What rating does Charlotte Street hold?
“My boss absolutely hates pizza,” Mark recalled. “But he thought this place was amazing, it’s the Turkish version of pizza.”
A traditional Italian dish has been revamped or “westernized” by Pidé, a small restaurant in the Fitzrovia area that specialized in the Turkish version of the globalized and glorified pizza. It’s not strange to think that such a place is thriving in a cosmopolitan city as London is; after all, flavours, ethnicities and even cultures have been mixed for years in the UK’s capital.
As we walked by Pidé, Mark and I stopped, and he took a look around. “It’s better if we go down the road, let’s take a left here.”
I would have never imagined that a business meeting with Mark would help me discover a paradise for food lovers. A few minutes away from Goodge Street station, lays a street that holds flavours from all around the world: Charlotte Street. It’s the perfect clash of entrepreneurs contrasted with its residents; the lower floors are made of multicultural restaurants while the upper floors are exclusively for the Londoners that call this place their home. A fluid nightlife waits for those who enjoy evenings of dining and light drinking.
“I picked this place because of the amount of restaurants that it has, it has helped us a lot with picking up data,” Mark acknowledged as we kept walking.
Charlotte Street meant a start. It’s no Oxford Street; it can be walked by in less than five minutes but for those interested in food, as Mark is, Charlotte Street holds more than 30 restaurants in its 800 metres. It would probably take around a week to enjoy it all… and that’s including breakfast, lunch and dinner as part of the tour. However, he didn’t have to order it all as the iPads he has given to the restaurants have helped him gather the information he required.
Mark is one of the many entrepreneurs that have come to Charlotte Street but unlike many others here, his idea depends on what others are eating. As it still is in its developing stage, it’s hard to talk about his new app freely. He confides to me into what it will be about, it’s future plans and what they think it will change in the way that people order food.
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“Think about it this way, when you search for a restaurant and it has such a high rating in Trip Advisor or Four Square… does it really recommend you something? You probably don’t have any idea of what to order but you know it will be good because it has 5 stars, that’s where we get to help.”
Taking a look at the ratings on Google for many of the restaurants in Charlotte Street, I realized that Mark was right. There is definitely a place for everyone here but there are so many where many would be as baffled as me when it comes to their food. What would be the best to try at Bubbledogs, a bar that serves champagne and hot dogs? How will I know what makes my burger perfect when I craft it myself at BOBO Social? Which are the best plates to try at Señor Ceviche if I have never eaten Peruvian cuisine before?
“It’s funny because if it weren’t for Dish Ratings, we never would have known that there was such thing as a Turkish pizza and it’s so good! Now Garrett (his boss) is recommending it to everyone he knows!” Mark lets out a few chuckles, it hasn’t even been launched but Dish Ratings was already changing someone’s menu.
Charlotte Street also holds a wide variety of prices, which made it perfect for Mark to start up his trials for Dish Ratings. Unlike other popular London niche for food lovers such as Covent Garden, you can have a whole meal with whatever you are willing to spend. ROKA offers fine sushi and Japanese cuisine, the place itself offers you a unique experience: a rustic table, made from the same wood of the main door, surrounds the open kitchen where you can watch the chefs prepare their delicacies as you anxiously wait for your course to be served. A meal in this restaurant can go from £90. On the other hand, you can visit Italia UNO; a small café filled with Italian football memorabilia, tables and chairs hold a tiny space of separation from each other but the TVs offering authentic Italian football games as well as the home made food make the visit worth it. A meal between two people can go up to £20.
“Even though it’s central, Charlotte Street has great restaurants for any budget,” Mark told me. “I’ve been coming here for many months now and I get to know why people come back here and try so many different things.”
I decided to take my chance at Pidé and know what the fuzz was about. Mark had talked so much about it through out our meeting that I just needed a taste of it. Inside the restaurant, I was greeted by Turkish waitresses who at the sight of Mark quickly smiled and gave him the tablet back, letting him know how many other people had given feedback on their dishes. Marja, the waitress, turned to me and asked for my order, I skimmed the menu and decided on Lahmacuns (a pizza like dough with lamb) and Sarma salad (red cabbage, olive oil and lemon dressing).
“How would you rate it?” Mark asked as I had my first bite.
“Definitely 5 stars,” I reply and continued with my meal.
It was a win-win situation: my opinion was added to Dish Ratings and Charlotte Street had gathered another regular visitor to its unique restaurants.
