London

[mrbeuys]

Go straight to duck&waffle, come out a size bigger the next day.

[Slangking]

Went to The Typing Room restaurant at the Town Hall Hotel recently. The 7 course tasting menu was amazing. Had the extra eel dish which was well worth it. Most of the dishes were not too rich or heavy so although there was a lot of food and we were full, it was a good full feeling. Definitely would recommend it.

[Zenith]

The typing room has amazing service. It still feels haunted by the ghost of Vijante before it since the dining room has stayed the same. Did you go to the bar opposite to it by any chance (peg and patriot)?

[dji]

Any pre-theatre dining recommendations chaps?

[Slangking]

The typing room has amazing service. It still feels haunted by the ghost of Vijante before it since the dining room has stayed the same. Did you go to the bar opposite to it by any chance (peg and patriot)?

I know what you mean. I was expecting the room to look different. We were debating whether the chairs and tables are the same or just in a similar style. It was kind of like meeting up with an old friend who you haven't seen for a long time.

We didn't get to go to the bar but we had a peak in. It looked nice. Would you recommend it?

Has anyone been to the Ink restaurant? If so, how was it?

[dji]

Any recommendations for a hair dresser? Got stuck in London for an extra night or so and could use a trim. Don't need anything to fancy, staying in the Paddington area but anywhere in the vicinity would be fine.

[Zenith]

Besides the chain hair salons nothing comes to mind. There are a few on Queensway but I have a feeling they might not be what you are looking for. Quite a few in soho though if you're willing to travel slightly further.
EDIT: Where did you end up eating on your trip?

We didn't get to go to the bar but we had a peak in. It looked nice. Would you recommend it?

The bar looks basic but the drinks were excellent, I hate all that smoke and mirrors crap but everything I tried was executed perfectly. Their other branch in OLS shut down mysteriously though.

[dji]

No worries, I ended up trekking over to Sharps in Fitzrovia. Reasonable cut and price, coffee is solid too.

Still here, might be stranded for another day at least so will give a rundown on the places we tried when I get back to the States. Any recs for solo (preferably quick) dining around Soho? Man cannot live on ramen alone, although Shoryu wasn't too bad last night.

[nonomomo]

^ If you don't mind Japanese noodles again, give Koya(main outlet, not Koya bar) a try. Their cold Udon is really good. Depending on your luck, there might be a queue outside but usually it clears pretty quickly. If you have more time to spare I would suggest barrafina(tapas). Their carabinero is really nice.

If you really want a fast dinner, just head to chinatown's four seasons for duck rice.

[dji]

Thanks for th recommendations but already tried Barrafina and Koya!

[Zenith]

Jen cafe chinatown for some cheap handmade dumplings. Princi wardour street. Both quick and relatively affordable.

EDIT: Flat iron on Denmark street, cheap and fast for steak. Avoid beak st branch during peak times.

[xeraphim]

go for kanada-ya if you don't mind more ramen, within walking distance if you're around soho (near tottenham court rd station)

[dji]

Was considering kanada-us last night but ramen without beer is a tad sad haha.

Cheers Zenith, sitting in Tap cafe on Wardour right now actually!

[dji]

Actually scratch that, Kanada-us does have (basic Japanese) beers now (served in ice cold copper mugs no less). It's not quite Hitachino but it'll do!

[dji]

a quick rundown of the places we tried (favourites in bold):
Pearl Liang - decent yumcha, reasonably priced for the location.
Smoking Goat - interesting menu, could use some refinement like more balanced seasoning (some of the fish sauce wings were oversalted, while others were far too salty) along with more heat to go with the Thai inspired menu.
Bone Daddies - decent ramen, nothing mind blowing.
NOPI - one of our favourites, great recommendation E!
Honey & Co - good food, better coffee. would be nice if they extended the brunch menu availability past 11am (too early for me!).
The Clove Club - excellent tasting menu, the best of the higher end places we tried. even the bar of chocolate they gave to take home was great.
Workshop Coffee - brunch items could use some work, seemed like the kitchen was afraid of the salt and pepper grinders.
Dinner by Heston - visually interesting but not very exciting flavour wise, fantastic service though.
Koya - surprisingly heavy dishes, not bad but didn't love it.
10 Greek Street - another favourite, everything we had was delicious. your clothes will stink of the cooking afterwards though as it is quite a cozy spot.
Barrafina - good Spanish food with a fantastic wine menu, worth the wait (a minimum of 1 hour any night) if you're craving the stuff.
Shoryu Ramen - I liked this one better than Bone Daddies but they seemed a bit heavy handed with MSG. Beer menu was a winner though.
Kanada-Ya - best ramen I had in London, very solid.

one other thought, it seems like it's easy to find a decent coffee in London but difficult (impossible maybe?) to find a great one.