Loading Café/Bar - Galeto - Garlic and Shots - El Cantara Shisha Terrace - Chukka at Archer Street

Friday 7th June - Last Friday was meant to be a quiet night.  It had been a long week and I had some teaching to do early the next morning so me and my friend Mary decided to meet for a quick drink or two in a couple of new places in Soho at 18.15.  Six hours later, I found myself back in the queue for some Gelupo gelato with Mary and List Leader Natalie (I blame her), having tried out 5 places that were new to us.  Hopefully some self control will kick in soon before I stop being able to pay my rent.

N.B. Loading Bar has now moved to London Game Space at 97 Stoke Newington Road, Dalston, N16 8BX

Our first stop was a gamer's paradise called Loading Café/Bar that has set up shop very sneakily in the back of the crazy mango café Madd (Mango + Addiction = Madd).  Skip ahead a couple of paragraphs if video games don't do it for you!  Spread over two small rooms, they have squeezed in as many TVs, consoles and arcade machines as possible.  There are also excellent board games on offer (eg. Settlers of Catan, Battlestar Galactica, Carcassonne) though these may have already been there courtesy of Madd.  The arcade machines have loads of games loaded on the system to choose from, plus there are a couple of gaming tabletops to play on too.  Best of all, the gaming is free - I guess there is no easy way for them to charge (entry/membership?) and there are probably issues about charging people to play computer games that they have bought.  There are some comical gaming themed cocktails (eg. Earthworm Gin, Ocarina of Lime and Deus Ex on the Beach) and Shot challenges (single or two player?).  Bear in mind the prices shown below and on their website are for their Falmouth based bar.  The Soho prices are predictably but not unreasonably higher.

Mary and I went straight for the Snes for some Mario Kart - it took us a while to remember to point the controllers at the actual console.  I also returned the next day with Sam after Soho Food Feast to kill some time with some Fifa - we ended up playing against two randomers for an hour or so, proof that video games are sociable!  Loading Bar haven't had much time to announce their arrival in Soho as they spent this week hosting ETOO (nothing to do with Samuel Eto'o), an alternative to the massive E3 gaming conference that was on at the same time.  Now that is over, they will be able to focus on getting some more publicity.  Get in there soon before it is discovered by more people!  Alternatively, head to Meltdown on Caledonian Road that has also just opened.

Mary trying out Puppeteer demo on PS3

Natalie arrived as we were finishing our drinks, so we decided to head off to the recently opened colourful Brazilian restaurant/bar called Galeto for some food. NB It looks like Galeto has now closed. Mary is obsessed with Nandos so she was pretty delighted to find that the main thing on the menu is 1/2 chicken, marinated in house for 24 hours served with chips and a choice of sauces.  We all went for it with the fruity barbecue sauce, plus beers and wine on the side.  We were all very impressed, not least because it is extremely affordable considering that it is right in the middle of Dean Street.  Caipirinhas are £6, all desserts are under £4 and so on - cheap cheap cheap!  I might need to go for the Rump Cup Burger next time if I can tear myself away from the chicken.  Street artist Milo Tchais has done a great job decorating it too:

Our next stop was very brief indeed though not because it was terrible.  Garlic and Shots is a mad little restaurant/bar (with a beer garden) that does what it says on the tin.  There are other versions (set up by the Olsson Bros) in Palma and Stockholm.  Here's what they say about the food - "No dishes are served without garlic.  You can always order extra garlic, but never less.  As you leave the restaurant, you should feel like you have been garlic marinated.  That is our mission from God".  As a certain Mr.Rascal might say - bonkers.  Downstairs is a little bar that serves 101 different shots to a death metal soundtrack, and looks like something out of Buffy.  Get there early to nab the cool cave table at the back.  I had the signature Bloodshot (Vodka, tomato, garlic, chilli and spices) whilst Natalie had Garlic Honey Dark Rum and Mary had Chilli Tequila, all from pre-prepared bottles.  I was expecting it to be vile, but it was actually delicious and the garlic totally worked.  Had it been a big night out, we would definitely have stayed for some more, but we stopped at one shot each and moved on to our next place.

