Selfridges: Sink the Pink Presents the Queens Head

Pantomimes and Christmas go hand in hand like mulled wine and minced pies. However, as we grow older, the cheesy fairy tales  become a little old hat. Well, don't worry, I have the answer! 

On Friday, my friends and I paid a visit to an East London pub. The slightly odd thing? It was in the basement of Selfridges. We had arrived for Sink the Pink's panto which promised to provide an (adult only!) immersive theater experience, with all the glitter and glam that can only be bought by a cast full of drag queens. 

Being the keen beans we are, we were one of the first to arrive. We waited outside the 'pub doors' before rushing to a front table. Settled down, we popped to the bar to pick one of our first complimentary drinks, before gazing around at the be-tinseled  pub surrounding us. 

Before long, the show kicked off. The general premise was that the pub landlady was being interviewed by the local news station  who were covering the annual switch-on of the famous pub Christmas lights. Of course disaster and unexpected events befall the protagonists, broken up by lip-synced songs, live music, impressive dance numbers in sky-scraper heels and general hilarity. 

By the end of the evening, we had sung, danced and laughed our hearts out. Not only that, we'd had what felt like an incredibly good value night! The tickets were £25 which included three complimentary (and quite generous!) drinks and as many bar snacks as we could stuff our faces with.

So if you're looking for something to do to get you in the festive mood, I'd highly recommend giving the Queen's Head a visit - it's running the whole way through December! 

Tooting Broadway Market: The Hill Station Cocktail Bar

I've never been out to Tooting before. It's a bit of London that you hear quite a lot about - it's 'up and coming', 'the new edgy place to live' or 'the authentic version of Brixton', but also perhaps not the closest place to get to. However, on Wednesday evening I was invited to 'The Hill Station' cocktail bar and this has inspired me to find out what other gems could be hidden in this corner of South London.

Finding the bar was perhaps not the easiest experience. Frankie and I must have walked up and down the high street at least three times before a friendly passer by directed us into a small market entrance. Then, we wandered around a maze of an undercover market, where during the day time, there would be small shops offering hairdressing services and stalls selling fresh fish among other foods.

Eventually however, we stumbled across The Hill Station.





From the outside, the bar was modeled on an authentic Himalayan mountain shack, decorated with flags and cheery blue shutters, with benches for people to sit. On the inside, the bar was tiny! There was perhaps room for about 10 people in the seating area and room for a couple more propped up at the bar its self. This cozy venue was decorated all over with colourful cushions, photographs and glass hanging lanterns, giving it a warm atmosphere.

We settled down and read through the menu, before picking a 'Darjeeling Iced Tea' and a 'Hillary's Hibiscus'. Then, incredibly looking plates of sushi were deposited in front of us! Nibbles had arrived from the next door 'Hi-Ki Robata Grill and Sushi Bar'. Beautifully served and incredibly delicious, this was a real unexpected treat! The sushi was lovely and fresh, but it was the little meat skewers which really stole the show!

 

 

 

Soon, we tucked into our cocktails. These were prettily presented and also very tasty. The Darjeeling Iced Tea I especially liked as it had a strong taste of spicy peppercorns and even came served with half a pepper on top which was rather unusual!

 

 

Over the course of the evening, we managed to sample an extensive range of the menu. Each cocktail was carefully made with a host of interesting ingredients. I even got to try a whole tamarind fruit which blew me away slightly, much to the amusement of our hosts! I'd never seen it in its fresh form before and loved how it almost looked like a giant, slightly furry peanut, filled with soft fruit. My favorite cocktail I think would have to be a Tibetan-Thai which was a sweet, rum-soaked concoction.








The Hill Station was a great little surprise and it's amazing to see how areas of London are regenerating and making way for little businesses like this bar and the neighboring sushi restaurant. It also paves the way for a new kind of dining experience. One where you may start your night in the Hill Station for a cozy drink with your friends, before moving next door for the first part of your dinner and perhaps a little deeper into the market for pudding. Not only are you supporting local start ups, this gives you an amazing freedom to try a myriad of different dishes and cuisines. Personally I love the concept and hope that we see it spread across the capital!

