What is FiLLi Cafe?

FiLLi Cafe is a cafe that sells sandwiches, snacks and drinks. The signature item is the Zafran tea. We went to the branch in Marylebone, London. 

My Experience And What I Ate:

Chicken Dynamite Pizza (£10.99)

This pizza can only be described in one word: delicious! Firstly, the pizza looked awesome with a drizzle of the orange sauce and it had a nice orange-brown colour. This pizza had a juicy texture and the flavours were outstanding. I would highly recommend this pizza and I would rate it a 5/5. However, the pizza can really fill up one person or maximum two people as the pizza was not that large in size.

Chicken Fill Z (£5.29) 

Next up was the burger, which was the low of this cafe. This burger looked like a pretty standard small burger on the outside. On the inside, it was sticky and red inside with little flavours and the bread was just standard. Overall, this was underwhelming so I would rate this a 2/5 and I would not recommend this.

Manchurian Foodles (£6.99) 

However, do not fret, because this was one of the most unique dishes I have tried and gosh, it was amazing! It was a 5/5 because this dish had an egg on top which melted like honey and on the inside, the noodles were packed with spice and flavour, which was nicely washed down with the Zafran tea I had separately It was in this small container and the portion size was good too. Absolutely fantastic dish!

Medium Iced Spiced Zafran Chai Lemonade (£4.99)

This chai lemonade was brilliant! Firstly I have to appreciate the most unique packaging of this drink. To open this drink felt like a new experience because the drink was in a ziplock bag and I had to weave the straw through the hole and drink this. This tea has a nice yellow colour and it was so sweet, cold and soothing. It was the perfect way to cool down the spice from the savoury foods. Would give this another 5/5 because of its unicity and originality! 

What did I like about FiLLi Cafe?

• This cafe was definitely very unique. You had to go up a flight of stairs and there were well lit smaller sofas on the sides where you could look down on the windows, where my sister and I decided to sit. There were also tables on the middle for bigger families and gatherings. 
• It was well lit and it was orange and black in colour.
• The staff were a bit tired and unbothered and the waiting times were a bit long, but they still provided great food, which is what I needed so I cannot complain!

What didn’t I like about FiLLi Cafe?

• As I said, the staff and the service was a bit slow, especially as we went at lunchtime. Otherwise, there was nothing wrong with the cafe!

Would I Recommend It?

I would recommend this cafe 100% as it really brought out some new Indian food, different from the previous afternoon teas I have tried. I just recommend not taking the burger but apart from that, all the other items were great and filling! Also, it was very modern and the environment and atmosphere was nice for me and my sister to have our girly chats.

My Rating: 5/5

This was my short review or diary entry about FiLLi Cafe. These are my opinions about this place. Make sure to check out my other articles.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

What is Chopstix?

Chopstix is a Chinese noodle restaurant and it is promised to give ‘faster fresher tastier pan-Asian food’. There are many branches but I tried the Chopstix in Westfield Stratford.

What I Ordered And My Opinions On It:

Now I have tried different toppings each time I went. Essentially, I think the classic option is to go with a small, medium or large size box with rice or noodles. Then, depending on which size you chose (small – £6.00, medium – £7.00, large – £7.75), you then choose one, two or three toppings. I will be basing the food on what I ate today (3rd January 2021).

Large Box with Sweet And Sour Chicken, Salt and Pepper Chicken and Caramel Drizzle Chicken and Vegetable Noodles – £7.75

This box was quite new to me. It had three types of chicken. Firstly, I would say that the presentation was very simple and straightforward. It was executed as said in the name and it had everything in the name. The portion size was pretty good, and in my opinion, a medium box is good for 1 person and large is more for two people. The appearance was quite appetising with the different brown colours of the chicken, and seeing the juicy chicken. In terms of taste, I felt that it was delicious with a good taste of different types of chicken. My favourite has to be the sweet and sour chicken and the salt and pepper chicken as it adds variety and texture. 

However, this time, I think the caramel drizzle chicken was too sweet and this meant that my noodles also felt quite salty and sweet. The noodles had a lot of vegetables. Overall, I found this meal to be quite good, but I would not recommend the caramel drizzle chicken as I think it caused some weird taste. I would rate the box a ⅗, but generally it is a ⅘.

The Place:

The noodle bar is found in the corner of the Westfield Food Court. It is very packed there, especially during lunchtime, so you may find it difficult to find a table to sit at. The queue wasn’t that long and you had to pick the toppings right there and then. However, the shop assistants help you pick your food and it goes at a good pace.

