Qype: Sapphire Lounge in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Bars - Lounges


What a quirky little place. First of all it's surrupticiously plonked in the heart of a pub - very confusing if you're heading for this place. It's got a serious case of bad naming - Sapphire Lounge evokes images of tacky neon lights and glowing drinks. Instead it's more like a collection of little caves - vestibules linked by a passage on either side of a bar. Bit strange to hold a gig here, but really fun too - close nit and cosy. We went to see Rayguns Look Real Enough last night and had a great time. Nice place for intimate drinks if you get your own little cave - was pretty quiet when we went and might need to work a little on their signage!

Check out my review of Sapphire Lounge - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: Noodle Noodle Restaurant in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - Chinese - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - Other Asian


Seems I went for the good bits on the menu as I was quite chuffed with my food here. They've got a rather plasticy and canteen-like environment (complete with plastic cups) with laminated menus but I wasn't too fussed. The menu has a collection of noodle soups and rice dishes, we opted for the phad thai (£6.50) which was actually pretty good. It came with plump and succulent prawns that were cooked 'just right', with a slight garlic overload but I'm quite the fan. We also tried their dumplings which weren't too bad and washed it all down with a bottle of Pinot grig (£14). As a quick and good value place near Victoria station, I'd say it's pretty good.

Check out my review of Noodle Noodle Restaurant - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: The Coffee Bean in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Cafes & Coffee Shops - Coffee Shops


As fast and cheap lunch places go, this one is pretty good. It's a combo of mediterranean goodies with a 'salad valley' offering such delights as dolmades, tzatziki, cous cous salad, tuna pasta salad etc. They also offer the standard sandwiches and hot spuds and wraps and a curry. I went in there looking for something warm n tasty - I opted for the Morroccan meatball wrap (£3.50) which wasn't bad and rather large.

Staff are charming and while I was there I heard them speak to customers in English, French, Italian and Greek. Will definitely be going back but will probably try something different next time.

Check out my review of The Coffee Bean - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: Electric Ballroom in London

London - Nightlife - Clubs


Decent small-to-medium gig venue/club very close to Camden Town High Street tube station. I went to see Paolo Nutini, a sold out gig, there last night and had a great time. It was packed to the rafters but the sound was very good. For some silly reason they only seemed to turn on the air in the encore which would have been appreciated earlier on but otherwise it was a pretty cool venue.
Small street entrance opens out to a big open space below with 2 bars down there as well as one upstairs. The only other thing that was a bit annoying was that the bar does not accept credit cards - so if you don't have cash on you you're a bit stuck.

Check out my review of Electric Ballroom - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: Trattoria Lucca in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - Italian & Pizza


Bellisimo. There's a very rare Urbanite 5 stars right there. But these guys just got it right on many levels. The decor is average but serves its purpose. You're likely to be served by one of two older Italian gents who niggle at each other in an endearing way and fall over each other to ensure you understand the Italian specials board they bring round to your table. Price is pretty decent for what you get - we had 2 starters, 3 mains and a bottle of vino for £60. And it's the type of place where service isn't automatically included, but one where you wouldn't actually mind.

Cherry on top for me was I went in there with a little craving for saltimbocca (a dish of veal, sage and proscuitto, that actually translates to 'jumps in the mouth' :) ) but it wasn't on the menu. A little dispondent I gazed over the other, admittadly yummy things, on the menu and when the guy came around for our order I thought I'd mention it. His reply was 'You want saltimbocca? No problem.' And it wasn't. And it was brilliant. And so was the duck breast with a cherry sauce that my friend had.

All in all a simple dining experience that can rely on its raw talent over bells and whistles.

Check out my review of Trattoria Lucca - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: Old Queens Head in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Pubs - Nightlife - Clubs


This is a really funky pub. It's got a nice cluster of tables out front. The interior is tasteful dark wood but with a hint of modern trediness so as not to attract all the old folk. There's also a tiny garden out back if you're quick enough to nab a table so it's good for a sunny day. They have the usual spread of drinks from what I could tell and a bar menu with the usual (hamburgers) and not so usual (crispy duck pancakes) and snack platters. Really nice vibe here so definitely pop in if you're in the area.

They do hire out the rooms upstairs for private functions and they're big and bright - the reason I went here is actually to attend a 'crafternoon' that happens here every other saturday which is great fun.

Check out my review of Old Queens Head - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: Bavarian Beerhouse in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - German


As someone who's been lucky enough to experience the proper beer festival in Munich, it's hard to imagine a single place capturing just a teaspoonful of the flavour, although the Beerhouse do give it a good go. There's a tiny doorway off the main road with a staircase down to a collection of simply-decorated rooms with wooden benches and tables. Sipping on a stein is always fun and as said before, it was nice to see that the staff actually seem to be German - which you'd think is a no brainer but would be amazed by the number of people who get it wrong. There's an Oompah band who wonder around the different rooms to spread their musical joy - mixing it up with the odd unexpected tune such as 'country roads' which got everyone singing. The food was a little disappointing, but otherwise if you get a gang together and head on over, you should have yourself a good old time.

Check out my review of Bavarian Beerhouse - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: The Ship in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Pubs - Nightlife - Music Venues


To me The Ship suffers from a weird identity crisis. In the depths of Soho, it looks like a traditional English pub from the outside, and indeed even from teh inside if a little on the shabby side. But there's a juke box that they crank up in the evening with emo/goth/hard rock that seems to pierce the potential peace. The other wierd thing is that all the staff, rather than little English roses are all a little pierced and dressed in dark which is all good if you're in a pub in Camden but just bizarre in here. Like the ongoing predicament of the chicken and the egg, I wonder what came first - the juke box or the staff. Not a bad place by any means, but not a favourite.

Check out my review of The Ship - I am Urbanite - on Qype