The Breakfast Club - King of Ladies Man - Homeslice Pizza

Wednesday 15th May - The Breakfast Club has finally ventured south of the river!  I booked a table for 6.30 and assembled a SW London team of Ali, Max, Libby and Mary for dinner and drinks.  As I was early, I popped in to the nearby Southsider Cocktail Club (one of my first List trips a few months ago) to check out their new cocktail menu.  They have one of the best happy hours in London with £5 top of the range cocktails from 5-8 every day.  New drinks include syringes, tea cups and even one in a plastic coffee cup.  I couldn't leave without tasting their homemade pesto bitters (slightly obsessed with the green stuff) which was tasty but incredibly dry.  The free chilli and lime flavoured popcorn went down well too.

Southsider Classic - Blueberry Pancake Mule
Photo from Cocktail Scholars

Libby hauled me out of the bar and we arrived first at the new Battersea Breakfast Club.  The decor is not as rock'n'roll hipster as the other branches, perhaps in an attempt to appease the Clapham yuppies.  My main reason for coming was not however for the food (though I need to return for the proper brunch experience, queues and all, on a Sunday in the near future)...  The Spitalfields Breakfast Club has a hidden bar called the Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town, which you enter by walking through a giant Smeg fridge.  That's all well and good, but now I no longer need to hop on the 344 to Liverpool Street to get my breakfast & cocktail fix in the same place.  The Battersea branch has its own secret called King of Ladies Man - a 70s bachelor pad serving disco drinks, grilled cheese sandwiches and craft beers.  Bar descriptions don't come much better than that.  They had some private openings over the weekend, with invites sent out on knickers - see below! 

King of Ladies Man invites

We decided to build the anticipation by ordering some Breakfast Club food first, though I had blogger paranoia that the bar would fill up as I saw people disappearing in the right direction.  Our waiter was a laugh, especially when he vented his frustration with using the electronic notepads  for taking orders, as they make it hard to have any eye contact with customers.  We challenged him to keep eye contact with Ali as he took note of her Full English order, and he made a good fist of it.     Thankfully the food came quickly as I was getting more and more worried about the bar filling up.  We all somehow resisted ordering the Cow vs Pig burger.  My pulled pork sandwich was very enjoyable, and Ali seemed pretty happy with her maple syrup covered fry up.  After wolfing everything down, we asked the manager to take us through to see the King.  She obliged and showed us to the door which lead to a laundrette (no doubt for all of the King's dirty laundry).

Here we were greeted with a free round of Taboo shots (remember that drink?) by a man in a Hawaiian shirt, sporting a King of Ladies Man (KOLM) shirt transfer.  He then slid back one of the walls to reveal the KOLM bar.  We were shown to a fun corner of the bar, which worked its way around so that we were effectively standing behind the bar in line with the staff.  We were well looked after by Sam who brought us our first round of disco drinks.  Another barman also came by asking if we were expecting a surprise.  We weren't but by this point he had got our hopes up so he went to get us more free shots since he had put his foot in it.

Max wore the right jumper for the occasion

The drinks menu is cleverly presented in the form of the King's Little Black Book, with plenty of blank pages at the back for leaving your number for him.  The craft beers aren't listed in the menu as they going to rotate them, but they are all on show above the bar.  The array of cheesy bar food looks excellent and they serve food til 10.  Ali would like better marked toilet doors after she went to the Men's by mistake, though she did fail to see the urinals opposite her as she went in.  There are loads of classic cocktails plus some new inventions to choose from and each one we went for on the night went down very well.  We had to try a taster of the seaweed-infused Zubrowka - what can I say, it tasted like seaweed-infused Zubrowka.  It blended very nicely with tequila in the drinkable Mr.Miyagi house cocktail.  Tommy's Chilli and Lemongrass Margarita and the Mezcal Sunset were also particularly impressive.  All this was set to a funky soundtrack that was right up my street (Earth, Wind and Fire, Average White Band, Jackson 5 etc) though it did veer slightly off course every now and then - stick to disco funk! When we eventually left, I asked to take the above photo of the laundrette, which inadvertedly led to yet another round of Taboo shots.  The staff were great value all night and gave the place a friendly but lively atmosphere.  There is no better time to go to KOLM than tonight, as they are doing a ridiculous "Helsinki Happy Hour" from 4-8pm (as it will be 6pm in Helsinki) with drinks served at 80s prices! I hope it becomes a regular Friday occurrence. The King will definitely be getting a second date...

