London Restaurant Guides - The Best Guide?

[Jon Tseng]

Something I don't like in websites, it is when they start censoring reviews (not offensive). Then if they don't answer to requests or some sort of question, even worth.

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clearly a newcomer to the wild world of egullet

welcome by the way, kind, and apologies for being so brusque earlier. hope you have a fun time in eG. most of us are all very nice, apart from batter old curmudgeons like me

whats so good about this italian joint anyhow? always nice to have a covent garden rec... the space between chinatown/bloomsbury and clerkenwell/smithfield always seems to be something of a culinary black hole...

l8tr

J

[kind]

Thanks for the welcome jon,

I am new and hope to make my little contribution to this forum.

About the Italian Joint I mentioned, there is nothing special. Only that it is the only place in Soho where you can eat Italian food for under £ 15.00 and it is still run by an Italian (Done so the last 30 years same owner).

[GastroChick]

Hi

I am new to this forum.

Personally I always check the restaurant by using the internet, I like the Guardians food site and also the Times. I rarely trust London Eating anymore because the reviews are usually so subjective- usually I rely on word of mouth from friends or fellow bloggers/forums

GastroChick

[camp_dick]

I do wish Hardens would finish the major upgrade they've been promising for so long.

Edited March 3, 2006 by camp_dick (log)

[thom]

Evening everybody.

On the whole, I use Hardens when I'm in the Metropolis. I like their 'top to toe' approach (haute cuisine to back street curry houses), I find their (well, the eating public's) opinions a good pointer (and uniquely they're also on the ball across the UK) and the book's dinky little size means it fits neatly in my briefcase.

Well, it does!

I occasionally use Time Out as its not bad for London, but their attempted UK guide was appallingly out of date, unbalanced and badly researched.

GFG, Michelin and AA are just for checking who's got what the day they get published. For serious dining I find personal reports from eGullet etc of much more use. Surely nobody reallys carries those chunky 'serious' guides round and suddenly says, whilst flicking through the 'G's on the tube says 'Ohhh... Gordon Ramsay Hospital Road, that sounds good...'.

Do they?

Cheers

Thom

Edit: To stress that "flicking through the 'G's on the tube" is not in any way, shape or form a euphemism, though re-reading it again it probably should be.

Edited March 5, 2006 by thom (log)

[CarolineLD]

I bought the Time Out guide a few years ago, used it once, and have never touched it since! I found a great-looking restaurant, we got there and it had closed down. Flicked through again, found somewhere not too far away, and walked on to it; it had changed hands (seemingly some little while before, although the guide was only a few months old). Gave up and went into the first hopeful-looking place instead.

Harden's is probably my most-used print guide, but I do tend to use the internet more and more.

[camp_dick]

Didn't somebody say that Time Out is going to discontinue its Eating & Drinking guide? I find TO is chiefly of historical interest, for anoraks who like to survey the evolution of the London scene, rather than punters lookiing for somewhere to have dinner. The accuracy of any old fashioned print guide, published annually, is largely determined by its reviewing budget and, even then, you need a small task force of reliable inspectors to get around. The accuracy of a Zagat-style survey depends upon the size of the sample and I *believe* Hardens has more contributors and fewer of them are trench coated corporate drones (who are not to be trusted!). Providing accurate, up to date restaurant information is surely one app. that's perfectly suited to the interweb, but has yet to be satisfactorily essayed, despite numeropus contenders (I quite like Urban Path). Time Out's internet ventures have been consistently crap over more than a decade! Zagat's London web site looks like a forlorn backwater. Likesay, I wish the Harden Bros would get their act together online.

Edited March 6, 2006 by camp_dick (log)

[RichardHarden]

Just to say, sorry guys, but the new and improved Harden's website really is coming very soon.

The real division in the restaurant guide world is between the inspector-driven guides and the the 'populist' ones. What's really funny is when people get all pompous about the supposedly self-evident superiority of the former.

Many of the people who participate in our survey are older, more experienced and better-travelled than your typical restaurant inspector, and our reviews are typically based on the consensus from dozens, perhaps hundreds, of reports annually from such people. I have never understood how such reviews are likely to be inferior to those based on occasional visits (often less than one per establishment per year) by the 'professional' inspectors, who are credited by the faithful with almost supernatural powers.

[Andy Lynes]

I like and use Harden's a lot and have sent in my 20 or so reviews to it for the last few years. However, I do think there is still room for a detailed guide like GFG that is more geared towards "serious" diners, although its puritanical emphasis on the cooking (it's called the "Good Food Guide" and not the "Good Restaurant Guide" after all) in its reports at the expense of service, atmosphere and wine is a serious flaw.

[Janie]

I look at all of the guides but mainly stick to The Which Guide.

We have our own restaurant and hotel and are thrilled to be included in it as it means that several people recommended us before they even came review us (which they do anon.). The Time Out guide seems 'dazzled' by hip and high profile places and I have been let down on several occasions, booking way in advance and spending a fortune on a mediocre meal with crappy service.

[Andrew Chalk]

I am looking to a guide to pubs based on their food. Something that is as rigorous and reliable about the food as CAMRA's guide is about the beer.

It may be that a general restaurant guide (e.g. The Good Food Guide) is better than a pub-specific guide. I don't know.

Many thanks.

[malcolmwilliamson]

I often use the Good Pub Guide.

You can roadtest it online at http://www.goodguides.co.uk/pubs/search.asp before committing to buying the book.

[Gary Marshall]

that's the one to go for, i was amazed how many people do follow it religously when we had our place it was probably our biggest source of recommendations. it is quite food oriented.

Edited December 4, 2007 by Gary Marshall (log)

[Andrew Chalk]

Thanks! That looks useful.

[CalumC]

The Which Pub Guide is great, had a look at that one before.

[adey73]

Worzel,

I bet if you're coming to the UK you'll be staying in the South?

However if you head North to the lake district say, I really, really recommend this place http://www.highwaymaninn.co.uk

I was there today took the folks again. It was amazing as usual great service & food.

The best cheese shop in the UK is in kirkby lonsdale too. http://www.churchmousecheeses.com

head North, you won't regret it.

Edited December 4, 2007 by adey73 (log)