Randomness Guide to London

Welcome back after a long bank holiday weekend (unless you were freelancing, in which case I suppose weekends don't make much difference).



This week's featured article is Sai Mantra, IG2 6HW, an Indian/Sri Lankan restaurant with some Indo-Chinese dishes too, in easterly Gants Hill. It's a bit nice inside, and does a chilli mogo starter you may just want to keep eating.

One new article is Patisserie Joie de Vie in (High) Barnet. Get your bakery and crepe/galette needs sorted if you're out this way.

Finally, an update to The Butcher's Arms, a pub also out that way. It's all nicely refurbished, but you may be listening to sport at a higher volume than is ideal. (I'll let you decide what constitutes an ideal volume for sport.)

I'm back-back-back from my holidays to take over update duties from Kat.



The featured article this week is the imaginatively named Food House, W1D 5QH, which we can confirm does indeed offer food. But perhaps instead you should call it 風味食堂. In fact, it's Northern Chinese and Sichuanese food, moved from that bit of Charing Cross Road currently being refurbished. The food was a mixed affair -- check the review for more details -- but the Chinese 'hamburger' was considered rather good at the most recent visit, and the service is friendly.

Lots of new articles, many of them in Tooting. Those that aren't are a relaxed Italian in Covent Garden, Wildwood Kitchen, and the Clapham Junction branch of We Brought Beer beer shop (we added their Balham branch recently). Moving onto those Tooting outlets, we have: Apollo Banana Leaf (a meaty Sri Lankan); Dosa n Chutny (a South Indian cafe); Gourmet (a Pakistani bakery/sweet shop); Pooja Sweets and Savouries (an Indian sweet shop); and Tooting Daily Fresh Naan, which will sort you out for all yr naan needs (though watch out for the hygiene rating).

There are updates to The Lyceum Tavern and The Edgar Wallace, both on or near the Strand.

Sadly, plenty of reported closures too, most of them pubs as noted in the London Drinker magazine: All Bar One by London Bridge ('redeveloped'); Costa Dorada on Hanway Street; The Fox Reformed in Stoke Newington (renamed); The Gilpin's Bell Edmonton Wetherspoons pub; The Man in the Moon Stanmore 'Spoons; Mela (an Indian on Shaftesbury Ave); The North Pole in Islington (renamed); The Queen's Head in Mitcham; The Widow's Son pub in Bow.

We've heard that Mum's House (a Burmese grocery, not literally your mum's house, unless your mum is Burmese and runs a grocery shop) has moved from Wood Green to Tottenham.

The Misty Moon in High Barnet is now called The Butchers Arms.

Finally, Adams Cafe in Croydon has reopened, for your London Road greasy spoon needs.

This week's featured article is a Sri Lankan/South Indian restaurant in Croydon, Spiceland, CR0 2TE.

Nothing else is new on the site except for a reopening, of The Manor Arms, a Good Beer Guide pub in Clapham.

For those with an interest in RGL, you might like to do some updating this week, as kake is off in Oxford so is unlikely to be making many London changes!