Hoarding around The Green restaurant...? (Lounged)

[mockney piers]

As it goes, in tuscany/umbria last year I was surprised by how many places I struggled with the food. Fresh ingredients, home cooked fare, drowned in salt. What's with that?

[snorky]

Italian - in my worthless opinion - is a world of overhyped dull

teh green isnt on the "strip" and look how previous Italian resturant ventures have went on LL - its just not worth the trek IMnotsoHO

this eaterie is made of fail already

[SeanMacGabhann]

careful snorky - that kind of phrase maybe common currency on the other forums the likes of you and I frequent, but round here.....

[snorky]

sorry, I dont want to get too "street" and confuse ED residents

[Administrator]

Please keep this on topic

thank you

[Jah Lush]

Top girl Annaj, well done on the exclusive. I just love a good family run Italian eaterie so I shall definitely be venturing inside at the nearest opportunity but having had part of my recent birthday celebrations in Si Mangia I do feel a certain loyalty to them and they treated me so well. I had 20 people in there for dinner and the food and service was wonderful. It does what it says on the tin.

[bawdy-nan]

I love italian for the opportunity it affords for easy eating. At its best its informal and tasty and relaxed. There's a fantastic place near Clapham Junction (Buena Sera) - family freindly during the day busy and bustling at night. Cheapish if you need it to be but splurgeable if you want, nice wine list, friendly staff. Great pasta, pizzas and salads and ice creams but good selction of fish and meat dishes if you're feeling a bit fancier.

I'd love something like that round here and think it'd do brilliantly.

[Rolo Tomasi]

My money is on it being a Locale (nee Loco Locale) Italian Restaurant

[Michael Palaeologus]

Pizza Hut.

[Marmora Man]

Rolo Tomasi Wrote:

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> My money is on it being a Locale (nee Loco Locale)

> Italian Restaurant

If this is what it's to be - avoid. Loco Locale is average in the extreme.

[annaj]

Hhhm yes, I've just seen the Locale thread started by the owners.

Seems I was misled. I dug around as much as I could without actually saying "is it a chain? because a lot of people really hate them!" and they gave the definite impression it was just them starting up a restaurant.

Still, only a chain of three, and I don't necessarily hate all chains, so I'll still be giving them a try.

[Keef]

The anti-chain thing is, for me, just a snobbish nonsense.

However, dishonesty about it is out of order.

[mockney piers]

I guess they don't think of themselves as a chain. They had success with a restaurant, thought the forumla worked so opened another, were proved right expanded again, err twice.

Blackheath, Fulham, County Hall and .... East Dulwich. That speaks volumes doesn't it.

Of course I live in Camberwell innit.

[Marmora Man]

I don't object to Locale because it's a chain - but when I ate at their Blackheath restaurant the whole experience was simply nothing special. The slow service was from the, now to be expected norm, of overseas staff unfamiliar with the menu or even purported Italian cooking. The wine list was uninspiring, the food almost equally so. There was no "oomph", it diodn't feel special and gave me no particular reason to return. I'm not sure where the "we don't do carbonara" thing comes from but even if carbonara is not an authentic Italian dish - not serving an imposter dish doesn't make the rest any better.

The early self publicity smacks a little too much of desperate hype rather than information and was, for me, self defeating - let me decide whether the home produce bread and carefully selected wines are good - don't tell me they are. Had they stuck to the line (and had I not already experienced their offering in Blackheath) of "we're opening soon, we plan to offer good Italian food and wine - please come and try us" - I'd have been inclined to give it a go.

As it is I may look in to see if the ED version is better than the Blackheath version but expect to stick with my local trattoria - Si Mangia, it's by no means perfect but does offer a good balance of value for money food, a warm and unpretentious welcome, with swift and friendly service.

[TJ]

I am so glad that it is something of note - and regardless, I think Snorky is about due a writ and being driven out from ED for being such a miserable toad.

Good luck to the new owners - and Snorky - if i find you in there I am going to push your face into your plate.

[Keef]

snorky Wrote:

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> Italian - in my worthless opinion - is a world of overhyped dull

>

> teh green isnt on the "strip" and look how previous Italian resturant ventures have went on LL - its just not worth the trek IMnotsoHO

>

> this eaterie is made of fail already

Bit harsh there TJ, but nothing like a good fight in an eatery!

I miss Hannah's

[TJ]

I just find the Snorky attitude unnecessary.

Or do I just find Snorky unnecessary....?

I would like to suggest a flight to Turin in October (truffle season) , take a cab to Alba. Walk over the hill past Barolo to a little place called the Three Stars and have their tasting menu.

Tell me then about your attitude to italian food. Oh - the wine may be ok too.

Enjoy.

[snorky]

TJ Wrote:

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> I am so glad that it is something of note - and

> regardless, I think Snorky is about due a writ and

> being driven out from ED for being such a

> miserable toad.

> Good luck to the new owners - and Snorky - if i

> find you in there I am going to push your face

> into your plate.

Im not ranting about chains or anything else- I just cant get excited about Italian food - maybe they should make it authentic Italian - eg have someone shout at you when you order a coffee & then their mates piss themselves laughing when you shrug your shoulders & say you dont understand, or pretend that you only gave them a ?10 to pay the bill, when you were sure you gave them a ?50, or tell you that the "special tourist rate" means that the bill is multiplied by 3 after 6Pm, or run past your chair as you are sitting and rip your handbag from your table before running off and getting on the back of a vespa waiting outside or bring in an artibary pricing policy should you decide to sit at the window / on the terrace or maybe my last trip to Naples was a bit too much for me to cope with

etc

[snorky]

THis is gonna get me banned isnt it ?

[Cassius]

Naples isn't Italy - it is one of the few places in Italy I haven't felt welcome.

Good Italian food is great - crap Italian food is crap.

[SeanMacGabhann]

I don't think anyone HAS been banned around here. If you were going to get banned I imagine the rant against Nuala would have done it (I still think that was using the proverbial sledgehammer to crack a nut)

[TJ]

Crap food is crap. Italian or not. Tourist traps are crap the world over.

Italians tend to be a friendly bunch. You can't trust them, but I like them none the less (having spend a lot of time in all regions over the last 8 years for work & holidays)

Spread your wings and get away from the forum a bit more often.

[snorky]

SeanMacGabhann Wrote:

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> >

> I don't think anyone HAS been banned around here.

> If you were going to get banned I imagine the rant

> against Nuala would have done it (I still think

> that was using the proverbial sledgehammer to

> crack a nut)

I think I need to be banned for a while - Can I get banned please ? ( the ED equiv. of the horse hair shirt ) - nmrs Snorky may be able to go out in public again .....

[Administrator]

I am moving this to the Lounge as it's no longer about the Green

[Kilgore Trout]

-- moved topic --