No Expert – Page 43 – No Expert …but I know what I like

City Cafe – Summer in the City!

The City Inn’s restaurant is called City Cafe, it has an attractive covered outside seating area, great for the summer, even when the evenings get cooler as there are plenty of heaters.

A large screen TV is usually wheeled out for Wimbledon and other major events. The food is above average for a Hotel Chain Restaurant and reasonably priced. It has 2 AA Rosettes, which sounds about right. It was also recently featured on Celebrity Master Chef.

Art Street - The City Inns outdoor space — Art Street – The City Inns outdoor space

There are two bars, one next to the City Cafe and the main one on the first floor, the Millbank Lounge. The Millbank Lounge has waitress service and focuses on whiskeys and pretty good cocktails, food there can be a bit hit and miss.

I love the fact you can actually use the excellent Tate to Tate boat service as a means of getting to/from this hotel.

Marks out of 10 – for City Cafe

Food – 5.8

Service 5.5

Ambience 5.5

Marks out of 10 – for Millbank Lounge

Food 5

Service 7

Ambience 6

UPDATE : November 2010 – The City Inn has been rebranded and is now the Mint Hotel.

UPDATE : January 2012 – This hotel has now been rebranded as a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel,

UPDATE : May 2013 – Not sure if Hilton are paying much attention to the restaurant now, when I have passed by it at lunch times during the week and weekends it has been completely empty.

Return to Top Page

Miles Cafe Culture in Ramsgate (Closed)

One of the highlights on the culinary front, in an area sadly lacking in good places to eat, is Miles Cafe Culture. It is in a prime location overlooking the harbour. It is open all day/every day. It has a very good breakfast menu, much better that the usual greasy all day breakfasts a lot of the places in Ramsgate do. The handmade sausages being a highlight.

The kitchen is pretty much geared up to provide an opportunity for all day food grazing, should you find it hard to leave! On our last visit we were especially impressed by the “fresh” Calamari* rings that were made to order.

It’s also a good venue for a relaxed Sunday Lunch too. I would suggest booking for that, as there is limited space in the Restaurant section and this is popular among the more well healed locals and London visitors.

The wines are also of a good standard, from about £40 for the Amerone to about £13 for the Riddle Riesling-Gewürztraminer.

UPDATE – December 2013 : We paid another Visit to this vibrant bar, but were very disappointed when we ordered the Calamari*, it had been so lovely on my last visit, I just assumed it would be again. No such luck – something had definitely changed. It was like eating elastic bands. I love Calamari when it is done well and hate it when it is like this. So much as I like Miles Cafe, I think I will restrict myself to just ordering drinks in future.

UPDATE – June 2019 : CLOSED and in its place is an excellent restaurant/cafe/bar called Little Ships.

Return to top page

The Gun – a real hidey hole

The Gun is a rather special pub in the Docklands. I have had drinks there on more than one occasion. It’s quite hard to find, but well worth the trip. It has great river views and is certainly a good vantage point for viewing the Millennium Dome. However what is really special about this place is the River Room. This private dining room is accessed from behind the bar, you go up a narrow set of stairs and then you are presented with this amazing hidden room.

The room is very elegant, and has a telescope you can use to take in the stunning view. The food is not spectacular but it is good enough to make this venue a real treat.

Marks out of 10

Food 5

Service 5

Ambience 6

Return to Top Page

Alfie’s – what’s it all about! (Closed)

Didn’t like the name before I visited, didn’t like the food when I visited. Then came the bill!, I certainly didn’t like that.

Alfies at the Bermondsey Square Hotel is not cheap, we went shortly after it opened when they were doing an introductory 50% discount, even with the discount I felt completely ripped off.

For starters I had asparagus with egg (expecting a nice runny egg to dip the asparagus in – got a hard boiled egg and some horrid mushroom sauce). Then it just got worse, more of the disgusting gravy with my next course, it wasn’t the mushroom sauce but something rather close in taste and consistency.

We ordered a bottle of Chablis for about £26, and like the food it was decidedly inferior, basically I can only describe it as plonk.

This place is way below the standards of the other restaurants in the area. How it can be described as “a significant addition to Bermondsey’s burgeoning foodie scene” or as “a place that champions fresh English dishes” is a joke. I rather wonder if the people who wrote this “advertising copy” actually ate there!

Marks out of 10

Food 2

Service 4

Ambience 2

UPDATE December 2010 – Alfie’s now have a new chef; not sure I can bring myself to go back though.

UPDATE January 2011 – In a few weeks time Masterchef Judge Gregg Wallace is opening a new restaurant in the Hotel, replacing Alfies, see Big Hospitality Artical for details.

UPDATE April 2012 – Have yet to read a positive review of the restaurant (Greggs Table).

UPDATE September 2012 – The Hotel and restaurant are currently being used for the reality show Hotel GB – have to say that the place seems to be more about PR than food.

Return to top page

Harveys Fish Market, Oyster Bar & Restaurant – not the plaice to go!

Harveys of Ramsgate, part of Kent Inns of Distinction, is marketed as a dedicated seafood restaurant using locally landed fish. A fabulous idea, in theory.

Celebrity TV chef John Burton-Race of the Michelin-starred New Angel in Dartmouth is connected with it, loosely I hope, based on the standards achieved here, both in terms off food and service.

I can not see this place, surviving the winter. I certainly will not be returning or recommending this unjustifiably overpriced venue. Neither the food quality or the level of service matched the look of the venue. Bland Fish, and one of the worst deserts I have ever had (hard meringue!). Plates passed across my companion at the table, come on – anywhere that typically charges £20 for mains, needs to deliver something a bit special. Then there is the ambience issue, sitting next to a large noisy table of 10 in a half empty restaurant is far from ideal. This is most definitely not my idea of “fine dining”.

Its pretension without the quality, delivering expensive badly cooked food. Just another “Faux Gourmet” experience.

They could have done so much more in this prime location overlooking Ramsgate Royal Harbour.

UPDATE October 2009 : Made a return visit to Harveys after all, in light of comments and the award of an AA Rosette. For details see Harveys Fish Market, Oyster Bar & Restaurant – still not the plaice to go!.

UPDATE April 2010 – Back in Ramsgate, this time to try Eddie Gilberts. For details see Eddie Gilberts – reasons to leave London? (Eddie Gilberts 7, Harveys 2)

UPDATE October 2010 – About time! Harveys is finally closed – RIP please! For more information see post from Isle One.

Return to top page

Alle Murate – Art for Arts’ Sake!

Alle Murate is one of the most unusual and interesting restaurants I have been too for a while. Unfortunately that comment does not apply to the food, which was out of keeping with the surroundings. It should have been modern cutting edge instead it was rather staid.

The restaurant is situated in a amazing set of rooms and has a 500 year old fresco on the ceiling and upper walls, it is a non religious one, which is quite rare. In the down stairs part of the restaurant under the Plexiglas floor there are some excavated Roman ruins.

Dinners are given headsets for self guided audio tours. It is quite surreal. Definitely worth a visit for the Art work alone.

Click here to access a selection of Videos

Marks out of 10

Food 6

Service 6

Ambience 7.5

Return to top page