Future Cinema Saturday Night Fever

Friday 28th June - I'm still working my way through the hefty June backlog. Over two weeks ago, I met Taro near Limehouse DLR to attend Future Cinema's latest project, Saturday Night Fever.  Future Cinema put on immersive, interactive screenings of films, with a large troupe of actors at their disposal to act out scenes or set the mood all evening in a variety of ways.  This year they have already taken on Casablanca and Shawshank Redemption which both looked exciting.  Future Cinema also run Secret Cinema which is effectively the same thing, except you don't know what film you are going to see.  Personally, I prefer the Future Cinema strand as you are less likely to end up in Alexandra Palace watching four hours of Lawrence of Arabia against your will!  I have been slightly afraid of what exactly a Future Cinema evening might involve, but I couldn't turn down the "live disco experience".  I recommend switching on The Bee Gees heavy soundtrack now to get the most out of this blog.

List Leader "I wanna go dancing" Natalie bizarrely turned down the ticket, but Taro stepped bravely into the breach, slightly unaware what he had signed up for.  Once we started walking from Limehouse to the stunning, old Troxy cinema (or Mecca Bingo, depending on your age), it became clear that we were a tad underdressed.  Flares and 70s hair were the order of the day and we had neither, but opening a shirt button or two helped us to blend in.  As we turned the corner to get to the Troxy, we were accosted by a Raft Rider who invited us to join his gang, and stamped our arms.  We agreed to "represent" when the time came. Others were being drafted into the Imperial Dukes, the Dirt Road Diggers, the Faces, and the Jackson Heights Wanderers.

The venue had been turned into 2001 Odyssey, the club that Tony Manero (John Travolta) frequents in the film, and we joined the queue to get in.  The door lady didn't like the look of us so we went through a back entrance with some other rejects.  Before we made it into the main room, we were asked to show off our moves to gain entry.  Taro and I obliged and had a little boogie which was deemed to be satisfactory. Finally we made it into the cinema, and were amazed by the venue transformation.  There was a large light up dancefloor with a DJ booth in front, plus Tony's bedroom and Phillip's Dance Academy at the back.  There were also make-up stations for the girls.  We dived straight in and headed to the Dance Academy with a beer to have a lesson in dancing the hustle with Phillip from the film.  We learned the moves quickly enough, but never quite excelled in the hip department.

We then made our way to the dance floor to take part in a Soul Train, which involves dancing in pairs down an aisle, like a really funky ceilidh.  It wasn't quite up to the standard in the video below, but we gave it a good go.  

The dance floor then hosted a dance contest akin to those in the film, which ended up with two competing couples duking it out for the trophy.  The quality of dancing was incredibly high, and it was truly exciting to watch it happen live - if only nightclubs were still like this.  Just as the winner was about to be announced, Stayin' Alive started pumping out and Tony Manero started strutting his stuff on the big screen, so we all rushed off to grab a good seat.

We settled down with some more beers, and Taro got himself a Big Apple Hotdog, who seem to be everywhere at the moment.  The atmosphere was excellent, with people cheering John Travolta whenever he took his top off, or booing him when his behaviour got out of order.  The actors frequently got involved, either acting out the scene at the same time, or adding some background action, and the dance scenes were often recreated frame for frame.  We were also encouraged to get back on the dance floor for the big disco scenes, and at one point most of the room danced the Hustle that we had learnt in Phillip's Dance Academy.

As soon as the film finished, they got the whole room back up to the dance floor with a cabaret style singer  (who sadly got slightly ahead of her backing track!) and scantily clad dancers, before switching to a superb disco DJ set from Horse Meat Disco.  We befriended one of the actor/dancers called Margherita who was filling in for the evening, and she clearly had a great time being involved - check out her Cardboard Cabaret in Hackney.  I hope Future Cinema are reading and decide to do something that needs a symphony orchestra or a string quartet so that Taro and I can get involved next time.

Thanks to Taro for putting on his boogie shoes and getting involved.  Saturday Night Fever was already one of my favourite films but it will now always have a special place in my heart after Future Cinema's top effort. Keep your eyes peeled for their next event - they have just put up a video of The Ronettes singing Be My Baby which could potentially be a reference to Mean Streets or Dirty Dancing, but what do I know?  For other crazy cinema experiences, look out for Edible Cinema who give you items to eat and drink at specific points during the film to add to the ambience, and Hot Tub Cinema who are pretty self explanatory.  Rooftop Film Club should also not be missed while the weather is so good, and I recommend going for the Peckham Bussey Building branch as the views are stunning - more on that in a post coming soon.  That's enough Jive Talkin' for one blog.