 
 

The Inner Circle: The Club Upstairs at L'Escargot

At the end of March I received a mysterious sounding invitation inviting me to an event hosted by ‘The Inner Circle’. Intrigued, I read on and discovered The Inner Circle was an exclusive and high end dating service for single professionals, which, for three nights only, was taking over the new Soho private members club ‘The Upstairs Club at L’Escargot’, and turning it into a dedicated ‘singles bar’. Now, L’Escargot is a bit of an establishment in itself. As one of the oldest and most revered (not to mention, in my experience, very tasty!) French restaurants in London, this venue definitely aroused my interest in the event. But, since I am happily coupled off with my lovely boyfriend, I decided I would just have to send my little sister Lulu, accompanied by my friend Sarah instead to check out what was going on! So, off they went armed with a camera, to see if they could discover what The Inner Circle was all about.

A few days later, I had a chance to sit down and ask Lulu all about the event. So, with no further ado, let me introduce Lulu, my bubbly, self-confident, 21 year old sister. She’s currently at uni studying Economics and Philosophy and has her job in the city already lined up for when she finishes! Here’s what she had to say on her experience of being part of The Inner Circle…

“The first thing that hit me when entering The Upstairs Club at L’Escargot was the heat. It was stuffy and warm and despite having spent quite some time getting ready, I found myself stripping off many of my layers. The second thing that hit me was the number of people. It seemed everyone had had the exact same idea- our invites had said the event started at 8pm so, in the interests of being fashionably late (and not the only person at the party) we’d all arrived for 9pm. The third (and much more interesting) thing that struck me was how much I liked the décor. The Upstairs Club felt decadent but also modern. For example, there was one small room with red velvet walls which felt almost seedy. But not in a seedy seedy way. It was a cool seedy. Old age glamour, maybe? The main room had a big glass atrium which was just simply very pretty and quite a contrast to the velvet room.

Upon arriving (and since we were ‘press’- thank you big sister!), Sarah and I were presented with a bottle of Prosecco. Then, we went for a wander around the venue.

There were three main rooms in which to mingle. The Inner Circle had definitely chosen a brilliant venue to force people to talk. One room was tiny, three of the walls lined with sofas. You were practically knee to knee with other guests and so it would have been impossible (and definitely rude!) not to introduce yourself. Corridors between rooms were not the widest, lending more opportunities to bump into people and introduce yourself. The Inner Circle had also come up with a clever little ploy to incentivise conversation- if you and a friend managed to both pair up with another person and then all got a photo taken together, then you would be rewarded with a bottle of Prosecco! (Oh, and apparently a photographer from Tatler was there!)

The event was definitely lively. In one corner of the main room, a saxophonist and a DJ played, although I thought it was a shame that they were not made more of a focal point as, tucked away in the corner of the room as they were, it made it quite hard to get up close to the music. Everyone there seemed happy and comfortable, and, a credit to The Inner Circle’s screening policy I’m sure, well dressed and rather good looking. I was definitely having a pleasant time.

The evening The Inner Circle put on at The Upstairs Club was definitely an enjoyable one. I felt that one of its big pluses was that the crowd were definitely well chosen. Pretty much everyone was between 25 and 35, which, although maybe a little old for me personally, lent its self perfectly to its target audience of young professionals. More than that, (although this may have been all that Prosecco’s fault,) everyone I spoke to was interesting and outgoing.

Beyond this, as I previously mentioned, L’Escargot’s new club certainly was a good venue. The maze of comfortable little rooms and narrow corridors meant that bumping into people was easy and intimate. If I had arrived to the event on my own, I wouldn’t have been uncomfortable as sooner or later, I would have started chatting to someone! However, arriving as a pair was definitely ideal as you could easily walk around together without being too intimidating to approach! 

There were however a couple of drawbacks which I feel I should mention. As I said, the heat initially was pretty unbearable when the rooms were at their busiest, which seemed a shame after so much effort had been put into getting ready! Luckily however, as the room calmed down, it got cooler. Additionally, I noticed that the cloakroom appeared to be somewhat unguarded and open to anyone on the occasions I attempted to put in my bag. In the end, concerned for my belongings, I opted to carry them around for the evening! There also didn’t seem to be any games or activities (which had been mentioned on the invite) going on. It may be possible that I missed them since there were so many people and since I left at about 11, but if they started any later then that would have been a bit of a shame as a fair few people would have missed them.

