Alchemy - Hurricane Room - Holborn Whippet

Monday 15th April - This is a short post but with lots of pictures!  I haven't been using my fancy camera enough so I decided to take it with me to the Alchemy Indian Festival that is running at the Southbank Centre until 21st April.  Sam came out to meet me for lunch outside Royal Festival Hall where a large number of Indian street food stalls were set up. He was running late as his flatmate Henry (of Katzenjammers fame) had forgotten his keys, so I wandered around to take some pictures of the Iconic Rickshaws that have been making their way around the world.

Sam eventually turned up and we had a wander around the food stalls to make some decisions.  We liked the look of Bhangra Burger and Brindian (Indian food served in Yorkshire puddings!), but before we could make it over to them we got distracted by the Carrom boards.  Carrom is an addictive 'strike and pocket' game popular in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and surrounding areas.  There was a very helpful Carrom guru on site who kept coming back to us to clarify rules, explain different versions and laugh at our low ability Carrom playing.  We ended up staying at the market for about 3 and a half hours playing Carrom, getting up only once to get some much needed sustenance.  If you don't catch the festival before the end of the week, you can find Carrom man and his boards on Brick Lane.  I fear I am going to cave in and buy one of his boards before the week is out.

Tim (my Paris contact) came back to take an exam in London this week, and needed some points to keep up with Natalie.  On Monday evening we met for a quick game of pool in The Hurricane Room in Tooting - a pool/snooker bar that is open 24/7.  Apparently the bar shuts at 2am but the staff seem like they could be convinced to extend that.  There is another one in King's Cross.  An all-nighter is called for when Tim returns to London properly in a few months.

Tuesday 16th April - Tim organised a curry the next day to celebrate finishing his exams and to catch up with London friends.  We tried to get in to Radio Rooftop bar beforehand but it was already full by 6pm! We moved up the road to the reliable Guanabara (where you will find the most polite and thorough bouncer in London) for a couple of cheap happy hour drinks before having a tasty curry in Tankari on Drury Lane. Are these places List-worthy?  Well I've mentioned Guanabara before, and the curry was just curry, so no.

Afterwards, however, we squeezed in a quick trip to the Holborn Whippet pub. It's situatated on Sicilian Avenue, a pleasant pedestrianised street near Holborn tube that I have never noticed before.  The pub doesn't look anything special from outside which hopefully keeps some of the Holborn workers in search of a non descript lager at bay.  Inside is a beer lovers paradise similar to the Euston Tap.  There is a small bar with unmarked taps coming out of the brickwork and beer info written in chalk above.   Feeling indecisive, we got the barman to pick 8 half pints for us to take back to our table, which he jumped at the chance to do (reminding me of the ecstatic barman from Beef Club in Paris).  I could easily spend all day in here but luckily it was nearly closing time so my wallet escaped this time around.  Below are our attempts to conceal the frowned-upon half pint size with some 'clever' perspective shots.

Pint?

Quarter pint?

Shot?

Thanks to Sam (Alchemy), Tim, Mark, Plotters (Hurricane Room), Will, Rosie, James and Matt (Holborn Whippet) for exploring London with me.  Tim's two points are not enough for him to sneak ahead of Natalie, but he has an outing in King's Cross up his sleeve - swings and roundabouts!

I really do recommend heading to Alchemy, even if you aren't interested in playing Carrom! The food that we eventually had from Brindian and Bhangra Burger was excellent, and there is lots more going on inside the Southbank Centre. Most of it ends this Sunday (21st April). Roti Chai have set up a 'Chaat Shack and Chai Bar' in Festival Village underneath the Queen Elizabeth Hall which will be there until 26th April.

Crown and Shuttle - 5cc - Beigel Bake

Saturday 13th - Shoreditch trip #4 got underway with a couple of drinks in Wigwambam with Natalie.  I'm quite proud of myself for revisiting somewhere from The List when I have so many places left to try out!  We tried their hot drinks - hot toddy, hot buttered rum and mulled cider - which all hit the spot, before moving off to the Crown and Shuttle round the corner. Wigwambam will be making way for Rooftop Film Club soon. Get booking for that if you are interested!

The Crown and Shuttle reopened its doors on 5th April so it had only been open a week when we visited.  It started off as a Victorian pub in 1865, but in the 1990s it became a shabby strip club which was eventually boarded up in 2001.  It looks fantastic now (retaining the original strippers pole for old times sake) and has a great selection of beers - in bottles, on tap and in barrels at the back.  There is also a lovely big garden with a food truck serving up a whole host of tasty treats.  It's a very handy place to start off a night in Shoreditch - you might find yourself still there several hours later.

