ASK, Muswell Hill

ASK

Muswell Hill Broadway








I opted to send this email whilst I was sitting at the restaurant with a beautiful young lady. I never use my phone at the table as my mother taught me that this was rude. However this day at Ask, Muswell Hill had to be an exception;

My email to Ask's Customer service:

I have been waiting exactly 28 minutes for my drinks order at your restaurant on Muswell Hill!
Only as I got up to leave did the manager decide to chase me, and then he brought my order!
As I sit in this restaurant, I can tell you that you have 28 customers and only two tables have food! The customers next to us tell me that they have been waiting for 45 minutes for their food!
The waitress has informed me she is the only waitress this evening and to be in for a long wait as their is only one chef! [this is rather odd as its 8pm on a Thursday]
It has now been 45 minutes since I placed my initial order!
In 15 minutes I shall be leaving, obviously paying for food which I strongly believe will not arrive.
You are very lucky to be on a street whereby you have no competition!

You have lost my patronage and I have lucked out on this evenings date! For being so rude on my phone
Best regards,

Guess what reply I received almost a week later? Was it an apology? Nope not at all this is what I recieved;

Dear Mr [Gumjoy]
Thank you for your letter regarding your visit to one of our restaurants.
Please could you confirm which restaurant you visited so I can forward your letter to the appropriate Operations Manager for investigation.
Many Thanks

WHAT? Confirm which restaurant I visited? Hello??? Did you even read my email. I say in the first line "your restaurant on Muswell Hill". At this point it has been almost a week and i am not that bothered. I ate my meal and the date ended up being successful, so I simply replied;

As stated earlier; MUSWELL HILL. Thanks for reading my email.

Finally a week later I received an apology;

Thank you for your email dated [two weeks ago], which has been passed to me following your visit to our Muswell Hill restaurant.
I was disappointed to read of the poor service you received on your visit, specifically the lack of attentiveness shown by the team, and the long wait you endured without communication from the Manager on Duty which resulted in further delays to you receiving your order.
All feedback is taken seriously, and I have investigated your comments with General Manager. I can assure you that the service you received was not indicative of our normal service standards, and appropriate action is being taken with the team on duty.
In addition, I am personally reviewing the staffing structure and recruitment needs to ensure that we can achieve the service and food standards we pride ourselves on.
On this occasion we have let you down, and by way of recompense, I would like to invite you back to ASK in Muswell Hill for a complimentary meal for two, to restore your faith in our service. If you are happy to accept, then please contact me directly on 07789 653479 and I will be happy to make a booking for you at a time and date convenient.
Thank you again for taking the time to write to us, and in the mean time if there is anything I can do to help, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely

Can you guess who sent this email? A P.A. to someone called Spencer. I am sorry but if a personal assistant is looking into the "staffing structure and the recruitment needs" I really wont be returning even if my next meal is free. Further they want me to send them an email before hand!!! I am pretty damn sure if I did that then my next pizza will be having some extra ingredients.

Come on Ask. Send me a coupon I can use at the end of the meal. Despite all this your deserts are pretty damn good, despite the fact you charge 2/3 the price of a main course.


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Broadway Café & Sandwich Bar

Broadway Café & Sandwich Bar
My breakfast place of choice.

The food is rather good. The name Broadway Cafe and Sandwich Bar seems a little much, this place is simply a greasy spoon. To be fair the breakfast here is good and I strongly recommend you get the chips, beans, eggs and bacon.

The portions are small. The plates are tiny. They load up the plate so at first you are given the impression you have a lot of food but this is simply not the case. Next up is the grumpy old Italian who takes your order and your money. There is nothing special about this place. If you live within walking distance then give this place a try for breakfast.

1. How was the food? 7/10
   
2. How was the service? 6/10
   
3. Speed of service? 8/10
   
4. Restaurant atmosphere? 5/10

Total: 27/40


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Pizza Express, Muswell Hill

Pizza Express
Muswell Hill

Its 8pm on a Sunday. I am not too fused about where to go. I just need food in my belly quick (i get really moody if i dont eat) the girlfriend isnt too fused either, as long as she can down a bottle of red wine on the cheap she is happy.

