Imli

Saturday 24 March 2007
advertises itself as Indian tapas, which basically means that it isIndian food, although in the modern sense of the phrase, in small portions. This means you can taste a wide variety of dishes or have to order a lot depeneding on your point of view...It also means that you can order things like a bulgar wheat and yellow bean salad alongside more traditional dishes such as samosas, which in my opinion is a refreshing alternative but to some may be an unforgivable transgression. Anyhow, we ordered six dishes plus a pudding and 2 glasses of wine and it came to £32 and was very tasty. We had to queue for 15 minutes but it was worth it - good value, good fod and a bubbly atmosphere, but may be too risky for lovers of a good old chicken tikka masala. Oh and they do decent vegetarian dishes too.

The Garrison

Sunday 18 March 2007
The Garrison is a gastro pub on Bermondsey street, a street bristling with gastro pubs. The Garrison is decorated in what can only be described as shabby chic style, with the emphasis on chic, tassled lampshades, wall paper and distressed wooden tables with mismatched chairs. Perfect for city dwellers who want a country pub but can't be bothered to go to the country. The food is good and hearty but not cheap (about £10 for a main course) with good vegetarian options. Service is friendly and the atmosphere relaxing. It is always busy and tables are nearly always reserved but you can often occupy a table before its reservation time so the earlier you go the better. Recommended, but only if you like the whole gastro pub thing.