All in all, I had a very enjoyable time exploring The Upstairs Club with The Inner Circle. Next time however, I’ll be sure to bring a smaller bag and a fan!”

The Cocktail Trading Company

Last Friday, I *finally* got a chance to go to a bar that I have been very keen to visit ever since I first heard about it opening- The Cocktail Trading Co. Now, I’d tried to go to the Cocktail Trading Co. twice previously but, first time I made the mistake of not standing in the (at the time, rather short) queue, and the second time I just got there far too late- the queue was out the door! However, this time, luck was on my side!

In a tiny basement pretty much bang opposite Liberty, down a narrow, slightly rickety staircase The Cocktail Trading Co resides with its truly remarkable menu.

It comes in a tiny book and each cocktail listed is accompanied by a detailed illustration of what to expect. I looked through it slightly incredulously- some of the drinks just looked impossibly fabulous!

I started with a ‘Sauvignon Private Ryan,’ which, consisting of sherry and apple brandy, turned out to be totally and utterly delicious. It came dressed with some micro basil, mint and another purple herb I didn’t recognise, as well as a surprising sprinkle of a kind of fruit a fibre mix and a pair of smoking matchsticks!

My friend Immy went for a Tu-Whit-Tu-Whoo-Woo which tuned out to be a bubbly concoction in an owl tumbler, garnished with a healthy dose of candyfloss…

James tried a Scouts Honour, which much to our delight, came with a skewer of toasted marshmallows which were melted in front of us by a chatty (and rather entertaining) barman. Not only that, there was a small flat tin stuck in the ice on top. I won’t tell you what was inside as it would ruin the surprise, but it had us giggling into our cocktails to say the least!

Unable to avoid the lure of that little illustrated menu (and of course, because the company was too much fun to leave) we decided it was perhaps time for seconds.

After much umm-ing and ahh-ing I finally settled on a ‘Welcome to Kentucky, have a nice day.’  This rather extravagantly named tipple turned out to be more of an alcoholic meal than a simple drink as piled on top was a hearty handful of dried, flavoured noodles, dusted with icing sugar!? Somehow, this worked pretty well and I happily munched my way through my drink.

Immy’s second drink was a Violet Fizz which came (I guess kinda unsurprisingly by this point) in a rather tasteful shade of lavender. The top was decorated with more mystery herb, broken meringue and an edible flower! These drinks were seeming more and more edible works of art and I almost felt guilty as I dismantled them to slurp them up!

Needless to say, I really enjoyed my experience at the Cocktail Trading Company. The staff were wonderful (thank you for the extra marshmallows!) and the drinks really quite special (and not too expensive at £9 each!) – the whole experience was definitely worth the wait! So if you find yourself near Oxford Circus, definitely go and if there’s a queue, just wait- this bar is most definitely worth it!

Tipsy Tea at Mr Foggs

Last week, I was lucky enough to be invited to Mr Fogg's tipsy afternoon tea in Mayfair. Unfortunately for me, one of the perils of a full time job is that I can't just pop out for a few hours to drink cocktails and nibble on sandwiches on Friday afternoons, as much as I'd like to. Therefore, instead, I sent the first lady of our family- my mother. Here's what she had to say about it...

"In the winding backs of Bruton Lane, Mayfair, lay the doorway to Mr Fogg's quirky victoriana experience. The long bell is wrung, the door slowly opens outwards, careful not to knock the unaware off the step. Visitors are greeted by a tall, red waistcoated server who waves us inside with a friendly "welcome to Mr Fogg's." Inside, music drifts towards us, setting the scene. (For those who have timed their evening bar visit right, there's apparently live music later on, but we were on the recorded variety.) The walls are cluttered with travel memorabilia- conversation pieces, stuffed animals, hanging bicycles and hot air balloons. (Even the restrooms, I later discovered, echoed with story time of Mr Fogg's adventures!) Seating is of the low level leather buttoned variety with afternoon tea served on battered travel chests, although a few traditional table and chairs were scattered about. 

