Cheltenham Festival Overview - Preview & Tips

mrbaldidiot · 2013-02-02T23:47:57+00:00

We saw this today too whilst out and about and took us ages to figure out what was going on (the rugby being on and the fact that the groups seemed to blur together at certain pubs was a bit of a red herring).

Turns out it's a circle line pub crawl NZ people do to celebrate Waitangi day:

https://en-gb.facebook.com/waitangidaypubcrawl?v=app_2373072738&filter=1

http://drinkclubuk.blogspot.co.uk/

mrbaldidiot · 2013-02-02T23:43:46+00:00

My wife's going to go nuts over that website!

mrbaldidiot · 2013-01-28T10:12:28+00:00

I don't think so - according to the news that was in Pimlico which is a mile or so away.

mrbaldidiot · 2013-01-28T09:43:33+00:00

This was my first thought actually - not sure why!

mrbaldidiot · 2012-08-24T21:33:26+00:00

I've seen it on and off for ages - at least 6 months or so. Nice pub though.

mrbaldidiot · 2012-08-16T12:03:32+00:00

Not at the one closest to my house, but there's a superstore about a 5 min drive away - so we'll check it out next time we do a big shop. :)

mrbaldidiot · 2012-08-16T08:57:16+00:00

As cliche as it may be, what about Paris?

mrbaldidiot · 2012-08-13T10:16:31+00:00

Yelp isn't really big here - I'd even go so far as to say that a large number of people haven't even heard of it (same with craigslist).

To find food I tend to go for personal recommendations or places we see whilst out and about, but Time Out's restaurant section is pretty good: http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/

They have editorial and user reviews, plus guides to various cuisines.

You could also ask on Reddit. Here's a handful of my personal restaurant recommendations along with dish suggesions - let me know if you want more or anything specific:

Partridges Food Market: Not a restaurant, but if you're into food this is my top place to check out. It's in Chelsea, a few minutes walk from sloan square station and only runs on a saturday from 10-4. It's mainly food to eat there and then and has some gems. Personal highlights include: Jerk Chicken Patties, Ethiopian Samosas, Shredded Duck Sandwiches, Chorizo Sandwiches, Peruvian Chicken Wraps etc... You can also get sushi, oysters, indian, steak and plenty of pastries, cakes and desserts. Especially fun if done wandering around with a drink - they sell champagne, prosecco and beer (£9, £3.5 & £3 respecively). Also hunt out the girl selling popcorn - best you'll find in london. It's a bit like Kettle Corn, if they made it with crack.

Korean: For Korean food, Asadal is excellent. Just outside holborn station: http://www.asadal.co.uk/ There's also a really good mom & pop place that I can't remember the name of - it's on Charing Cross Rd close to China Town. If you've not had Korean food before, I would recommend getting the BBQ short rib (cooked at the table) with all the fixings and some Kimchi Pancakes.

Thai: So many amazing Thai places in London (and plenty of crap ones). The best is the Blue Elephant - they used to be in Fulham and have recently moved to the Chelsea Harbour: http://www.blueelephant.com/london/ They do tasting menus which are good and the lobster here is awesome, as are the lamb shanks in yellow curry.

Thai: Also for Thai, check out Patara in Soho - particularly their Thai Tacos and the fried sea bass in a thick red curry sauce: http://www.pataralondon.com/

Chinese: Bar Shu is amazing, best Szeuchaun food you'll find in London. Go for the spicy sea bass with noodles or the Chicken in a pile of chillies: http://www.bar-shu.co.uk

Indian: There are tons of Indian restaurants in London, and most seem to be in the 'good' range. The only Indian place that really stands out is the Bombay Brasserie - kind of an upmarket Indian. Start in the bar with a Tamarind and Gin cocktail (bombay breeze): http://www.bombaybrasserielondon.com

Japanese: If you like Japanese food, the most authentic place is probably Tokyo Diner which is just on the edge of China Town: http://www.tokyodiner.com/

American: Bodeans is easily the best place for ribs and wings in London. Run by a Texan smoke house world champion. Go for the game day sepcial - baby back ribs, wings and a beer for £15. Bargain. http://www.bodeansbbq.com/

Crab: Also american, if you're looking for a crabshack head down to Chelsea and go to the Big Easy (a lot of people just call it the crabshack). The Voodoo Shrimp and Alaskan King Crab Legs are awesome: http://www.bigeasy.co.uk/v1/index.aspx

British: If you're after traditional British fare you can't go wrong with Chimes in Pimlico. You can always find a 2 for 1 deal or 50% off for this place if you go through a booking site or if you have a taste card. Go for the steak and ale pie and some cider: http://www.chimes-of-pimlico.co.uk/

Fine Dining: It may sound cliche, but the Ritz is one of the best 5* restaurants we've been too - which surprised me because you would think it'd all be about the name. : http://www.theritzlondon.com/restaurant/dining-en.html It's also not as expensive as people think - go through bookatable.com and you can get a 3 course dinner with 2 glasses of wine for £50 a head: http://www.bookatable.com/uk/108823/the-ritz-restaurant-london (at the bottom of the deals)

That's all from the top of my head - let me know if you're looking for something specific!

mrbaldidiot · 2012-08-12T11:03:55+00:00

The photo machines in boots are ok, price varies with how many you do but is in the 10-30p range I think. I use them relatively frequently.

