Qype: Mother Mash in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - British

Nice thought but think it was kind of like pin the tail on the donkey and they missed him completely.
I got the pork and leek bangers and they were ok apart from the GIANT WINDPIPE STRETCHING FROM END TO END. Ok, it was shorter than that, but it was definitely of sphincter nature and did make me panic a little. But thesee are sausages so one can't be too surprised. But the mash and gravy were pretty poor too - the 'cheesy mash' (or any mash variation for that matter) comes with you big spoon of mash dusted with a slight bit of cheese. And the 'caremelised onion gravy with red wine' tasted like a bisto special, with a single, lonely sliver of onion (very non-caramelised). Add all this with the fact that it cost me £8, and you'll agree 2 stars on concept is pretty generous.
Fabulous idea but pick up the pace a bit chaps.
Check out my review of Mother Mash - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: Brent Cross Shopping Centre in London

London - Shopping - Department Stores

This is one of the big shopping centres I can get to with a single bus ride and so have found it pretty handy when the drudge of Oxford street is too much to bear - especially with shoddy weather. It can get massively crowded though so go early morning or during the week if at all possible. I would like a few of the cheaper stores in here to complete to balance of high-street like a Primark or something for those throw-away faddish items that are cheap and cheerful. I'm also not bowled over by the food court you know - after half a day of shopping (and you're unlikely to spend much less) you need a refuel and although I haven't tried them all, I haven't had the best of luck with the food and drink providers. There's also a stall in front of the main entrance that does fresh juices that I've never tried but makes me giggle every time as it's called 'Love Juice'.

Great for clothing but keep in mind that most of the stores cater for higher income-earners, so unless you do your monthly grocery shopping at M&S you may need to go elsewhere for the house food stuff.
Check out my review of Brent Cross Shopping Centre - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: Uber Organic in London

London - Shopping - Food & Drink - Organic Food

Now I must first add that I do not have any other Organic 'fresh from the farm' services to compare this to, but I do think it's bloody marvelous. More recently I've started paying attention to what I eat and drink as I haven't always gone for the healthiest options, but what I loved about getting a box from these guys is that it forces me to hunt around for new recipes to try and my blender has never seen such action.

We opted for the Uber Fruit and Veg box - £15 for 2 for a week. There were the standard things like pots and toms but also some more exotic things like kiwi fruits and a romanescue cauliflower! I must admit that having never seen this alien thing I'm terribly stumped with what to do with it and it sits like a red-head kid in my fridge - so any suggestions are most welcome! But was extremely happy with the quality of the fruit and veg, the little delivery man and the yummy bacon I threw in as an after thought. I've decided to try their bi-monthly box and would recommend you have a look for one that delivers to your area.
Check out my review of Uber Organic - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: Wahaca in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - Mexican

This place gets the crown in the popularity contest. I was determined to get in there for lunch today as it had become a personal challenge after going there and being told the wait would be over an hour so opting for somewhere else. This is because they do not do reservations and are the new kid on the block and everyone wants to play with them.

Is their popularity deserved? I'm begrudged to say yes despite not wanting to be a baaa sheep. The lady who served us was excellent - outgoing, friendly and efficient. She recommended the steak burrito which I went for and thought was really tasty, if a tiny bit hot (yes yes, I know it's a Mexican restaurant) but I wasn't expecting it. If you're going back to work and need to keep on the straight and narrow - try the refreshing cranberry and hibiscus water for just £1.30 - very refreshing.

So overall very impressed - would go back but when the popularity dies down because they don't take bookings and I don't like standing in queues (which you will definitely have to do). They also could slot in a bar at the end to make a the wait a bit more festive. And to takeaways. That's a lot for a star but there you have it.

