Paul, London

Paul
55 Baker Street
Unit 65
London W1U 8EW
020 7486 0626

Stepped in here for a quick coffee before heading for a seminar. Paul's makes coffee that's perfect to my taste - strong, good amount of milk, and not too bitter or too heavily roasted. Maybe I should stick to French instead of Italian coffees?

What I like about Pauls in general is that their coffee shops are always clean, tables are well spaced apart (so you aren't unwittingly eavesdropping on others conversations), they have outdoor seating. This outlet ticked all those boxes too.

Friendly staff who immediately offered to heat my ham and cheese croissant when I ordered it (others who shan't be named, act like you are asking for the moon if you want your croissant /sandwich warmed/toasted).

They have washrooms on the premises and are ok with people lingering around while working on their laptops.

I'd go here any day if they were closer to where I live.

Oh and they do lovely picnic hampers too. I remember ordering one last summer, think we'll do a repeat one of these days, now that it's turned sunny.

They have a membership / loyalty card, which gives you free croissants & coffee at various milestones

Rating : 4 / 5

Yelp’s May New Elite Night at Bubbleology

Bubbleology
45 Pembridge Road
Notting Hill
London W11 3HG

This was a lovely intimate event with about 12 of us. Bubbleology opened up the patio in the basement backyard which allowed us to enjoy the glorious weather today.

Managed to chat with almost everyone who attended. Bonus was meeting Alex's mum who is even cooler than him! (If you can believe it) She's Gold Elite herself!

Bubbleology served us a variety of flavours in tiny tasting glasses - which is a great format to try more variety. They brought in 2 large coolers of alcoholic teas that were an interesting innovation/progression.

Popping boba are my favourite, but the rose milk with rose jelly was surprisingly a close contender. Other favourites were the coffee with tapioca (coffee flavoured milk bubble tea anyone?) and the taro nut (taro flavour with coconut milk) which wasn't very sweet and let the flavour of the coconut milk stand out for itself.

They offered chocolate wafer straws too, but I didn't feel that it paired well with fruity teas. Maybe if I had waited until the coffee flavoured one, those tastes would have matched.

Only downside was that there was no loo onsite, after drinking at least a litre or two of bubble teas

Now that we can finally see the sun again, I think it's a great place to catch a cool drink on a hot afternoon while shopping in the area.

Rating : 4 / 5

Trianon, Cairo

Trianon Restaurant,
Mall of Arabia
Cairo
02 2480 2294

I have a lot of fond memories of Cafe Trianon in Egypt. From the wonderful atmospheric and historic one in Alexandria overlooking the sea to the one in Dandy Mall where I frequently would meet up with my friends for mid-morning coffee before heading into Carre Four to finish our grocery shopping.

So on this 3 day trip to Cairo, I had to stop at a Trianon for old times sake.

This location in the Mall of Arabia is quite fancy with shisha options too. I just wanted a simple coffee latte and a pastry.

The coffee (16.95LE) was as good as I remembered and the service was helpful, especially with my rusty broken Arabic. In the pastry cabinet they had 3 eclairs (12.95LE) and a variety of mille feule (which I particularly dislike) and some richer pastries. The eclair looked the least calorific of the options available, so I opted for the maple/hazel flavoured one. Imagine my shock when I tasted banana with my first bite! The universe was screaming at me not to consume that much sugar and cream.

So I just enjoyed my coffee and the free wifi for a bit, before heading out again.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

Yelp Gets Handsy With The Guac - Chipotle, London

Chipotle
101-103 Baker Street
Marylebone
London W1U 6HQ
020 7935 9881

I'd seen the ads for chipotle in plenty of tube stations & I love chipotle peppers, but in my mind I thought of them as just another fast food chain until Yelp organised an event here and I was stripped thoroughly of my misconceptions!

What an amazing evening with Everton, Mith, Aita and the rest of their team.

Freshly made Margaritas greeted us as soon as we walked in. And the evening got progressively better from there.

All the meat is sourced from free range farms, every item on the menu is prepared fresh on location. No central kitchen, pre packaged, frozen stuff here.

Everton gave us a quick glimpse into the philosophy behind Chipotle before showing us a short video by Steve Ells the founder.

We were plied with nachos and dips through the entire presentation.

We then got a quick glimpse into their refrigerator and the kitchen, before we got a chance to choose our own burrito/dish/salad.

