Firstly – this is an AMAZING BAR, I feel really bad for them that on the night I visited, the toilets were exploding, literally.
As myself and Jules came down the awesome formed staircase- terracotta in colour and made of some material I didnt quite reconise, the first thing we saw was a very unimpressed member of the bar staff with two buckets and a mop. Yikes.

I was cool I was on platforms. Well I was cool until I needed to pee anyway!

We were there for a good friend Dean’s birthday, so we ploughed through and found him – eventually, past the bar and down a TUNNEL behind the DJ as he had directed us. Yup.. this place is like a rabbits warren, twisting underneath Earlham Street. Unfortunately my phone camera is flashless so I only have photos I took at the bar. Londontown has much better ones :D

I really like the service coverings here, yes I am a total design geek, what can I say? Most places tend to keep these things in huge industrial shafts, or leave it exposed, I really like the way the designer here has made a feature of it, and a very nice one too, its almost like bubbles flowing across the top of the chambers.

Prices were ok too. I got a orange and pineapple juice for £2.50, and the girls a bottle of wine for 14 quid. considering where we were, I thought that was really good. Later in the evening, myself and Beth treated ourselves to cocktails. There was a variety ranging from £6.95 (ours of course) up to about 20 quid.

Beth got a Alfresco, and I a Pear Harbour, a pear version of the famous American cocktail Pearl Harbour. We had a really good night, however none of us wanted to use the toilet so an early night was had, and I was home by Midnight.

Damn you exploding toilets !

I can’t remember if I’ve ever told you about the Hummingbird Bakery before…. So forgive me if this is a repeat, but the place is worth mentioning a hundred times – and I’ve never been exposed to quite so much before!

A good friend of mine has recently got engaged to her Boyfriend of TEN years, and only the best could do for the engagement party cake. That’s a THREE tier red velvet, and the mini cakes are also red velvets… Mmmmmm
Sorry for the rubbish photo – my phone camera has no flash, but if you squeeze your eyes a little you can make out the baby versions of my favourite EVER cupcake.

When I was broke and going to KCC another really good friend on my course that I haven’t seen for ages :S, and I used to walk ourselves all the way up Portobello Road whenever the day had been significantly mean to us to get a cupcake. They are not cheap cupcakes at £1.85 but they definately fit the bill for a super treat – and personally as I tell the world I would pay double for the taste of those little bites of heaven <3

We'd get them put into a little box, and once back in the Studio we'd totally demolish them. Eery now and again we'd get a new flavour or a different cake, but it was ALWAYS the red velvet that is the best.

That was back in 2004, and since then the shop has become massive, they have opened a second shop in South Ken, and more recently another in Soho (I haven't quite made to either yet, but the above cakes were got there by Chele (they are just as good – something that bothered me) and I’ve heard tourists in the original Portobello shop say that they had been told by friends to ensure they visited the Bakery before they had left home!

I think its an amazing story! Has any of your favourite places ever gone big?

Via Leap Anywhere‘s twitter page

Tomorrow morning in Leicester Square –
“Get in the mood for summer extra early with a Ben and Jerrys ice cream on Fair Cone Day, when Leicester Square plays host to none other than the company’s co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield.”

Free Ben and Jerrys Ice Cream in London – Fair Cone Day in London, Ben and Jerrys Fair Cone Day in London.

“Seductive Alchemy is back with another NYE party! Happy Noir Eve is a hark back to the old Victorian era, where Zeppelins hover across the London Skyline, and clockwork servants scuttle around in the basement.”

This is another one of our concept events, and we’ve got an amazing line-up:

Richard Stark – Opera singer
Andrew Hubbard -Violinist
Steph West – Harpist
Firecat Masquerade – Fire spining
Etheric Chemistry – Alchemists
Madame De’la Cartomancer – Tarot
Pettigrew and Jones – Match-making service
Lord Frobisher-Pilbeam – Lord of the manor
Lady Frobisher-Pilbeam – Hostess for the evening
Doktor Von Science – Personal Physician & Alchemist

DJs
Ms C DJ (Chloe Thomas)
Shane Watcha
DJ Darlo
Clint Lee
Ben Jurassik

And a whole lot more…

Early bird tickets: £10

Ticket site
Discount code: alchemist

Website for details

SORTED!

Ha! This sign, by the counter in Soho’s best pizza place, Maletti, in Noel St.

I’d love to see some inattentive customer get “humiliated” by one of the staff. Preferably some git in a suit.

While visiting London a friend recommended we check out Inamo because it was something we probably wouldn’t see in the states. Not the food, but the ordering system. The trick with this Asian fusion place is all ordering is done through “touch screen” tables. Nerds will note this isn’t an actual touch screen but rather an overhead projection and a trackpad, but it was cool none the less to scroll through the menu items and order food and drinks without ever talking to an employee. Additional the table provides games you can play (we played battleship!) and a cam in the kitchen, as well as a map of the area in case you need something to do after you eat. Definitely a fun place to grab dinner at least once.

Mmmmmm…

I think everyone knows how much I love my food and low and behold this week I managed to stumble across foodie heaven… Niamh’s Food Blog eat like a girl,is based in london and filled with really sexy recipes like Pea & Ham Soup and restaurant reviews.

Check it out!

Have you heard about Boys yet? I kinda thought everyone knew about this diamond of a Thai on Harrow road, but it would seem not.

Boys Cafe have been around for years, and has a local reputation similar to that of Lee Ho Fook, however they DO deliver.

Its a tiny premises, with no more than 10 tables and an even tinier kitchen dominated by a wok range and massive extractor fan that really shouldn’t fit – all viewable from your table.

The atmosphere is amazing – there is absolutely nothing better than enjoying a decent meal having watched the chefs put in all the lovely bright ingredients and here they line them in jugs and bowls along the workstation so you get to see each and every one going in.

You can either bring your own bottle and enjoy your meal there, or like me take it home. The thing I like best about boys are the cute gestures; you get some chilli and peanut sauce in there, but they wrap it up in a tiny tiny lettuce leaf in each corner!!!

Highly recommended.

Mack is leaving us this week, so were having a VERY last minute meet up tomorrow at Armanos cafe Tower Bridge….

“The bread is fantastic, contributing to sandwiches that blow the likes of Pret a Manger out of the water.” Flavour Magazine

With a reveiw like and a riverside veiw that i doubt we can go wrong – then we have the company of one Blogging LA’s finest to ice the cake!

image by discoverlondonbridge.co.uk

so why don’t you come down and join us at around 10.30am and sample the Brown Cow for yourself?
The full details can be found on the facebook event page, but while your there why don’t you join our facebook group and become a fan of Metroblogging London!

See you there!