S.H.R.I.M.P.Y.S is finally open... I LOVE KINGS CROSS!

Bistrotheque's sister restaurant in King's Cross has opened it's doors and is now taking bookings.
I'm fully sucked in to all the hype, hands up I admit it. If it's anything as tasty and lovely as Bistro' then I can't wait to go. Stylist mag this week proclaimed it 'Coolest place in Britain' which may be a tad excessive. Have they not been to Peckham yet? Ra ha, If I weren' crying I'd laugh ;)
Evening Standard was a little more in depth with their review - here are the snippets I can be bothered to copy and paste. If you're in a rush then just read the words that I've made bigger it should be just enough to give you the idea. Yes, fashion twats and soft shell crab burgers. Yum my perfect dinner it seems.
King's Cross is full of wonders these days: The Filling Station, though, takes the biscuit. Where a singularly grubby petrol station used to be there’s a ghostly new structure of scalloped, translucent fibreglass abstractly copying the lines of an American gas stop From the road, you can’t tell what, if anything, it contains.

Flack and Waddington were fashion designers before becoming entrepreneurial restaurateurs in changing bits of the East End

People wandering in to investigate it soon start to smile. On Saturday evening, in that lovely light and heat, as the sun set, with the yellow flag irises in the canal glowing, a coot busying about, partying canal boats passing, it seemed an enchanted corner. 

The food is a fry-up, a stylised fry-up,  incorporating lots of buzzy Peruvian and Mexican ingredients (chipotle, chimichurri, humita, chicharron —massive teeth-snapping pork scratchings), but a fry-up nonetheless: diner food in excelsis.

starters include tuna tostada, ceviche with plantains and a sweetcorn chowder. Soft-shell crab burger (£16) is a monster signature dish — a whole slightly crunchy crab with its legs sticking out over the bun, 

Shrimpy’s is already rammed with desperate early-adopters. Fashiontossers, I think they’re called? I have never been in a place where people eyed each other up so much, almost insanely anxious to check out who else had got in. Who could they have all been? On Saturday, they included a guy in a shorty romper suit and a 6ft 7in lady with a microskirt, a blonde crop and ever so muscular arms. Such an addition to the gaiety of nations. Shrimpy’s couldn’t be more committed to that. A lovely place where there was nothing good before.

The King’s Cross Filling Station, Goods Way, N1 (020 8880 6111, shrimpys.co.uk). Open daily 11am-10.30pm (11pm Fri and Sat). Around £100/£120 for two.

yeah what Jay Rayner said:

I absolutely love love LOVE L.O.V.E Brixton Village and I go there really quite a lot. Here's a photo of a curry I had on Friday night and here's a load of words Jay Rayner wrote about the market in the Observer. If you haven't been yet it's my No.1 recommendation of the year.

It was while I was eating the burger, the juices dribbling down my wrists, the scent of properly aged dead animal in my nostrils, that I realised I was being an idiot. A few months back I reviewed Kaosarn, a stonking Thai restaurant in an old covered market a short walk from my home in Brixton, south London. I hesitated before writing that review because it seemed lazy to cover somewhere so close to home. I am accused often enough of metropolitan bias, and though I do pretty well on the out-of-London stakes I could see that writing about somewhere that was practically within the back end of my own postcode would just be throwing lighter fuel on to the smouldering embers of a row.

But I have spent more and more time at Brixton Village since that review and become increasingly convinced that it is the most exciting, radical venture on the British restaurant scene right now. I spend hours every week wading through dismal press releases about the latest glossy openings, each of which has left no change from a million or more. These are places with lighting concepts and colour waves and boards full of investment bankers, which really is just rhyming slang. They are built and designed from the front door in rather than the kitchen out.

Brixton Village, formerly Granville Arcade, is entirely different. It's a dozen or more restaurants, most of which would have been opened for the price of a trip to Ikea. They don't have concepts. They have open kitchens and menus and nice young people bringing you nice stuff to eat. A bunch of them, being unlicensed, will feed you for under a tenner. None costs much more than that a head. The fact that all this is on my doorstep is a lucky coincidence. To which I can only say: hoorah for me. full article here.

photo of curry here...

