Barbados, Barbados - Part 1/3

Caribbean sea view by my hotel

In my wildest dreams the Caribbean was never going to be a destination I would plan to visit. Early January last year a friend called me to invite me to her wedding and it was going to be in Barbados! We were still in the New Year resolutions period and I thought “why not?”  Then there I contacted Dial-a-flight and Marion one of the agents whose customer service is second to none.

Marion within 24 hrs sent me few holiday break options and payment plans. She also made sure that I understood everything event two days before the trip… I call that an Excellent service and would recommend Dial a flight to all those who are travelling on a budget or not.

For my trip to Barbados, I opted for a 5 days 5 nights full board, travelling with Virgin Atlantic and lodging at the Butterfly beach hotel in Christchurch, Barbados. I paid £1450 including flight, accommodation, insurance and transfer from the airport to the hotel.


My room at the Butterfly Beach Hotel 1

Upon arriving in Barbados, the immigration and custom process was fairly quick and I was out of the airport within 30 minutes of landing. The transfer coach was waiting for passengers lodging at the Butterfly beach. My first annoyance came as we boarded the coach. The driver reluctantly helped me to load my luggage in the coach which, was unclean and smelly. The driver wasn’t the most welcoming and having paid what I had paid, I was already ticked off, but gave him a BD$10 tip still.

My room at the Butterfly Beach Hotel 2

The hotel was very welcoming and the receptionist surprise surprise was from London. My room was as big as my whole flat in London. It was located on the 1^st floor with a side view of the Caribbean Sea.

The first thing my travel companions and I did after leaving our luggage in our respective rooms was to check out the restaurant and take a walk on the beach… It was just a privilege to be there at this time of the year when in London it is so cold.

View from my room

Our first dinner at the restaurant of the hotel was just average as we all realized that the fish wasn’t fresh. But the sound of the waves beating the sidewalls of the restaurant gave a great atmosphere to the evening.

My first Bajan breakfast

The next day, the breakfast provide included the full English breakfast, fried plantain fish and fresh fruits. The bread was the regular white brown and granary slices we find in the UK… no sign of the spiced bread or things like ackee and salt fish, slices of papaya or watermelon I was dreaming of… by the time I had my second dinner at the hotel, I had concluded that I would not have what I imagined in term of Caribbean cuisine from the hotel… then again the silver lining is that I will not put on weight.. innit?

Stopping here for now… check in next week to read about the great stuff I did and my quest for fresh fish!

Arrivederci!

Give Lille a try!

Have you read how a spent my day in Lille last month? If not, read it here and here :-)



Brioche Doree's display

If you only have few hours in Lille do the following:

1-      Get a guide.

2-      Try a Brioche Doree tartelette in the Euralille centre.

3-      Stop at St Maurice church to admire the architecture and the glass work.

4-      Checkout Pylones with it quirky household goods

Pylones

5-      Go to Rihour and get the tour bus opposite the Office of Tourism.

6-      Visit the Grand Place.

7-      Visit the Chambres au confitures and buy something just to watch the staff wrap it up.

8-      Have lunch at the Barbue D’anvers just because of the setting and the name.

9-      Have a tea at Meert, but watch the queue and it is posh.

10-   Have an apero at Le Square d’Aramis just to chill and it is a cool brasserie.

11-   Seat at a café terrace opposite Lille Flandres station to watch the world go by.



Get a pot of Jam

12-  Have dinner at Comptoir des Latitudes (for under 30 Euros) if you've got time or try Le Barbue D'Anvers for regional food.

13-   Stroll back to Lille Europe station to catch the Eurostar back.



Have dinner here

Make sure you enjoy the day fully, take your time, but do not forget your return train time. Come back to London with a smile! When your colleagues ask on Monday “so how was your week end?” do not hesitate to throw every single details in to make them jealous.

£100 per person should be enough to enjoy the day unless you do some shopping in Carrefour (Wine). Check out the previous post to see more links.

Book you Eurostar ticket in advance and it should cost £69.00 return pp.

Thank you for reading!

See you soon... I will be taking you to BARBADOS with Me! Sea sand sun and fresh fish!

One day in Lille - France Part 2

Thank you for checking in to part two of our visit to Lille. To read part 1 click here.