Then came the afternoon tea. Three gin cocktails, presented in teapots, were offered with names like '1840', 'Woburn Abbey' and 'Catherine of Braganza' (with a quality base of Tanqueray No TEN). The champagne offered, Ruinart, is an offering from the first champagne house established in 1729, perhaps a little less known than some of the more heavily marketed brands. Four novelty champagnes with names like 'Belvoir Castle'  were also available as cocktail bases. Mixers were presented in iced teapots with separate milk jugs containing either gin or champagne. The cocktail is taken in teacups poured according to taste. My favourite had to be the '5th Duke of Rutland', a concoction of Tatratea, cognac and angostura bitters, plus a kick of absinthe!

 A tired cake stand was full of sweet offerings and finger sandwiches, although the experience is less about the food and more about whimsy and drink. After all, the mirrored bar which stretched the whole length of the room was stuffed with quality boutique brands of alcoholic beverages. I could tell that sitting at the bar on an evening would be a whole new vibe!

This is a Friday/Saturday afternoon venture with a lively, quirky vibe and the odd unexpected surprise- keep an eye out roaming magician, Mr Singh!"

Cocktails at Kingly Court's Cahoots!

We clattered down the narrow staircase, following the sign to the ticket office. A smartly dressed ticket officer in a double breasted blue coat and flat cap greeted us. “The train tonight is full Madam, unless of course, you were looking for something else..?” We were handed our tickets and buzzed through a door, where we were directed ‘to the trains.’ We rounded a corner and ended up on the most lively platform I have ever seen. No, sorry, the tube hasn’t started hosting secret after hours parties- we were in Cahoots, London’s newest (and only) war-time tube themed bar!

 Cahoots has taken one of London’s old air raid shelters and turned it into something totally magical. Sand bags line some of the walls, while vintage posters, signs, tube maps and train paraphernalia cover the others. We sat on the southbound platform (others sat in a recreation of a 1940s train carriage!) while staff dashed around not only in costume, but also in character! The menu looked more like a collection of vintage newspaper clippings, each page different, while the cocktails were themed with some rousing names such as ‘give peas a chance’ or named after stars of the ‘40s!

The cocktails were all tasty and presented beautifully. Mine came in a pretty crystal champagne flute, decorated with an apple crisp and a skewered blackberry. Another came in a tin mug (white with a blue rim of course!) and apparently you can even get one which is served in a working clock! We were also given a tin proclaiming to contain baking soda but instead was filled with popcorn, and, much to our delight and surprise, we were later presented with two complimentary lunchboxes filled with mini sandwiches, crusts cut off and filled with classics such as cheese and pickle. Hey, nothing excites me quite like free food!

Cahoots was a lot of fun- there was so much going on around us that I had to leave my seat several times to go have a closer look at something I’d just noticed and I caught myself more than once just gazing around the bar, taking it all in! All in all, Cahoots is definitely worth a visit, but I’d recommend you book- rush hour seems to go on all night!

Maggie's '80s Big Hair Party!

So you know how last post I mentioned that '80s party I had been invited to? Well, last Thursday after work, my friend Rebecca and I hopped on a tube and found ourselves walking down the Fulham Road, not quite knowing what to expect.

Soon, we were entering Maggie's. A union flag lined stairwell took us down into the main club area where we were welcomed by the sound of drums, over the top of cheesy '80s tunes.

The '80s theme was definitely going strong inside as the tables were giant Rubix cubes, the staff bedecked in crazy wigs and the walls were painted with various '80s characters such as Mario and Pac Man. Girls who had got there a bit earlier already had their hair done and were back brushed and crimped to the nines!

Our first stop was the bar where there were tempting platters of orange and pink swirled LaDiDa cupcakes on display (apparently vodka laced and definitely delicious. I may or may not have ended up eating more than three....) We nabbed our '80s themed cocktails (one cosmopolitan, one Moscow mule, both made with Ciroc vodka. Yum.) and then headed straight for the hair stylists who'd set up shop in one corner of the club.