"Phones and Chainsaws turned off at all times"

A few doors down the road is El Cantara - a Spanish/Moroccan restaurant with a secluded outdoor shisha terrace bar two floors up that I would definitely never have found pre-blog.  It's a tiny space that they pack full of people (all seated, just about) with a fantastic relaxed atmosphere.  Most of their fancy Shisha options were off so we fell back on reliable apple, alongside some Casablanca beers and Bellinis.  The meze food being brought out to neighbouring tables looked incredibly tasty.  We were briefly entertained by a guitarist and a flamenco dancer, which was an unexpected bonus.  This place will be perfect for hot summer evenings (if they still exist).

The drinks were starting to take hold by this point and that always leads Natalie to say the same thing - "I want to go dancing!".  Normally, I just mock her Northern accent by repeating her in the style of Orville the duck, finishing with "I wish that I could, but I can't!", but this time we decided to actually go for a quick boogie in Archer Street on Archer Street - surely they could have come up with another name?  Our aim was to try out the Polo-themed Chukka bar/club downstairs so we sidled up to the bouncer who was busy doing 1 in 1 out (there was no queue).  We were pleasantly surprised to find that there was no door charge, and even better no cloakroom charge either, and we were in within a minute - not bad for a Friday night.  An important looking member of staff did however give us a good look up and down before letting us in, which made us slightly worried about what/who we were about to encounter.

The décor is really impressive for a club, and I would imagine it works just as well as a bar before it gets busy.  The music was awesome - from funky Earth, Wind and Fire type stuff to Mysterious Girl, the DJ kept the young crowd very happy, and made us stay for an unplanned second (expensive) drink.  Occasionally an (extremely talented) Archer Street singer in a polkadot dress stood on a table and sang along to a backing track with a microphone, which really made it feel like more of a party.  The clientele were on the whole what we expected, elbow pads and big teeth all round, but we couldn't complain since we had invaded their realm, and they are pretty entertaining to watch after a few drinks.  I eventually managed to drag the girls out with the threat of Gelupo closing, and we finished off our night with some yummy ice cream which is becoming a dangerous habit at the moment.

Chukka Bar regular, James William Bottomtooth III

5 Team List points go to Mary, giving her a much needed boost up the leaderboard, whilst Natalie finally makes it past 50 points, over 20 clear of everyone else!

Floripa - Dutch Gin House - Nola Bar

Wednesday 5th July - One week before this outing, I was having a moan about how Brixton manages to have style and quality for half the price of a night out in Soho and Shoreditch, but here I am back in Old Street again (and Soho two days later).  It was pretty inevitable wasn't it?  Let's see how it compared.

The sun was out so I decided to meet List Leader Natalie, 4th placed Lauren and 7th placed Cath at Brazilian bar Floripa as they have a fair amount of outside space on the corners of Great Eastern, Rivington and Old Street.  A generous happy hour is in place every weekday from 5-7 with £2.50 bottles of Sol, £5 Caipirinhas and Mojitos, and a £6 flaming Fogo de Floripa - keeping pace with Brixton so far.  The interior is tropically decked out with a stage for live music.  I'm pretty keen to return for their Sunday Jazz Meat Roast which sounds excellent.

We moved back outside to take advantage of their free babyfoot table - it's hard to beat £2.50 beers and free table football outdoors in the sun for after work drinks.  Natalie didn't manage to build on her last table football session with Marta and the boys in Azulito as Lauren and I remained undefeated throughout happy hour.  I will need to return for the whole Comer, Beber, Dancar experience - music listings look good and I am tempted by their Beijos (a shot of Cachaca with a pepper rim and a strawberry on the side).  For sharing cocktail lovers, there is a £36 Bloc Party Punch for 5 served in an antique suitcase.

With happy hour finished, we wandered down Rivington Street to the Jubjub Bar in Callooh Callay to try out their latest pop-up theme, the Dutch Gin House.  Last month the bar was in brightly coloured Cantina de Cuervo mode with Chilli Tequila Slushies and Lucha Libre wrestling on TV in the corner.  They have done wonders to make it look completely different this time around with cosy candlelit tables and tiny clogs all over the place.  