Last week, we stopped at the Palace of Rihour. So, Further up and to the right of the Palace, you will see the Theatre du Nord on the Place du General de Gaulle. To the left of the “Place” there is another load of shops including a Virgin and a FNAC, both music shops where cool young people here still like to hang out. At the other side of the “place” we can find many artisans’ shops including this little beauty called “La Chambres aux Confitures” where you can find the most unimaginable jam mixes and combos. The one I wanted most was “Abricots & Ecorces d’oranger” literal translation is apricot and orange tree bark (I am still wondering how it tastes). “La Chambre aux Confitures” is such an original idea and everything displayed can be tasted before buying. The smallest jam pot cost €4.50. And every purchase is carefully wrapped and presented like on the picture. Find further details here.

Opposite “La Chambre aux Confitures” I found this amazing passage way and was curious to find where it lead. Believe it or not, there are 4 restaurants in this corridor (called Rue St Etienne) including one called le Barbue d’Anvers hidden in an inner court and covered by foliage. This place just that just seem to scream “here we serve regional food”. Unfortunately, when I showed up they were closed and preparing for evening service. Well, It will be for another time and summer day preferably. But do check out the website.

Moving on down the road I found Meert, a very old posh patisserie and salon de the… looked a bit like the lunch area of Harrods food court. It was Goûter time when I got there, but the queue made me give up on tasting something there on this occasion. I moved on to Rue Basse right opposite Meert to a restaurant brasserie called Le Square d’Aramis which isn’t listed in the guide. I needed to seat a have a glass of rosé and this just seemed to be the best place for it. L’Aramis is a really cool and trendy place to be. It was nearly empty when I checked in, but, I felt immediately really relaxed at the sight of the porch installed on top of the bar (not joking) and the rough unvarnished floor boards and also the slightly je m’enfoutist staff (I thing Brits call it the careless shrugs?). I loved it there and if was in London it would be a great hang out for my friends and I. Check out the video on the website  look above bar to see the porch…

Still dehambulating in the streets of Lille, I stumbled on Paul’s boulangerie and stopped to buy a pear Armandiere it is unbelievable how much I have missed these things… I eat it while walking (not very lady like). As time for dinner approaches, I wander back to place Charles de Gaulle to find a restaurant off the “place” at Rue Faidherbe. The restaurant is called Comptoir des Latitudes. What an odd name for a restaurant. See my thoughts about this restaurant on one the next posts. I had Foie Gras… J

As the night falls on Lille, I head back towards the station not without having stopped for the last time in Brioche Doree to have my dessert and coffee. I opt for an Eclaire Paris-Brest filled with a cream mixed with crushed almond.

The Euralille the shopping centre is still open and this time the shoppers are office workers buying their last Christmas gifts. As I walk on the Esplanade towards the train station to collect my luggage and catch the onwards high speed train (TGV) to Chateauroux, I spot another building mentioned on the guide; the Tour de Lille shaped like Skiing shoe... I say, it look like an L…

Well that was a full day I am knackered. There is so much more to do in this town and in order to fully enjoy it in a relaxed manner, one must plan a full week end in Lille. I hope that what you will do. And give Paris a little break…

Next week check out my recommendations list for Lille.

Thanks for reading...

One day in Lille - France

Today is the last Friday before Christmas and I am heading to Chateauroux to spend Christmas at my sister’s where the rest of the family will be joining us from Paris, Marseille, Grenoble and Lyon. I have planned to spend a full day in Lille before taking the TGV to Chateauroux.

The Eurostar left St Pancras at 6.30am on this Friday and we are planning an arrival in Lille a little before 9.30am.

Lonely Planet guide

As the Eurostar heading to Bruxelles leaves Lille Europe in France, I look up and see a beautiful sun shining on a blue sky over Lille.
My first stop is the Relay shop in the train station: Yes, I had planned to spend the day, but I have yet no idea about what I can find in this “Ch’tis” country.  In the guide that I find, there are recommendations for places to eat, see and most importantly a map of the town.

Having taken few minutes to consider the guide, I leave my luggage at the “consigne” as I want to be hands free for the next 9hrs or so… to leave the luggage at the locker up to 10 hours only costs €5.50.

Armed with my guide and map the first pit stop is bien sûre Brioche Doree where I order a mini tartelette and a black coffee. I enjoy that tartelette so much that I nearly do a Meg Ryan there and then. Find the London Brioche Doree at 29-31 Picadilly.

