Roland "RolyMo" H.'s Profile

Yeah, This great.

It's certainly great to see a vibrant sushi restaurant in Portsmouth albeit the Yo! Susgi chain.

Having been to lots in London (Harvey Nichol's, Soho, Islington, etc) many years ago, its great to see this formula for sushi being introduced.

Once you chomp into the califonia rolls you suddenly realise that the stuff the put in the sandwich section of your local supermarket just do not come close to freshly made sushi.

We managed to get a booth where you have water taps to top up your glasses, a button to as for assistance and order some food. and lots of condiments to add to your selection.

You sit next to a conveyor belt and simple take what you fancy from the conveyor belt. At the end your meal they tot up the total and you get the bill.

Brilliant idea.

Food - 4/5 Fresh, ok so they are not killing the fish on site. But its pretty
Service - 5/5 Excellent. From the moment you walk in to the end you are looked after. Even the chef is friendly when he serves you your special orders.
Value for money - 4/5 Look out for the deals. The are plenty. We used vouchercloud to get 40% off. But go to their website and create a free account to get some discounts.

Overall 4.5/5 Love it. Brilliant, Portsmouth own taste of Japan.

A birthday treat from my wife, found us both in Jamie Olivier's latest opening of his Italian chain in Gunwharf Quays.

With warnings from friends in the past month that the restaurant is mobbed and with long waits I set my expectations low.

Walking in on a Friday night just before 8pm without a reservation we were told a 50min wait and were given a pager to alert us to when the table was ready. Thus giving us time to settle down in the bar and have some apperitifs.

The place is rustic. I thought as first he was going to be styling it like a rustic Italian farmhouse, but that was not the case as it looked much more industrial with cranes and winches in areas of the restaurant. However big thick wooden bar's with mosaic flooring in the bar looked a bit farmhouse.

50mins later we get taken to our seats. The place was packed. As we were led through to our seats you pass the kitchen which has been designed to be on view. Hanging from the ceiling are big cured hams which are being used for the planks of mixed dried meat platters.

The place can take approx 250 covers and every seat was taken. A great place for people watching as their was every type of person in there. From couples on first time dates, introduce the parent type dates and girl parties etc.

The menu is simple, well priced (nothing more than buying a burger in TGI Fridays) and  easy to understand. I found the only problem is which platter you want as a starter.

Drinks were on the slightly pricier side, but then you are getting quality beverages.

Staff appear to know what they are talking about and appear enthusiastic in telling you about the specials, even though they have done it a hundred times. Having had Jamies pal (and I am guessing business associate) Gennaro Contaldo come down and train them up up.

So breaking it down:-

Service - 4 out of 5. Be prepared to wait for food. But the staff are great.
Food - 4 out of 5. Simple, great flavours. Polenta chips and the Olives on ice are a real hit.
Price - Using my TGI Fridays rule, you can dine here cheaper than buying a burger at Fridays. Starters are £4-7, Mains top out at £14-15.
Experience - 4 out of 5 - Its great if you like hustle and bustle, it adds to the excitement. However the 50 minute wait to get a table and then slight delay's in food coming out in time just detract a little from a great experience.

Would I go back? Yep of course. I am keen to try the cured meats that were hanging.

As a weekend treat and because the wife is a fan of Mr Dermott (not that we expect him to have any decisions on the food) we booked and went along to Fishy Fishy.

A great location and lovely building that adds to the magic of The Lanes district of Brighton.

The decor is simple, rustic but stylish.
The menu, was not bad. It was simple presentation of the main food subjects with a simple flavour twist.

Downsides we felt:
1. It was just a tad on the pricey side
2. Our particular waiter was really enthusiastic about telling us about the choices, and did not really sell it to us (when asked about the whole crab)
3. At one point the noise of other dinners was deafening, but that was a minor thing.

Plus points, we were on the top floor. Each floor has a toilet, which is good as the stairs are windy.

Overall. the experience was ok. I would probably not go back, but try one of the other local fish restaurants that were in the immediate area.

Using the iPhone app I managed to find this restaurants and based on the reviews I managed to have a couple of tapas dishes washed down with some cool bottled beer.