So the perfect option. Pizza Express. As the name suggests its going to be express and express was exactly what we encountered.

The rather cute waitress plowed through the crowded restaurant, plonked us in a corner and before we had time to take our coats off let alone sit down she insisted we made our drinks order. No time to browse the wine menu i simply said; "cheapest bottle of red, thankkkk...." before i could say "thank you" she was gone. At first i thought this to be super rude, but then i realised this was great. I did not have to read a wine menu, pretend to know what i am reading and then pay X amount of pounds for something which tastes i am pretty much sure to be the same stuff as the cheapest thing on the menu, after all this, it is pizza EXPRESS.

BOOM. The bottle of red is on the table just as we take off our coats. BISH "are you ready for your order". "We need menus", "oh right". I could go on about how i was rushed.... but that gets boring fast.

What really annoyed me about Pizza Express is how i asked for a tea with lemon. The waitress rushes back to the table with my tea but with milk instead. She tells me that they have no lemons? "NO LEMONS? Are you serious", "yes we have no lemons, but you can have milk". "MILK? But i want lemons, I cant have dairy, im allergic", "well tough, you will just have to do without". WOW. Being rushed is one thing but being answered back is another.

So of course i demand see the manager. BUT he stank. You would think working in a restaurant as a manager would afford you a lifestyle where you can first shower, and on certain days use some deodorant.

All in all the meal was average at best. My dough balls came with a soup of butter instead of proper butter, despite all the running of the waitress the butter was completely melted.

But in conclusion i had a coupon which entitled me to ten pounds of if i spent 30. so the whole meal, bottle of wine, starter, two main courses and dessert was just 25pounds. AND for that i will return despite all the shoddyness i received but only if i have another coupon.

1. How was the food? 6/10
   
2. How was the service? 2/10
   
3. Speed of service? 8/10
   
4. Restaurant atmosphere? 4/10

Total: 20/40


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Casa sa Sorga

Casa sa Sorga
4 Ferdinand St
London
NW1 8ER
CAMDEN TOWN



I was walking around the Camden Market area when I cam across a very bright yellow Brazilian restaurant called Casa Da Sogra.

At first I was not expecting much in terms of quality of food based on the small size of the restaurant and the terrible chairs and tables they used. But the staff were really friendly and I was plesantly surprised when the food did arrive.

The food is good. Not fantastic but good. I recommend you try 'Feijoda' which is a traditional Brazilian dish which combines black beans with pork and orange is some sort of sauce.

If you do find yourself in Camden town and want to try something different then this is the place for you. If you have an interest in the Brazilian community in the UK and or simply want to discover more about the Brazilian culture then you must give this place a try.

But remember to bring your sunglasses
Its super bright inside from the sunflower table clothes to the Brazilian flags, even the drinks are bright. If you are feeling dull and need to brightened up give Casa da Sogra a chance.

1. How was the food? 6/10
   
2. How was the service? 6/10
   
3. Speed of service? 6/10
   
4. Restaurant atmosphere? 8/10

Total: 26/40

Getting here: The nearest tube is actually Chalk Farm but it is still an easy walk from Camden Town

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Olive

Olive
10 Hornsey High St, London N8 7PB

First of all its incredibly cheap. Has fantastic coffee and fantastic hot chocolate. The portions are HUGE, and once again I must reiterate how cheap it is.

HOWEVER, this family run restaurant has two major flaws. First is their manager/wife/mother of the restaurant. At first you enjoy the attention you receive, you are always fell welcomed but there is just so many times you can stand her touching your hair or shouting your name across the restaurant. Secondly despite their food being rather good quality its all "fart food". I have had this conversation with my brother. We just don't understand what they do or how they cook the food but whatever you eat, be it the breakfast or the lamb shish you walk out leaving a trail of smell!

