Chilangos; Fleet Street, London

Who would have thought the very first Lab News office in Fleet Street would now be a Mexican eatery?

Since the magazine is celebrating it’s 40th birthday I’ve been doing a bit of research into it’s history – our first office was in Fleet Street; number 142 to be exact. We thought it might be fun to have a poke around there now – a quick search and we reveal it’s now a Mexican – Chilangos. Well, it was only right that we all went for lunch!

I was a bit concerned I might need my sunglasses – images we’d sourced showed lots of lime green and bright pinks, but the place was actually really nice. Its sort of set up like a Subway – you pick what you want and go along the counter while they add what you want. But you can eat in – there are a few benches, so we sat down and tucked in.

I’ve not really ventured into Mexican much – fajitas are about as much as I’ve tried but I went for a burrito…so tasty! Chickens, rice, peppers, tomatoes and cheese…so good.

Prices were fairly expensive – but that could just be the fact we were in Central London. It was well worth the £6ish, and it struck me that something like this would do really well in Croydon!

Well worth a visit if you’re in Central London, but check their website for opening times. They’ve also got a place in Bluewater, so another good spot for a quick lunch!

Las Iguanas; The O2

As a pre-gig treat, hubby and I took my brother and his fiancee to eat at Las Iguanas at the O2; we’d been to the one in Bath so we knew the food would be good but we were actually left  a little disappointed.

While the food was quite tasty, there wasn’t an awful lot of choice – but I suppose a set menu is a good idea for somewhere that is likely to have a large turnover. We all picked fajitas – chicken and my future sister-in-law prawns and opted for a dessert afterward, cheesecake and a chocolate pot for the odd one out! This set us back a hefty £17 each, plus drinks – the total was almost £100.

While we expected the price tag to be quite high, we were left disappointed at the sizable service charge that was added to the bill, particularly when the service was so poor.

We’d arrived at just the right time to get a table – the queue was out the door when we left – but we felt like we constantly under watch. The staff were constantly knocking into us and trying to clear the table before we’d even finished which didn’t make for a very pleasant dining experience.

Pretty good  food, but poor service I’m afraid.

Zizzi’s; Croydon

It’s birthday time and hubby thought he’d take me out for a spot of dinner to celebrate. Our first date way-back-when was at Zizzi’s and since we’d not been back since, we thought it might be nice.

Its a lovely little place away from the hustle and bustle of central Croydon all covered in fairy lights and candles – definitely the place for a romantic dinner out. Shame it’s right next the Croydon Turnaround Centre – no idea what it is but it seemed to be a good spot for cars to turnaround!

Other than that it was a lovely little place and the food was great. We had bruschetta to start which was really tasty followed by pasta. We ended up switching our pastas – I had a chicken and panchetta in a creamy sauce which sounded really tasty but I’m not really one for creamy sauces. Hubby really enjoyed it, and I quite liked  his chicken in tomato sauce with basil.

A bottle of wine and a chocolate dessert and we had ourselves a lovely evening! It was quite quiet when we went – not sure if it would have been as lovely had it been a bit busier, but it certainly made a romantic night out.

Vintage; Croydon

Vintage always looked really nice from the outside;cool and trendy, decorated in dark colours – my kind of place! But its location always struck me as a bit odd – off Surrey Street market just opposite Iceland.

Well it was my sister-in-law’s 30th birthday, and she decided that would be a good place to go. I was quite excited as I’d always wanted to go, but for one reason or another (lack of money/friends/social life!) never quite made it.

The room itself was pretty big, but the bar area seemed really small and didn’t seem to offer a great range of drinks. I asked the barmaid for a white wine spritzer, so she put a tiny bit of lemonade in a wine glass and topped off with wine – which incidentally wasn’t very nice – and proceeded to charge me the earth for it. As an ex-barmaid myself – I know that’s not how you make a spritzer – but I’m guessing it must be a drink people don’t ask for often in there!

After that I switched to bottles – there wasn’t a great range and most people in the group were drinking either Bulmers/Magners or Corona. Towards the end of the evening this started getting warm – they clearly don’t think ahead or about restocking the fridges!

The function room had been booked out downstairs, but we never got to go down there as the staff decided they couldn’t be bothered to open it up. From trips to the loo, it looked really nice – there was another bar and a dance floor – and it would have been so much better to be down there.

(And while we’re on the subject of toilets…one word…minging! Not only did they smell but there were flies everywhere and half the doors didn’t lock!)

Despite all this – we did have a good night; the DJ played some good music, one very-pissed woman provided a lot of entertainment and most importantly my sister-in-law had a good time. I think I’d go back to Vintage, but probably not for an all-nighter.

The Treehouse; Croydon

The Treehouse always looks lovely and sparkly from the outside – but I’d never actually managed to make it inside but the work’s Christmas do was in this pretty Croydon bar this year.

Its far enough away from central Croydon to ensure it’s not full of the usual crowd, but close enough so you don’t have to far to go for the transport links.  And it looks so gorgeous – both inside and out – as it’s covered in fairy lights!  It’s quite an unusual place – big heavy furniture, but modern, mirror inspired fireplaces and did I mention the fairy lights all over the ceiling!

The food was a mixed bag – their soup was over-seasoned and you couldn’t taste anything other than nutmeg.  The main wasn’t bad, and the dessert was lovely, although why spoil a chocolate brownie with a coffee-tasting sauce!?

We didn’t get to sample many of the drinks downstairs, as we were supplied with wine for the table – which incidentally was okay.  We moved upstairs and found a dancefloor – complete with DJ later in the eveing, and a stocked bar full of the usual spirits and bottles of beer.  Everything went in plastic glasses, which for a company meal seemed a bit extreme – but not as extreme as the price.

