Tag Archives: reviews
Good Stuff #46
Good stuff and lots of it! Here’s the low down on some fine things to see, sip or savour – all of which I’ve recently come across and thought were worth sharing with you. Enjoy. Lazy Arm With its 700mm … Continue reading
Waffle On at The Watch House
Waffle On at The Watch House is an evening kitchen takeover that, as far as I know, is an indefinite collaboration. Still, I’d recommend heading over ASAP because Waffle On’s buttermilk waffles are delish and The Watch House is comfortably cosy café whether you’re craving waffles or not. Continue reading
Piled High and Fantastically Assembled Sarnies: Cafe Mish, Shepherd Market
I can’t claim to live in Mayfair, but any given week sees me passing through there multiple times. So a new (and good!) place to eat that doesn’t require making a reservation, refinancing my mortgage, or wearing fancy clothes is a most welcome addition. Continue reading
Theatre Review: Sunny Afternoon, Based on the Music by The Kinks
Winner of the 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, Sunny Afternoon tales the story of London’s best sounding rock ‘n roll catastrophe, The Kinks, and follows the band from its formation in Muswell Hill between brothers Ray and Dave Davies through the many ups and downs on their way to international stardom Continue reading
Squid Kitchen Brings Madrid Street Market Style to The King & Co, Clapham
Continuing with its pop-up approach to pub grubbing, The King & Co in Clapham has opened its kitchen to Madrileño style street food vendors, Squid Kitchen. A match made in heaven? It is if crisp craft beer coupled with cones overflowing with calamari sounds like you kind of fiesta. I loved my nosh through the recent launch party and am happy to gloat … erm … share the highlights of that occasion with you. Continue reading
The Pinkertons: New Period Crime Drama Set in America’s Wild West
A new UKTV period crime drama called The Pinkertons, based on the story of a real life crime fighting agency of the same name, is scheduled to premiere Sunday 30 August at 8pm. I had the pleasure of catching a sneak preview of the show’s first episode and I reckon it has what it takes to captivate an audience keen for rootin’ tootin’ shoot ‘em up crime-fighting action tempered with historical accuracy, laced with strong plot lines, and loaded with mystery. Continue reading
Classic Old School Italian Night Out at Getti, Jermyn Street
Hey, I’m all for innovation and for people attempting to wow my palate in new and different ways. Indeed, that’s what’s made writing about the London dining scene such a killer gig over these past several years. But – and it’s a big ole booty butt – if something ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And in the case of Jermyn Street’s mainstay trattoria, Getti, everything seemed A-Okay and in delicious working order during my recent visit. Continue reading
Tapas Revolution, Shoreditch
Opened back in the spring, Chef Omar Allibhoy’s Tapas Revolution in Shoreditch seems to have settled in nicely to its Bethnal Green Road digs. I had a lovely time recently, sampling a range of tapas over a couple of drinks at the restaurant’s gorgeous centrepiece copper-topped bar. Continue reading
Running From Greenbaum: Andy Hollingworth Portraits at Snap Galleries
Two decades worth of photographer Andy Hollingworth’s portraits of comedians are on view now at Snap Galleries just off the Piccadilly. The show, Running from Greenbaum runs until mid September. Pop our head in for a looksee that’s sure to … Continue reading
Whaam! Win Free Banh Mi for a Week | Get a Free Americano with Purchase of Sandwich
About two months ago, I had the pleasure of reviewing Vietnamese style sandwich shop, Whaam Banh Mi, near Piccadilly Circus. Now, I’m teeming up with this friendly little Soho eatery to offer one reader a week’s worth of banh mi for free and the opportunity for everybody to get a free cup of coffee over the next week. Continue reading
Movie Review: Pressure
What happens when four deep sea saturation divers get stranded 650ft below the surface of the Indian Ocean after disaster strikes their ship? Pinewood Pictures’ suspenseful new feature length thriller, Pressure, ponders just that. Continue reading
Potbelly Brings Chicago-Style Made-to-Order Sandwiches to Westfield Stratford City
Truly impressed and way more excited than I expected to be, I’m dying to go back – on an empty stomach – to devour more. Continue reading
Richard Long: Time and Space at Arnolfini, Bristol
Time and Space, a major new exhibition of work by Richard Long, opens today at the Arnolfini Centre for Contemporary Arts in Bristol. As part of city’s celebration as 2015 European Green Capital, the show features new works and recreations of previous ones by the Bristol-born artist who still calls Bristol his home, as well as a new offsite work located on The Downs near the house where he lived as a child. Continue reading