Euralille view from Lille Europe station

Next was a tour of the shopping centre adjacent to the Lille-Europe station it is called Euralille (www.euralille.com). Here you will find Carrefour (for the vino stash and French confectionaries), you also find Celio for the best men’s jeans you will ever find, Yves Rocher for your natural beauty products and even a Hollister (I don’t like them). You will also find in Euralille a New Look, Zara and H& M with a French twist. In France, generally, all seems better presented; even the Chinese take away shop looks like a gourmet … it is all about presentation here.
By the time I have toured the shopping centre and reconnected with everything I am missing about France, I have already spent 3 hours in the centre.
 

Lille Flandres train station

Coming out on the other side of Euralille, you will find yourself in the centre of Lille with to your left the Tripostal, one of Europe’s biggest exhibition centre (free entry from Wed to Sunday).
The Tripostal is attached the station Lille Flandres and the Grand Place. Having shoved my guide back into my bag, I decided to walk 'au gres du vent' and aimlessly when I stumbled on the back of Eglise St Maurice about 5 minutes away from Lille Flandres. The church building which seems to have been built on a whole street is such a beautiful edifice that it would be a crime not to get inside to have a look... I did. According to the guide, this church was built in the 14th century and the stain glass work was all done by a local specialist…

Back of St Maurice

Front of St Maurice

On the other side of the church, opposite the Parvis St Maurice there is a pedestrian shopping area littered with restaurants, original shops like Pylones where every household item has a Manga version. Just click on the link to have an idea. The shop here on 18 Rue the Bethunes is very tiny but be careful with your credit card as you may spend on stuff you DO NOT NEED. Right opposite Pylones you will find a Gallerie Lafayette (yup, like in Paris, you will find everything you want in Lille).

Not far from this pedestrian shopping area, you will find the Metro Rihour which is one of the popular recommended stops in Lille. Here, you will be spoilt for choice if you want to eat something. A few of the guide’s recommended restaurants are situated here, so is the office of tourism and a war memorial to the dead of the 1^st and 2^nd world wars. Both the tourism office and the memorial are part of the same building and are said to have been built on the vestiges of the Palace of Rihour… You must go inside (free access) to really see that it was part of the palace. It is in the Office of Tourism that you will also pay for your ticket if you are planning to have a guided tour of the town. The tour cost €12 and lasts 55 minutes. See you next week for Part 2.

Next stops are: Theatre du Nord, a Jam specialist, two snack stops and a restaurant for dinner.

A bientot!

Clarion Hotel - St Albans

Hotel's own picture

Have you ever been to St Albans? Have you ever heard of St Albans?
The first time I visited St Albans earlier this summer, I was looking all over for all the good things I was told about this city…

For some reason, people are so taken with St Albans, but I do not see why. For me when you descend on a city, if the area around the high street, the train station which is the door to the city is not impressive. 9 times out of 10 the city will not be impressive.

The corridor

Just in case you are tired

I didn’t like the town much the first time I visited it, and I didn’t like it either when I revisited early autumn, but one thing, no two things will make me return... the hotel I stayed in and the Café Rouge I had dinner. I stayed at the Clarion Hotel right at the heart of St Albans.

 Wow! What a hotel. The whole hotel is very modern art-deco with a lot of brown tones and just a dash of reds and green striped on the rugs along the bedrooms corridors.


Bar area

Upon entering the hotel, to the right there is a very busily decorate bar and TV space where there are way too many chairs for my liking, but the beige of the various shaped chairs bounces of a lot of lights in this small space. This space must be bathed light whenever the sun rises on this city.


To the left of this small bar we find the hotel reception. Very very small reception area… A traveller with 2 large suite cases would block the circulation here and people using the lift might not be able to get pass while new arrival are still checking in with the great and chatty receptionist who was in shift when I checked in.

My room was on the 2^nd floor and I must have walked passed at least 3 fire doors before getting to my room. The corridor though a bit dark were darted with beautifully upholstered chairs and lightly colored large rugs… I didn’t like the room doors.


This was my room

Entering my room, I was greatly surprise by it spaciousness, didn’t like the twin beds, but was not troubled by it.
 I loved my room, the decors and all the black white picture framed in black frames. The same picture frames where in the bathroom. This room also had a fauteuil where I slumped myself and rose with my shoeless feet on the nearest single bed… Ahhh! Ihat is comfort!

My night at this hotel was the best in a long time and given how comfortable I felt, £79 a night was too low for the quality of the place. I do not like St Albans as a town, but will definitely visit again to stay at this hotel. What a place!

