. Sedap, Old Street, London – Malaysian

Recently opened by the owner of Nyonya(another Malaysian restaurant near Notting Hill Gate). The nasi lemak was disappointing- just on the average side, with no ikan bilis and not enough sambal. The teh tarik tasted like it was made from the 3 in 1 Old Town packets. The laksa is too coconut-ish and the penang mee is very diluted. Overall the service and ambiance were good. The food is priced like any other Malaysian resturants(with mains aund GBP6 – GBP8), but personally I would not recommend this restaurant. Having said that, they just opened for 2 months – let’s see in a few months time!!!(29 March 2009 – Date visited)