The main event of the evening was a trip to another new pub, The Well and Bucket, which reopened a few weeks ago, 24 years after it shut it 1989.  Here too there is an exciting array of beers spread around an attractive central bar, but the crowds have already discovered it.  It was truly unpleasant just to be in there for a minute.  Luckily, a minute was all we needed because we weren't going to the pub itself.  We went straight downstairs to find the hidden cocktail bar, 5cc.

5cc felt like home after forcing through the pub crowds upstairs.  We had a table ready, jazz was playing in the background and waitresses were competing to serve us!  We were joined by Sam, Ali, Olly and James (on his List début).  There are some interesting bottled beers (we enjoyed local Crate Lager) but the cocktails are the reason to come.  The Last Word and Smokey Tommy particularly stood out of the ones we tried.  The 5cc barman passed Ali's mocktail test, making her a mojito-ish drink that was good enough to make her buy another.  There are also bottle-aged cocktails and vintage spirits available to try.  If you are peckish, you can order in some oysters.  Sam and I were tempted by one that was wrapped in bacon, creamed leeks and crushed hazelnuts, but we decided to hold off on food until a bit later.

We had a very relaxing stay, especially in comparison to our experience of the chaos upstairs.  It was amusing to see pub-goers discovering the bar by mistake on their way to the toilets, and trying to talk their way in for a quick drink.  I only managed to get a 2 hour slot having booked a few days in advance, so get organised if you want to stay there all evening.  There is another 5cc hidden beneath The Exmouth Arms if you don't have any luck booking in to the Shoreditch branch.

Ali, James and Olly headed off home leaving Sam, Natalie and I to search for food.  We started to wander towards Hawksmoor Spitalfields to sample the downstairs bar food, but we got distracted by Beigel Bake on the way.  Beigel Bake is a Brick Lane institution - this traditional Jewish bakery is open 24 hours a day, and is always busy with a mix of hipsters, taxi drivers and locals (who use it as a proper bakery rather than a late night food joint).  For ravenous hipsters, the best option is the enormous hot salt beef beigel with mustard.

Whilst queuing, you will inevitably order some of their pastries, especially when a doughnut is only 30p.  Natalie cleverly ordered a buttered beigel to pass the time until her other beigel was ready, whilst Sam devoured the Salmon and Cream Cheese variety in preparation for his.  I bought two puddings just because it seemed silly not to when everything is so cheap.  This should definitely be your first port of call when in need of late night food in Shoreditch.  You have to feel sorry for the empty Beigel shop next door though!

We walked down towards Liverpool Street to head home and briefly dropped in to The Breakfast Club on Artillery Lane.  We were too late to get in to The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town speakeasy downstairs through the giant fridge, but we stayed for some milkshakes and a sticky toffee pudding (my third dessert of the evening).  I will need to return for a proper brunch before I count this place as ticked off, and a trip through the fridge is also required.  The Breakfast Club can also be found in Hoxton, Angel and Soho.  I am very excited that they are opening a new branch in Battersea, complete with a hidden bar called The King of Ladies Man.  The name is apparently a famous line in 'Cheers' and the bar will have a 70s bachelors pad feel, serving up craft beers and disco drinks from midday until late.

Full of beigels and puddings, we parted company instead of continuing on to Sushisamba round the corner. Natalie picks up 4 more Team List points, Sam gets 3, and Olly, James and Ali pick up 1.  Every little helps! This puts Natalie in to a clear lead with 21 points so far, leaving behind Tim on 16 and Sam on 14. However,  I have been out since with Tim and Sam on separate occasions.  Can they overhaul Natalie's total?  Keep reading to find out!

Exciting popup alert: Midnight Apothecary - a rooftop cocktail bar on top of the Brunel museum in Rotherhithe open Saturdays and Sundays this Summer, starting on April 20th.

The Refinery - London Bridge Pubs - Katzenjammers - 214 Bermondsey

Friday April 12th - Sam and I planned to play some tennis in the afternoon, but a combination of the rain and Sam's drinking of two pints over lunch led us to skip the exercise and move straight on to The Refinery near Southwark.  The Refinery is a pub for city boys (lager-fest on tap) and a cocktail bar for city girls (ludicrous cocktails on offer) that can either be packed and unpleasant, or relaxed and enjoyable depending on when you go.  The bar is run by Drake and Morgan who are behind The Anthologist (Bank), The Folly (Monument), The Drift (Liverpool Street) and The Parlour (Canary Wharf) and The Happenstance (St.Pauls).