PS: the hotel doesn’t have its own restaurant but, the Café Rouge next door where I had dinner it a very good match… Café Rouge offers discount to hotel guests.

I’d mark the Clarion 4/5 as far as hotels go.

Do checkout their website and see better picture from the hotel at www.stalbanshotel.co.uk/

See you soon!

The Reviewer.

The White Rabbit - Maidstone - Kent

My room at the White Rabbit

I recently visited a town called Maidstone in Kent and my overnight stay was in the White Rabbit pub/hotel.
Funny how in some places the customer isn’t always king. I believe that, if I am going to be parting with cash for your services, I must be treated with attention.  In my own work, I offer no less than I would expect. I always stand in place of the customer and think of what he/she would feel seeing this, or that, accessing this or that and being served this way or the other.

Having entered some businesses in this country, I think I would fire half the staff in B&B, hotels or restaurants I visit.

So, we arrived in the White Rabbit after 8pm and the front desk was at the bar. We were ignored for what seemed like an eternity. It didn’t seem as if the place had enough staff to cover the bar and the B&B clients.

Right there on the bar/reception, there were giant flower vases in which water had not been changed for few weeks in my opinion… I would say at least 3 weeks. The flowers were dry and the water was dirty within them.

When we were finally spoken to, the technology didn’t seem to be up to scratch. It must have taken at least 30minutes between the waiting time and being shown what direction the rooms where.

Having been nudged in the right direction, we discovered what seemed like a maze. The doors numbering were so confusing that it would have been just easier if the staff had bothered telling which room was up or down or furthest… and we did all these up and down carrying our luggage and could not return to the reception/bar for help… We’d just had been ignored I am sure.

When we finally found our respective rooms, my colleague who starts work before six am ended up not having his dinner after all that effort.

I on the other hand was hungry and after ditching my luggage decided to head back down stairs to get some dinner… Given the state of the flower vase, I decided to go for a very simple dish... stir fried seasonal vegetables with pan fired salmon… Nope nothing to write home about… some of the vegetables where stone cold and where served with yogurt for some reason and completely tasteless… well, at least the pattern is consistent.

Stained bathroom

Upon returning to my room, I set to have a closer look around. The room was very old and it was a cold night… No instructions on how to work the radiators either. The lights were not too bright, which is good because I may have found more reasons to be uncomfortable.

The loos had not been cleaned properly as the detergent was still waiting to be washed away. The shower area had a massive scale stain on the wall and some hair languishing near the plug hole.

Needless to say we didn’t have the best night sleep at the White Rabbit despite the comfortable bed.

Don’t think I would recommending or checking here again…

Specially would recommend that they remain a pub and work on their customers’ service.

 

The Reviewer

The Royal Albert Hall – Cloudy bay Wine bar

I recently went to see Charles Aznavour in concert in at the Royal Albert Hall. I have never been at the Hall and was looking forward to seeing the inside... and, of course Aznavour. This guy is one of those French musicians who was always on the TV every Sunday afternoon as we relaxed waiting for a new week of school to kick off.

My friend and I arrive a bit too early for the concert and decided the grab bite before the event. So, we headed up to the Cloudy Bay wine bar on the top floor of the Royal Albert Hall.

The place was jam packed with Aznavour’s fans and French people bien sure. The Cloudy Bay wine bar is a very low ceiling narrow curved shaped space with soft lighting and all white decoration.  The lighting is very very soft to the point where you might be at risk if not recognising what is in your plate; I’ve got 4 eyes and still can’t see well…lol.

We went straight to the bar to order before seating and were blanked both by one of the chap serving behind the bar and by a circulating waiter who then, started to talk to us and then completely turn his attention to two older ladies who had just walked in…. aaarrrrgggggh! RUDE!

I found this really amusing; get this, my friend and I were two black 30+ year old ladies in a sea of Caucasians and other light skinned folks. I just thought these two clowns assumed that our cash wasn’t good enough… I do not actually enjoy being serve by such ignorant people. So, we stood there amused and watching the floating waiter trying to avoid us.

Another waiter whose it was the first day came to our rescue and showed us to some empty seat. He was much kinder and we really appreciated his manner and care. Hopefully he will never be tainted by the preferential treatment that his colleagues offer to walking clients depending on their skin colour.