Ooh and have a look at their website - it's awesome (if a bit slow). http://www.wahaca.co.uk/flash/main.html
Check out my review of Wahaca - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: Nusa Dua in London

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

I'm not a pro on Indonesian food so we went for the fairly safe nasi goreng (rice dish with egg and chicken). It was tasty but it didn't blow my hair back - nor did my friend's phad thai. As a little bit of a phad thai fanatic, I was a disappointed to see a tomato base. The chicken was sparse, the egg was like a bratish child in the corner and overall just didn't make the grade. But in terms of location, setting and cost it was very good - they do meal deals for lunch and early dinner (£6 and £8 respectively). Thereafter most mains are £7/8. and based on pulsing Wardour street, it's good to know about for affordable food. Drinks aren't bad either with a bottle of pinot for around £15.

If you're lucky there's also live entertainment outside with the neighbourhood hobo who drunkenly yells at you from outside and keeps moving the pot plants. Yes very bizarre.
Check out my review of Nusa Dua - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: The Slug And Lettuce in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Pubs

I've only every been to a few Slug and Lettuces on the 'biltong belt' or Australian nations below the river and have found it to be not that dissimilar to a roudy Walkabout. Because of this I automatically assumed all Slug and Lettuce branches throbbed with snake-bite inebriated antipodeans, were cheap but fun and not the classiest joints around town.

So I was gob-smacked when a well-to-do friend said that was the meeting point for pre-dinner drinks. I nervously stepped inside. Blinked. Stepped outside to look at the sign above the door to make sure I hadn't gone in a different restaurant. What a weird site - it was so clean, so mature, so civilised. Everyone seemed to be seated and there was no drunken pawing at the bar. This was like a completely different place that had forgotten to change the sign board when they moved in.

Just goes to show - a franchise can differ hugely from one to the next. Don't be afraid to give this one a go. No they won't give you free beer if you get your t*ts out, but instead you'll get a well-maintained, classy but affordable joint (£15 bottle of wine) to meet your city friends after work.
Check out my review of The Slug And Lettuce - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: The Shakers in London

London - Shopping - Food & Drink - Delicatessen

Cool little sandwich place and lunch-time venue with your average spread of pastas and sandwich fillings, as well as all-day breakfasts. They have seating if you want to eat in.

They got 4 stars rather than 3 because they were very friendly and speedy, and when I asked what the curious dark brown little balls on the counter sprinkled with sesame seeds were, they explained they were home-made falaffels and gave me one to try on the house. It was really yummy but probably not as healthy as we might hope!
Check out my review of The Shakers - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: wok to walk in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - Chinese

Design-your-own meets chinese. It's like the plethora of salad houses but now with your Asian favourites. Good concept I think, but dangerous with Chinatown a spit away and I think for the cost you could get better (though I don't know China town well enough personally). You pick a base - noodles, white rice, brown rice - for £4.90 and it comes with veg and egg. A single topping like chicken is £1.30 and then you can pick a sauce but realistically you're looking at £7-8 which just isn't feasable for lunch time.

Other than that it's quick, easy and fresh as they cook it before your very eyes. So star lost on price I'm afraid.
Check out my review of wok to walk - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: Timpson in London

London - Shopping - Shoe Repair

I've had little experience with shoe repair shops as until recently, many of the shoes I bought did not warrant the cost of repairing. But then my beloved boots gave up the chase on a ruddy London sidewalk and THAT WAS IT. So this is one of the things I know Qype can be very good at but don't have many reviews of - services - so review them people!! So the only one I'd remembered seeing was in the tube station building in Leicester Square.

So, boots under one arm, I marched in there and stood in the queue (who would have thought!). Like with most shoe repairs, this shop also deals with watch repairs, key copies etc so good to remember if you work in the area (although have just found out that they have a ton of branches, so there may be one near your home).

I got to the front of the wee queue and a man with dirty, possibly cracked (I would like them to be cracked in my memory because they seem like they should have been) glasses blinked at me and said not a word. I guessed I'd better jump right in with my konundrum and did so with gusto. The man squinted at me, down at my boots and said '£10 pay now, you fetch later' and began writing out a slip. Now I'm usually quite a savvy shopper and did not like this powerless 'name what price I feel like and pay before' way of doing business -- I like a price list, someone to tell me that if I bring in three pairs he'll give me a discount - a businessman. This man was not. Right down to the point when I collected my boots (doing what I was told) and told him I was going to review him on Qype and he stared at me silently for a minute and then turned his back without a word and went back to filing keys. Can't win 'em all.