Tuesday 14th - Before watching Arsenal vs Wigan in the bottled beer heaven that is Porterhouse, I met my fellow Gallery String Quartet member, Tom (feel free to leave viola jokes as comments below), for some pizza at the newly opened Homeslice Pizza in the colourful Neal's Yard near Covent Garden.

Homeslice (or Homelice as I called them a month ago on The List before my Dad corrected me) have upgraded from selling pizza by the slice on the street by moving in to a new permanent home which opened last week.  You can still order by the slice for £4, or you can order giant 20" pizzas to share for £20, with the option of going half and half on toppings.  The different combinations are all up on our board and it is not an easy choice!

We decided upon the Bone Marrow, Spring Onion and Watercress opposite the Duck Breast with Roasted Szechuan Pineapple which the waitress highly recommended.  The monster pizza arrived quickly with a pizza cutter which Tom wielded despite having a broken elbow, leaving us with some giant slices to eat calzone style.  The doughy base and crust were very moreish and the toppings were superb.  We washed it down with a pint of Saint Lager but there is also the superior (though more expensive) Kernel Pale Ale available in bottles.  It was already busy by 6.30 and it has only been open a week so get there as early as you can!  They do take bookings for larger groups too.  

Stuff to book: Ginstock and Craft Beer Battle, both excellent sounding events run by Tweat Up; Forza Win - rooftop pizza supper club with entertainment; Rooftop Film Club - new branch in Peckham opening soon.

Natalie remains List Leader though may be caught by Sam as she continues to weigh up whether to spend all her money on gin or save it for a house.  Judging by her purchasing of Ginstock tickets yesterday, she should be able to maintain her lead.

Mr.Fogg's - Propstore - Tamesis Dock

Saturday 11th May - The Bank Holiday sunshine seems a long time ago already.  I had hoped to go to the outdoor Dalston Roof Park but that was perhaps a tad optimistic.  So after some List investigation, I decided  to instead try out Mr.Fogg's in Mayfair - a new bar (soft opening - fully open 22nd May) that has been turned into Phileas J. Fogg's residence complete with a hot air balloon and hundreds of items that Mr.Fogg has collected and sent back on his travels.  I exchanged several verbose emails with Miss Lavinia Stewart-Brown, Secretary to Mr.Fogg, throughout the day to check that we could turn up.  Here is one of my favourites:

"Dear Mr Hickman,

I do hope this email finds you well and in exemplary health.

My sincere thanks for your gracious enquiry regarding paying a visit to Mr.Fogg's residence.  We are now attaining bookings from the 11th May onwards on select days.

Mr.Fogg is customarily ready to accept visitors from sixteen hundred hours and fifty nine minutes onwards.  The number of guests attending would be much appreciated.

If you could be so kind as to inform me if your party might desire a table in the Drawing Room I would be more than happy to make the necessary arrangements for you.  Should you wish to solely indulge in standing libation, that is fine and dandy.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any further queries and I keenly anticipate your reply,

Yours ever,

Miss Lavinia Stewart-Brown"

I met Team List (Lauren, Natalie and her flatmate Arwa - Maggie arrived later) at Green Park and we walked up to Berkeley Square and down a quiet side road.  Upon entering through the discreet front door, we were greeted by Passepartout (Mr. Fogg's French Valet) who took our coats and showed us in to the bar.  Our barman for the evening was the hilarious Fabiano Pereira who flitted in and out of character for our amusement.  After ordering a round of cocktails, Fabiano decided to give us a 'tour' of the house which basically involved him making up stories about the wall ornaments, including a particularly distressing tale of how Phileas' two dogs were inadvertently killed by a sick rabbit. As I took out my SLR camera, Fabiano asked me what this strange modern contraption was - perhaps a weapon of some kind?  Fabiano and Arwa also had lengthy conversations about knitting in the rocking chair.  They got the balance just right all night between committing to the theme (with tongue firmly in cheek) without forcing us to resort to amateur dramatics.

