Back to Wax

Having abandoned waxing in my impoverished, straight-out-of-uni days in favour of chronically slow, painful but, most importantly, cheap hair removal with my not-so-trusty Braun epilator, I had long been on the look-out for an inexpensive wax bar in Fulham. There are loads of flashy options out there, but the prices always far exceeded what I had been used to paying at my small-city university (isn’t it always the way) and I’m afraid I balked at paying £40 at more for a leg wax when I knew I could do it for free, if painfully and imperfectly, at home.

But home hair removal is a pain, isn’t it? The wax strips don’t work, epilation is painful (and patchy), and shaving and veet creams are just too short-term. Going to a salon is quick, easy and despite the pain you feel like you’re being pampered, and when you get into a good natter with the beautician time just flies. I was reminded of all the beauties of salon waxing when I visited the Wax Bar Fulham last week. 

Haseena, the warm and chatty beautician, has been practising around Fulham for almost a decade and a few months ago set up her cosy salon on Jerdan Place. Tucked away above a male grooming parlour, stepping off the cobbles it’s a mini sanctuary from the bustle of daily life. A real wax enthusiast - Haseena also teaches beauty students locally, so she’s a bit of an expert – my legs were as bald (and soft) as a baby’s bottom before I knew it. The environment was warm, clean and cosy and Haseena is incredibly easy to get along with, as well as being very professional. She makes sure you’re comfortable, gives you lots of friendly advice on aftercare and generally makes you feel pampered. Wax Bar Fulham also offers eyelash and eyebrow tints, so Haseena can cover many of your beauty needs in one appointment.

Best of all, the prices are incredibly reasonable – a full leg wax is just £25 – and for SouthWestSix readers your first appointment is 25% cheaper again! Just quote the code SW601 when you make your booking. For a full price list visit www.waxbarfulham.com.

Wax Bar Fulham

1^st Floor

19 Jerdan Place

Fulham

London SW6 1BE

To make a booking you can get Haseena’s contact details here.

Give Me More

It's always the quiet ones, isn't it? The unassuming ones, without bombast and fancy decorations which we tend to dismiss, that when we finally give them a chance, prove themselves beyond a doubt. Such is the case with Me Me, the Vietnamese restaurant in the heart of Fulham Broadway. The decor is certainly plain, functional and the lighting scheme (if you can call it that) unabashedly bright. Positioned as it is next that that night club that always seems to be shutting down, near the games hall and some of the other not-so-fancy features of the Broadway, I had always slightly dismissed it as a bit cheap, probably a bit nasty. But not so. For anyone who really enjoys Asian food (and not just for the bright colours, and exotic presentation), this is a true authentic gem.

Prices are really reasonable (£5-10, sometimes a little higher for fancy things like Sea Bass), especially as the portion sizes are fairly ample, and the food we had was fresh, fragrant and full of flavour. Service is quick, but a little haphazard (although very friendly, the restaurant is family run), so my advice would be to order several things to share, and let everybody dig in as and when it arrives. We sampled the traditional Vietnamese spicy noodle soup, Bun Hue, served with prawns and crammed full of fresh herbs and invigorating light and aromatic stock, as well as the Beef Pho, which was a pretty good rendition of the classic Vietnamese noodle soup. The stand out dish was the soft shell crab battered in chili, garlic, salt and pepper, but the 'sizzling beef' also drew inelegant grunts of approval.

Reviews of this place have been fairly mixed, but my experience was really positive. Don't go expecting a fancy night out, and do order a variety of dishes and share. There were plenty of things being carried out to other tables that caused me definite pangs of food envy. If you're looking for a casual, unpretentious evening, and some really refreshing, fragrant, light and spicy food, without breaking the bank, you may have found a new neighbourhood favourite.

Me Me Vietnamese Restaurant
565 Fulham Road, London
SW6 1ES
www.memerestaurant.co.uk

Casual Dining at The Butcher's Hook

One thing Fulham is certainly not short of is decent pub dining, and Sarah and I are lucky enough to have sampled from quite a lot of it over the past year or so. However, last Friday was the first time I'd tried out The Butcher's Hook, which sits in a prominent position on the Fulham Road near to Stamford Bridge and Fulham Broadway.

Inside, the décor is a blend of contemporary modern and farmhouse chic, retaining a low key but upmarket gastro-pub ambience. There's plenty of atmospheric lighting, exposed brickwork, brass kitchenware displays and sleek varnished oak woodwork. There was a real mix of locals in there, from the old guys catching up over an ale to whole family groups and gaggles of girl friends, which helps it retain a welcoming, local feel.

The emphasis is firmly on casual dining, and whilst you can get all the pub staples like roast chicken, salmon and new potatoes and steak and chips, many of the dishes have an interesting twist and the starter menu in particular is quite inventive. I tried the pig trotter croquettes with tomato chutney and the spicy chick pea and vegetable fritters with tzatziki, and the croquettes in particular were fantastic. They had an intense smokey flavour and plenty of texture, and the sharpness of the chutney set it off perfectly.The boy sampled the steak and chips, which was a perfectly decent reprisal of the classic pub dish, although the meat was a bit more brown than the requested pink. Drinks are the standard fare but with none of the silly gastro-pub pricing you might expect - so again, this place is perfect for a casual mid-week catch up.

