Week Seven: Earls Court, Steam and Rye and Ping

Week Seven

  This week kicked off in a big way.  Three new places in total and all of them (two in particular) were quality.  We kicked off proceedings at Earls Court on Friday to watch Avicii (Oh my god he's so commercial). Saturday it was two birthday parties to go to (Partyman and all that) with a superb meal at Steam and Rye followed by a bit of nightclub ping pong at Ping. 

  Special guests this week include: Jamie Collins, Katrina Lennon, Will Matthews, Josh Beebee, Brynne Mccord, Ed Morris, Tom Grimes, Richard Pearce, Tom Wright, Haz Scott (Birthday Girl), Rob Buchanon (Celeb), Chris Kroeger, Freddie Dixon, Chris Hazell (Biggest fan), Bex Murphy, Aimee Pyatt, Lucy Tedstone (Birthday girl), Charlie Jordan, Briony Jones, Alex Jagger and Dan Cowling to name a few.

Summary of Earls Court

Name: Earls Court

Type: Entertainment Venue/Stadium

Location: Warwick Road, Earls Court London, SW5 9TA
Website: http://www.eco.co.uk/

Date Visited: 21/2/14

Price: Standard gig prices

Rating: 3/5

Review

  This place is a big old boy and what better way to go to a new stadium/arena for the first time then to watch the main man Avicii.  I can hear all the 'scene' crowd going 'I hate Avicii, he's so commercial !' You are not wrong, he is commercial but the man is awesome so do one.  

  There was a very young crowd amongst the crew and, of course, a fair amount of chavs.  That said there was a big group of us so we didn't notice the white lightning gangs too much and focused on the music.  Earls Court arena is huge so the atmosphere was hindered slighty but there were plenty of bars around so queues for drinks were small so it was nice and quick to stay hydrated and miss minimal amounts of Avicii's 'set' (sorry for that heinous cringe word) which is thoroughly important at venues. 

  Overall the venue is good but maybe too big as everyone loves to be a little cramped at these sort of events.  Adds to the occasion I always think, so for that I can only give this a 3.  Better venue, if you're asking, is Brixton's O2 Academy.  Avicii nailed it though.

Not entirely sure what I'm doing here. Strong look



Summary of Steam and Rye

Name: Steam and Rye

Type: Restuarant and late night bar

Location: 147 Leadenhall Street, London, EC3V 4QT
Website: http://www.steamandrye.com/

Date Visited: 22/2/14

Price: Worth it

Rating: 4/5

Review

  What a tidy establishment this is.  We were there to celebrate Haz Scotts 25th Birthday so we had an American style booth/table for around ten of us.  Smart.  Good bottled beer was on offer, service with a smile too by a nice barmaid, some cabaret style dancers on stage and THE food was magnificent.  Not every day you get to have a Lobster in a brioche (or breesh as I pronounced it, which the table for some reason found amusing) bun and my word, that was the ticket. 

  Admittedly this meal was post England V Ireland and few jars had been drunk, which always makes food taste better, but honest to god it was exceptional.  A cocktail then arrived on the house, in the name of Scotty's birthday, which was presented inside a T-Rex's head (see photo at the end).  Nice touch.  Paid the bill as I was off to Ping but serious thumbs up for this joint.  £62 for the pleasure? Fair in my eyes.  It was shame I couldn't stay for the whole evening as it turns into a club and those who stayed tell me it was a great fun.  Would love to come back.

T-Rex cocktail. 

Summary of Ping

Name: Ping

Type:  Kitchen/Bar/Ping Pong Game Rooms

Location: 180-184 Earl’s Court Road, London, SW5 9QG
Website: http://www.weloveping.com/

Date Visited: 22/2/14

Price: Yer fairly decent you know

Rating: 3.25 / 5

Review

  As you all know I love a bit of ping pong (see Week 4) and that incorporated into a nightclub/bar where on earth can you go wrong.  I had good preparation for this bar with the exquisite (big and clever word) feed from Steam and Rye and I had a nice sleep on the tube enroute to Ping.  A group of Italians sitting next to me and opposite seemed to be highly amused by this while my mates kindly stood by and filmed the whole episode. 