Twelfth Night | Pell Mell Theatre Company | The Space Theatre, Canary Wharf
Set in Victorian music hall, The Space, and staged with a dark edge and an ‘under the big top’ look and feel, the Pell Mell Theatre Company’s production of Shakespeare’s tale of love, subterfuge and mistaken identity is mesmerising to watch with a strong ensemble of actors. Continue reading
Camino Tapas Bar Carves a Path to a New Bankside Location
Furthering restaurateur Richard Bigg’s vision of casual Spanish dining in Britain, Camino Bankside offers Londoners more opportunity to enjoy Executive Chef Nacho Del Campo’s smart menu of tapas, sharing platters and more in a stylish setting with plenty of outdoor seating. Continue reading
Ian Francis | The Chosen Form of Your Destroyer | Lazarides Rathbone
With each piece appearing to vibrate off the canvas with moody apprehension, Bristol-based artist Ian Francis’ exhibition of new mixed media works at Lazarides Rathbone (his third at the gallery) suggests that nightmares can be beautiful too. Continue reading
Nothing Jarring about a Relaxing Dinner at Drury Lane’s Jar Kitchen
A member of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, Jar Kitchen’s menu features plenty of British fare (all meat sourced from Walter Rose & Son butchers in Wiltshire) with a contemporary European twist along with tasty items presumably picked up just round the restaurant’s Seven Dials corner (chiefly Monmouth Coffee and Neal’s Yard Dairy). And – from what I could ascertain at a recent tasting event – I it’s all in good hands with Chef Dominik Moldenhauer (ex-Heston Blumenthal’s Dinner). Continue reading
Pizza Union, Pentonville Road, King’s Cross
I’m not sure which I love more: a great pizza or a great bargain. But if I can get ‘em both in one go at a convenient and actually rather stylish setting then I reckon that’s a big tasty win that warrants a shout out! Already a fan of the original restaurant in Spitalfields, I am so pleased to share the good news that Pizza Union has opened a second location on Pentonville Road near King’s Cross St Pancras station. Continue reading
Movie Review: The Human Centipede 3 (Final Sequence)
Human Centipede 3 is blood-splattered joke. But it’s a joke that had me giggling and guffawing plenty … when I wasn’t squirming in my seat during scenes of excessive gore. I had a blast watching this movie, was chuckling about it the rest of the day, and was impressed by the sheer audacity required to create such a piece of cinema. Continue reading
Review: The Motherf**ker with the Hat, National Theatre
American playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis’ award-winning and 100% N-Y-motherf**king-C story of fidelity fraught with fatigue and compulsion proved a hit in the city where it’s set when it premiered on Broadway in 2011. Now the show has crossed the proverbial pond with the promise of wowing London theatregoers from now to the end of August. Continue reading
Lunch at Bunnychow
Bunnychow is a laidback sort of eatery with a no worries/no pretences vibe to it and where the star of the show is the filling and flavoursome food. Situated on Wardour Street in Soho (nearer the Shaftesbury Avenue end than the Oxford Street side), it’s a smart choice for an affordable quick bite … and if you like a bit of heat with your food, you’ll love bunnychow’s hot sauce (I sure did). Continue reading
UK Premiere of Roxanne by Paul Frankl
Shot in 35mm and on location in Soho, the film follows the relationship of transgender sex worker (played cool and convincing by Miss Cairo) and motherless 12 year-old Lily (spectacularly portrayed by Thea Lamb). It’s an ‘unlikely friendship’ kinda flick – not too dissimilar in theme to, say, About a Boy except the ‘boy’ in Roxanne is a girl and the ‘Hugh Grant’ character is Miss Cairo. Continue reading
Untold Theatre Premieres Second Production: The Scar Test
Not only touched by the performance I caught of The Scar Test and glad for the chance to see such compelling live theatre, I am more informed about the plight of refugees seeking safe haven in the UK and more aware of how poorly too many of these individuals are treated. Continue reading
Dining at the Renewed Aqua Nueva
It had been some while (like a couple of years) since I had last dined at Aqua Nueva, but I still held strong memories of how much I enjoyed my meal when I recently accepted an invitation to return for a visit after the soft launch of this Spanish restaurant that’s just reopened after a long hiatus for refurbishment. Continue reading
Brunch at Blueprint Café
When the sun is out, a table at Blueprint Café overlooking the Thames is a glorious spot to enjoy a meal. And it’s been my experience that the café’s Head Chef Martyn Moody’s meals are definitely enjoyable. His new Saturday brunch menu is a guaranteed weekend delight. As for the weather, there are no guarantees, but the crisp blue skied Saturday I paid a visit was gorgeous. Continue reading