Reviews by Mark Cowan

Silk (Restaurant)
19 May 2005

Interesting concept and very unusual to dine in a courtroom! The service was excellent and most of the dishes were great. In a few cases I felt they tried a little too hard and over-complicated things - some of the food would definitely be described as 'experimental' and a found some of the combinations of flavours slightly over the top. Nevertheless, I'd visit again and the hotel bar's worth checking out after dining.

Selfridges (Department Store / Lingerie Shop / General Sports Shop / Food Hall)
04 May 2005

Although we're spoilt for choice in London when it comes to department stores, Selfridges is head and shoulders above the rest. Every section is huge, all the major fashion brands need to be there and they even do a decent job in smaller areas like the wine & spirits department.

And the food hall is fantastic - they have high quality everything and if Selfridges don't have it there's always the gourmet shops in Marylebone High Street nearby.

BFI Imax (Cinema)
12 April 2004

The screen here is absolutely huge and it's worth a visit for that reason alone. But most of the films shown are novelty 3D affairs which are entertaining for kids but somewhat dull for most adults.

However I did see the 2nd Matrix film here, which was very impressive, with excellent picture quality and it made the film much more gripping than I expect it would have been in a conventional cinema.

I hope they show more remastered mainstream or arthouse movies instead of the 3D animated insect films.

London Eye (Tourist Attraction)
10 April 2004

After somehow neglecting to go on the London Eye for nearly 3 years I finally went 2 weeks ago. We met for dinner at a tapas bar in The Cut and after a few drinks it seemed like a fun thing to do before moving on to a bar. No problem getting tickets (5 min queue), and another 5 minutes queuing for the ride. This was about 9pm on a Wednesday - I expect it's busier during the day and at weekends.

The scale and engineering is simply amazing - the structure, egg-shaped pods and prime location mean this is something I plan to take all future out-of-town visitors on and which all Londoners should be proud of.

We were fortunate in that it was a relatively clear night when we went - I spent the whole ride (15 minutes?) picking out areas I knew and marvelling at the wonderful views of London. As well as gaining a new perspective on the shape and size of London I was surprised to see that I could easily see the constant light of 3 or 4 planes lining up to land at Heathrow, as well as the hills of Greenwich, Hampstead and other geographical features of London which ones tends to miss at ground level.

It might just be a be a big wheel, but it reminded me why I live in this amazing city and I'd recommend it to anybody.

Dusk (Bar)
17 March 2004

Great to find more quality bars opening south of the river. With a few ex-Townhouse guys behind the bar the drinks here are excellent and they do a range of decent snacks too.

John Soane Museum (Museum)
15 March 2004

This is my favourite museum in London. John Saune was a great architect, responsible for many of London's most magnificent public buildings. He collected/pillaged wonderful statues and sculptures from all over the world, particularly Egypt, and brought them back to London.

What's most impressive is the way he has displayed them - the house is a bizarre labyrinth of fabulous objets in interconnected and beautifully decorated rooms. I've really never seen anything like this anywhere else and I'd especially recommend it to anybody with a background or interest in interior design, archaeology or architecture.

During my most recent (3rd) visit I realised I had never actually been in one particularly strange room but had only seen it from above. It took me a few minutes to work out where it could possibly be and how to access it. If you visit, hang around for the opening of the "Wake's Progress" cartoon-style paintings - layer on layer of hinged walls that peel back to reveal the story, and finally, the room below that I discovered to my delight.

An astonishing museum that surprisingly few people know of, so impress your friends and take them there soon. It's free too.

Library (Bar)
08 March 2004

Extremely classy bar with great cocktails and one of the best selections of cigars in the UK. Apart from the sumptuous design, the staff are terribly effiicient and friendly and it's generally just a wonderful change from many of the myriad "here today, gone tomorrow" trendy bars in London. Highly recommended.

Smythson (Stationers)
08 March 2004

As you'd expect from a 200+ year old stationers in Bond Street, Smythson is fairly traditional, and not cheap. That said, their products are beautifully designed and made.

It's a wonderful place for gifts - they make excellent diaries and address books which never fail to please.

I write so few letters now that when I do it's nice to make an effort and send something that's a pleasure to receive. My grandmother seems to take great reassurance in the fact that however haphazard and aimless my life sounds to her, at least I'm still using her favourite stationary.

Carluccio's (Cafe / Delicatessen)
08 March 2004

Aside from Ferrari's deli on Cross Street, Islington has needed something like this for a long time.

It's (understandably) Italian-focussed, with a pleasant cafe/snack area behind the main deli section. It's open late, so a great place to come after the cinema when most restaurants have stopped serving and it's a choice of the chain pubs of Upper Street, or just going home.

They have a small, but nice selection of luxury food gifts too - I have to admit that I bought many Christmas presents for friends and distant relations here on Christmas eve. Everybody was delighted with their jars of Italian chocolates, so I may do the same next year by design, rather than simple lack of planning.

Euphorium Bakery (Baker)
08 March 2004

My brother lives at this end of Islington and it's somewhat starved of decent food shops, but this is a lovely little bakery.

I often pop in here when visiting them to get cakes or cookies for their kids and it's usually full of locals stopping for a coffee and cake. The breads have always been fresh and delicious, although they understandably run out of many items towards the end of the day.

John Smedley (Menswear Shop)
08 March 2004

I've promised myself I won't come here for a while as colleagues have started to ask if I have shares in the company as I appear to be permanently wearing their jumpers on "dress down" Fridays.

But if you're long-armed, you don't forget somewhere that always fits, is well made, comes in range of tasteful colours and doesn't shrink. So, dear colleagues, that's the reason I own so many of their merino wool v-necks, not because I lack imagination. Admittedly, accountants are not known for their style or imagination, but don't let that put you off this excellent shop.

The Wolseley (Restaurant)
08 March 2004

I think The Wolseley succeeds by not doing anything particularly wrong. Good food, friendly service, central location, impressive space and generally nothing to complain about. However, I wasn't as blown away as I had expected to be from reading the newspaper reviews describing it as "the most important restaurant opening of the decade". It's just a fairly polished, luxurious cafe.

Perhaps I'm being churlish or reacting to the gushing press reviews - I like it and expect to return, but I don't expect to ever have a meal here that stays with me forever - I just expect to meet colleagues here for breakfast and have an enjoyable, inoffensive time. Nothing wrong with that though.

202 (Cafe)
08 March 2004

Unlike the Nicole's restaurants in Bond Street and New York, this really is a cafe set in a clothes shop. I'm not sure there's anything wrong with that, but it still feels unusual as I'm not used to buying clothes in cafe or food in a boutique.

Anyway, it's a good place to stop for a snack and glass of wine after working your way up from the other end of Westbourne Grove. I enjoyed a good artichoke soup and an excellent risotto, then, with our blood sugar levels replenished, it was time to resume shopping.

Gerry's (Spirits Shop)
08 March 2004

Gerry's is the only shop in London that sells every ingredient you could need in almost any cocktail. I used to call and check whether they had some obscure liquor in stock before coming down here, but after a while I realised the answer was always "yes" or "we've got 3 types of that, which one do you need?"