Porky's - Brewdog - Blues Kitchen

Saturday 29th June - Trust the Northern Line to stop running on the one Saturday that I actually need to go to Camden (or does that happen every Saturday?).  Thankfully I was already most of the way up after my students had a concert in the Royal Academy of Music near Baker Street, so I hopped on a bus from Euston to get to Porky's BBQ near Camden Lock.  Team List for the evening consisted of List Leader Natalie, one-time List Leader Taro (making up for missed pulled pork after our trip to Pitt Cue Co) and Foreign Office Max (who was making the most of his last few days before being sent to Vilnius).  Max greeted me with a ludicrous present of a tiny violin, all the way from Mexico, which has proved to be a huge hit with my students.

Anyway, back to Porky's.  They have opened recently and serve up slow cooked meats and burgers with a great selection of sides.  They also have a wide range of draft and bottled beers - Fordham's Wisteria Wheat was particularly drinkable.  The cocktails available are all twists on a classic - we didn't get involved but it's an interesting list.  Porky's don't take bookings but there is plenty of space if you go at a sensible time, and a nice little garden at the back.  I love their logo, and regret not buying one of their staff t-shirts on the way out!  We ordered a mix of ribs and pulled pork with some mac & cheese, sweet potato fries, pulled pork croquettes and BBQ wings.  Everything was delicious, including the house gherkins on the side.  The pulled pork didn't quite match the offering from Lazybones for me, but it was still very tasty.  We were there at the same time as Ribstock was taking place in Haggerston - perhaps Porky's will make an appearance there next year?  

We decided to make a quick stop in Brewdog Camden for a post-piggy pint.  I first discovered Brewdog when I was up in Edinburgh for the Fringe festival a few years ago.  Their pubs are more like bars with dark stone walls and high stools and tables.  They brew their own excellent beer (start with Punk IPA and work your way up the ABV%) and have guest ales from pioneering breweries such as Nogne O and Mikeller.  The range of bottles is always top class too.    If you haven't been to a Brewdog bar before, you need to either order a Tactical Nuclear Penguin (32%) or a Sink the Bismarck (41%) - two of the strongest beers in the world, sold by the nip.  Brewdog Camden has a downstairs room called the Hop Bunker.  I'm not quite sure what goes on down there!   I think there is just more seating and rotating art exhibits.  Downstairs at Brewdog Shoreditch is slightly more exciting with the Underdog speakeasy serving beers and beer cocktails - some of you may remember that Underdog was part of the first ever List trip.

Finally, we headed over to the Blues Kitchen, a fun restaurant bar with live music every night to join my friend Tom (Homeslice team mate) for his birthday.  Check ahead to see when they start charging for entry.  The atmosphere is great, and the place was packed for most of the evening.  Beer options are lacking but there are cocktails on offer too including frozen margarita slushies.  Look up to see quirky lights made from gramophones and trumpets.  The music was lively and entertaining but the venue struggles to replicate the energy you get in the tiny Aint Nothin' But Blues Bar in Soho.  It's still a fantastic place to get together with friends and have an all in one food, drink and dancing night out, and there is always Proud nearby if you want to extend the evening.  I eventually hopped on to a night bus, which turned out to be the first of 3 after I fell asleep on the 44 and woke up in Earlsfield - sadly this is not the first time the 44 has sent me to sleep.  At least I didn't get as far as Tooting this time.

French House - Retro Feasts - Urban Tea Rooms

Friday 21st June - I am going to be honest - this wasn't the most successful List trip of all time.  We were turned away from one place, and ran away from another.  The List Leader even set fire to something.  Want to hear more?  Of course you do!

The evening started well as I met my friend Andy (picking up only his second List point so far) at The French House pub for a quick drink.  It is a Soho classic (which I must admit I have somehow missed) that is frequented by many recognisable faces, though we didn't spot any on this occasion.  We were joined by List Leader Natalie and Molly, and crammed in to the outdoor space.  You bizarrely have to be fastened in by a bouncer type who controls the outdoor barrier lock in system  The French House is extremely popular as it sticks to its strict social policy - no music, no machines, no television and no mobile phones.  Beers are served in French portions and Breton Cider is handed out in bottles.  Food is served at the bar and upstairs, and is available until 4.  They recently got some celebrities together to film a Live at the French DVD to raise money for the local Soho Parish School, just as Soho Food Feast did.

