Christopher

Lamoon in Camberwell (takeaway / delivery) -or- Dragon Castle up the Elephant (for eating in) You know it makes sense...

Trinity in Clapham - seconded - can't believe I left it off my list...

Best in the general area... Rosendale, Franklins, Number 22, The Palmerston, Dragon Castle... If you're going a bit further afield - Upstairs, Chez Bruce, Roast, Baltic, Lobster Pot... I know we said no Indians but Babur & Tandoori Nights are both really good...

So have you got your eye on a few sites then? Or is it the one that we're all thinking of...?

Spacey Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'd love to see a decent tapas place on Lordship > Lane, is there a tapas bar other than Barcelona > nearby? number 22 in herne hill is excellent

Why read reviews in Southwark News? Have you ever read a bad one...? Restaurants "pay" for editorial by advertising therefore never get a bad review : see also Living South, SLP, SE22, Dulwich Life (RIP), City Life (RIP?) etc. The wine list feels like it was chosen in an office by someone who listens too much to salesmen and not his taste buds... there are fabulous Italian Whites coming through at the moment that are making waves in the wine world... The Alto Adige region being a good example of an area producing exceptional wines... any represented here? No. Just a wishy washy crowd pleasing mix of new & old world "crowd pleasers". (Navajas Rioja? Why?). Yawn... it really might be ED's Le Piaf after all...

I don't think its particularly over priced... but it's quite basic underneath it all isn't it? Steak, salmon fillet, chicken breast... nothing too adventurous there... house white wine disappointing (no real care seems to have gone into the wine list although the prosecco was good and a Chianti that accompanied our steaks at ?27 was very good indeed)... Blackboards everywhere advertising offers (in Weatherspoons style "chalk board text") tend to cheapen the place - Yay! Happy hour! Yay! Sunday Roasts! Yay! Brunch...! We'll go back to try the pasta when we're in the mood for that - but I'm afraid this place as got a touch too much of the "corporate" about it to make me a regular... It kind of feels like an Italian version of Le Piaf (that is a REAL insult I know - and I don't mean to equate the food with the tripe they sell at LP, but you get the gist...) Service - more staff than customers - we had an excellent young lady serving us who really had a bit of magic about her and was doing an excellent job - what hindered her was the interfering senior staff / managers who messed up her service! Left alone she would have been fine. With service, less is so often more!

So, you have lots of happy experiences in a restaurant (or Cafe in this case) over a number of years... then you have one bad experience (and lets face it, it sounds like they were understaffed and very busy) and you will "not be going back". What? Ever? Aren't you being a bit over the top?

"Good food and good beer" - really? And where is the great competition? Liquorish? I'm not saying BC is perfect - it's not - but it deserves the same breaks... that's all.

Black Cherry without the garden has no real smoking options, will be overlooked in summer months in favour of drinking establishments with gardens, is not being allowed to self police a degree of control over its own premises because one neighbour had a moan. (By the way "neighbour", I hope to God you're not planning to enjoy the odd BBQ this summer - it might spoil the tranquility of the new "Yo Sushi" some people seem to want - or, same "neighbour", I do hope you're not basking in the reflective glory of owning a house that is so close to the fabled (yet mostly sh-i-te) Lordship Lane with its "quirky businesses" that has boosted your property price so much...) Get a frigging grip - BC are responsible license holders that have mainly kept their noses clean. It's a family Business and deserves the same breaks as that God-awful Greene king pub - The Bishop, and the coke / footy hooligan hang out they call the Magdala.

Lets pretend we are on a forum full of people that are supposed to care about their local area and the unique businesses that make that up...

jumpinjackflash Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > scor46 Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Snorky you definitely are Columbo... > > > or on crack you're so paranoid. You're not the > guy asking people for money on Grove Vale are > you?! Funny... Some people just happen to care Snorky...

The ?4.00 pint was on its way before the budget anyway - there has already been huge hikes in import duty, production costs etc - even the production of glass for bottles has gone up... also watch out for the ?4 house wine and the ?4 G&T coming your way soon!

There are other ways this bar can survive... the family own the freehold on the building don't they? So no rent... what are the other huge over heads in running a bar? The biggest is staff... Now why do Black Cherry always have 3 or 4 people doing a job that 1 could do. Fewer, better trained and more motivated staff is what they need. A tightening up of service and an improvement in food (sorry, i know some of you like it).

There are plenty of places for cheap beer in London. Corrib bar on Camberwell New Rd has a black board outside advertising its ?1.80 a pint Fosters... go there. Its a sh*t hole and you might not come out alive, but if cheap is what you want... There are, conversely, plenty of places in Birmingham (and up North in general) that charge around ?3.80 for a premium imported beer. Fact is that to pay rent, staff properly, maintain a decent environment etc is expensive - more so in London - and therefore margins must be met. Also, The Bishop is tied to Green King - so they can't shop around for beer at cheaper prices. If you don't like it, drink in the Corrib.