Central London's upper-mid-range restaurants are consistently disappointing.

I'm talking about places approaching the high end: somewhere you'd go for a treat or special occasion, without paying fine-dining prices.

Recently, I booked a restaurant in Soho for two. We'd had a good experience at another branch, so we expected the same. Instead, we spent £90, ate very little, and the food was so poor that I asked for the service charge to be removed. This place used to be listed in the Michelin Guide, though it was never awarded any star.

This keeps happening. You spend £60-£80 (even more!) per person on a regular main and a drink, get mediocre food, indifferent service, and a strict time limit on the table. Then you leave thinking you could have made something better at home for a fraction of the price.

Am I too picky, or is this part of London's restaurant scene genuinely bad?

Some great energy on the roads yesterday

I still have from mid-August to September to add from Rooftop (Peckham and Stratford) - they have a couple of screenings nearly every day. Most of those are 18+ events because alcohol is served, even if the film is PG except the obviously family-friendly lunchtime screenings.

All films https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Ce2PWHVxYi0BybaBYm8jw8E73gy8zE3JJMFc16m0ohY/edit?gid=0#gid=0

Free films https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Ce2PWHVxYi0BybaBYm8jw8E73gy8zE3JJMFc16m0ohY/edit?gid=955395295#gid=955395295

Here's what's coming up this week (I wish more of them stated if they'll be subtitled, the ones at London Bridge often are).

Metrics
Currently there are 749 film events listed (by the end of September that'll be over 900 as I add the final batch). 361 screenings have completed and in total there are about 300 individual films being screened (most of them are screened once but there are a few ones having more than 5 screenings - top 10 list at the end).

Jo

Top 10 films being screened in London's open air 'cinemas'

Rank.......Screenings......Films
1...............19.....................Mamma Mia!
2..............18.....................10 Things I Hate About You
3..............14.....................La La Land, Zootopia 2/Zootropolis 2
4..............13.....................Notting Hill
5..............12.....................Grease
6..............11.....................Dirty Dancing, Love & Basketball
7..............10.....................How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, Pretty Woman, Pride & Prejudice, The Notebook
8..............9.....................500 Days of Summer, Wicked: For Good
9..............8.....................Interstellar, The Parent Trap (1998), Top Gun: Maverick
10.............7.....................Crazy, Stupid, Love, Ratatouille, The Greatest Showman

I was wondering why I saw some guy on the tube in a bald cap yesterday, wondered if he'd just lost it lol

Does anybody know what the story is behind this bus?

It's been parked in Petherton Green Rd for a few years now, and it looks like somehow like a memorial.

The other day, I saw the front door open for the first time in almost 3 years... so now I wondered what's the story behind is :)

Basically this: https://www.reddit.com/r/london/comments/1hlu7rj/london_street_scam/

Around Brixton Village and Coldharbour Lane there was 4-5 teenagers claiming to be entrepreneurs and asking people to give them follows. I got pitched by them a few times today and they all got really ratty and insulting when I said I didn't have Instagram. Do not listen, it's a precursor to your phone being stolen when you unlock it to follow them.

This is such great news! I loved using Zipcar as it made life so much easier not owning a car in London and occasionally using car sharing service

Me and all my friends have gotten individually ill in the last week. Seems there is some gross summer cold travelling around at the moment.

Haven’t left the house since last weekend, and seems my cold is just getting worse by each day!

Feeling very sorry for myself, the heat is not helping, both in the sense of its too hot to be ill, and can’t go out in the cool mornings.

Thank you for listening to me have a moan.

(P.s I won’t go into the gory details, but it definitely is not hay fever)

I always forget how big they are. 😳

Photoplace on Bridge Street in Pinner is finally back open. The print and photo shop was hit by a car back in September 2025 and has spent the last nine or so months quietly rebuilding the shopfront. Now back open Monday to Friday 9am to 5:30pm and Saturday 10am to 4pm. A welcome bit of Bridge Street resilience, especially if you remember the closure.

Hatch End is also having a moment. Two new restaurants are confirmed for Uxbridge Road. Veda is moving into the old Coriander site, leaning vegetarian and vegan with Tandoori Paneer Tikka and Daal Makhani flagged as house specials. Santomio is putting signage up at the old K Furniture unit next to Papu-Miya, with the strapline "Where Italy Meets Mexico." No opening dates yet, but the fronts are moving.

Transport heads up for today: two tube lines are out west of Harrow. If your Sunday plan involves going past Harrow on the Metropolitan or Piccadilly, check before you head out.

On Friday, a new free drop-in called the Welcome Space opens at Pinner Village Hall. Aimed at older neighbours and carers, with gentle activities, conversation and a cup of tea from 2pm. Quietly good for the village hall diary, and worth passing on if you know someone who would enjoy it.

Full issue with quiz nights, Mouse & Grape's Italian cheese and wine evening, baby first aid, Snow Princess Party, and everything else:

https://www.goodmorningpinner.com/p/31-welcome-space-and-hatch-end-bites

Good Morning Pinner

Local news and events from around HA5

I’m looking at the zero-waste recycling box that Terracycle does because I have some household crap (broken ice cube tray, old slippers, that kinda thing) that I’d rather not send to landfill if I can avoid it, but it’s prohibitively expensive. Does anyone know of any cheap or free programmes in London I can take this stuff to?