Profil von Philippa

I am by no means vain, but having got my hair cut at Windle and Moodie a couple of hours ago, I've not stopped looking at my reflection in windows, car bonnets and now that I'm home, mirrors! My stylist, Jack, did a fantastic job, listened patiently to my vague list of hair requests (which included the desire not to look like a spaniel or a middle-aged woman) and turned them into what is quite simply the best haircut I have ever had.  I think I look great and have FINALLY got a hairstyle which suits me....Thanks, Jack.

Las habitaciones de este hotel tienen una decoración algo pasada de moda, pero son grandes y limpias con camas cómodas. No es un sitio lujoso, pero no se le puede pedir más por 50 libras la noche. Y puedes usar una plancha para pantalones de los años 80 así como una tetera con te variado y cremas, todo en el precio. Los desayunos son buenos. Hay algunas desventajas. Lo primero, que hay un largo paseo hasta el centro de York. Y el fin de semana tuvimos el calentador roto, dejando nuestro cuarto sin agua caliente, lo cual fue un rollo. De todos modos, incluso con esos problemas, lo seguiría recomendando como opción barata en la que puede ser una ciudad muy cara.

Les chambres de cet hotel ont un decor un peu demode, mais sont grandes avec des lits confortables. C'est d'office pas du luxe, mais a £50 la nuit on ne peut pas s'attendre plus - et vous pouvez utiliser un presse-pantalon de 1980, ainsi qu'une boulloire, des assortiments de the et des biscuits, compris dans le prix. Les petits-dejeuners sont bons aussi. Il y a quelques points negatifs. Tout d'abord, il faut marcher assez longtemps pour arriver au centre de York. Et le weekend ou on est restes, la chaudiere etait cassee, donc pas d'eau chaude dans notre chambre et ce n'est pas ideal. cependant, meme avec ces problemes, je recommende cet hotel pour une option bon+marche dans une ville qui peut etre tres chere....

I can hardly find the words to describe this restaurant. However, if you need to extract state secrets from particularly recalcitrant spies Spooks-style, I can heartily recommend the Crazy Cock Bulgarian Mehana as a means of torture.

On a Monday night, the restaurant was nearly empty, but that didn’t prevent the staff from trying to provide the full 'experience’ for its clientele. They turned on a variety of random flashing green lights, powered up the flat screen TVs with some cable folk dancing channel and then proceeded to compete with the TV volume by blasting out live a few Bulgarian hits over the sound system. Repeated requests to turn off the flashing lights and tone down the sensory onslaught were met with incredulity and (was it my imagination?) an increase in the volume.

However, a restaurant should not be judged by its entertainment alone and Crazy Cock might be forgiven for its idiosyncratic approach, if the food was good. However, I can’t offer much of an opinion on its culinary worth as it’s almost impossible to order. And if you do strike it lucky with one of the surly waitresses and manage it, don’t expect anything on the menu to actually be available or for it ever to arrive at your table. I ordered borek, tomato salad and a chicken shish, waited an hour and then was proudly presented with just one rather sorry skewer of meat. My fellow diners suffered similar experiences but I won’t go on…

Needless to say, I won’t be going back to sample more Bulgarian cuisine at the Crazy Cock and I don’t recommend that you do either, unless of course you like torture. The one star I have awarded is in recognition of the obvious effort put into decorating the place in Bulgarian style. I only wish the restaurant expended the same effort in taking care of its customers.

This is a great place to shelter from the sleet on this rather bleak stretch of Charing Cross Road. I just curse myself that it took so long to discover. The cafe is relaxed, plays jazz (perhaps a little too loud?) and there’s a great selection of sandwiches, cakes, teas, coffees and cold drinks on offer. The staff are friendly and if they cut you a too small piece of cake will offer it half price - or at least they did for me! All in all, I’m impressed and will be returning when the Christmas shopping gets too much…

Gran Paradiso lingers quietly in amongst a row of brightly lit and trendy new eateries on Wilton Road. It doesn’t compete for your attention and as a result you might easily miss it. This would be a tremendous shame as this restaurant serves fantastic Italian food. All the usual pasta, fish and meat options are offered along with some more unusual dishes such as quail. And although it’s reasonably expensive, it’s worth every penny. The only downside was that I never quite worked out how to qualify for biscuits and chocolates which came with coffee. I didn’t get any :-(

Cafe Zonzo is a small, modern Italian restaurant tucked away in residential area of Sandyford. When I visited this week, I had one of those frustrating evenings where I never quite got to eat what I wanted. The freshly baked bread with olive oil, sea salt and rosemary was devoured pretty quickly and I blinked and therefore missed eating the beautifully presented shared starter platters we ordered. And then the main courses came. There was nothing wrong with my baked chicken with roast potatoes - in fact, it was tasty and at £5 quite a bargain - but everyone else’s looked much better and I spent the rest of the evening gazing at the mushroom risotto on someone else’s plate. So all in all, I think this is a rather good restaurant. Just make sure you don’t go with my greedy friends!

I can really only re-iterate what all the other Qype reviewers have to say about this restaurant. I am not prone to exaggeration so you will have to believe me when I say Meze Mangal is fantastic. In fact, it’s by far the best Turkish restaurant I have been to in London and surpasses many I’ve visited in Turkey. The food is tasty and freshly prepared, the service is warm and efficient and the prices exceptionally cheap. In fact, I’d even try to think up reasons to go to New Cross (and there really can’t be that many!) so that I could pop in and stuff myself with borek, hot cheese, lahmacun and calamari.

I can’t count how many times somebody has recommended this place to me and I’ve often walked past and smelt the alluring aroma of vinegary chips. So I decided at last to cave in to temptation and give it a go. I ordered cod and chips and to be honest I wasn’t bowled over by their offering. That’s not to say the food wasn’t above average - the chips were chunky and cooked well, the fish tasty (although the batter was a bit heavy) - but at 10 pounds a pop to eat-in, it was pretty pricey.

Wahaca seems to be very popular at the moment. It recently won an award from the Observer for its food and every time I’ve tried to visit there’s been a long queue and I’ve been turned away disappointed. But on Saturday things were different. We turned up early and managed to get a table in what looks remarkably like a Mexican version of Wagamama’s.

I decided to go for the grilled fish of the day rather than snacking on the little tapas-like antojitos on offer. This was a decision I came to regret, not I hasten to add, because the sea bass was horrible, but because all the people sitting around me seemed to be eating even more delicious food! Ah well. You always want what you haven’t got!

Anyway, food-wise I can’t really fault Wahaca. It’s freshly prepared, arrives quickly and provides an interesting alternative to the chain restaurant offerings bunched around Covent Garden. My only criticism is that at times the service, although charming, sometimes bordered on the over efficient . When I finished my main course, the plates were whisked away within seconds and replaced with the bill. I felt pressured to vacate my table immediately. I suppose the staff wanted to fill my table with two eager people in that long queue!