Stephen Wright my bonkers neighbour in East Dulwich

Dismembered dolls, toothpaste tubes, false teeth, crockery, plastic cutlery, beads and glass eyeballs - right round the corner from where I live....

All manner of seemingly worthless objects are integral to the work of Steven Wright. 

Largely sculptural and nearly always with an added bumpy dimension simply because of the nature of his chosen medium, his work explores the notion of more is more. Very much reminiscent of Mexican and folk art, the work is vibrant, exciting and mad, he says he is very much inspired by 'spiritual, iconographic and religious significance of the Folk Art object'.

There is a small gallery space in Brixton village showcasing some of his pieces but more excitingly his Dulwich home (bequeathed to the National Trust) is open to visitors by appointment. His home is named: 'The House of Dreams', but I can tell you - I'm not sure how comfortable I'd rest at night if I had some of these images behind the old eyelids....I am going to pop round one afternoon on the way home from Sainsburys and tell him he's bonkers and I love his work.

Yes Steven - like that one I do most Sunday mornings past your house on the way to Sainsburys .

Brunswich hOUSE cAFE

Vauxhall is grey. No one can argue against that I'm sure, it's pretty good for a wild night out on occasion but aesthetically it's drab, dingy and seems perpetually shrouded in cloud. There is, however a beauty of a spot which is a colourful and exciting respite from all that - Brunswick House. An old reclamation site housing hundreds of ornate door knobs, brass knockers, tiles, lamps and antiquities of all description.























In the midst of all the artefacts is a lovely restaurant which in contrast is nothing but contemporary.
I had an excellent steak there last week and all the other dishes look pretty tasty. Just look at the poor building surrounded by all that concrete...so anyway if you're heading that way on a night out it's well worth popping in for a drink at the very least.

Rivioli Ballroom

We went for a big old jive last weekend at London's oldest ballroom in south London. It's super cool, you arrive, learn a few basic moves and then the band comes on and everyone forgets the steps and ends up just spinning about and standing on each others feet but having a great time anyway. I'm also well chuffed with my dress which is from Joy and is a bargain as well as a beauty. Ravioli/Rivioli website here

what? a trapeze you say? yes a trapeze. in Regent's park? Oh right.

link to book here

Horniman Museum

This little jewel of South London has been hiding away in Forest Hill forever, the cheeky devil. I lived in Oval and Dulwich years ago and it's only now 6 years later and living in Peckham that I've been told about it. Without bothering to look anything up, from memory this Horniman person sailed the world collecting weird and wonderful artifacts including rare and wonderful bits, bobs, taxidermy, art, skeletons, paper mache, dead dogs, jellyfish, keys, armoury, potions, snake skins, heads on a rope and the like to bring adventure and wonder to the people of Forest Hill, who unlike him, were extremely unlikely to go any further than the Number 39 to Aldwych. The collection is similar to The Oxford Pitman Museum and there seems no rhyme or reason to the layout - there are pufferfish displayed alongside ornate trinkets
and so on..
There are also gardens and an amazeballs conservatory where you can sip tea and try desperately to forget you're in Forest Hill. Well worth a visit if only for the aquarium. Hold your horses, it's only small, you can wander around it in half an hour but it's great nonetheless. The jelly fish tank, like some sort of undulating aquatic lava lamp will have you mesmerised for oh at least 7 minutes. No really it's good.

2 weirdo old men and a fox on London transport.

old man in dressing gown photo (c) Carl Bartram 2012
pretty dark.

Cream pies blow up dolls and Bugsy Malone.

Secret Cinema hardly has to lift a finger to transform The Troxy for their Bugsy Malone night that I attended last week. The interior is perfectly suited to tassled flapper dresses and pin striped suited gents. What was impressive were the smaller touches such as the 1920's advertisments pinned up in the female toilet cubicles and the strictly enforced rule that everyone employed to act for the evening stayed in character (and Californian accent) for the duration.
It's just been extended throughout April - expect to get royally creamed.

girl get yo cake awn.

Don't say I never give you anything - here's everything you need to have two for one afternoon tea at lovely Flemmings Mayfair. I've even downloaded the voucher for you! Beside spoon feeding you scones I've pretty much done it all.