At the end of the day it's important not to get too caught up in comparative shopping and thriftiness and to rely on people who have worked on a skill for many years. And this chap certainly had - good job, smooth edges, off you go now.
Check out my review of Timpson - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: Cumin in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - Indian

This restaurant does curry pretty well. There are so many places that under-spice their curries and while I'm not a big fan of hot food, I do like s bit of spice if I'm out for a curry. They also serve their dishes in traditional silver bowls which adds to the experience. They only get three stars as I found them quite over-priced and the lamb korma wasn't as good as I was hoping for. I bet you can do better in Brick Lane. One thing to look out for is meal specials they often seem to broadcast on fliers at the entrance to the centre or on their boards - 241 on main meals etc which would make the cost a lot more stomachable.
Check out my review of Cumin - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: The Little Star in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - International

Sister to a similar wacky restaurant in Kilburn, Small & Beautiful, this unassuming restaurant packs a punch. Not only is it very cheap, but it's also very interesting - a menu with options from duck in filo pastry to mussels. There's definitely a lot of charm in here and it feels very cosy, but the food to me was just missing a tiny little something extra which would have made it delicious. Still struggling to put my finger on it.
Check out my review of The Little Star - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: Caffe' Vergnano in London

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

Indisputably great coffee. Distracted by small shiney things, I have to admit one reason this place stands out for me is because it dusts the letters '1882' into the foam-tops of their coffees, perfect every time. I don't know why other places haven't cottoned on to it to give their logos a bit of sass actually. This branch is in a very central location, which sadly means you pay central prices so it is not cheap. You can have flavoured coffees - I went for a type of coffee milkshake and it could have done with a touch of sugar to take the bitter coffee taste down a notch otherwise it may as well be cold coffee but otherwise brilliant little coffee joint.
Check out my review of Caffe' Vergnano - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: Apollo Theatre in London

London - Arts & Entertainment - Theatres

One of the cosier central London theatre venues, The Apollo is how a theatre should feel when you go to watch a show. I'm not a fan of modern venues with black boards and trendy lighting. Because the venue's quite small, even the 'cheap seats' are decent and the sound is pretty good. The one gripe I'd have is that the toilets are pretty poor and at interval a long queue snaked out the door given the fact that there are only 3 toilets in here and 2 of them were working.

Like with many theatres you can pick up a haagen dazs during the interval and scoff it while you're watching the second half. Self-contained, but you'd generally go to see the show on at the time, not the theatre itself. Currently showing is Rain Main and I'd recommend it.
Check out my review of Apollo Theatre - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: Mrs Kibble's Olde Sweet Shoppe in London

London - Shopping - Food & Drink - Sweets & Chocolates

As a walk down memory lane, it's priceless. But if you weren't actually born in England and are under 30, you might find it, as I did, to be a little bit naff. Giant jars of sweeties adorn a little toilet-cubicle sized shop. It has a lot of the old boiled sweets and blasts form the past like flying saucers filled with sherbet. But not really my type of sweets, but do love the painfully quaint everything about it, right down to quaint little Mrs Kibble (if that's even her real name). And would hate to see specialty stores such as this disappear. So although it's not my bag, 4 stars for great effort.

One pretty cool thing is a shelf selling novelty sweet things like an edible monopoly game and chocolate turds and such. But unlikely to find naughty things like jelly willies etc.
Check out my review of Mrs Kibble's Olde Sweet Shoppe - I am Urbanite - on Qype

Qype: Energise You in London

London - Health & Beauty - Health - Alternative Medicine - Alternative Therapy

What a great little secret weapon to perk up your staff. A very capable lady comes along to your office, chair et al, and treats your staff to a proper massage incorporating a sort of acu-pressure massage so you feel energised rather than sleepy. It's up to you how frequently you'd like them to pop by and they have a nifty online booking system so you can sort this out yourself. And at the equivalent of £1 a minute in the comfort of your own office, it's remarkable everyone doesn't try it.
Check out my review of Energise You - I am Urbanite - on Qype