New to the Area!! Good pubs/Restaurants????

Colette

I can also vouch for Garufa - pretty good steaks. Not really worth going for anything else, although there were THREE veggie options, so points for trying.

Chapter none

Having come back from breakfast with my rose tinted fry-up loving glasses removed I would like to add that the service in Sunshine is absolutely shocking... When the old man is at the cooker you can expect to be fed in about 25 minutes. When TweedleDum and TweedleDummer are left in charge it can be anything up to 50 minutes and it's a bit of a lottery what you get...

Still it kicks the crap out of Continental next to Tescos...

xxxxxxx

Petek and Cats are fantastic - so consistantly good. The fish and chips isn't that bad on Tollington Park. I've not been to Dotori but it's meant to be great. In fact I'll try it today. Although i'm not sure on their opening hours as it always seems closed lately.

The best coffee in the area is served by 'Good for Food' on Blackstock Road. They also do Paninis, etc.

The area is safe in general but often doesn't seem so due to a lot of nutters and homeboys walking pitbulls a lot as well as a few murders and stabbings, etc. Saying that I feel pretty safe here and the people seem lovely.

Dairy Queen

@Chapter none
Did it occur to you that maybe they just don't serve you quickly? I get served almost immediately, and if I do have to wait they offer me a free coffee. In fact, they don't even ask, they remember its one sugar in my latte if I look hungover. And the selection of newspapers is so right. Who wants a broadsheet when the chairs are attached to the tables?

Could this be the inspiration for a SG 2009 style series of 'Cheers'?

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@Dairy Queen

Maybe some of us like a more highbrow read in the morning and can understand the news even when it's not written next to Nancy, 16, Canvey Island who thinks "It's bad there are people dying in Afghanistan but does love building snowmen." and will probably do so the next time she gets a snow-day off school...

Saying that; I got stuck with yesterday's Sun this morning and had a bit of a moan to the waiter (probably the reason I don't get a free coffee)...

Dairy Queen

@ Chapter none

There is a time and place for everything. Just like I would only wear my Reebok Classics to the Larrick, taking a Gaurdian into Sunshine is just asking for runny egg on your face.

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@ Dairy Queen

If you are a guardian reading fan (I take it that it is your chosen broadsheet) I would expect you were much more likely to wear you Birkenstock into the Larrick (having just eaten in the Krishna curry house and discussed social issues with people who have exactly the same guardian reading/unrealistic social commentary - "lets feed and house the poor and educate the stupid without raising taxes or pulling funding from else where and once the charity work is complete we'll still be able to fly to Tuscany for our summer holiday with little Jimmy and his sister Apple-Daisy-Popsey-Mopsey-Cottontail-Peaches-Fulx Capacitor without worrying about global warming for one week as we are the best Samaritans in the world and have brownie points up the arse" - ideals as you).

I'd stick to the Torygraph... As for the eggs, they are probably similar to you ideas on breakfast reading... Utterly scrambled on a bed of Rye (bread not humour).

Dairy Queen

@ Chapter none

All that from a passing comment about coffee, liberal newspapers and tits. And I didn't even tell you about my preferred breakfast choice.

I'm sure I will be able to spot you the next time I am in there, hiding behind the big picture and still waiting for his extra wet cappuchino..

unaesthetic

do they also get the socialist worker and guns & ammo? otherwise i'll be forced to go elsewhere...

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@Dairy Queen

I'll be the one with a sulky look on my face reading the DT waiting for my tea (how very apt as we know what needs to be done just can't face actually doing it, where as Sunshine seem to know what needs to be done, sets about it in the wrong way and it ends up being fiasco, see Labour party, olympics etc).

I will look around for a chirpy Sun reader sitting behind a plethora of free cups of coffee as her food has yet to turn up.

As long as we stick to chatting about tits and coffee I'm sure we'll be fine, I suggest we leave liberal newspapers out of it as you may be on the receiving end of another diatribe (and not undeservedly)... That is if you'll talk to someone who doesn't share the treehugging attitude or agrees and supports Swampie (but I'm sure you wouldn't let him into your house without a bath).

rainbow_carnage

Wait, did I miss something? The length of time it takes to get your breakfast is dependent on the paper you're reading? WTF? I don't like The Guardian, The Telegraph or The Sun. How long will it take to get my eggs?

25 minutes is too long to wait for a fry-up, even when you're not hung over. And why is a greasy spoon serving lattes? That's wrong on so many levels. Or am I being an inverse snob today?

For my middle-class money, The Breakfast Club is the only place that gets it right. Even if you include the bus ride to Angel, it takes less than 50 minutes to get your food. (Thank you, Katiejane, for recommending it.) And you can read any paper you please while enjoying excellent eggs florentine and homefries. Ooh, and their bloody marys are fantastic.

Chapter none

Now that sounds lovely; do they do a good Eggs Benedict?

S&M is pretty good in Angel as well and tinderbox does very nutty coffee if you can stomach it without thinking about Austin Powers...

rainbow_carnage

I haven't tried the eggs benedict, but I bet it's good. Everything we had there was delicious. The service was friendly and efficient. Once we got through the door, anyway. We first had to queue for 20 minutes in the rain. That was on a Sunday, though. I doubt there's a queue on weekdays. Anyway, it's a good sign that people are willing to queue to eat there.

Tinderbox do bowls of coffee. Unaesthetic loves that. Their hot chocolate is alright, as well.

I don't understand people who make excuses for lousy food and crap service. If the food isn't good, why go there? It's not like there are no other options. The Front Room is not the best the area has to offer. I'm not a huge fan of Arianna's or Dream River, but both have vaguely drinkable coffee and free wi-fi. Their tables aren't sticky, so you can put down your laptop. Good for Food has decent coffee, tasty cakes, great salads, good soup (in the winter, anyway) and friendly service. They can have my money.

unaesthetic

more coffee > less coffee. and the breakfast club is certainly worth the bus trip.

one thing arianna's has over gff is that it's not full of yappy mums with their yuppie larvae in their humvee-sized pushchairs. and their coffee is pretty good. there are a few other places on <strike>fuckwit</strike>fonthill road, are any of them worh investigating?

lizzieN2

Breakfast Club is my favourite place in London apart from the Old Dairy....I did queue out the door for about half an hour for a table once - but stuck it out as I wanted to take a friend there. I have seen a lot of the MTV presenters in there.

Chapter None - The pie at the Dairy now comes with mash and vegetables, hope the film is going well xx

Reg

I went to The Front Room this Sunday morning and enjoyed it. Eggs Benedict for me and a full english for my lady-friend. Good food, good service, if maybe a little pricey. I prefer Ariana's though but not for anything easily identifiable. As for the area, have not had any trouble (apart from a well aimed snowball) apart from the aggressive dispensation of parking regulations.

jellyhead

There are a few articles about restaurants and pubs in the area on www.yourlocallondon.com in the Finsbury Park section