The prices are very reasonable, especially for the area, and there is a really warm, friendly yet quietly elegant atmosphere in there. My only slightly criticism would be that perhaps the service was a little too casual. It took the team quite a long time to take our order, and we saw a few wrong dishes going out to the tables neighbouring us. However, there was absolutely no attitude and the staff were quick and keen to rectify any mistakes made. Overall, I'd recommend the Butcher's Hook for it's local yet modern atmosphere, decent pricing and unfussy experience. It's great for a cheap and easy mid-week dinner with friends whilst maintaining much more ambience than many of the other chain options who might compete for spend in the casual dining sector. Definitely worth checking out!

The Butcher's Hook
477 Fulham Road
London SW6 1HL
http://www.thebutchershook.co.uk/

Bringing Brazil to SW6

When you think of Brazil what do you think of? I think of sun, sea, Carnaval and caipirinhas. However, when I'm told to think about Brazilian cuisine, I tend to draw a blank. And I've been there! Granted I visited on some 5 day party jaunt in Rio where sampling the best of gastronomy did not feature highly on my to do list, but although I do only have the vaguest of memories of Feijoada and eating empanadas on the beach I couldn't elaborate on the food much more than that. So, it was with great interest that Sarah and I accepted an invitation to celebrate Brazilian Independence Day at Rodizio Rico, a Brazilian churrascaria based in Fulham Broadway. I may have not know what to expect food-wise (as it turns out - lots and lots of yummy meat!) but I knew we were in for a hell of a party...

Rodizio Rico sits on the site of the old La Tasca on Jerdan Place. It describes itself as a 'churrascaria de rodizio' - a traditional Brazilian grill - so as you might imagine, plenty of meat is the order of the day. As we settled in with a delicious Caipirinha, the national cocktail of Brazil (cue a mixture of good and bad memories of the aforementioned trip), we sampled steak from the grill which was absolutely delicious - perfectly seasoned and deliciously juicy. As the Caipirinhas slipped down with disconcerting ease, we were also treated to traditional Brazilian cheesy bread, a selection of grilled meat and fajita style vegetables and dates wrapped with Parma ham. The food we sampled was really tasty and hearty, and for those of you who are serious about your meats you'll be pleased to hear that all the barbecued meat you could possibly want, unlimited hot dishes and access to a salad buffet will only set you back £23.50 - about the same as a rump steak in your standard restaurant.

Buoyed by good food and good cocktails, the Carnaval atmosphere was enhanced by a wonderful Brazilian drumming group, who kept us all upbeat throughout the evening, and accompanied by some very energetic and very scantily clad Brazilian dancers, who added a touch of Rio with their bejewelled bikinis and magnificent feathered head-dresses, even if they did make me slightly regret the excessive amount of canapés I had just consumed! The girls got the crowd dancing, and we spotted an array of booty shaking that ranged from the dubious to the suspiciously impressive, and even a couple of passing policemen were inspired to give their bottoms a cheeky waggle!

The evening was really great fun, and the owner and staff were all really upbeat and friendly characters who set the tone for the festivities. I'll definitely be going back to sample the full BBQ menu - not only is it seriously good value, but they'll show you a fabulous time too.

Rodizio Rico
11 Jerdan Place, Fulham Broadway
SW6 1BE

Lovin' brunch at Love Walk

When I'm hungover, I'm not really much of an eater. There are some people who simply have to devour a Full English before they can get on with their day, but for me, the grease and the smell and the cheap variants of ketchup really churn the stomach and a venture to a greasy spoon is more likely to leave me bedridden than rejuvenated.

Hence, I'm not usually much of a brunch person. No matter how many of my friends wheedle away about they could "murder" a bacon sandwich - I tend to skip the part where they all consume around four pounds of Asda's cheapest bacon whilst rehashing the night before, and stay in with a piece of dry toast (yes, really!)

So last weekend, the one plus side of a night that just wasn't as crazy as planned, was that I woke up on Sunday fresh as a daisy and just craving brunch. As in really desperate for some coffee, some carbs and something god darn substantial.

There are tonnes of options around Fulham Broadway, but in the name of research (and blogging!) we decided to hit somewhere new, preferably with some outdoor seating to enjoy the sunshine, and settled upon Love Walk, hidden away from the main road on Jerdan Place. I admit, I only ever really venture beyond the Broadway towards West Ken when I want to hit the North End Road Market (a new favourite past time of mine!) and I only knew about this place because I use Jerdan Place as a cut through.

But it's really cute. Set in a small premises, an adjoining yard, and sprawling over plenty of pavement place, this little brunch and lunch spot has loads of outdoor seating, pretty nice wooden table and chair sets, hanging baskets galore and a brunch menu that goes on and on.

I must admit, this is where the spirit of adventure ends, as I plumped for an Eggs Florentine (with extra mushrooms) whilst the boy went for Eggs Royale, washed down with a 'large' cappuccino that would have kept a small army caffeinated for several hours (seriously - HUGE). Both dishes were really well done, though one of my eggs wasn't quite as runny as I might have liked. The hollandaise was of the perfect consistency, with just the right tinge of lemon. Thankfully, the portion sizes were a little smaller than we might have feared, having seen the size of the coffee! I felt really satisfied without having to wonder how I'd roll off my chair.

The menu is really great. There are all your traditional breakfast options (eggs done every which way, Full English, Veggie English, pattiseries, yoghurt and muesli etc...) as well as some more unusual options like the 'Turkish Breakfast'. You could go there with a whole gang of fussy eaters and I reckon everyone would leave pretty happy. And with the sun beaming down, my favourite breakfast inside me, and the gentle buzz of the Broadway around me, I was pretty happy bunny myself!

Love Walk,
Jerdan Place, Fulham Broadway.