I've never eaten at chipotle before and their focus on freshness is amazing. I had dismissed them initially as just another fast food Tex-Mex place, but this evening was an eye opener.

I had a bowl with the carnitas, brown rice, pinto beans, veggies, guacamole, sour cream and topped with cheese. I also supplemented this with the fine sauces from Tabasco - chipotle & green pepper.

It was so yummy and felt extremely healthy too (not counting the cheese) The meat was soft & tender, vegetables were freshly cut, not wilted. Guacamole was all fresh.

So yeah, if there's a chipotle in the vicinity, I'd definitely consider them for a quick lunch and if it's an early dinner it can even be paired with Mexican beer & maybe a margarita!

Loving this series of master classes via #Yelptoberfeast and hope to enjoy more of them

I forgot to mention that we had the whole basement area to ourselves for the event and there were enough lulls between the presentations and demonstrations for us to have a good chat. I think this was the first Yelp event where I was able to have a conversation with almost everyone who attended.

Rating : 4 /5

Yelp Meats Potbelly

Potbelly
Westfield Stratford City
London E20 1EJ
01707 291607

What a fun meet up. It's always great to meet yelpers - everyone is passionate about food and you never have to feel bad about helping yourself to a second or third round of something you liked.

The food, the people and the conversations are all great fun, so what's not to like?

Today's event allowed us to choose our own sandwich, a side and a drink. We were then served up some cookies and milkshakes which were really good.

I've enjoyed their sandwiches in the U.S. And wasn't even aware that they had opened up here in London.

I had the buffalo wings sandwich - the chicken was roast sliced chicken with hot sauce and blue cheese - but what great quality tender juicy chicken slices!

The multigrain bread was soft and tender and even after toasting, there were no overly crispy or overly chewy bits.

They have a huge variety of packaged crisps / pretzels / popcorn as sides and a huge fridge full of drinks - from regular and diet coke to juicy water, ice tea and even root beer.

The root beer was good, but if you want a drink, definitely don't miss their shakes. I'm normally not a fan of peanuts and chocolate combinations. No snickers or peanut m&m's for me. But their peanut butter + chocolate shake is amazing!

The freshly baked cookies were really good too. Chewy in the centre and crispy on the sides. These may just replace "Marks & Spencer's All Butter Belgian Chocolate Cookies" as my favourite chocolate cookies...

Since it was a yelp meet, we got to interact with Mr Khan the manager / franchise owner too and he was a wealth of information. He said that they normally had live music playing in the afternoons which is an integral part of the American potbelly's. Their meat and vegetable suppliers are the best in the business and they are held to much higher quality standards than even the UK version of FDA requires.

The staff was friendly and it had more of the vibe of a familiar neighbourhood deli, rather than a soulless chain of sandwich shops (I'm not naming any names here )

I loved the peanut butter chocolate shake so much, I wanted to take one away, after shopping at the mall, but they had closed down by then (9pm)

This was shorter than most yelp meet-ups, but it was a fun and enjoyable evening.

Rating : 5 / 5

Le Gourmet Brasserie, London

Le Gourmet Brasserie
157 Praed Street,
Paddington,
London W2 1RL
020 3489 2173

Ya Hala is my favourite Lebanese joint in the area, but we had eaten there just the day before and I received some "gentle" suggestions to try something new.

It had been a long day and I just wanted to pick up a takeaway before heading home.

The place seats about 20 and is clean with an appetising looking counter out front which displays all the proteins that can be grilled. Their fresh vegetables look very fresh, unlike some fast food chains that we avoid :)

Picked up a a large mixed shawarma (chicken and lamb - 4.95Pounds) which was very filling in itself. The grilled seabass (10.5) was very fresh, but seasoned only with salt - however, they did provide garlic mayo and a chilli sauce to go with it, which helped add dimensions to the flavour. The grilled sea bass came with a choice of rice or chips and salad.

The rice was a mix of rice and vermicilli (tiny string noodles).

I asked for a lemon and mint juice (2.75) while we were waiting for our fish to be grilled. Low on sugar and really sour - it gave me my full quota of Vitamin C for the week. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was mouth puckering, yet fresh.

They claim to have free wifi, but I haven't tried it.The food is all halal. There are a fair amount of options for vegetarians. Where the menu stands out is the large variety of drinks from hot teas and coffees to smoothies, milkshakes and fresh juices.