Having wasted time waiting to be seated, there was only 30 minutes left for us to eat something before the show and we ordered the cheese platter, a glass of fizzy wine and a glass of Sauvignon blanc. Cost us £35.00. With quality of service received from the young Caucasian male we could not help but give a good tip while thanking him and wishing him good luck in the job.

It goes without saying that I will visit that bar again so that ignorant people like those waiters will get in the habit of treating EVERYONE in the same manner no matter their skin colour.

The concert was great and Aznavour even at 90 years still got it and his voice has not changed at all. His voice fitted really well with the décor of the Hall. I had never hear him live nor seen the hall before… Both were wow! Other than the wine bar incident, I had a great evening…

A bientot!

 

Desperados Mexican - Greewich, London

I am failing to understand what the deal is with some restaurants. You book into a Japanese restaurant and don’t get what you expect. Go to Mexican restaurant hoping to finally taste an authentic chilli con carne, and being served a watery version of the stuff.

So, this nice sunny afternoon I am meeting 5 friends for lunch. We all decided and ordered our meals at the same time.

For starters, I ordered BBQ ribs, 3 of my friends ordered a seafood starter and two other ordered fajitas.



My starters rib

Now this is how our food was delivered: 1 seafood and 1 fajita arrived at the same time. 10 minutes later my BBQ ribs, then another 10 minutes in, the second seafood arrived… that is already 20 minutes since the first seafood was delivered and we are still waiting for the last seafood and fajita to be delivered. We had to remind the waiter that we were waiting for the lasts starters. By the time the last seafood and fajita arrived, 4 of us had already finished their starter… Shocking service! The order wasn’t that complicated, my BBQ ribs could have been delivered last as it was the only one that didn’t have to be done in multiple…

Here is the picture of my BBQ rib… not impressive on presentation nor taste. I can safely guaranty to you that Lidl’s BBQ ribs taste much better than what I was served.



My chilli con Carne

Moving on to the Main meals; I ordered chilli con carne and couldn’t wait for it. I have made this dish many times and thought it was really good. The only place to beat my version was going to be a Mexican restaurant. So, when my food appeared I was really disappointed. It looked like a spaghetti sauce topped with kidney beans. The beans had not absorbed the flavours of the dish and most of them were still whole. I couldn’t taste anything that reminded me that what I was eating was chilli con carne.

The delivery of the mains was much better than the starters with one other faux pas; fearing that one of my friends could be burned by the heat from her plate, the waiter had added another plate underneath it. As she lifted her own plate we were all shocked to realise that the plate underneath was a dirty plate… Goodness me! How does this place remains open since 2002?

We all agreed not to have dessert as we had become a bit suspicious of the cleanliness of the place and decided to leave. We had spent 2 hours and 45 minutes in the restaurants and only consumed two dishes in a place that can contain only about 20 people at a time. On this occasion there were about 3 couples and our group of 5. So, the restaurant wasn’t full and there was no reason for the shabby service and the lack of attention for details.

Few words on Desperados loos; Disconnected to the rest of the décor, Simple, modern & clean.

This isn’t a restaurant that I would recommend, but don’t take my word for it. If you do visit Desperados Mexican on Greenwich church Street, do feel free to report back.

Heee Haaaa!

Abeno Japanese Restaurant - London

Abeno. Museum street. London

 When I hear Japanese restaurant, I can see with my mind eyes a crazy chef cutting raw meats with his machete, rolling and slicing sushi in an open kitchen and me, staring from other side of the room and appreciating the display of skills.

So, I was really excited when I was invited to dinner at Abeno restaurant in Museum Street. I have never been to a Japanese, but I am a big fan of Itsu and Wasabi. My feet always drag me to the branch near house of Fraser in in Victoria Street.

Table setting with cooking plate

Now. I am someone who believes in authenticity. If I go to an Italian restaurant, I expect to be served by Italian, Spanish, French, I expect to be served by someone who understands what is written in the menu and hat puts me at ease. As I walked in Abeno, I was greeted by someone who was not Japanese and had already decided that I will not like it. Even though he was the only non-Asian amongst the staff.

The restaurant was dimly lit and were I was seating, the rooftop was all glass with a view of the flat above the restaurant… really comical as when I lifted my eyes, someone was on the phone on their balcony.

Sat and waiting for our waiter to appear, I started running my hand on the table and that is how I discovered that the silver looking thing on the table was in fact the cooking plate. Question: why is there not a message of caution on these tables? Don’t they know that I could sue them for that?

