Out door seating – Page 8 – No Expert …but I know what I like

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.

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Bistro de I’Hotel de Ville, Vevey – have your cake and eat it!

We spotted the Bistro de I’Hotel de Ville when we were exploring Vevey. It is situated in a small square next to the town hall and I would go back to Vevey just for this place. It was perfect, tasty inexpensive food, nice local wines, friendly staff and fabulous pastries for dessert.

This is one of the few “non Gourmet” restaurants to find its way into the Best of the Best category.

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Pur – urban chic in Lausanne

Pur is in the Flon, the “trendy” part of Lausanne, “edgy” is a better description, but that is part of the charm. We found it by accident, it was a wet evening and it was next to the Cinema – see www.pur-flon.ch

We never made it to the Cinema as Pur turned out to be rather special. The food is imaginative, the service friendly, the way they light up the terrace at night is superb, you can just visualise this place in New York’s East Village or London’s Soho.

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The Waterside Inn – old fashioned comfort

I found the food at The Waterside Inn in Bray to be quite conventional, fairly typical french haute cuisine. I have to admit I expected a lot more from a 3 star Michelin – I suspect at least 1 star applied to the location.

It was also a bit of a struggle to find a reasonably priced bottle of Champagne – the wine list was a bit daunting. That said it was a lovely day out. The Waterside Inn is a very comfortable venue. We made our selves at home, spending hours out on the terrace after lunch drinking brandy that was older than we were, and indulging in a little too much PX.

Here is a short video about The Waterside Inn:-

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The Chop House – good old spot

The Bar in the Chop House in Butlers Wharf is a really civilised venue for breakfast, it is especially lovely on a sunny day when you can sit outside and watch the boats on the river, taking in the stunning views of Tower bridge. The menu is excellent, I would especially recommend the Gloucester Old Spot sausages. It is best to reserve a table for breakfast as this is a very popular venue.

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Marks out of 10

Food 6.5

Service 5

Location 7

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Silenus – Losing its Midas touch?

Silenus was always one of the better restaurants in the Ravel area. We have had some really good dishes there, but on a more recent visit the food was quite ordinary. It had shifted its direction from fusion to more traditional. However it may be on the way back to fusion as recent research shows it being described now as doing International/Japanese cuisine (Japanese food is very trendy in Barcelona at the moment), so who knows. On the plus side it is a fairly laid back place to eat, so we may give it another try on our next visit to Barcelona.

Marks out of 10

Food 5

Service 5

Ambience 5.5

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