  Passare, we entered Ping paying the £10 entry fee which seems to be standard in London now and we then greeted Lucy (second birthday girl) and the other girls at the bar.  Now I'm not one to brag but when my biggest fan, Will, Lefty and I arrived we were welcomed by the girls like One Direction are welcomed when arriving on stage.  Drinks were priced well and some weird South Africa fella bought all of us a load of Tequila shots at the bar which helped. 

  The table tennis was a good laugh too but unlike the Royal Oak there wasn't enough room to operate for the game to be competitive.  People kept wanting to join in mid game, this isn't an exhibition sport son.... move on there is a game going on here.  Plenty more dancing followed and before we knew it the night was quickly over so it was time for 20 Mcnuggets and a taxi home.  No complaints, would come back here.

Poem Advice

Venue to watch a genius
The man Avicii at Earls Court
Fairly hard to seem him
Especially if you're short

Steam and Rye in central
The food is reem
Cocktails in a T-Rex
That's bloody obscene!

Table tennis in a bar?
Ping it must be
Drinking and ping pong
Sounds good to me

Thanks again guys for the read and, if you're asking, the blog has garnered some interest from TimeOut London.  To save you some time Caroline McGinn (she's the editor) my email address is jackgravestock@hotmail.com and I would be thoroughly interested in writing a column.  Any venues who want to approach me to go their venue (he says wishfully) then do let me know.  Who knows it could get you a point.

Anyways I must dash as I am off to Madrid tomorrow.   Week 8 is going to be big!  More like a journal.

See you next week fans 

x

Follow me on Twitter @jackgravestock

Week Six: Bodeans

Week Six

  This week looked at one stage to have all ingredients of being one of the best I've had for new places.  Unfortunately it was not to be, as convenience got the better of my adventerous side and I found myself at three rather familiar establishments over the weekend.  Tooting Tram and Social, Infernos and its inseparable twin Mcdonalds to name them.

  No new place on Friday as, despite the numerous offers and the many kind cards I received, I decided to stay in on Valentines Day and play the Logos board game instead.  It is not a good board game if you are wondering.  Any I digress, the new place this week was left late until Sunday lunch time where I stepped into the Bodeans restaurant on Clapham High Street for the first time.  Special guests include Jamie Collins, Tom Goldwater, Chris Hazell (my biggest fan), Tom Grimes and Will Matthews.

Summary of Bodean's BBQ Restaurant

Name: Bodean's BBQ Restaurant

Type: BBQ Restaurant. 

Location: 169 Clapham High Street, Clapham, London, SW4 7SS
Website:  http://www.bodeansbbq.com

Date Visited: 16/2/14

Price: Marvellous

Rating: 3.5/5

Review

  Sunday morning had arrived and I began to panic.  A new place had not been conquered and time was running out.  Luckily my good friends, like myself, were hungry and keen to make use of the unexpected appearance of the glaring sun.  After a tube journey of bickering and an indecisive walk out of Clapham South tube, eventually we all agreed upon Bodean's.

  Now this place was pretty top notch I have to say.  Yes we did have to wait half an hour and yes they might have prematurely called us from our seats in Starbucks to say our table was ready, when it wasn't, which cost me the remaining three quarters of my Large Strawberries and Cream Frappucino.  That said the Frappucino had given me two difficult spells of brain-freeze which is never an enjoyable experience on a hungover. Out again were you Jack? Sure.

Once over this small set back I could have no complaints.  The service was quick, efficient and pleasant.  What more could they do to please me? Well funny you should ask that as my Iphone had run out of battery unexpectedly, but don't worry, this establishment had a spare charger.  This goes down very well with me.   All places should have spare Iphone 4 chargers for their customers.  (Top tip to get you extra points on this blog). 