The drinks were really expensive, as was the food.  I know I wasn’t paying, but for what we had the price seemed quite high -  I know we’re close to London – but this was a bit steep.  When the tab ran out. we had to buy out own drinks, but almost £10 for two drinks defininitely puts me off going there again.

The Ladybird; Caterham

We were lucky enough to be taken to an invitation-only pre-opening Sunday Lunch at The Ladybird pub – a new Marstons opening in Caterham (just opposite the Tesco).

It looks like this is set to be an eating only pub as we were greeted by a waitress as soon as we walked in the door!  From having a quick nose around, it didn’t look like there were many non-eating tables, but there was plenty of standing room at the bar – which happened to serve all the usual beers, cider – which unfortunately I couldn’t sample as I was driving!

The food was really good – nothing like a good Sunday roast, and even better if you don’t have to cook it and wash up afterward.  We had half a roast chicken, with roast and new potatoes and loads of veg – and a scrummy yorkshire pud.  My only criticism was there wasn’t enough gravy!

And, cos it was my birthday, I had to have a chocolate pudding, which was also pretty tasty.  The price wasn’t bad either around £8-9 for dinner and dessert!

We went with my brother- and sister-in-law, and our 2-year-old niece and 4-year-old nephew – who were surprisingly well behaved, and particularly enjoyed the Smarties ice cream after their kiddies roast.

Obviously everything was shiny and new, but it still had a lovely homely feel with comedy and cartoons on the wall, and even a small kids play area for families.  Although it’s a bit of a trek for us, we’ll definitely be going back – it was such a lovely place, with friendly staff and good food.

Roll on tomorrow’s grand opening…

Lloyds No1 Bar; Croydon

I usually steer clear of Lloyds in the evening – it’s full of 12-year-olds dressed in mini skirts and low cut tops (or at least it was last time I went), but during the day it’s a whole different story.

We hit the bar on Friday lunchtime, and headed straight downstairs as it’s bigger and there’s more space to sit. It was really quiet, good if you actually want to sit and have a conversation! There’s loads of big comfy couches to just flop onto and enjoy a gossip.

There are also plenty of beverages to choose from – of course I went for the usual cider (Strongbow) although in black this time! I was tempted by a raspberry sambuca and lemonade though! But there are tonnes of bottled drinks and the usual spirits and beer. There’s also wine on tap – an unusual idea but I guess it’s quicker and possibly colder, although still pretty weird!

Lloyds is pretty cheap, and there are always loads of offers on on both drinks and food, and they do some really good cocktails. They have various ‘club’ nights – curry club, steak club etc offering a meal and a drink at a good price – if only my hubby liked steak and we’d have a good night out!

Clifton Arms; Selhurst

When Crystal Palace are playing a home game, there’s nothing better than a swift pint before heading to the ground, and there’s no where better, or closer, than the Clifton Arms.  Its literally a stone’s throw away from Selhurst Park, and only allows home fans in so there’s never any chance of trouble.

It’s always packed, so I don’t very often make it to the bar – I send in the big boys – and by that I mean Michael and my father-in-law!  They do the usual beers, and spirits etc, and the normal bar snacks.  Obviously I usually stick to the cider, or J2O if it’s been a heavy one the night before!

It has a nice beer garden, although not very accessible for anyone with a buggy or wheelchair as there are lots of steps down.  It does have a few garden tables out the front, and if it’s match day the smell of hot dogs usually comes drifting past as there’s a van parked just out front.

After the swift pint, it’s only a two minute walk up the hill to the Holmesdale End where we usually watch Palace draw, although this week it was Boro and we won 1-0 – come on the Palace!

The Ship; Croydon

Under the same management, but complete different to P&S you’ve got The Ship on the High Street.

Last time I went into The Ship, I had a warm, flat pint of cider, and it was pretty dead! This time around it was looking awesome; decked out with Hallowe’en decorations everywhere, and slightly busier then normal, the pub looked pretty cool! There was blood dripping from the ceilings and cobwebs all over the bar, plus mad scientists and skeletons hanging from the ceiling – they’d made a real effort to get into the Hallowe’en spirit.

Although I didn’t sample the cider this time round (I did have to go back to work afterward) I had quite a nice lunchtime drink with my colleagues. I know it can get a bit goth-esque at the weekend, not that that would put me off, but I’d forgotten what a nice pub this is, and although it doesn’t show any football I might even drag my hubby in there one weekend for a swift pint!

The Orchard; Croydon

From the minute I moved to Croydon, I was always warned not to go anywhere near The Orchard in Cherry Orchard Road, in East Croydon. Apparently it had quite a bad reputation, and the bar is segregated, with regulars on the left, and everyone else on the right.

To some extent this is still true, for example, when Micky and I headed for the door on the left, the guy outside smoking gave us a funny look. But our friends, plus a few others were in that side, eagerly awaiting the start of the football. We ordered two pints, which were a bit pricey, as just got on with it. The channel broadcasting the football was Czech – no idea why but commentary was in English so we didn’t mind!

The left side of the bar is pretty run down, the seats are tatty, but there’s a pool table, darts board and a duke box. It’s not always open that side, I guess it’s hard work watching two bars if its a quiet night.

The right hand side is a bit less tatty, again has a big screen tv and exit out into a garden. This seems smaller than the other, probably because it’s full of tables and chairs, but again if the football’s on it’s not really noticeable.

I have to admit I don’t really like the pub – the regulars give you funny looks, and it can seem like quite a hostile, unwelcoming environment, not one of the places I would choose to go if was given the option (hubby dragged me there last time).