Was it worth it? Blimey yes. forget formalities this is a great fun place to hang out and have fun with friends and family.

The staff have personalities and are very animated. The food is piping hot and very flavoursome. A real down to earth tapas restaurant with no pretention.

If you can, I recommend it thoroughly. I only wish I could have spent more than 45mins in the place.

Well recommended.

Not a great experience today. Looked like waitress service (I could see waitresses taking orders) in the restaurant bit, but no waitress attended (even in the time I went to order at the bar no waitress attended). Went to the bar to order food and 3 other people got served first even though they arrived after me. Then a grumpy "are you waiting to be served" from the staff member took my order. Followed by being told that none of the kids drinks on the menu were available, only lemonade or cola, they had no straws, and no kids drawing packs. The server had to check each time if they had the straw and kids drawing pack.

Sit down wait, wait, wait. Waitress then comes over 20mins later to tell us that they dont have any kids spag boll. Surely the bar staff taking the food order could have told me that when I ordered.

Listen I could rant lots more. I was on a 1hr lunch break it was it in between christmas and new year. But if you cannot get some basic serving skills, politeness, communication skills and serving to the capacity of the dining area, DO NOT bother serving food. You will give yourself a bad reputation.

The only saving grace for this place is that it is lively in the evening. But the side affect is that it takes a while to get served. There is no efficiency and the staff are generally miserable and not enjoying their job.

I get better service, better beer in the cheaper Wetherspoons pub 20 metres down the road

This Barber is great for me.
Based in the business district of Whiteley it is a no frills service.

A mens cut is approx £10.

They are attentive and will offer advice should you want it.

Phone before you want to get there, to check what the queue is like, as it is a first come first served basis.

Try and avoid 12-1pm as this tends to be when the local business guys have their lunch break and this can add time to the wait.

I have not been here for a while.

But I used to go quite regularly.

What I liked about the menu was that it was different, from all other town based oriental restaurants. The ingredients were a little more exotic, yet the price was not overly too expensive. Stuff like Lobster, crab and scallops would not be uncommon, and would taste fantastic oriental style.

I had times where we could talk to the waiter and suggest the type of food likes and he would get chef to create some dishes based on that.

In which case you could rate the staff as going that extra mile for customer service.

This is one of 2 restaurants I would go to on West Street without hesitation.

I use the Fareham Leisure Centre occasionally for going to the Sauna and having a swim.

I used to use it often 20 years ago. It is now a pleasant, professional place which seems to pride itself with getting the gen pop fit.

Good prices on membership. Well worth a look at, especially if you are getting dis-enfranchised by expensive private gym's which are not so private.

I visited Vatika a good while back for my mothers birthday treat. I personally had not head of the celebrity chef, but had heard that a new and trendy restaurant was opening up in Wickham.

Located on the the Wickham Vineyard the restaurant has a clean and uncluttered feel to it. However not too clinical.

Service was good not too eager but not too laid back.

The menu was out of this world, witht he focus on fine dining with soem excitement. Some of the menu choices will not sound up peoples street and the portions may look a little on the small side. But let me assure you it all works out fabulously.

If I was in the mood for another fine dining experience that is local to me I would certainly entertain this as a serious choice.

So Saturday just gone (28th March) I found myself with my wife in Winchester without kids and staying with friends and a table booked at 8pm at The Black Rat in Winchester.

So this looks like it was a pub but now is a rustic/minimalist restaurant serving posh nosh.

The restaurant was full, lively and I guess cool. We ordered booze of the bubbly kind so my mind was not on top form from the outset. But...... the whole experience was pretty good. Just as well we were a little tipsy as the bill was quite high (probably the aperitifs).

So the menu. Cool. a choice of approx 8 starters including oysters. Mains approx 8-10 to choose from and deserts 6-8 to choose from. I had some sort of posh duck pate with slices of smoked duck, and a main of lamb. Dessert was the killer for me and I by far chose the best one which was little sponge blobs which you dip in warmed honey. There is a posh name but due to jet lag I cannot remember. Suffice to say I was having to share mine with everyone else.

Wine menu was very cool. Not cheap but not toooooo pretentious and had some good choices and not going silly.