bald marauder

Anyone know who's taken the lease on the shop under the new flats? Is it a s****ucks?! *Cue orgasmic comments from DM and vitriolic outpourings from 90% of other forumites*

I think Green Cuisine, while the products it sells may not be crap, looks crap relative to the price point at which it operates. For that kind of money/mark-up, they should be offering a brand and experience more akin to Divertimenti in Marylebone High Street. Why is it that so many establishments in East Dulwich think they can get away with charging top whack for an average to sub-standard offering? Chandelier is another case in point, for those prices you can eat/drink in Yauatcha, which is Michelin starred and in another stratosphere in terms of quality, design and service.

Well, I guess they all just look a bit crap. And (being bald) I can't speak for Headnizm, but the others definitely seem over-priced with it.

Alan, have you not tried the Montpelier, just up the road? Their food is less snacky, granted, but they seem to be very happy for people just to stop in for a coffee. And it looks like the Wishing Well is selling its lease - you're soon going to be spoilt for choice in Bellenden.

The posh flower shop on North Cross Road. Yes it's expensive, but their stock is all top notch and lasts for ages. For special occasions it's well worth it. Agree with so many of the other suggestions already made, including the fact that it's very nice to see a wholly positive thread. Oh, and also love the fact that Paul of Sea Cow used the forum to respond in such a professional and service-oriented way to the criticism of his establishment - hope it gets back on form. BM

Great news Paul, will come in this week for a takeaway and see how the new approach is working... BM

Yes!!! It was truly awful, they consistently took the p*** and they've paid the price. No business can disregard its customers like this for so long and continue to get away with it. On a personal level, I do feel sorry for the owners - it's a horrible thing when a business you've put your belief, sweat and money into doesn't work out - genuine commiserations. However, as a customer, I can't wait to get a far better run place in that location - with the outside space they have there someone half decent should be cleaning up.

Hey Sean, It's not for being born with - it's for sitting in Nero's and feeding your little one a babyccino...

Hey guys, You could always trust in the EDF for a solution ;) If you look in the 'what's on in ED' section, you'll find a carol session listed at 11pm tonight (Christmas Eve) at Goose Green. Doesn't mention a church service, so could be just the kind of secular experience you are looking for - you hypocrite! http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?6,75244 Merry Christmas to all EDF'ers!! BMx

I agree with Mellors - and to an extent with Christopher. It is the best eaterie on the strip, but a little too inconsistent in service and quality to warrant unbridled praise. It is also, IMO, expensive for what and where it is. You can eat better and cheaper in stunning surroundings with top service at Yauatcha in Soho - and that's got two Michelin stars. The only reason Franklins can get away with charging what it does, is that it hasn't got any real competition. There isn't one single restaurant anywhere in ED that one would travel an hour to get to because it is so good. That's not a problem if ED were full of value for money, 'neighbourhood restaurants' with simple, appetising food at appealing, everyday prices - but it isn't. Come on ED, sort your act out. BM PS: If you want benchmark places, try St John Bread & Wine in Spitalfields, Pham Sushi on Whitecross St - even The Herne strikes a good balance - but the strip is sadly lacking...

I suggested to the Thames Water representative that they should put information about known problems on their website, so that everyone can see the latest status - and then only have to contact TW if the problem is unknown. They are apparently already planning to introduce this functionality soon. Also good to know how the alerts system works Numbnuts, thanks for the info. Are you a keen cyclist, or is there some other reason for your screen name? BM

Just got through to Thames Water - burst pipe in the area, could take up to 6 hours for supply to return, but could be much quicker. Fingers crossed! BM

Our water has gone - Copleston Road - whole road seems to be affected. Anyone else experienced loss of supply? Any news on remedial action? BM

