O perfil de SarahT

I used to live on Bermondsey street and this was one of my favourite places to hang out. Yes it’s not dirt cheap and the food options are a little eclectic, but it’s a great chilled out, arty atmosphere and even on a busy weekday lunch it’s not overly crowded (just more difficult to find a place to sit).

With free wifi, magazines, papers and funky music playing (but not too loudly) it’s a great place for a quick lunch or a long, lingering coffee afternoon.

The hot sandwiches come presented in a little cardboard lunchbox with a handful of crisps – brilliant concept. They also sell a range of fruit and healthy snack bars at the counter. Oh…and the counter always has the day’s horoscopes cut out and on display. A brilliant way to while away a few seconds whilst waiting for your order. Oh…and I’m not sure if they do this any more, but as recently as a year ago, they gave out glittery headbands with springy ear-things as your ‘number’ when waiting for an order. So weird..but in a good way.

Brilliant cafe! I used to work in the Maltings and I became totally addicted to their hot chocolate (how do they get it so milky yet so chocolatey?). The staff are always brilliantly friendly, service is pretty quick, and the atmosphere is fresh and upbeat. Decor is pretty simple and white, but the colour comes from the food.

At first glance there’s not a lot on show, but there’s a range of fresh cakes/biscuits/breads on the counter to buy and a fridge cabinet displaying a limited selection of gourmet (pretty pricey – expect to pay about £3.75) delicious sandwiches. and a few posh soft drinks.

They also do a limited menu each day for lunch (perfect pasta and other simple yet exquisitely done options). I can definitely recommend it for an informal meeting or quick lunch with friends. A lot of the clientele are people working in the Maltings but they do have a door opening onto Tower Bridge Road too (near the railway arch).

I love this little theatre and accompanying bar. I belong to a drama group and we put shows on here a few times a year so I’ve been able to explore it behind the scenes as well as front of house.

The shows are generally great quality, the lunchbox theatre (at lunchtime when you can take your food in with you) a brilliant idea and the ambience is great. It’s intimate (about 130 seats) and they’ve recently refurbished the seats and redecorated the entrance hall etc which has brought the place a new lease of life.

As it used to be a Victorian Swimming pool, there is now a brilliant trapdoor system making use of the bottom of the (still tiled) pool. The green room is a great size and there’s a separate kitchen area for tea making during rehearsals (and paint palette cleaning during set building).

For the audience, the cute little downstairs basement bar is fantastic! The bar staff are always pleasant and down to earth and even though the bar itself is small, it’s always pretty well stocked and prices are reasonable. They even do sandwiches and chocolates and there’s very often a quirky art installation adorning the walls.

I always try to buy wine from independent retailers whenever possible (rather than the handy supermarkets popping up everywhere) and corks is a great example. They have a pretty decent selection of wines and a vast array of bottled beers and ales at the back…I find myself wishing they did more spirits and mixers though…they have a woefully short supply of those.

However, the friendly service, the extras like tasting evenings and the availability of tables and chairs outside to sit and eat food from related ‘Forks’ next door make it worth a visit.

Brilliant, pretty expensive (but not extortionate) salon on fashionable Bermondsey street, opposite the fashion and textiles museum. I usually pay about £36 for a cut and blow dry. The service is great – they’re always smiling and laughing with each other (but not in a distracting way) and they seem to manage the balance between conversation and comfortable silence quite well.

I’ve been there on and off for 3 years and have never received a bad cut. Then again, I’ve never received a ‘spectacular’ cut, but my briefs aren’t that adventurous so that’s to be expected.

One thing that loses them a few marks is that fact a few of the hairdressers smoke and I can often smell cigarettes on their hands which I don’t particularly like.

Dim T is one of my favourite Dim Sum restaurants. Arguably better than Ping Pong. Friendlier, better service and more varied food. They do great curries and alternative options (butternut squash curry and Thai red are particularly good) The duck spring rolls are also brilliant. Fewer options for dim sum but those they do have are excellent.

I love the little teapots the tea comes in (hot tip: try the white tea – refreshing and subtle and very good for you).

The fortune cookies you get at the end of the meal are hilarious – usually badly written but a great laugh as some are quite depressing, others cheesy, and all give you lottery numbers.

Odd location but a brilliant pub. They have outdoor tables for the warmer months (close to the main road and busy bridge though) and do excellent food (especially the pies), real Ale, mulled wine in the winter etc.

The decor is what really makes this place great though. A little dark inside because of it, (but that makes it pretty cosy really) but there are beautiful wood carvings and ornate friar-inspired details on arches etc. They have a real fire too.

Brilliant little arty cinema. Get the sofa seats if you can as those are the most comfy with the best leg room. They have little tables to put drinks on…and they serve retro sweets and snacks too! Lovely alternative to the standard rubbish you get in Odeon or Vue. Bar is at the back of the screen room so very handy too.

The choice of films is also pretty good – you get more indie films that are hard to catch elsewhere.

The only flaw really is the tiny lobby that everyone has to crowd into while waiting to be allowed in to the screen.

Expensive…but by God it’s worth it. Lucky Voice is chic and stylish and relaxed and fun. They have one of the best selections of tunes around, a brilliant bar area, but most of all they have a dressing up box in each room with comedy hats and wigs etc! Brilliant. It’s a great icebreaker and means you immediately get into character for your song and ‘act’ it out rather than just nervously warble along.

Lucky Voice also have a great website and they do an ‘at home’ service for parties etc too.

Recommended…especially for Karaoke virgins!

I always feel nervous when ordering steak in a restaurant as I’ve been spoiled with Gaucho’s amazing steaks far too often that others rarely compare…however, I splashed out and ordered the fillet steak at Smithfield B&G. And I was pleasantly surprised. I still think Gaucho has the edge, though, but only just.

I love the glamorous interior, the staff were very friendly, the banquette comfortable and the cocktails tasty. I was here for a girly dinner with 5 friends and we enjoyed ourselves immensely.

The one thing that spoilt it slightly was that we had only just received our desserts when the waitress (very politely, mind) informed us our two hour slot was up and that if we wanted to linger any longer we’d have to move to the bar. We weren’t informed of the 2hr slot when booking, and we would probably have happily spent a fortune more on drinks if we had been allowed to stay at the table a bit longer. They don’t make you move on at Gaucho…