The Refinery

Sam headed to the empty bar to get us a couple of Brewskis (beer cocktails).  Sadly for Sam, the cocktail menu has just been revamped, so it took the barman longer than usual to make the drinks.  Meanwhile, a crowd of lager-drinking blokes built up behind him, getting progressively more annoyed by Sam's order as the barman went back and forth to find the odd ingredients and garnishes - "Oh, he's gone to get another bloody flower!" etc.

The cocktail list is impressive and fun, with several made to share in quirky containers which you can actually buy to take home. The most interesting one on the menu is Goldfish in a Bag which includes pink grapefruit 'fish' and edible lily pads, presented in a goldfish bag.  If we had been hungry, we would have gone for a Beer Flight - 3 beer samples each served with a miniature canapé version of a classic dish (fish and chips, burgers etc) - or one of their three types of fries (Roman, Samurai or Cowboy?).  We also liked the flavour wheels for wine, beer and cocktails included in the menu.  It's a good looking place with a really great choice of food and drink, but go at the wrong time and it will seem like an ordinary banker bar! Time it carefully.

We moved on and had a quick drink at 3 of London Bridge's best pubs - Brew Wharf, The Rake and The Wheatsheaf.  If you are not a beer fan - skip ahead. Brew Wharf is tucked down a cobbled side street near Borough Market, and has a wide selection of Meantime beer alongside a couple of its own home brewed beers. Sit outside with the wonderful umbrella art installation, if the weather allows!  Wine Wharf is next door of that doesn't take your fancy.

We wandered a few yards down the road for our next stop.  The Rake is owned by Utobeer, who run a fantastic beer shop at Borough Market.  On certain days you can fill up your own Growler (0.5 litre bottle) with their beer to takeaway (at the shop that is).  The tiny pub has an excellent selection of beers and a wall covered in friendly notes from brewers that have visited the pub over the years.  As we were leaving we were joined by one of Sam's flatmates, Henry, making his List début.

The Rake

On our way from The Rake to The Wheatsheaf we passed by The Wheatsheaf (yep, that's what I said), a refurbished pub on Stoney Street next to Borough Market that has a beer garden complete with a hipster street kitchen van.  Also nearby is The Wine Pantry, an interesting little shop where you can sample many wines on tap, and match them with cured meats and cheeses. There is another one in St.Pancras station.

The Wheatsheaf - Stoney Street

The Wine Pantry

We then moved on to the other Wheatsheaf on Southwark Street, a great underground pub that is free of Borough market crowds due to it's unimpressive exterior. Here we were joined by Sam's other flatmate, Tom Rex (T.Rex - best name ever?), completing our team for the evening. They had a great selection of ales on, and it was the perfect place to stop off before heading to Katzenjammers next door.  You are really spoilt for choice for drinking around London Bridge if you know where to look.  If those pubs aren't enough, head over towards Tower Bridge to find The Dean Swift, The Draft House and Simon the Tanner.  Has anyone completed that dream of a pub crawl in one day? 

The Wheatsheaf - Southwark Street

We moved on to Katzenjammers, an underground Bierkeller (German beer hall) on Southwark Street.  It's a fantastic place to go any night of the week, but on Fridays they don't take any bookings as drinkers in the know jostle for space to see the Oompah Brass band.

Get there as early as you can so that you can get a table near the band, order yourself some steins of Bavarian beer and settle in for the entertainment. Oompah kicked off with a traditional German brass tune before powering through an incredible range of pop covers (they describe themselves as the world's leading exponents of 'Oom-pop') from Britney Spears to Queen that got everyone singing along and swinging their steins left and right.   If you sit right next to them, you will probably have a french horn on your head at some point, or a trombone slide poking you in the face. They will also happily drink any beer that you send their way.  Their trumpeter may be related to Maynard Ferguson?

It was whilst Sam was swinging his glass (imagine the Stonecutters scene in The Simpsons) that I suddenly found myself covered in Henry's beer and broken glass.  If this was any old English pub, an argument would have probably broken out with the people sharing our table, but our neighbours were so friendly (as I often find in the German pubs in London) that they just cheered and cleared it up for us!  The long bench seating arrangement always leads to this sociable atmosphere.  I have had similarly fun times at Bierschenke in Temple, and the Bavarian Beerhouse in Old Street - both of these would be great places to go and watch the upcoming German vs Spanish Champions League semi-finals.  I can't personally recommend any Spanish venues although apparently Bradley's Spanish Bar in Tottenham Court Road is a good place to start.  Any insider tips from Spanish Londoners?