Mrs M came home with a brownie and brioche on Friday, bought from their temporary 'stall' outside Moxons. I was distinctly unimpressed. Unless they raise their standards to a truly earth-shattering level (ie so that anyone who can afford to pay exorbitant prices for bread on a regular basis - not us by the way - buys their bread there) then they will fail. Which would be a shame, as I'd love to have a healthy (ie not Greggs-style) bakers on LL. I think they need to raise quality by 100%, and drop prices by 30% - then they might have a viable proposition for some of the ED population. Businesses that cater to the top 5% of ED in demographic terms will not get enough volume to make their business work - anyone notice that Raisin has closed down? I think they need to be relevant/accessible to at least 25% of the local population. BTW, I emailed the address on their website two weeks ago, to ask about their range, and to please tell me it wasn;t true they were selling bread for #4.50 per loaf - still no reply as yet. BM

There still seem to me to be a lot of dingy, uncared for and unhealthy looking shops on LL - deep fried chicken places and the like, which while I respect the needs of a diverse community, I cannot seriously believe that they are of true benefit to most people living in the area. Now, if I had the choice to close down one of those, and open up a...Monmouth Coffee, Rough Trade, even a Borders or Waterstones - I would be very happy to. I agree that Independent shops are great - so long as they keep their standards up. Chener books is a disgrace... BM

Like it SimonM. We won't be taking any risks though - will steer well clear of the Chandelier stall - they probably have booby-trapped high chairs...

It seems to me that whether one likes Bellenden and feels safe there or not depends on what kind of person one is. I suggest that anyone wanting to evaluate the perspective of various 'for' and 'against' posters could search for their previous posts and take a reasonable measure of their view of the world quite quickly and easily. For me personally, it's easy - we live here and love it. Bellenden road is, by it's nature a smaller, more tight-knit and therefore - at times - friendlier and more laid-back community. No white stuff, no over-priced teas shops (but we do cheat and visit Moxons and William Rose). And should one feel inclined to visit Lordship Lane or North Cross Road, they're on the doorstep. Our house to Blue Mountain = 8 minutes walk. Our house to EDD = 4 minutes walk. There are clearly roads in ED that suffer from problems to pretty much the same degree as any in Bellenden. Why not walk round one Saturday morning and see for yourself? I recommend browsing in Review, coffee in Petitout, lunch in the Montpelier and taking home a lovely cake from 157. Plus if you want clothes, Fenton Walsh p***** all over anything on Lordship Lane, especially where women's clothes are concerned.

-- moved topic --

I cannot be alone in getting property and estate agent 'fatigue'. These issues can easily dominate the general forum 'home page' and are becoming a real turn-off. How about we restrict property-related posts to the property section of the forum, allowing the general home page to be more used for community and general interest issues. I have no issue with (I actually enjoy in fact) posts about new shops, etc, but estate agent gossip/winging is boring me shitless! BM

Anyone else in this (Sat) lunchtime? Mrs BM, baby BM and I were there between 12.30pm and 1.30pm. Had burgers, meat and chips were fantastic - though agree with Sean about the buns. Top place though, the waitresses certainly weren't too manic today, and I quite liked the slightly spartan but comfortable feel. BM

Or how about having sub-threads under the general heading 'Foxtons'? Admin, is this technically possible? BM

Here's a tale that will no doubt delight forumites like the cat-loving piano teacher, amongst others. Mrs M and baby M (10 months now) were in Chandelier having lunch with some friends who also have babies (yes, you can picture the scene, typical ED yummy mummy cake-fest). One of the babies in question was being fed by his mum - not breastfeeding - but from a jar of baby food. (I wasn't there, but from experience can imagine that this was all happening with as much discretion and consideration for other diners as possible.) Then, they were asked to leave, as it is not permissible to consume any food on the premises that is not actually sold/provided by Chendelier. Now, if they clearly didn't encourage families, that would be fair enough - but they have high-chairs - and they don't sell baby food - so what do they expect?!!! Of all the other customers in there at the time, only one table didn't have children, so maybe they want to restore more balance to their customer base - in which case I suggest they should get rid of the high chairs! And given how many mums there are in ED, I imagine they may live to regret this policy - then again there may be many who would appreciate a child-free place to relax. Only time will tell...

Louisa, congratulations - you can now add scaremongering to your list of other forum accomplishments!

Neilly, read back through the earlier posts in this thread and all will be revealed...

What's happened to the cloth bags? Are they out yet?