Andy and Molly moved on for a meal at Prix Fixe Brasserie down the road, whilst Natalie and I went off to find her flatmate Arwa.  Our next stop was Retro Feasts and Voodoo Vaults at Embassy Mayfair in Old Burlington Street.  Retro Feasts is a 6 month pop up set up by young chef, Luke Thomas, which opened in May.  It's a casual diner/bar that serves up childhood favourites such as cheese and pineapple, fish fingers and rice pudding alongside excellent cocktails from Tom Rayfield.  The décor is fun though not over the top retro. We settled with a drink around the table football table (which didn't stand up very well to ones at Bar Kick, Azulito and Floripa) and enjoyed people watching - Retro Feasts seems to  attract some pretty entertaining characters.  We sadly  had that Friday feeling of not being very hungry and so didn't stick around for the food.  Read this comprehensive review to get a better idea of what is on offer - it does sound great.

It was also the launch day for Voodoo Vaults downstairs - "A new Southern States inspired speakeasy".   Speakeasy has been wrongly used all year in London but this is the worst example so far - it's effectively a standard (pretty tacky looking) bar/club.  It was fairly early on so the crowds and atmosphere weren't there yet, be we weren't going to hang around.  We promptly ran back upstairs and out the door.  It also describes itself as a live music saloon, club and eatery - apart from the word saloon, that is probably a fitting description, and the music, drinks and food are no doubt high quality, but there are so many better looking, cheaper places to go.

With no set plans, we decided to try a couple of places on the fringes of Soho and Mayfair.  First up we went to have a look at Kemia bar - a Moroccan live music bar underneath Momo restaurant on stunning Heddon Street.  There was a gig starting soon with £10 entry which we decided to skip this time, but it looks like a wonderful place to spend an evening.

Next, we went to investigate the various bars at Sketch, surprisingly run by the same people as Momo (and Andy Wahloo in Paris that Tim and I failed to get in to many months ago because of a private party).  Sketch is a quirky site with 5 beautifully designed restaurants and bars dotted around set up by French master chef Pierre Gagnaire and restauranteur Mourad Mazouz.  The Gallery is a brightly coloured gastro-brasserie, The Lecture Room and Library are Michelin-starred dining rooms, The Parlour is for pastries, afternoon tea and cocktails, The Glade is a magical, woodland bar and The East Bar is an ultra-modern bar and lounge.  It is hard to explain, so watch the video below, enjoy the pictures and have a good read of their website!

The Gallery

The Lecture Room

The Library

The Parlour

The Glade Bar

The East Bar

The Toilets!

Now, it all looks great, but we didn't go to any of them.  The awful woman at the front of house decided, after looking us up and down in turn in the most obvious and snooty way possible, that Team List was too under dressed to enter her fine establishment.  I have no problem with there being a dress code, and we were certainly not properly kitted out for a night of fine drinking and dining in Mayfair, but there's no need to be so rude about it!  I am really keen to return but I hope (mostly for her sake) that she isn't there next time.  Knowing List Leader Natalie's Northern temperament, she may not come off too well at a second meeting.  This sent our usually chirpy List Leader into a royal grump, and we tried to find somewhere to go as quickly as possible before the whole evening folded.  She was in an indecisive mood, so we ducked inside Urban Tea Rooms next door to Aint Nothin' But Blues Bar on Kingly Street for a drink.

Urban Tea Rooms opens at 7.30 am for breakfast, and keeps going throughout the day, serving "Great British produce" and fine teas, before turning into a wine bar at night.  The atmosphere is relaxed and just what we needed after wandering around Mayfair - good old reliable Soho.  Our relaxation didn't last too long, as Natalie accidentally set fire to her jacket by leaving it on top of a candle, burning a whole through it.  The bottle of wine seemed to help her come to terms with it though, and we ended our evening in good spirits.  Food is available right throughout the evening as well, and there is always the excellent blues bar next door if the mood takes you.

Watch out for those candles.

A tough evening for Team List but we soldiered on - not sure how many List points to count from all of those various attempts!  Donations for Natalie's new jacket are now being taken - contact me directly.  How else will she be allowed into Sketch?