The drinks did not disappoint either, and the menu is still very much in development.  We worked our way through several cocktails (mostly whiskey / absinthe / rum based) with various garnish experiments and real bamboo straws.  Their plan is to have telegrams arriving regularly from Phileas, recommending new exotic spirits and cocktails to Passepartout as he moves round different parts of the world. It's hard to pick a favourite at this stage, as we weren't always sure what we were being brought!  When there was a cocktail mixup, the immaculately dressed Tobias Something Something came over and sorted us out.  The odd freebie also came our way from behind the bar as they are still fine tuning the drinks. Tobias frequently dropped by to chat to us about our thoughts on the music, the drinks and future ideas which made for a really interesting evening.  Hopefully some of our suggestions will turn up in the bar one day!  Food options are fancy sandwiches at present, but I don't know if there are plans to jazz this up a little.  Don't leave without a trip to the toilets, where a reading of Around the World in 80 Days is played non-stop.  This is no surprise as the bar is run by the the Inception group behind Barts (read about my visit here), Maggies (Thatcher speeches played in the toilets) and Bunga Bunga (Berlusconi Pizzeria Karaoke Bar).  Look out for Disco (70s Manhattan reborn) opening soon in Soho too.

Team List Leader with Tobias

When we eventually came to pay, Fabiano was intially "confused" by our bankcard devices - committed til the end!  When the bar opens fully on the 22nd, there should be even more exciting things on the menu, including sharing cocktails in a globe and train, but there is something special about going to a soft opening that you should try and experience if you can!  

A couple of us decided to head over to Propstore outside the National Theatre to end the evening, where we also met keen Team List participant, Harriet, who is trying to amass a good points total before departing for Vienna.  Propstore is a temporary bar for the summer (it opened for the first time last year) that is full of National Theatre props from shows running this year.  See some of our favourites in the photos below.  It is incredibly well placed overlooking the river, and has a lovely almost open air feel despite being covered.  There is also a tasty street-food style menu and a good selection of drinks (Meantime beer always goes down well, even if it is everywhere now).  

However, I wasn't expecting it to turn in to a cheesy bar/club later on!  This isn't normally my thing, but because it's in a stylish, bright bar and is full of thesps doing the macarena and generally trying to out do each other to be the most extrovert dancer, we ended up staying for 3 hours.  The tables off the dancefloor still have a relaxed cafe feel as opposed to being a dark lonely corner in a club, and people watching is just as fun as getting involved with some Whigfield group dancing.  There is no door charge and it is open late all summer long.  Is there anywhere more fun and relaxed for a cheap night out in London?  No planning required, just turn up anytime during the day and fall on to a train in Waterloo at the end of it!

Organised Thesp dancing

Monday 6th May - A quick mention for Tamesis Dock that I went to on Bank Holiday Monday with Natalie, Lauren and Jason for Harriet's birthday.  Tamesis Dock is a Dutch barge bar and music venue moored near Lambeth Bridge with great views over to the Big Ben and the London Eye.  The outside space is perfect for a sunny day (which we luckily had) but there is also a lot of space downstairs, including a stage and dancefloor.  This was an outside affair but the below deck bars look great fun too - check to see when live music is on.  I would say that it is probably worth eating before you arrive as the portions weren't overly generous, though the Gin and Tonic Sorbet is tempting! For more boat options, try out Battersea Barge not far away or Bar&Co near Temple.

Natalie moves further ahead of Sam on Team List with a grand total of 38 points so far.  Debut points for several aboard the Tamesis Dock, notably Miranda and Fiona adding to the impressive Wimbledon High School team total.  Fabiano and Tobias deserve a special mention for their fantastic service with a smile and laughs in Mr.Fogg's.  That brings me up to date!  I had better go somewhere tonight then...

The Good Egg & Hangover Club - Midnight Apothecary - Mayflower

Saturday 4th May - When I attended Feast a couple of months back I wanted to try everything on offer, but due to a rookie cheese overload a few stalls escaped un-Listed.  One that got away was The Good Egg.  When I returned home I discovered that The Good Egg belonged to one of my musical friends, Joel Braham, who I had intitially met on a trip to North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam about 5 years ago and who I normally run in to once a year in the toilets in the Pleasance Dome at the Edinburgh Festival (that sounds worse than it is).  I sadly didn't spot him at Feast, and I have been trying to catch them around London ever since!  Luckily they have now taken up residence on Saturdays from 11-3 in the wonderful Skyroom venue in London Bridge with the Hangover Club

NOTE - SKYROOM IS NO LONGER OPEN - The Good Egg can currently be found at Cortado, and Platterform can be found in London Fields

Despite not being hungover, I made my way over from some extremely early morning violin lessons to meet Sam and Wrighty.  Skyroom is a brilliant location (although it is slightly open to the elements!) and will be one of the places to be this summer.  I had a quick catchup with Eggheadchef Joel before ordering their signature Shakshuka dish - eggs poached in a smokey, spiced tomato sauce served with merguez sausages and sourdough bread to mop it all up.  It is comfort food of the highest quality that I could happily eat over and over again - well worth travelling to London Bridge for.  There are other enticing options too - the burrito seemed to be particularly popular.