The food was good, but Ya Hala will remain my favourite and go-to place in the Paddington Area.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

Faaso's, Ahmedabad

Faaso's
G 42, Shree Mahalaxmi Shops,
Rudra Square,
Next to Rasranjan,
Bodakdev,
Ahmedabad

+91 9099990299, +91 9099990300

After Asia Kitchen, Shakti Sandwich and RollaCosta, this is the next eatery that I have seen in Ahmedabad with a black & white mural on their wall.

Faaso's has opened in Ahmedabad, after tasting success in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore. Sadly, they have only brought in a limited menu to Ahmedabad. They only offer chicken, egg and veg options here. No sign of the mutton, prawns and fish stuffings.

The location at Bodakdev, has a couple of tables to eat-in and I loved their yellow and purple interiors. However, on this visit, I just wanted a takeaway.

I ordered 4 different non-veg rolls today, so the person at the counter recommended that I try their offer of 4 rolls + 2 chocolate fantasy + 2 swigs for 399/- which made sense. I ordered a chicken seekh with egg, a fiery chicken tikka, chicken bhuna and BBQ chicken for takeaway. I asked for all the rolls to be made with wheat multigrain rather than maida. While I would have loved to try their laccha parathas, we try and avoid refined flour/maida for dinner. We were charged 10Rs extra per roll for eating healthy, but I don't mind. Another 10 Rs extra for the egg in the chicken seekh kebab roll. (all these charges were clearly mentioned on their menu)

The order was served very fast given my other 2 experiences today at two & a bud and W xyz at Aloft.

However, it was only after arriving home and finding that my chicken tikka wasn't very fiery, I realised they had given me a masala chicken tikka instead of a fiery chicken tikka. It was ok, but much weaker than the other 2 rolls I tasted. I enjoyed the bhuna chicken the most as it felt like it had more complex flavours and the BBQ chicken was unusual with its sweetish sauce.

I haven't yet tried the Swig (Faaso's inhouse drinks - currently only available in jaljeera flavour), but the chocolate fantasy was a huge disappointment, instead of a lava cake with a cake exterior and a melting center (as pictured in the menu and ads), what I got was a pudding - uniform wettish chocolate pudding - neither cake, nor melting.

Faaso's can't be making these kinds of mistakes just because this is Ahmedabad. They need to maintain the same standards as they do in other cities, especially since they have had ample time to get over teething problems in this city.

They have really tiny takeaway bags, so my order needed 2 bags and I was charged 4Rs for the bags - this is the first restaurant that I have seen anywhere in India charging for the plastic bags (I've been charged for containers - but after being informed) and there was no prior intimation of the same either. The amount is too insignificant to care, but I don't like being charged without being notified what I'm being charged for before billing, especially if it is a unique charge like this.


Flavourwise I still prefer Tibbs, but I'll try Faaso's again with a maida laccha paratha and egg and stuffing to do a more balanced comparison.

Rating : 3 / 5

Carluccio's - Covent Garden, London

Carluccio's,
Garrick Street,
Covent Garden,
London WC2E 9BH
020 78360990

Since, I had had such a decent experience at the Carluccio's in Pinner. when my husband wanted to eat Italian, I had no hesitation in recommending the Carluccio's that was next door in Covent Garden.

The place was buzzing, They occupy 3 floors, with washrooms in the basement, the store and one seating space on the ground floor and 2 seating spaces on the first floor. The interiors were a classy white and red. The place was full and we thought that was an indication of how good it was. Sadly, the crowds belied the quality.

The calamari fritti (6.25) that I had loved at the Pinner location, was soggy and soaked in oil.

The Antipasto Massimo (13.95) had only meat on the platter unlike what was suggested on the menu. The menu said it would have - Foccacia, Napoli & Milano salami, roast ham, stuffed chicken, green bean salad, caponata, roast vegetables and olives. As you can see in the picture above, what arrived was very different.

We had to ask for some bread to be served with the cold meats. (It hadn't been served originally), the vegetables and salads were nowhere to be seen except for the olives and capers.  Our request for olive oil to dip the bread in and temper the saltiness of the cold meats, never materialised.