Abeno staff cooking

The waiter finally came with the menus. My party had vegetarians and meat eaters. Since all 4 of us sat at the same table it occurred to us that all our meals were going to be cooked in front of us on this hot plate. The vegetarian seating near me was submitted to full sight of raw meats and the fumes of same when it was being cooked. Then, it came to cooking his meal, the other side of the plate was used. I am sure that he had some additional flavouring in his meal from the previously cooked meat dish as there was not real separation on the cooking plate.

Having already been disappointed by the fact that there was no sushi theatre and resigned to the fact that I will be stinking of cooked food when I leave theses premises, I limited myself to a simple stir-fried vegetable with some lotus roots. They got my dessert order wrong and gave mine to someone else. Since they had taken so long to serve me. All I wanted to do is pay and leave.

My main meal at Abeno - Safe

The entire restaurant seem to seat north of 40 people and there is only one toilet per gender, which I refrained from using as I had become really suspicious and doubtful.

I ended up spending £24 at Abeno and did not enjoy the food nor the samurai cocktail which I was told was the best... twaddle.

Abeno in Museum Street is nothing less than another version of a Chinese takeaway with food being cooked before you while you are being perfumed with the fumes from the stove/table.

Don’t take my word for it, give it a try and from your own opinion. I didn’t like it, my co-dinners who can’t boil an egg were impressed. Well. Each to their own.

The Reviewer

The Refinery, Southwark Street - London

THE Special offer

Can you see the photo above? Yes! That made me trek out of my town in Surrey onto Southwark on a Sunday afternoon after church!

Sunday afternoons are times to cook warm cosy dishes and chill out watching rubbish TV while desperately wishing that tomorrow wasn’t Monday  (I HATE MODAYS!)

So, as you know two weeks ago I went to the squaremeal event and it is there that I pickup up this leaflet for steak, half lobster, chips and bubbly all for £15.00.


The back entrance

So two friends and I, having reluctantly agreed to meet up and try this offer /this restaurant, we all agreed that the offer indeed would have been a waste not to have been tried it.

I  of course arrived late… Finally finding The Refinery at 110 Southwark street,  Looking from the outside, it seem like the restaurant was empty… weird. As I pulled the door I was thinking “oh my gosh, am I going to eat seafood and mad cow in a restaurant that is empty?”... I had entered by the back door. LOL

The empty side

Luckily, as I entered, it appears that only on side of the restaurant was being used. The Drunchers*, about 40 or 50 of them seem very hip and between 20-45 years old… I really like the look of the customers here. As for the décor of the restaurant, about 90% of the tables and chairs were bear wood, simply decorated with a candle and an actual pot of living herbs at the centre of the table. All around the room, were darted bunches and baskets of fresh fruits & vegetables which created a certain reassurance that all meals prepared were freshly sourced.

I am not a big fan of meat especially in the UK… In France, British meat is referred to as “Vache folle” which means mad cow… Diseased cows. So I have developed this thing in my mind imagining that most red meats carry these gremlins still growing. The only way I have learnt to eat meat in this country it to cook it to deaf in order to kill the gremlins too. The only thing is, cooking beef to deaf means chewy AND I am a very lazy chewer and have therefore kind of parked meats generally.


My food

Having seen this place, I felt reassured that their reputation was important enough not to want to poison me. I then proceeded to order my steak medium rare as part of the above deal with as side some house sundried tomatoes.
What you can see here is what my plate looked like when it was delivered… yes! It as tasted as delicious as it looked! The service was excellent and I ended up spending £25.00.

The only down side to the meal was that the lobster came full of water and nearly drowned the rest of my meal. I suspect the lobsters must have been frozen as the claws were as soft as fish cheekbones… that was minor…

the ladies

Having had to use my finger quite a bit, I needed to get rid of the fishy smells off my hands to avoid the “looks” on the tube, so I visited the ladies… All I can say is that I could have just pulled up a chair and have my food serve there if there was more light! I think that is the first beautiful loos I have encountered so far…

I really recommend The Refinery if ever you find your feet dragging you around Southwark or Blackfriars. I am sure that, even without the special offer you can end up with a feast at your table including drinks!

The refinery provides a great environment for a group of friends and family. There was a baby there when I visited, which was very refreshing to see as it seems the British society likes having children but they are barely accepted or seen in public/convivial spaces as part of the society...
The Refinery get 4.5 out of 5 from me!

Do let me know what you think after your visit!

Ciao!

The Reviewer.