11 East Street Cafe

I had heard a lot about the new place in town - 11 East Street Cafe, a theme restaurant built to look like a London street, complete with a real, red double decker and shop fronts. I finally got a chance to visit it today, but I must say, it was a pretty big disappointment.

The idea's great, the double decker bus is fantastic. But the rest left a lot to be desired. Bringing the kitchen and service areas out into the "street" is a bad idea - on one hand you can see the shopfronts of London, and right beside it, sweaty Indian cooks toiling over overused mixers and grinders. The roof is a big disappointment too, and having plastic white tarpaulins instead of the blue sky is a definite no-no.

The place was very crowded, and you keep getting jostled by guests as well as waiters. The biggest turn-off for me: smoking.

The service is bad too - twice we were served dishes ordered by someone else, plates were not cleared away quick enough.

The food is OK, but definitely nothing about the crowd, the ambience or the food will make me go back there...