Reviews by jw eats

Fung Shing (Restaurant)
19 December 2006

I'm Chinese and I must admit, trying to find a decent Chinese restaurant amongst all the indistinguishable westernised Chinatown eateries is no easy task. In hindsight I wish I had used better judgement and paid attention to the poor reviews below. Don't get me wrong, Chinatown is fantastic for quick, tasty, cheap eats and obligatory rude service; it's just harder to find somewhere that's of a slightly higher standard with more authentic dishes (Bayswater fares much better in this respect).

Fung Shing epitomises all that a good Chinese restaurant shouldn't be: the food takes ages to come, with dishes served individually and intermittently; lukewarm portions were miniscule; there is no ambiance; prices are unjustifiably high for the area. I don't mind rude service in Chinese restaurants but complete incompetence is unacceptable. Also, I'm not quite sure how they get away with a smoke-wherever-you-want policy...

Frommer's (the US tourists' bible) rates Fung Shing as the 'best' Cantonese in London, and this will ensure that naive travellers continue to flock there in droves. Without question, however, this is the worst Chinese restaurant I've been to.

Notting Grill (South American Restaurant)
31 July 2006

Whilst the airy gastropub has a pleasant decor, the service was very amateur (i.e. poor English skills combined with a total lack of food knowledge).

All could be forgiven if the food was up to scratch. However, this is where the NG really falls short. I was not expecting fine cuisine, just basic food executed well. For £30 I expected my steak to be memorable; instead it was decidedly average at best, with an unusual 'aged' taste. There appeared to be no discernible difference between how my med/rare steak was cooked in comparison to my dining companions (rare and med/well) - all came rare with sinew throughout. Other lowlights included stale bread, very very bland gluggy mash, over-boiled veg and tasteless run-of-the-mill desserts.

For £240 for a table or 4 there are numerous better options where the basics are done right and then some.