Consistently great food with home prepared feel to it. Would give it more stars but always feel…read moreguilty for not cooking myself !

This is my local bakery and I normally pop down here on Saturday morning for my fresh breakfast…read morebread and every now and then their heavenly almond and cherry croissants... Their bread is a-ok but there is lagging a bit of variety that a bit more trendier bakeries have, such as European rye bread and artisan type of breads. But if you just want your loaf or bloomer to be standard white or wholemeal then you get it here, straight from the oven (if you are early). They also do a bit of cakes etc and can sort you with a bacon sarnie, never tried it so if you do, let me know how it is...

A rarity nowadays in London - a local bakers! Breads, pastries, cakes all produced fresh on site,…read moretogether with sandwiches and snacks. Also provide catering as well as custom orders (such as birthday cakes etc.). Good to see (and be supported) as this kind of shop was a lot more widespread 10-20 years ago but sadly large supermarket chains & mass produced foods have put an end to most of them.

Amazing. We had a 16 hour layover at Heathrow so we decided to book a nearby hotel for the night…read more This was an amazing decision. It was a short uber ride from the airport, and the place was SO cozy and perfect. We ate the best fish and chips of our lives at the restaurant and then hopped over (across the hall) to the pub for a few drinks before walking right up the stairs and going to bed. The bed was comfortable (although Americans- take note that a king size bed in the US is much bigger than a UK King. I'd say the UK king was closer to a queen). There was a gorgeous coffee/tea setup with a Nespresso machine and pods, an electric kettle, some teabags, and chocolates to pair with the coffee. We had a balcony overlooking the river which was gorgeous! Everything about this place was cozy, cute, and felt so English.

After a few nights of questionable lodging in other nearby towns, arriving in Staines I wasn't…read moreexpecting much. Hoping, but not expecting, and this is the perfect way to go through life: Set your expectations low and watch your happiness meter rise. The Swan Hotel is a 16th century place of lodging sitting right beside the Thames. It's been refurbished to a stylish, immaculate inn with both a pub and a restaurant. Staines isn't a hotbed of activity so hanging out in the pub then stumbling up to your room is a very comforting plan. While it's true that a ball placed on the floor of my room would have rolled on its own (remember, 16th century building) it's also true that my room was a dream. With its luxurious bedding, mattress (1600 individual pocket spring mattress), and a French door that opened up to a tiny balcony overlooking the Thames River I'd have enjoyed staying longer. That such charm can be had for so little (rooms here can be had for about $125 per night) brings joy. The Swan Hotel is a Fuller property, a name I saw several times during my time in the UK. Based on my all-around excellent experience here I'd not just seek to stay here again but I'd also seek out other Fuller properties when returning to visit the rest of the UK.

Great selection of craft beers but way too expensive at over £7 a pop. I'd wander around to some…read moreof the other craft beer stands instead for a more value for money option.

I ate here 5 nights in a row (was staying at the hotel) and every meal was Great!. A bit pricey,…read morebut very good. Staff is friendly, bar is comfy, all-in-all a great stay.

Have had a company event there, and I did like the place…read more It's a shame that the room they put our presentation in looked like a gym with foldout chairs in it, as that was a disappointment. The bar area on the ground floor is a lovely space, the snacks and staff were great, and the wine was good. I can't recommend the venue as I was not the one organising the event, but it did serve its purpose exceedingly well.

For our first night in the UK, this was quite the nice spot to get beer and a traditional English…read moredinner. The steak and ale pie with English mustard was delicious. The draft beers were very tasty. The servers were nice and quick. I love that the UK has laws regarding allergies as one member of our party needed that information. The staff were quite accommodating.

I've been frequenting this place for years and it used to be a popular destination for heavy…read moremetalers (me included) as the dukebox had some great tunes available. Its gone all posh now but has still retained a certain amount of charm. Its a beautiful old building and there's so much space inside so ideal for large groups. They serve Dark Star beer which is a lovely bitter indeed. Its got an absolutely huge garden which is great for whiling away the summer weekends.

OK ... so let's get this started and say that while the review is for Club Rafiki, this venue…read moreceased to trade under that name a little while ago. This is now The Spice Lounge! That in itself is not as confusing as the fact that within 200 yards is a takeaway by the very same name and they are no relation to each other. So this review is for the Spice Lounge . I am very much an afficionado of good Indian/Pakistani cuisine and it usually takes a restaurant of some calibre to offset the bland mediocre curry-by-numbers offerings of most restaurants and take-aways. Some do it by specialising in a particular regions cuisine or creating fusions. Others do it by just serving good and very tasty food. This one falls into the latter category. Let's face it, the area has a wealth of competition as there are numerous Indian restaurants and take-aways within spitting distance of this place and it hardly exudes a welcome from the outside. It still retains it's 'club' feel but you get a feeling that something is going right when the clientele is predominantly Indian/Pakistani but also business oriented. This can feel a little intimidating but taking the chance reveals just why they are there. The staff are very welcoming, friendly efficient and attentive. They can err on the side of too attentive at times but that is not necessarily a fault. The food is what sets this place apart. Our starters, which were seafood and vegetables spiced beautifully, were cooked to perfection and so tasty it was a temptation to forego the main course and order another plate. Succulent, not too greasy and perfectly spiced so that the vegetable and prawn textures were not drowned. Delicious. Having been spoilt by the starters I felt sure that they couldn't keep up the standard. However a Goan Fish Curry was on the menu and I hadn't eaten a good Goan dish since I had last been in Goa! I was not disappointed at all and really enjoyed the meal. It was clear that the ingredients were fresh, of excellent quality and cooked really well. The restaurant itself has been laid out in rows of tables, a bar along one wall and the rest of the restaurant space reserved for customers. Owing to the intense sun, the blinds were closed to the high street giving a rather lovely dimmed atmosphere but usually the blinds are open. At one end of the restaurant is, rather bizarrely, a television that shows B4U which shows it's 'Club' origins. Unfortunately our table was right near the TV but the volume was down low enough for conversation to occur without strain. However the content of the channel was a source of amazement and amusement during the meal. The downside of this is that the restaurant is not cheap. Even given the quality of food the place does have equally good quality competition that is not quite as pricey. The menu isn't hugely diverse but that is absolutely to its benefit. Reducing the amount of dishes required to be cooked increases the quality as the chef can concentrate on making the best of them rather than a mediocre smattering of all. This is a restaurant that I shall go to when I want to impress, when I am willing to pay the price for somewhere locally that has an upmarket atmosphere and high quality food. In short, I will certainly be back