Tiny clogs on the ceiling!

The drinks are still being served up by Clo who was up there for Cantina de Cuervo.  Eggs "over easy", Freshly Squeezed, Mumbo Jumbo, Melba Tulip and Red Light District all impressed.  Well done to Cath for ordering Crunch Corner - Genever with peach, mango and yoghurt liqueurs garnished with a sprinkling of muesli.  Thanks to Clo for a free taster of the Bols Natural Yoghurt liqueur which reminded me of Amarula - strange stuff.  I went for a Kopstootje (translates to little headbutt!) which is essentially a beer and a shot of Genever - you must take a hands free sip of the Genever first followed by a swig of beer before you can drink the rest of it.  There was only Amstel on the beer side - some more interesting Dutch choices would have been appreciated though that is a small complaint.  We made our way through their bar snacks menu as well - Chips, Dutch Potato Croquettes, Gouda Cheese Fritters and Pork Bitterballlen all served with tasty homemade tomato dip and spicy mustard mayo.

Kopstootje - Little Headbutt

There a few events going on there including a Bols Brainiest quiz tonight (11th June) and celebrations on World Gin Day (Saturday 15th June if you haven't managed to get tickets to Ginstock).  I tried to get Clo to reveal the next Jubjub bar theme (launching July 4th) but she was having none of it - judging by the last two it will be worth a visit.  Our final stop was just over the road at Nola Bar above Bedroom Bar - apparently several groups have been taking in these two neighbouring places in the same evening.  Clo told us to order a round of Ramos Gin Fizz (which is supposed to be shaken vigorously for 12 minutes) to wind them up.  Luke joined us as we were leaving (squeezing in a speedy cocktail at Jubjub) and the 5 of us walked over to Nola.

Dutch Gin House - finishes June 29th

Nola Bar is a New Orleans inspired bar with everything you would expect - Creole cuisine, Hurricanes, Sazeracs and live music.  Unless you knew where you were going, your only chance of finding it would be hearing the music out of the windows above Bedroom Bar.  It makes a pleasant change to have a bar tucked away upstairs rather than in a basement!  Bedroom Bar was totally deserted but Nola was buzzing.  It's worth booking ahead if you want to guarantee yourself a table.  Their chef sadly left them in the first week so they are generously dishing out free delicious taster portions of Jambalaya to plug the gap until they are satisfied with a new authentic Creole cuisine trained cook in the house.  Natalie did go for a Ramos Gin Fizz in the end, whilst others had various Hurricanes and Dixieland beers.  The brave can order a Doctor John twist on a Cosmo for 6 served in an absinthe rinsed glass skull.  One pound of every drink goes to relief efforts in New Orleans which makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside (or maybe that's just the booze?).

Hurricanes

The main reason to come is to let the whole experience (especially the music) transport you to the French Quarter.  I wasn't initially blown away with covers of Amy Winehouse etc not quite hitting the New Orleans mark for me, but a larger band started up as we were leaving who seemed to be on the right track.  I would love to see Snarky Puppy or the cast of Treme squeezing in here! They did have Dan Ackroyd down in their first week which I sadly missed. Fridays and Saturdays are supposedly wonderful with the bar open til 3am.  Their is a members only policy after midnight to keep the rabble out - fill out one of their hilarious annotated forms mocking Shoreditch House membership to gain access.  This could well be the nest new place to end your night in Shoreditch - head down there soon to find out.

So it was inevitably more expensive than Brixton, but this time I'm not complaining.  There's so much variety that I just can't stay away!  I'm a sucker for a theme and being able to enjoy Brazil, Holland and New Orleans is why I love London this year.  Stay tuned for the next post in a couple of days on a night out in Soho with 5 new List-worthy places! Thanks to Team List - Leader Natalie edges closer to the big 50 points marker, will anyone ever catch her?

Sebright Arms - Canalival - PortSide Parlour

Saturday 1st June - The weather forecast said sun so I put together a plan around London Fields involving Coppa (the new rooftop bar and BBQ), the local brewery and Portside Parlour.  The sun was slow to rear its head, London Fields brewery had a sold out ticketed event (British Craft Beer Challenge) and my Team List members were delayed for various reasons so we had to come up with some new ideas.  I made my way to Hoxton with Team List leader Natalie (closing in on a half century) and we wandered up Hackney Road towards Broadway Market, where East Londoners James and Olly have just moved to.