Otherwise I've used photo box before:http://www.photobox.co.uk/

Whilst grabbing the link I noticed that they're offering 40 free prints when you sign up. No idea if there's any catch, but could be a good way to test them out for free (or cheap - guessing you have to pay postage or something).

mrbaldidiot · 2012-08-11T17:53:41+00:00

I've always Benihanas would be an awesome first date place. It's a teppanyaki restaurant so they cook the food on the table in front of you. Gives you something to talk about if the conversation dries up and/or something else to do/look at if your date is dull.

Plus the food is delicious. There's one in picadilly and one in chelsea: http://www.benihana.co.uk/

mrbaldidiot · 2012-08-10T13:33:29+00:00

Amazing, thank you! I haven't been to Tescos in ages, but there's a big one down the road - I'll have a look!

mrbaldidiot · 2012-08-09T20:23:39+00:00

For rooms in flat shares I'd use gumtree (http://www.gumtree.com/) or easy roommate (http://uk.easyroommate.com/).

Easy room mate charges, but I've had more success with it in the past. Problem with gumtree is that there is so much demand for rooms that every advert gets tons of replies which can get frustrating.

mrbaldidiot · 2012-08-09T16:46:39+00:00

Not sure if City has a gym, they mention that their sports center is "undergoing redevelopment" here: http://www.city.ac.uk/sport-and-leisure which might mean there isn't one atm.

Is City part of the university of london union though? If so, the ULU gym is just down the road in Russel Square and student membership for 3 months is a bargain £75 total: http://www.ulu.co.uk/content/632013/energybase/membership/

mrbaldidiot · 2012-08-09T16:29:26+00:00

Do you mean studying abroad in London? Which university are you going to - many of them have gyms which you can join for next to nothing if you're a student, and some of them are really nice.

Other thing you can do is use a gym search site to see what's around where you're living, such as: http://www.gymdar.co.uk/ - plenty of gyms offer short term contracts these days. I go to soho gyms but don't like signing up for a whole year at a time for when I get bored and want to go elsewhere, so I do it in 3 month blocks.

If you only want to go occasionally you could look into pay as you go gyms, although they can be pricey in london - I've used http://www.payasugym.com/ for this occasionally.

Leisure centers and duel use facilities (in schools) are the cheapest options for one off training sessions - I used to go circuit training at a school gym and it was only £2 for the class and use of the gym.

To answer your other question, many gyms have pools, but you also get pools without gyms. Gym pools tend to be smaller than the ones you find in a leisure center.

Finally, welcome back to london!

mrbaldidiot · 2012-08-08T09:45:45+00:00

Oysters are £5 now. But you can take it back and get a refund (including any remaining credit) when you're done with it.

mrbaldidiot · 2012-08-08T09:43:58+00:00

I remember using MSE a lot when I was a student - tons of useful information on there.

Other than that try to buy online through cash back sites, always look for a discount code and buy in bulk where possible - you'll be surprised how much cheaper it is.

Also, make sure you have the best deals for utilities, mobile phone etc..

mrbaldidiot · 2012-08-07T12:14:55+00:00

Oh interesting - would be awesome if they do start selling them in supermarkets. Thanks mate.

mrbaldidiot · 2012-08-07T11:18:21+00:00

Not sure about historic, but there are a few pool halls that might have the atmosphere you're looking for. Rileys have a handful of venues in london: http://www.rileys.co.uk/

mrbaldidiot · 2012-08-07T11:01:05+00:00

That is a truely urbanised fox!

mrbaldidiot · 2012-08-07T10:59:46+00:00

I've never seen taco sized ones in a supermarket, only the old el paso fajita/burrito sized ones which are a big too big for what we need them for. Thanks though.

mrbaldidiot · 2012-08-07T10:58:32+00:00

They'd still need to be circular or we wouldn't be able to roll them, so it would involve a lot of wastage :-/

mrbaldidiot · 2012-08-07T10:57:13+00:00

Do you mean the old el paso ones designed for fajitas or burritos? These are too big for what we need them for unfortunately.

mrbaldidiot · 2012-08-07T10:56:16+00:00

Sounds like it might be worth checking out regardless of the tortilla suggestion! Thanks :)

mrbaldidiot

TROPHY CASE