The Service:

The staff were quite nice to me every time I went and they even helped my aunt pick a last-minute box today. They do not make you rush too much.

Would I Recommend It?

Overall, I would recommend trying food from this place. It is good for just having lunch/dinner with your family/friends once. I have tried it three times mainly because I prefer this restaurant the most currently out of all the other restaurants in the Westfield Stratford Food Court. I would say to pick your toppings carefully and go for toppings that you like quite a lot.

My Rating: 4/5

My Rating System:

⅕ – was below average and would not recommend even trying once

⅖ – the food was average and would not recommend trying

⅗ – the food was delicious but would recommend trying maximum once

⅘ – the food was really good and would recommend trying here

5/5 – the food was outstanding and is one of my favourites!

Order from here (not sponsored): Shake Town

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

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What is Wagamama?

Wagamama is a British restaurant chain, serving Asian food based on Japanese cuisine.

What I Ordered And My Opinions On It:

New Teriyaki Vegan Chicken Ramen (£11.95) 

I got this bowl of ramen. In terms of execution, it was as the menu suggested, but being Asian, the spice level wasn’t high enough but it was good flavour. The appearance was colourful and it is quite liquidy but they do provide different cutlery to choose from. When it comes to taste, this bowl was so different from other foods I have tried before and it had a unique authentic East Asia flavour. It was packed with flavour and this chicken was quite large in size and chewy too. I rated this a ⅘.

Yaki Udon Noodles Without Chicken (£10.95)

My sister got these noodles as her main meal. In a nutshell, this is one of her absolute favorite dishes! The chicken is Haram so ensure not to have that if you are Muslim. The noodles were thick, the prawns were very soft and tender and the spices combined together gave an overall outstanding taste. She would have loved to have a bigger portion and have more prawns. Regardless, this was still a 5/5 dish for her!

Hirata Steamed Buns Mixed Mushrooms (£6.25)

These were small and cute little buns that were like little tacos. They contained some mushrooms, and the bread was soft and white. Overall, they were a cute side to have and they did contain some mushroom flavour, but I would rate this a ⅗.

5 Gyoza Vegetable Dumplings (£5.95)

These dumplings were smaller than expected but were nicely presented. They were served with a specific sauce. The first thing I thought of when eating this was that it tasted like vegetable samosas. They have a bit of that crunchy texture and you can really taste the vegetables inside. Again, this is a great side to have and really represents Japanese cuisine so I would rate this a ⅘.

Smoked Chocolate Caramel Cake (£6.25)

Firstly, this cake came with vanilla ice-cream which was a pleasant surprise. The cake was darker in colour than I expected and I could see the caramel inside. My sister was skeptical to eat this as she dislikes caramel but overall, it just tasted like the mix of Mars Bars and brownies together, with that coldness from the ice-cream. If you are into Mars Bars/caramel, this is for you! I rate this a ⅗.

The Place:

The shop was quite large and we went at around 5:30pm on a Friday evening so it was quite dark and full with lots of people and a medium length queue. We sat in some seats in the center of the shop, which wasn’t my top choice. The lights and decor were beautiful. The music was also quite loud. Essentially if you don’t like dark restaurants with loud music, maybe Wagamama is not for you.

The Service:

The staff were quite nice, however, they were quite busy and we did have to wait some time before we received cutlery. The waiting time for the food was slightly long. My Teriyaki Vegan Chicken Ramen took around 20-25 minutes which was slightly longer than I expected but it was worth the wait. The rest of the dishes arrived at decent times.

Would I Recommend It?

Yes, I would recommend it! It is a very unique cuisine environment with some great flavours of the food and it may feel like you are in a restaurant in Japan so I would recommend this! And yes do try the new Teriyaki Vegan Chicken Ramen.

My Rating: 4/5

My Rating System:

⅕ – was below average and would not recommend even trying once

⅖ – the food was average and would not recommend trying

⅗ – the food was delicious but would recommend trying maximum once

⅘ – the food was really good and would recommend trying here

5/5 – the food was outstanding and is one of my favourites!

Order from here (not sponsored): https://www.wagamama.com/home

This was my short review or diary entry about Wagamama. These are my opinions about this place. Make sure to check out my other restaurant reviews.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

• My 2023 Reflections As A Medical Student 
• My First Term of Medical School | Exams, Essays and Events 
• My First Month of Medical School | Moving Out, Freshers And Workload
• The Ultimate Guide To Ace Year 12 | Revision, Friendships And Supercurriculars
• How I Got All A*s At GCSEs | 10 Tips Every Year 11 Student Should Know