Restaurant Review - Fire and Stone (Covent Garden)

the family went to this restaurant last night. we went early 5.30pm and though we didnt have a booking we got a seat quite easily. the front of house was really pleasant and efficient. the table we got was good for the five of us but from there the experience went down dramatically.

the service was crap. Everyone in our section experienced the same. there were not enough people serving and you had to specifically ask someone or catch someone's eye to get any kind of service. the drink service was slow (they could have sold twice as many drinks if they were more efficient). the food service was slow, but the food when delivered at the table was tasty (4 out of 5 meals) and the serve sizes though not large were ok for 1 person.

in the end it cost us 60 pounds for 5 people but i did not pay the service fee (no service - no pay). I filled in the customer feedback form - not that i expect that will make any difference. I saw one of the service people look at one and bin it.

If you want a reasonably tasty pizza (and that is all they serve) at about 8 - 10 pounds a piece but crap service this might be the restaurant for you. but we wont be back.

the overall score - 4 out of 10

Christmas - London 2009

Xmas has come and gone. Everyone got some lovely presents and we all enjoyed some great food and some wine and beer. overall it was a fantastic day which i am sure will be remembered for a long time. It was lovely to share a wine and some cheese with Ron B and his friend Cathy who i am sure wondered where she had come to.

here are a couple of photos from the day:

merry xmas and happy new year

Greetings of the season to all who come to visit. May santa be good to each and everyone of you.

there is not much snow where we are living but there have been some pretty good falls across the UK. I took these photos in Reading on Tuesday this week.

5 days to Xmas

time is now closing fast. spent yesterday with Sue and Ash looking for some presents. specifically a present for Sue. Shopped down New and Old Bond Street - well worth a visit.

Had a lovely lunch in Zizzi's (Covent Garden) with Kathy and Mal. great food, good company and some fine wine.

Went to visit Georgia at Snow and Rock, bought some gloves - hands are getting cold, now the weather has gotten to around zero.

Today Sue and I went to Tottenham Court Road and then to the Borough Markets. Successful day, new TV and Blue Ray DVD player (tottenham court road) and we got a "stuffed turkey" (turkey duck and pheasant) along with some other bits and pieces.

I was trying to declutter my (our) lives but its interesting as i keep finding new stuff to acquire. i (we) need a much smaller space or a much smaller budget.

I still havent sorted the main Xmas present though so the clock is running down.

an update

again apologies to anyone who comes here looking for pearls of wisdom (or anything in fact) as i have been busy.

given that is my world i intend to a quick romp through the last few weeks:

• work - bloody busy
• home life - interesting (surrounded by women) and also quite busy
• Xmas - its coming and i am not ready
• Travel - everyday. now spend about 2 hours a day commuting, up from 30 mins total in Perth (its not all bad)
• food - variable. some of the restaurants and pubs are crap and relatively expensive. BUT we have a couple of favourites in Balham (indian room, Gurkhas). outside of Balham we have had pretty good food in Zizzi's and another Italian restaurant on Strand (name to come)
• weather - it is what it is. we have had the first real cold day since we arrived here and it actually snowed today (it was a pretty poor first effort but it was a reminder of what might be coming)
• attitude - it varies. you have to find your own because things go wrong
• recreation - not much except walking to and from station is about the sum of it

ok so now some insights:

London is a wonderful city - everywhere you turn it has something to offer. it is so alive all the time. the choices are immense, the options endless.

the underground - never let anyone ever tell something is full ever again. I got into a full train the other day and felt like a sardine. at the next stop 4 people got in behind me (if you want to go somewhere you PUSH) and then at the next stop the same happened again (oh, and some people still had room to read a paper). i stood looking around the carriage looking for where the airspace was and then trying to work out how you could fit another 20 people into the carriage (its possible if you get horizontal above everyone's head).

the underground stations - some are a pleasure and some are a real pain.

walking on the footpath - there is no rule. you must take a position and hold it. you must be prepared to BUMP here as everyone else seems to be prepared to bump you.

Money - you need to stop converting. it also helps if you come with a shit-load so it is not a daily problem (if you can)