  Jugs of tap water were ordered and what more they did not come with the waiters giving disapproving looks over us which was appreciated. Now for the food and I went for the pulled pork burger which came with chips (which were not as good as last week) and some tasty creamy sauce I forget the name off.  The burger was awesome.  Did the bun hold its shape and last the whole meal? You bet it did...with ease.  It might well of been stuffed with extortionate amounts of pulled up pork and filling but it wasn't remotely phased.  After the disappointment of last week, my faith in South London burgers has been restored. Were the chips overcooked? Maybe but the table disagreed so I'll give the kitchen the benefit of doubt this time. 

  The bill arrived and when it came to £9.50, including tip (I paid 10 because I'm such a bloody generous tipper), I was thrilled.  In all honesty, you have to admit it that is bloody good value.  Sure the jugs of tap water helped to keep the cost down but hey, I wasn't up for an alcoholic beverage after going out Friday and Saturday night. Stop it.

I recommend this chain...thoroughly enjoyed it.

Poem Advice

The Bodean's restaurant in Clapham
Is part of a London based chain
But that doesn't stop it being awesome
To call the food crap is insane

Again I can only apologise for only going to one place and for that distinctly average poem.  My worst yet, I bet.... 

 

Unfortunately I didn't take any photos this week so here is a plug of the burger I ate:

 

 

Fairly random

 

See you next week fans

x

Follow me on Twitter @jackgravestock

Week Five: Kafana

Week Five

Week five was fairly quiet for new places.  Only one place and it was extremely disappointing so don't worry this will be a short(ish) and boring(unlikely) read.  Special guests this week include Will Matthews, Murphy, Loz, Malaktos, Tariq, Tedstone, Oli and Nix.  It was a lively brunch indeed.

Summary of Kafana Cafe

Name: Kafana

Type: Restaurant, bar and cafe. 

Location: Fulham, London
Website: http://www.kafana.co.uk/

Date Visited: 8/2/14

Price: Unjust 

Rating: 2/5

Review

  I woke up Sunday morning on a friends sofa freezing cold with a 'slight' headache after a fairly large night (such a lad).  I needed some food to fuel my day and some coffee to straighten me out.  Rumours were spreading like wild fire that there was a congregation (group of friends) forming at a nearby cafe called Kafana.  Perfect, get in!  I arrived with my compadre William and we sat down with our fellow amigos.  Orders were taken and eyebrows raised when informed off that to add Cheese and Bacon it would set us back an extra £2.  'Nevermind, it must be a good burger,' I thought.  My cappuccino arrived and it all started to go a bit south from there.  

  Now it may sound strange to complain about a coffee being too hot but this Cappuccino was scolding!  It burnt my tongue! Taste buds gone! My steak burger then arrived which, quite frankly, was a travesty.  The burger was too big for the bun, again a strange complaint, and the bun simply couldn't handle it.  Mainly because it was too over-packed.   In the end the bun just didn't have the metal and  fell to the pressure collapsing into a sorry state onto my plate.  Joke. This meant I had to eat the thing with a knife and fork.  This should never happen when eating burger, never!  

Why have I rated this as a 1.8 then? Well the waiter was a nice guy, the conversation was good value and the chef nailed the chips. Exceptional.  If you go here make sure you don't order the steak burger, it was a horror show.  Average quality too.

Poem Advice

Kafana was disappointing
The burger was very poor
An unsatisfied Partyman
Departed through the door

Sorry there wasn't more to tell guys but don't worry....week six looks busy!

See you next week fans

x

Follow me on Twitter @jackgravestock

Week Four: Lab Bar, Ricks Restaurant, Royal Oak and The Swan

Week Four

  Week four was a busy one.  Four new places! Wow, what a life I lead.  Lab bar on the Tuesday.  Then three places on Saturday, maverick.  Before the England game it was Ricks restaurant with the brother, Chris Hazell and the financier (Dad) making another appearance.  Then it was onto the Royal Oak pub with Chris Hazell, the brother, Tom Goldwater and Jasper Cox.  The brother departed after that and then it was onto the Swan in Stockwell....gritty!