Our first stop was going to be Quiquiriqui (a mezcaleria tucked away underneath a kebab shop) but this was sadly temporarily closed for renovations.  Thankfully, The List is very long so we went instead to the nearby Sebright Arms for a quick pint.  Foodie favourite Lucky Chip can be found here serving up burgers such as "Kevin Bacon" and "Royale wit Cheese" alongside other meaty delights.  Check out their new Licky Chop residency near London Fields too.  We begrudgingly saved space for dinner that was being cooked for us.  Sebright Arms has plenty else going for it anyway with a gig venue downstairs and a fantastic range of beer.  I had a delicious pint of Redwell Steam Lager which I hadn't come across before.  They have also started micro-brewing their own beer - Pure Evil Black IPA (in collaboration with Redchurch Brewery) is their first offering, with a brilliant label (see below) to match the name.

Pure Evil Black IPA

We moved off after one drink to find Olly and James who were caught up in the madness that was Canalival.  This crazy event that you probably read about this week was officially cancelled due to safety concerns over having too many people in inflatables on the water, but tonnes of revellers still turned up, floating their way down the canal with live music pumping out all day.  We dragged Olly and James away to get dinner on the move, and were joined by List regular Luke.  The atmosphere was electric by the lock at Broadway Market, though I was glad to be soaking it up from a safe distance on a balcony overlooking the canal.  We watched as flares, DJs, comedy shaped boats and impromptu games of catch the pineapple made their way past us.  Apparently the mess left behind was terrible - perhaps they will have a plan for this next year after all the bad press it received.  Go and read more on the Canalival Facebook wall for some lively arguments.

Pretty mad eh?  All this inflatable nonsense distracted our hosts so dinner was heavily delayed, making us incredibly late for our 9pm PortSide Parlour booking.  We eventually made our way along buzzing Broadway Market that was still filled with Canalivalers (that's a word).  I must return on a Saturday afternoon for the proper market experience.  PortSide Parlour is a pop-up rum bar below Off Broadway on Broadway Market, with the entrance disguised as a toilet cubicle - pulling the chain opens the door.  We sadly didn't get a chance to enter in style as there was a constant flow of people in and out of the door.

Our table was predictably given away to another group, but they were very kind to squeeze us on to another table instantly without a fuss - thanks must go to the group who happily let us share their table.    They pack people in to their small, candle-lit bar which had the feeling of being below deck on a rowdy rum-filled boat.  It is loud and busy in a good way, and one of the most atmospheric places that I have visited so far.  I must admit that I stuck to drinking wonderful Kernel Simcoe IPA beers out of a tankard whilst the rest of Team List tried out some cocktails.  They weren't blown away by their drinks but it certainly wouldn't put me off coming back as there was such a great vibe.  They are opening a second site nearby called PortSide Cabana on 29th June which promises to serve up Tiki drinks in a lush Cuban garden - you heard it here first!

Enormous thanks to James (for cooking) and Olly (for hosting) and also to Luke and Natalie for their continuing commitment to the cause.  Natalie moves on to 44 points (with more on the way after two more trips to Soho and Shoreditch this week) whilst late bloomer Luke moves up to 9.  Olly is meanwhile on 7 points ahead of James on 4.  I will be back for more Broadway Market / London Fields  adventures as there is so much left still to do in the area, and James has also promised a whopping Wapping jaunt once the sunshine is more reliable as he knows the pubs well. 

Coming up:

Rekorderlig Cider's Midsummer House in Victoria Park - 21st June to 5th July

Pimm's Summer Garden popup in Covent Garden - 19th to 29th June

Feast in Brick Lane Yard - 4th to 7th July - I spy an After Hours dessert special event there

Meatopia at Tobacco Dock - 7th September - a long way off and expensive but how can you resist with a name like that?

Etoo London at new Loading Café/Bar in Soho - London response to E3 gaming event