Despite this all, gumjoy does recommend that you give Olive a try. My personal favourite is the lamb shish. Give it a try. But please note they close at 6pm. So head down there for lunch.

1. How was the food? 6/10
   
2. How was the service? 5/10
   
3. Speed of service? 7/10
   
4. Restaurant atmosphere? 7/10

Total: 25/40

Cyber Snack Cafe

CYBER SNACK CAFE
316 Park Road, N8

A cute little cafe which doubles a little Internet Cafe. Its a small intimate little place with just 4 computers but also providing wifi access. A little more expensive than your regular internet cafes at £1.50 per hour but completely worth the price. The computers are new. The whole place is clean and tranquil and the food is resonibly priced if not a little limited.

All in all a lovely little internet cafe with good little cakes.
Actually the best internet cafe i have even been too.

A Gumjoy recommendation.

1. How was the food? 5/10
   
2. How was the service? 8/10
   
3. Speed of service? 8/10
   
4. Restaurant atmosphere? 8/10

Total: 29/40

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Green Cottage

Green Cottage.

9 New College Parade
London
020 7722 7892
NW3 5EP

By far one the best Chinese restaurants on the planet.

Maybe I am a little biased because I have been coming to this restaurant before I was even born. This restaurant has been a favourite amongst my family for the past 30 years. This family run business does not true to hard with their sparse decorations on the walls.

You can tell this is an amazing Chinese restaurant the moment you walk in. If you walk into a restaurant and you are surrounded by Chinese people and I am not talking about the staff you know you are in a good place. This is probably because the service is fast, you never have to wait more than 10 minutes and most importantly the food is delicious.

More reviews available at Gumjoy.com

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Sable d’or, Musewell Hill

Sable d’or, Musewell Hill

(* 1STAR)
Not a good experience. I don’t recommend it

I will not put the address and I will not place a map of the location of this restaurant as it was such a bad experience

I was fooled when walking past into thinking this was a cute independent bakery/ restaurant which will have nice little pastries, organic ingredients and an all round healthy experience.
I was fooled good. The menu was limited and for good reason. I opted for the Caesar salad whereas my dining partner opted for a crepe with strawberries and bananas. How wrong can you go with a Caesar salad? Well let me tell you- It was terrible. Some bits of chicken were raw. I was given the centre of the iceberg salad- you know the hard inedible section. The parts of the chicken which were edible were tasteless and ended up crumbling when you put your fork into them.

Now onto the ambience. When you walk into the restaurant it looks great, and they have you at the door. Once you make your way into the restaurant it all falls apart. From the creased lamintated menus to the loud fighting cooks in the back we should have guessed that this was not going to be great experience. The restaurant doubles as an art gallery!! Which is a surprise to me as it seems to me that the owners want to maximise their profits by possibly renting out their wall space for a few extra quid. The “art gallery” was simply three prints hanging on the wall.

All in all. I was really disappointed with Sable d’or. I will never return.

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Fulushou, Casino at the Empire, Leicester Square

Fulushou, Casino at the Empire, Leicester Square
Surprisingly good. Shockingly good value.
(***3 Stars)

We went to Fulushou rather late at 11.00pm. We decided to go to this restaurant within the casino to avoid the craziness which is Leicester square in the late evening. We were hungry and were pleasantly surprised to find a restaurant with a rather comprehensive range of Asian food open 24hours.

The restaurant was full even at this late hour. The service was rather crappy with the two waitresses having a full out fight in the middle of the restaurant but this only contributed to an entertaining night.

Now onto the food. The teriyaki beef was cooked to perfection and at just £9.50 it is great value. Maybe a little on the small side but all together it was great.

I highly recommend this restaurant if you find yourself feeling a little peckish after a night out in the Leicester square area or after a late film. I wouldn’t recommend you choose this restaurant to start your night out as it has very little ambience.

But all together the restaurant gets a Gumjoy recommendation

Click here to visit their website.
Click here to download their menu