La Bodega Negra - London Gin Club at The Star at Night

Wednesday 19th June - Way back in February when the List started, my Foreign Office friend Max grabbed a couple of Team List points whilst he was still in the country.  Four months later, he returned from Mexico for a week before being shipped off to Vilnius in Lithuania.  What did we book to celebrate his return from Mexico?  A meal at a Mexican restaurant of course.  Being The List though, there was obviously more to it than that.  How often do you start off your dinner experience by walking through a sex shop?

Why not?

Ignore the obvious La Bodega Negra entrance on Moor Street and go round the corner on to Old Compton Street and look for the neon signs.  Once you get through the bizarre entrance, you are escorted downstairs into the underground restaurant.  It's a beautiful low-lit space with quirky art, cosy corners, and even a piano on its side.  Both hard to describe and photograph, you need to go and see for yourself.  It's also incredibly cool down there so it's perfect for escaping the summer heat.

The drinks are mostly of the Mezcal / Tequila variety - my pineapple, chilli and mezcal Pepino was excellent, and the Margaritas seemed to go down well too.  We were encouraged to order food to share - tacos, salads, ribs, chicken, guacamole etc.  The food was excellent and arrived very quickly, but be warned it is on the expensive side.  Add to that a ludicrous 15% tip and you are probably better off eating somewhere that is better value for money.  If it was all a bit cheaper, I would have ordered more food and probably a couple more drinks.  The waitress didn't cover herself in glory when she came to tell us that we were one pence short of her 15% tip but that she would let us off - so kind!  It's a shame because it is one of the best looking places I have been to, with a wonderful atmosphere.  They have just opened a new place in Shoreditch called Casa Negra, with the Casa Playground bar/club underneath, that has a more relaxed beach vibe going on, and looks more affordable. 

We made our way back out into daylight and walked a short distance to our final destination - London Gin Club at The Star at Night.  By day, The Star is a café run by Mario that is open til 4pm, but at night it becomes a cocktail bar.  The London Gin Club got involved early last year and have proved to be very popular.  It is slightly hard to find The Star at Night because Crossrail has set up shop for the foreseeable future and has made a total mess of the area.

Foreign office Max had bought Natalie a London Gin Club voucher for her birthday last year, and she waited for him to be around to redeem it.  When she presented it to the nice lady in charge, she was informed that it had expired many months ago.  In fact, the offer was for something that they didn't even sell anymore!  Luckily, there was no expiry date visible, and she was happy to give Natalie a different taster menu instead.  Maggie and I went for a blind tasting set of 4 gins with tonic, whilst most others went for one of the many G&Ts on offer and the two gin-haters went for wine.  There are also Gin cocktails, and even a Ginventor option where you can create your own gin at your table.

FREE GIN.

Seven of us were packed on to a teeny table (probably for 2) which wasn't ideal in the heat, and became a bit ridiculous when 8 glasses arrived just between Natalie, Maggie and I.  The gins are served in my new favourite Coppa glasses - an enormous balloon glass that makes you feel like you are holding the world's biggest G&T.  The selection of gins on offer is very impressive, and definitely requires multiple visits to truly appreciate.  I highly recommend going for a tasting menu, especially blind tasting which was a lot of fun.  We were given four numbered bottles of gin to mix with Fevertree tonic, plus various garnishes to match with the gins, which would in turn help us to identify the gin make from the menu.  We were also given a Gin notebook to keep track of our tasting notes throughout the evening.

My main obstacle was preventing Maggie and Ali from eating all of the garnishes.  We made some informed guesses using the remaining garnishes and sent in our answers.  I was confident after a fairly successful blind gin tasting with T.Rex a couple of months before at 214 Bermondsey. Sadly, this time we got every single one completely wrong -  olives instead of strawberries, cherries instead of cardamom etc.  Natalie had 4 G&Ts in the time that most others had one or two, so was understandably cheerful at the end of the evening.  This was most evident as she engaged the owner in an incredibly long, enthusiastic conversation about gin as we were trying to pay up and leave.  The service is excellent though, and we will definitely be back again for more gin.  There is also tapas style food available, but we were already full up on expensive Mexican food.  Make sure you book ahead as it was very busy when we went.  It is worth becoming a member for discounts and loyalty rewards - sign up on their website.

Max doubles his Team List points total to 6, flatmate Maggie stays one ahead of flatmate Ali and Luke, Lauren is closing in on second placed Tim and Natalie continues to maintain her big lead at the top.  Blogging has been slow recently with a busy end of term at work, and illness and exhaustion.  Never fear - six more trips have been carried out and are ready to be written.  I might just go and watch the tennis first though, if you don't mind.