For mains, we ordered the trio di pasta - a tasting trio for 2, including the heavily recommended ravioli. There was absolutely no hint of the sage in the dish and it felt like the ravioli had just been tossed in melted butter rather than butter browned with sage. When we brought this to the servers attention, he promised to get us a fresh plate properly made or to give us complimentary coffee, but we turned it down, since we knew we would not be able to finish the other two pastas that were quite good. The tortelloni with braised venison and the papardelle with mushroom, both of which had much more flavour to them and were much better tasting. (although the pasta con funghi was nowhere close to the version served at Pinner)

The servers were doing their best, but they were just too badly over worked. Too many tables and not enough staff. Plus the food had to be brought up to the first floor from the ground floor, turning it slightly cold in the meanwhile.

The beautiful decor, just cannot make up for low quality food.

If I wanted to eat at Carluccio's, I would avoid this location and try one of the 35 other locations in London.

Rating : 2.5 / 5

Casa Brindisa, London

Casa Brindisa
7-9 Exhibition Road,
South Kensingtin,
London SW7 2HE
020 75900008

After a whole day of exploring the Victoria and Albert Museums, we just wanted a place where we could sit down and calmly reflect and discuss the many wonderful objects of art, that we had seen during the day.

A right and left turn from the museum entry, took us to this beautiful cul de sac filled with many eateries. While the pastries in the Lebanese  place were extremely enticing, we settled on Casa Brindisa, because we liked the look and feel of this place the best.

Part of a chain, Casa Brindisa is a small Spanish Tapas bar, just across the Natural History museum with a lovely range of Spanish cured meats, tapas and wines.

When we entered and asked for a table for 2, the lady in charge said something about an hour and a half. The place was full, so I said "I'm sorry, but we can't wait an hour and a half for a table" She then said "Sorry, if I wasn't clear, but I need the table back in one and a half hour as it is booked for someone else" Talk about organisation and being prepared!! But, I think this is also because most patrons here, seem to order a bottle of wine from their huge selection and take their time relaxing and catching up with friends.

For us, we just needed a quick pick me up of coffee, a bit of food for energy and a warm place to rest our tired legs for awhile.

They have a lot of original Spanish cured meats that were being sliced at the entry and in a bid to sample a few varieties, I ordered the Charcuteria Regional selection (12.50). It came with Teruel ham,  salchichon, lomo, and chorizo with fresh sourdough bread and olive oil. The platter was really huge and meant for 4 rather than 2 people. The same platter with iberico ham instead of Teruel ham was 21.50 pounds, but I wasn't in the mood to spend that much on a tea break - we shall try iberico ham when we visit Spain. :)

They have a lot of lovely touches around the place, the cutlery served in empty pimento cans, the menus as table mats, water served in wine bottles.

The latte that I ordered was 2.75 pounds and quite good.

They have quite a few mains and hot starters too. Definitely worth trying either for evening drinks or an early dinner.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

Garfunkel's, London

Garfunkel's
25-26 Gloucester Arcade,
128 Gloucester Road,
South Kensington
London SW7 4SF
020 78351064

Garfunkel's is a chain in London, that has a large menu of American Diner style food, but what drew us here one early morning was their range of lovely breakfast options, each for 5.95 pounds, that they start serving from as early as 7 in the morning.

Decor was again American Diner style. The staff was extremely busy, but did a good job.

The Garfunkel breakfast was huge with 2 eggs (your way), grilled bacon, 2 pork and leek sausages, hash brown, baked beans, grilled tomato and a mushroom. The only thing that was missing was bread that had to be ordered separately. (2 slices of toast for 1.5 pounds or a croissant for 2.95 pounds. The husband quite enjoyed this spread as it was exactly what he was looking for. A good "fry up"

The taste of the Hollandaise sauce in the Eggs Benedict was lovely, but the eggs were overcooked. The eggs should have had golden yolk gushing out when broken into, but instead of being runny yolks, they had turned firm - firmer than a soft boiled egg.

They offer unlimited refills on hot beverages with breakfast. The Mocha (2.95) was ok and the Herbal raspberry+Cranberry tea (Twinnings tea bag) was just average (2 pounds for a pot), but that's a Twinnings flavour issue. The husbands mocha had gone a bit cold half way through breakfast and before we could even request a top up, the waitress came with a fresh cup of mocha for him.

The place was a very cosy diner and service was excellent. The food was good, but not great. We had much better breakfasts at each of the B&B's that we stayed at, during the rest of our holiday.

Rating : 3 / 5