The Hangover Club also has a fun selection of Bloody Marys which Sam was in dire need of.  He could have chosen the Bloody Burro (with Chicken Stock Fat-washed Tequila and Chipotle) or the Bloody Bullfighter (Bloodshot vodka muddled with Beef Bouillon) but instead was coaxed by the barman into having a Red Eye (from the film 'Cocktail').  It is a pint of half tomato juice and half lager with a shot of vodka and whole egg.  What Sam didn't realise was that the drink is intended to be downed in one go, with the egg dropped in just before - see the video below.  My favourite moment is when his eyes widen as he sees the egg (his third of the morning) floating towards his mouth.  The barman later returned and said that he didn't think anyone would ever choose it from the menu, and that he had just put it on there for a laugh.  Look out for other great events on at Skyroom such as Gin Shed on Saturdays from 5 and Cock'n'Doodle on Friday evenings.

Sam and I moved on for a cheeky pint in the excellent Dean Swift pub near Tower Bridge - a hidden gem for beer lovers off the main road - before heading to his flat via Maltby Street market to watch a dreadful Spurs Saints game.  After a late Bale winner and a quick bit of retro Sega Megadrive Pete Sampras Tennis (couldn't resist playing as my female namesake, L.Hickman), we made our way to Rotherhithe with his flatmates and neighbours (Henry and T Rex from Katzenjammers plus Rich and EJ) where Team List leader Natalie was already waiting to add to her impressive points total.

Odd little café in Maltby Street Market

Rotherhithe is another stop on my new favourite Overground Line and is the new place to be on Saturdays and Sundays as one of 2012s most successful popup bars, Midnight Apothecary, has just reopened for 2013 on the roof garden of the Brunel Museum. It's a stunning outdoor space within sight of the Thames, with a central bonfire that leads to a sociable, festival atmosphere as night draws in. The brains behind the bar is Lotte Muir ("The Cocktail Gardener") who transformed the neglected garden last year.  The bar was initially just a one-off to promote events at The Brunel Museum but proved to be too popular! Ever the suckers for a deal, we bought 4 cocktail tokens each for £25 - they have to sell the drinks in a roundabout about way to get past various licensing issues.  Make sure you come prepared with fun fake names, as they take your order and call out to you when they are ready.  Most of us realised this too late, but Henry managed to get away with being called Leroy.  The cocktails are inspired by the garden, using such ingredients as silver rosed tea-infused vodka, lavender infused gin and hibiscus syrup.  The Sloe Gin Sour with rhubarb and ginger jam was the best of the bunch.  A more exciting beer option would be wise and we were sad that the advertised Foragers food wasn't there, but those are small complaints.  

T Rex and Leroy

A charming chap came round offering a £5 guided tour of the original Rotherhithe tunnel below the bar which I hope to go on next time.  T Rex gave us a quick summary including tales of a tragic tunnel collapse early on, plus possibly the first ever pop up tunnel-based dining experience held when it was all finished to prove that it was safe after all.  Keep your eyes peeled for various events such as popup Opera being held in the tunnel over summer.

Lotte the Cocktail Gardener came round with marshmallows and some branches which got everyone talking round the fire.  We befriended Rotherhithe local, Yen, and her group of friends whilst some were on the tour.  We eventually dragged ourselves away to get some food in the nearby pub, The Mayflower.  It felt like we were miles from London as we walked down the cobbled village street to get there.

We didn't get off to the best start as we ordered 7 main meals just as the kitchen was closing but they forgave us.  We sat outside in the lovely garden that overlooks the Thames, complete with heaters, blankets and hot water bottles for cold nights.  The Mayflower (est 1621) claims to be the oldest pub in The Thames and it certainly isn't lacking in character.  I would love it to be my local!  The evening ended in an amusing fashion as one of the girls from behind the bar came over with a classic calculator and tried to work out what was going wrong with the bill, and ended up going round and round in circles until she was told to give up by another member of staff.  It was a very enjoyable evening and has opened my eyes to the delights of Rotherhithe Village.  I highly recommend going along to both the bar and the pub in the same evening, just as we did, but save a fiver for the tunnel tour!  Saturdays and Sundays only for Midnight Apothecary.