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Restaurant review

The Café in the Crypt, St-Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London

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If you are near Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross, St Martins Lane or the National Gallery, there is a lovely little hidden café underneath the St Martin-in-the-Fields church.

You enter by going downstairs in a circular glass structure in the wide alley just to the North of the church.

Once you are downstairs you will be in a large atmospheric crypt with beautiful arched vaulted ceilings. The acoustics are great, even when it is full you can hear your party’s conversation without difficulty.

The floor is flagged with large stones and some very old gravestones. There are busts of famous ancient Londoners  dotted throughout, in hidden alcoves.

It serves very good food; soup made on the premises, nice hot dishes that change from day to day, lovely cakes and biscuits and it is licensed, if you fancy a glass of wine with your lunch.

There is a good choice for vegetarians too.

If you a looking for somewhere that is right in the centre of tourist London that, perhaps, most tourists might miss, then this is just the place.

A real hidden gem!

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The picture above is of the entrance, in case you miss it. It has Jazz evenings on Wednesdays. Oh and the church that it is beneath, St Martin-in-the-Fields, is not to shabby either!

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Restaurant review

The Forest on the Roof, Selfridges, London

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I have just been to the winter incarnation of the forest on the roof, on the top floor of Selfridges. The entrance is beautiful and Christmassy, with glitterballs and tree branches sprayed silver.

The food is good quality but overpriced (e.g. £14 for a hamburger and another £4 for the chips to go with it). The choice of beers was limited, although there was a good selection of wines.

It was packed on a Monday afternoon as I guess it will be up to Christmas and through the sale season afterwards. The tables are far too close together making it difficult for the customers and the waiters to pass through.

The restaurant is set under a long, narrow awning with a roll down transparent screen to protect you from the elements. It was a sunny day and the sun streamed through into diners’ eyes and the staff had no way of preventing this.  It was noticeably chilly as the sun went down. The main view is the roof of Primark across the street.

All in all, I would say the experience was less “Forest on the Roof” and more “Lunch in a lean-to”.

It is certainly not up to Selfridges normally high standards, I can only imagine that this is a venue more suited to the summer.

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Restaurant review

Hawksmoor, Air Street, London

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Hawksmoor was a talented architect of the 17th and 18th century; probably not somebody I would choose to name a restaurant after, given the manner of his death.

However, the food here is high quality and well prepared. We all had steaks and they were all excellent. The set cuts on the menu seemed large (400g – the rib eye) but when I said this to the waiter, she offered us smaller sizes – or larger ones if we wished to share. The chips were delicious as was the spinach.

The wine list is comprehensive and the bottle we chose was very good.

The décor is low key, art deco. The restaurant is cleverly laid out because the surprisingly large room still manages to feel quite intimate. The service was perfect; always nearby but never obtrusive.

It is quite expensive, even for London, but the experience was distinctive, right from going through the door and it does deliver value for money.

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Restaurant review

Miles better pies, Te Anu, South Island, New Zealand

The quality and choice of pies in this shop is excellent. They are fresh home made and have lots of filling. We had the lamb mince and cheese, and the vegetable both of us agreed they were the best pies we’d had in ages. The perfect reward for finishing the Kepler Trail!Be aware though, that the milk shakes are made with milk and a fruit syrup, so not as thick as you might expect if you are used to them made with fresh fruit.

However, it is a pie shop and the pies are spectacular!

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Restaurant review

Criniti’s, Manly Beach, Sydney, New South Wales

Two of us ate here for lunch on a sunny Sunday lunchtime before doing the scenic walk from Manly to Spit Bridge. We both ordered pizza which were large and tasty. The quality of the ingredients was good. The restaurant was busy, the service was still pretty good. We enjoyed it, we would recommend the walk too!

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Restaurant review

MOzen Bistro, Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas

Traditionally it has always been the casinos that have had the best buffet brunches in Las Vegas, however there is a new contender on the strip. MOzen Bistro is in the Mandarin Oriental, a gambling free oasis of calm in the madness of the heart of Vegas. This is now the place that has the best brunch in Las Vegas bar none. It has the widest variety, the best ingredients, the most exotic dishes and excellent service. Try it, step away from the gaming tables for a moment, enjoy the change of pace. #TOTastemaker

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Restaurant review

Hotel Bruny Bistro, Bruny Island, Tasmania

We were staying in Adventure Bay and decided to look for a restaurant, there aren’t too many restaurants on Bruny Island and this one had pretty good reviews. We almost missed it because it looked more like a local pub than a Hotel and restaurant. The view out the window is beautiful (although admittedly it would be tough to find a view that isn’t beautiful on Bruny) and the service is friendly and helpful.

We ordered the scallops and the flake and chips. The fish and chips were lovely. I got 15 huge, delicious, crowned scallops. They were fresh, simply cooked and full of flavour.

I know it’s a long way to go for scallops, but my word they were gorgeous! If you are ever in the vicinity of Bruny Island – I recommend that you go – and you know what to order!

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Restaurant review

Tek Sen, Georgetown, Penang

Georgetown in Penang has many great restaurants, this particular one was recommended as the best Chinese one. The menu is different to the usual Chinese fare as it is Peranakan Chinese, so it is difficult to know what to order. However there were 4 of us,we ordered 6 dishes and every one of them was full of flavour and delicious. We particularly liked the double cooked pork and the tofu was the nicest that I have ever tasted. It was busy, buzzy, loud and a great experience. It was also excellent value!