Then, everything was completely out of my hands! My stylist plonked me down in my seat, took one look at my hair and started backcombing it as if there was no tomorrow! After one last suffocatingly large cloud of hairspray, I had a quiff which practically touched the ceiling! I have to say I loved it just a little too much!

Rebecca was also attacked with equal vigour and ended up with a mini crimped pony tail with purple strands! I have to say I thought we looked totally hair-tasic!

Unfortunately for us, Rebecca and I weren't able to stay for as long as we would have liked, but managed to have a bit of a catch up at one of the Rubix cubes and a boogie to the really very fun music. Before long though, it was time for us to have our final sips of cocktail (and just one more cupcake...) before making our separate ways home.

I had a really fun evening at Maggie's. The venue was brilliantly quirky and it was definitely different to my normal kind of night out. Some of the looks I got heading home were completely priceless, but hey, you had to be hair to get it!


P.S- apologies for all the terrible hair puns.... I  think all that hairspray must have got to me!

P.P.S- also sorry for the lack of posts recently- I have just started a new job, am currently in Chicago and life has been hectic! But don't worry, I will get back on it soon!

Back to the 80's...

This is just a little post to give you all a heads up about an event I've been invited to and which I think is going to be hair-raisingly good fun! Maggie's, an 80s themed club in Chelsea, has teamed up with MichaelJohn (the luxury hair and beauty organisation) to put on their '80s Big Hair Party' on 5th February!

'So what's all the fuss?' you may be (quite rightly) wondering. I felt the same way until I found out that upon entry, MichaelJohn and L'Oréal would be offering to do your hair and makeup (in an 80s style, of course)! This just struck me as a rather fun way to try out prestigious brands while having a night out on the town. And hey, don't all girls just wanna have fun?

So if you're in the mood for some crazy big hair, a special CIROC vodka cocktail made for the event and a chance to boogie on down to some classic '80s hits, I'll see you there- just look for the girl in the neon leg warmers!

And for those who can't make it, don't worry- there will be a full report to come.

One Aldwych and Cucina Asllina at the ME Hotel

On Friday night, we had a little family get together. My little sister had travelled back to London from uni and so my mother and I went out to meet her and her boyfriend for dinner and cocktails.

We started in the lobby bar of One Aldwych. I'd never been here before, but it was a firm destination in Mum's stomping ground and so I was quite interested to see what all the fuss was about.

Well, I learned pretty quickly. I'd been expecting pretty traditional cocktails from such a well known establishment, but was more than pleasantly surprised when I was presented with the menu. After much um-ing and ah-ing, I opted for a whisky based cocktail called 'The Magic Gift' which contained a chocolate liquor and a mushroom infusion, and came presented in a hip flask. My sister's boyfriend had an even more interesting concoction which came served in a mini smoking cocktail shaker!

We all happily sipped away until suddenly realising that we were running a little late for our restaurant reservation so, hurriedly gathering our things, we nipped over the road to Cucina Asllina at the ME Hotel.

Cucina Asllina was pretty busy and very loud when we arrived. Every table seemed to be full, but it sounded like there were twice as many people there. I'm not entirely sure if this was due to one or two tables being particularly noisy (there was a birthday going on in one corner) or just the acoustics of the place, but we found ourselves nearly shouting over our table to hear each other, despite being in a less busy corner.

However, rather hungry after our cocktails, we happily perused the Italian menu, opting for three courses, while sipping on glasses of bubbles.

The food was lovely, but nothing particularly special taste wise. The presentation was nevertheless very pretty and I felt rather remorseful as I munched through it. Well... for about thirty seconds at least. It was also nice how the staff filled our glasses with cucumber flavoured water without being asked, something that surprisingly you often don't see in other restaurants. Yet, it was a shame that they ran out of one of the puddings and so my sister was unable to order her first choice. They did resolve this in the best way possible though, by offering her a selection from an alternate menu.

All in all I had an enjoyable meal and although Cucina Asllina won't ever be my favourite restaurant, we had a very pleasant evening once we'd adjusted to the noise level. More importantly, it was lovely having a catch up with the family before we all went our separate ways again!