Reviews and contributions written by Alistair Martin
Fluid Reviews
Drunch, Mayfair (Restaurant)
“Top 10 things we learned about Drunch in Mayfair when we visited:
1) It has a truly dreadful name. But we knew that before we visited, so let’s start this again.
2) First sight of Drunch is of the...”
Alistair Martin, Fluid London reviewer
13 Jul 14}
Upstairs at Nancy's (closed), Shoreditch (Bar)
“Top 10 things we learned Upstairs at Nancy’s when we visited:
1) It isn’t upstairs at Nancy’s. It’s upstairs at the Crown and Shuttle. The different names are to help differentiate the drinking experiences,...”
Alistair Martin, Fluid London reviewer
12 Dec 13}
Mash (Modern American Steak House), Soho (Restaurant)
“Top 10 things we learned about MASH restaurant when we visited:
1) The name has nothing to do with potato. It actually stands for ‘Modern American Steak House’. The perfect moniker for an international...”
Alistair Martin, Fluid London reviewer
28 Aug 13}
Noir (closed), Fitzrovia (Bar)
“Best for: Champagne bars; private parties; corporate parties; bars near Oxford Circus.
Great: Spring rolls; innovative bar snacks.
So, ladies! Who’s on your list?!...”
Alistair Martin, Fluid London reviewer
17 Feb 12}
Lamb Tavern, City of London (Bar / Restaurant)
“Best for: Gastropub in Leadenhall Market for traditional English pub food.
Great: for lining the stomach before a night in the City.
The story of my dinner at the...”
Alistair Martin, Fluid London reviewer
27 Oct 11}
Bonds (closed), City of London (Bar / Restaurant)
“Best for: Restaurants in the City of London; pumpkin soup; wedding and birthday parties/receptions.
Great: Inventive menu; friendly staff; wine list; cheese board;...”
Alistair Martin, Fluid London reviewer
04 Oct 11}
Chez Gerard (closed), City of London (Bar / Restaurant)
“Best for: French restaurants on Chancery Lane.
Great: Rum baba; French onion soup.
[To the music of ‘Where...”
Alistair Martin, Fluid London reviewer
03 Aug 11}
L'Etranger Restaurant & Vins L’Etranger, Kensington (Bar / Restaurant)
“Best for: French-Japanese fusion; steak tartare; restaurants in Gloucester Road.
Great: Wine advice from the sommelier; friendly staff; champagne and oysters.
“If...”
Alistair Martin, Fluid London reviewer
05 Jul 11}
Amico Bio (closed), City of London (Restaurant)
“Best for: Organic lacto-vegetarian Italian food.
Great: Cheap vegetarian food; a homely dining experience; restaurants near Smithfield.
Smithfield Market: carnivorous...”
Alistair Martin, Fluid London reviewer
28 Apr 11}
Sitaaray, West End (Bar / Restaurant)
“Best for: Indian all-you-can-eat; pre/post-theatre curry.
Great: Indian dining with a twist; North Indian kebabs; value for money in the West End.
If you’ve never...”
Alistair Martin, Fluid London reviewer
12 Apr 11}
The Artesian Well, Clapham (Bar / Club)
“Best for: Mojitos; private parties; a unique one-stop night out in Clapham.
Great: Trendy crowd; big-name DJs.
There are a lot of North London snobs for whom Clapham...”
Alistair Martin, Fluid London reviewer
23 Feb 11}
The Idle Hour (closed), Hammersmith (Bar / Restaurant)
“Best for: Sunday roast lunches; Bloody Marys.
Great: Friendly service; community feel; organic ice-cream, great British pub food.
Much has been spoken in recent...”
Alistair Martin, Fluid London reviewer
31 Jan 11}
Brasserie Joel, Waterloo (Restaurant / Hotel)
“According to award-winning chef and ludicrously successful restaurant-owner Emeril Lagasse, the secret to creating a great restaurant is simple: “great food, great wine and great service”. Seemingly a...”
Alistair Martin, Fluid London reviewer
24 Aug 10}
The Gay Hussar (closed), Soho (Bar / Restaurant)
“Thursday 29th April 2010. In front of a television audience of millions, yet another twist in an already tumultuous election campaign was taking place in Birmingham, as the hitherto unflappable Saint Nicholas...”
Alistair Martin, Fluid London reviewer
18 May 10}
Mien Tay, Clapham (Restaurant)
“Our dinner at Mien Tay was booked on one of those increasingly familiar nights when union leader Bob Crow – a man who looks like a swollen testicle but is half as likeable – once again stuck a rusty spanner...”
Alistair Martin, Fluid London reviewer
15 Apr 10}
Locale, Waterloo (Bar / Restaurant)
“Please see below a template for a bog-standard review of a bog-standard Italian restaurant in London:
“Just moments from [insert local tube station], this clean, smart and stylish Italian eatery is...”
Alistair Martin, Fluid London reviewer
25 Mar 10}
Chutney Mary (closed), Chelsea (Restaurant)
“As most English people know, the best roast dinner available is the one your mum cooks. You can visit the finest restaurant in town, feast on the most succulent corn-fed chicken, crispiest roast Maris...”
Alistair Martin, Fluid London reviewer
21 Feb 10}
Kitchen Italia, Shepherds Bush (Restaurant)
“For hundreds of years, pencils and erasers were two separate items. This meant that, for hundreds of years, every mistake made with the former required people to reach into their pencil cases for the latter,...”
Alistair Martin, Fluid London reviewer
04 Feb 10}
Getti, Marylebone (Bar / Restaurant)
“To visit Marylebone village is to escape central London without leaving. To the south heaves the suffocating throng of Oxford Street shoppers, trudging through the January sales in pursuit of that elusive...”
Alistair Martin, Fluid London reviewer
06 Jan 10}
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Fluid Reviews
Gaucho Chancery, City of London (Bar / Restaurant)
“Had 300g fillet steak, blue, with sides of field mushrooms and spinach, and an Argentian Malbec. Awesome stuff. The cow skin seats and sleak black decor is a little bit flashy, a bit 80s - a bit Del Boy-ish - but if all you care about is just a fine cut of beef cooked perfectly to your liking, then this place can't really be beaten!”
Atmosphere:
Value:
Quality:
Alistair, London
16 Dec 10
Getti, Marylebone (Bar / Restaurant)
“Really nice little Italian place - not cheap for what it is, but that's to be expected in Marylebone. Agree with the review, figs for starters were great!”
Atmosphere:
Value:
Quality:
Leonard Patrick, Angel
07 Jan 10
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