Waltham Forest
La Baita

La Baita

98 Station Rd, Waltham Forest, United Kingdom

Pizza • Pasta • Italian • Vegetarian


"Three of us invaded this lovely eatery in Chingford on a busy Saturday night, and we weren 't disappointed. We were warmly greeted by Silvo and shown to our table. The decor remains unchanged: romantic lighting, light coloured walls, and prints of Italian locations. Armed with two Aperol Spritz, we perused their wide ranging menu, especially when you include their Specials ' board. Accompanied by welcoming background music and the polite chatter and laughter from other diners already there, we made our selection. Soon, Orazio joined us, and the chat and laughter began with Silvo and Orazio. Our starters consisted of Avocado and Prawns for two; and Avocado, Prawns, and crab for one, off their specials ' board. The freshness and flavour were outstanding. Our mains were as great, too. There was Lamb, fresh Tuna, both with sides; and one Linguine Marinara: all were presented and prepared to perfection. This was baptised with our traditional Primitivo: a full bodied red from Italy with a hint of sweetness and an appetising aroma. We gluttons then found room for dessert: profiteroles and ice cream; afrogato, and an apple pie drizzled off menu with Amaretto. These were delicious. We concluded this culinary perfection with an Americano, lemon tea, a cappuccino, and two black Sambucas. Plus, complimentary ones from our gracious hosts grazie mille, Silvo. It was truly a splendid dining experience. Our compliments to the chef for his artistry and friendliness, and a big 'thank you ' to all at La Baita for the chat, laughter, and superb cuisine. We will be back soon. Until then, keep smiling, be safe, and happy. Ciao."

Lord Palmerston

Lord Palmerston

252-254 Forest Road, Waltham Forest, United Kingdom

Pizza • Dining • British • Fast Food


"I've lived around here for years, and this used to be the sort of place where you got what you paid for. It was not flashy or high-quality, but it was a solid, old-fashioned boozer where you could get a cheap ale and some pub grub while watching the football. Now you don't even get that. In the last few months, new management has wrecked what little quality this pub had. It's constantly understaffed (sometimes just one person serving a full bar), the kitchen has been permanently closed, they have barely half the drinks on tap most days, and it seems like you need a degree in electrical engineering to use the speaker system, because not one member of the team ever knows how to change the feed. It doesn't help that staff turnover is turning over like a washing machine (obviously they're as unhappy as we loyal customers are). It was never fancy to start with, but now it has really gone down the pan, and it shows because people who used to come here all the time now go elsewhere. Meanwhile, the prices just go up and up. I know this isn't the fault of the people who do their best working there; it's the management's problem. Sadly, if you're after anything more than your third-choice drink served very slowly by underpaid and undervalued staff who don't want to be there anymore than you do, then go to the Chequers instead, a great pub on Walthamstow High Street. It's a bit dearer, but they do good food, it's cosier, the atmosphere is always fun, and they have multiple screens where you can watch live sports with commentary. I waited a long time before posting this review, because I wanted to give the new era a chance over several visits, but it just ain't working."

Singburi

Singburi

593 Leytonstone High Road, Waltham Forest, United Kingdom

Thai • Fish • Curry • Seafood


"The hype currently surrounding Singburi has reached stratospheric levels, and even though it is quite a trek from home I thought it had to be tested out. Following their Instagram account is key to finding out about the release of reservation slots. I had to book around 3 months in advance for a Saturday evening, and at the time bookings could only be made via the phone on Wednesdays. According to my iPhone, it took 28 attempts on the day before managing to get through to them and secure my booking. Hyped up indeed! Fast forward to the day we arrived on time to a very frosty welcome from who I think was the person in charge of things. She also was the one who took our order and barked at me when I had any questions about menu items. Anyhow, the 3 of us focused our ordering on items from the specials board, which seems to be the unwritten rule. We tried the clams, whole crab curry, crispy tilapia, chicken and liver curry, beef massaman, and the salt fish rice. The food was very nice and we enjoyed the spice levels in some of the dishes. Service continued to be quite unfriendly and robotic but fairly speedy. The bill for our meal came to a very reasonable £110 for the 3 of us. The conclusion a nice authentic Thai meal but I didn’t see what all the fuss was about. The comparison that popped to my mind was 101 Thai Kitchen, another hole in the wall casual spot which is close to where I live and in this case very easy to book perhaps the food at Singburi was one notch better but it wasn’t much of a difference, certainly not enough to justify jumping through hoops to get a booking. I’m glad I crossed it off my list but I doubt I would return. Note: it is BYOB. They do provide a wine bottle opener and glasses if needed. Also note it’s cash only, there is a Tesco just a minute away which offers up to £50 cash back."