We were eventually kicked out of Katzenjammers at closing time, but we still had one place left that was handily open late and situated en route to Sam's flat.  214 Bermondsey is a gin and cocktail bar hidden underneath the Antico Italian restaurant on Bermondsey Street.  It has only opened recently (having previously been a bar owned by Antico) and so hasn't been discovered by the masses yet.  T.Rex and I both went for their Gin Flight Tests - you are given three gin and tonics (making use of their homemade tonic) with tasting notes, and are invited to guess which is which, with the answers provided in a sealed envelope.  It's a clever way to introduce drinkers to a few of the daunting 50 or so gins on offer, and might even tempt some non-gin drinkers to convert.  Gin Mare was the standout from the 6 that we tried.  Head down there before it fills up!

Thanks to Sam for a big effort (6 places if you count all the pubs), and to his flamates Henry and Tom, who pick up 4 and 3 points respectively.  The beer and gin clearly had an effect - Henry, Tom and I tried to play Fifa when we reached their flat but found ourselves 7-1 down to Napoli at half-time, at which point we gave up.  We covered all of the London Bridge places currently on The List - if anyone has any other suggestions, please leave a comment.

Last but not least, the London Marathon is on Sunday and my flatmate Ali is running it as part of her 3000 mile project for Save the Children and the Motor Neurone Disease Association - head over to her blog here to support her insane effort.

Samba Swirl, Honky Tonk + More Pre-List Favourites

I'm going to quickly run through a couple of random places today (rather than one of my bar-hopping posts - London Bridge and Shoreditch #4 coming soon) alongside a few old favourites that I visited 'pre-List'.

Last Saturday (April 6th) I had my first taste of Froyo (Frozen Yoghurt) from Samba Swirl on Northcote Road (there are others in Chiswick and Islington) having avoided it for years on the grounds that it could never be better than ice cream.  However, the fun is not in the eating, but in the self-serving.  You grab a pot, squeeze some different flavoured yoghurts in, and then go nuts adding unhealthy toppings that completely defeat the point of choosing yoghurt over ice cream.  I was clearly a first timer as my pot was covered in oreos, caramel shortbread, crunchie bars etc whilst Lauren went for the fresh fruit.  It was enough to distract me from the fact that I didn't actually want any yoghurt, but I will probably head straight to Odonno's over the road for ice cream next time!

The oreo capsule was full before I started

On Wednesday (April 9th), I went for dinner with Jason (picking up his first non ping-pong based point) at Honky Tonk in Chelsea, a NY-inspired bar and restaurant on Hollywood Road.  They sat us on a man-date table in the corner which was great for people watching but I would probably sit up at the bar next time for more atmosphere.  The macaroni cheese with truffle oil was tasty but the main event was pudding.  Make sure that you save space for their excellent Apple or Pecan Pie (or any of the others!).  We didn't get on to the cocktails but if you live nearby it would be worth heading over to the attractive bar for a drink or two - look out for the amusing artwork dotted around on the walls.

Now onto a couple of old places that are worth a quick mention.  First up is Cah-Chi - a Korean BBQ restaurant in Earlsfield (or Raynes Park) which stands out as you have to cook your food using the sizzling plates built in to the table.  You then take a giant lettuce leaf and stuff it with all sorts of tasty things, wrap it all up and consume! There are Korean drinks on offer but you can also BYO wine if you so wish.

One of my favourite places in Covent Garden is Guanabara - a large Brazilian bar which serves great food, has fantastic live music, gives dance classes, cocktail masterclasses, percussion masterclasses etc etc. There is a very generous happy hour from 5-8 every day.  Watch out for occasional door charges later on in the evening when there is a band playing.  It is not very visible from the street - head to Parker Street off Drury Lane (where the muffin man lives) and look for the Guanabara logo.  Inside it looks like a conference centre - head up the big staircase round the corner to find the bar!  If you want to watch a football match involving Brazil, this is the place to be.

That's all for now, though I am pretty excited to have discovered Deliver Me, a website for ordering food in London up until 6am!  More standard List posts are on the way, depending on how much football and golf I watch today.  Team List points for Lauren, Luke, Natalie and Jason.  I will give a leaderboard update soon - has Natalie overhauled Tim's Paris points?  Does she realise he is back in the country to keep the pressure on?  It doesn't get more exciting than this.