Here's a link to the booking form - go forth and eat cake.

yes please feed me cake!

neon kingsX

The following statement is inaccurate in terms of tourist information: "KINGS CROSS IS THE CENTRE OF LONDON." It is accurate however - for me, I must pass through it most days on the way to work, to see friends or to visit one of the great restaurants & bars in the area - Camino, The Booking Office, DrinkShopDo, The Fellow, Black Door Bar, erm McDonalds? I could go on.... Anyway last night a giant neon cage was lifted into the Sky over St Pancras, I don't know why I did read it  but it was boring, all I know is that by day it sails gently down to the floor where you can get inside and have a swing on the erm... swing. By night it's a beautiful beacon of what is good about London. What a treasure. It's here for 2 years apparently so get swinging!


The Booking office in all it's lovely posh glory:

Oh dear  - there appears to be a stumbling drunk tramp leaning against the door - but trust me, it's very nice.

secret cinema - still some tickets left.

 Bugsy Malone by Secret Cinema -
 I am going to be slinging so much custard pie!

 tickets

A weekend in Stockholm

Luckily for me, my best friend lives in the cool south of Stockholm and is an expert guide to the best late night places to party, otherwise I'd have been hard pressed to find anything as good as Under Bron (under the bridge) which is a discreetly signposted super late night rave up/art space. Highly recommended for anyone on a weekend visit.
http://underbron.com/ the website is bonkers - just wish I knew what the hell the words said.

commute.

SGP this summer.

I emplore you all - COME! come and have F.U.N. Before you wake up one morning, teeth in a glass next to your spectacles, bones aching from arthiritus beneath your ancient wrinkly saggy skin and you wonder where your days of youth dissapeared.
(could aslo describe the feeling you may expect waking up in your tent day 2 at SGP but hey-ho)

tickets are fast selling out, some super pals and myself have ours - tickets to join us here!

Drink Shop Do.

I'm working in Kings Cross again this week at my wonderful old office with my lovely old (not old) colleagues. YEY they are the best! Drink Shop Do next door is therefore very much back on the agenda. These girls are remarkable, not only have they secured the shop after it beginning as a temporary pop up - but they have more recently aquired the downstairs floor of the adjacent sex shop (!) and turned it into a great late night disco and cocktail bar (espresso martinin please). Love it.
Here's this weeks listings:

Tuesday 6th March

—Mothers Day Card Making. Have a few drinks and get inspired to make & create something special thats comes from the heart. 

Thursday 8th March 6.30–11.30PM

—’Pin-Up’ Vintage Hair & Make-Up. Look like your favourite 50’s siren in the comfort of cocktails, cake and friends! Turn up and put your name down, when its your turn you pay what you think it was worth! From 7PM. you may have to wait a while before getting your hair & make-up done (but thats nothing a few cocktails can’t cure!)

Saturday 10th March 7.30 & 10PM

—’Papier Mache Monster Mash.’ There are some drinks, some paper, glue a few feathers and felt tip pens and quite a bit of mess. Make your Monster’s with Margarita’s in hand and feel free to get on down and boogie at the same time.

* A word of caution- I had my hair stlyed in a 'vintage' fashion with about a million hairclips into a beehive fit for a queen (bee) and it looked beyond mental. I do not reccomend it especially when you have to get the night bus home to Peckham after! 

You are encouraged to only pay what you think it's worth - I parted with a crisp fiver and a couple of coins but really I should have been paid a tenner to compensate the gallon of conditioner I had to smother on while tugging out all that backcombing - sheesh!

Thank god there is no photographic evidence.

The Deptford Project.

So Boris said we can no longer drink alcohol on the London Underground - well now you can. Not only can you drink in the Deptford tube carriage restaurant but you can eat a ruddy Great meal to boot. Temporary so book in advance!

Copita - get inside my tummy!

I was taken here the other night and it is amazing, have the Sea Bass.
Look at how I have screen grabbed all the bits you need and therefore hardly have to write another word: what a LAZY blogger! I have however scoured their website gallery for a photo of the seabass to illustrate that point at least.
http://copita.co.uk/