Summary of Lab Bar

Name: Lab Bar

Type: Bar

Location: Soho, London

Website: http://www.labbaruk.com/

Date Visited: 28/1/14

Price: Standard

Rating: 2/5

Review

Right so I was only here for an hour and a half and it might of been a Tuesday but the place was fairly flat.  We sat in the downstairs area and it was one of those places where the music was too loud so you can't hear the conversation.  That is fairly important especially with my reliable quips.  The pricing was ok, the company good but all in all I wouldn't go back there again.  Meant to get lively on a Saturday night so maybe try it then.  For a midweek watering hole I would avoid.

Summary of Ricks Restaurant

Name: Ricks Restaurant

Type: Restaurant

Location: Tooting Broadway, London

Website: http://www.ricks-restaurant.co.uk/

Date Visited: 1/2/14

Price: Affordable

Rating: 3.5/5

Review

To quote Chris Hazell this place is 'quirky.'  Which basically means it's a bit weird.  True to form when Dad is paying for affairs, who seems to be visiting once a week to ensure a regular mention on my memoirs, we were the only people in there.  There was some questionable music playing in the background which didn't stop Dad shazaaming it for 'banter'.  All the knives and forks were different and the glasses ranged from shot glasses to port glasses as the dishwasher was behind schedule.  Far from ideal vessels for your mid afternoon beverage.  Despite this the food was quality.  I went for the paella which was nice but there were a few shells in it which I always find irritating to deal with, its just unnecessary admin.  All in all the lack of atmosphere and the bizarre nature of it makes it just fall short of the 4.


Summary of The Royal Oak

Name: The Royal Oak
Type: Pub
Location: Clapham North, London
Website: No website (rogue)
Date Visited: 1/2/14
Price: Superb
Rating: 3.75/5

Review

Go to this pub.  Why I have never been here before I will never know.  It has a table tennis table (full size) which you can use in half hour spells and you have sufficient room to manoeuvre around it, this is key.  I may have lost a couple of games of doubles but I am a singles player at heart so my confidence has not been affected you'll be pleased to know.  What makes this place even better is that it has Becks Vier.  Nothing beats a Becks Vier.  It is a glorious beer and goes down beautifully, which is very important after you've had a big one the previous night....say whaat!  Oh and they only charge you £4. Bargain. There was a bit of drama when we stole Carl's reserved birthday table who had foolishly arrived 45 minutes late causing some friction between ourselves and an American girl who took offence to us sitting at the table.  I don't know why she was whinging, she didn't even know who Carl was.  I think she was just being lazy.  Never mind nothing could dampen my spirits in this joint.  Perfect place for a pre night out drink. Highly recommend it.


Summary of The Swan

Name: The Swan
Type: Gritty Nightclub
Location: Stockwell, London
Website: http://www.theswanstockwell.co.uk/
Date Visited: 1/2/14
Price: Controversial
Rating: 3/5

Review

This place is very gritty.  The place is open until 7am (apparently, didn't make it to the end I'm afraid to report) and is rammo!  Full of Irish people and some other rather interesting characters.  Entry is £15 which brought back horrible memories from the Week 2 adventure at Embargoes but the drinks were really cheap.  All in all the place is fairly good fun to get some booze down you and cling on to the night if you are unwilling to say goodbye to the Saturday night and thus your weekend.  Horrible regret the next day.  When you have flashbacks of seeing this establishment (see picture below) its not hard to realise why.

Poem Advice

If your wondering around Soho

Wanting a lively drink

Then the place isn't Lab bar

No matter what you think

If your hungry in tooting

Then head on down to Ricks

You'll get delicious food

Served by quirky chicks

Table Tennis and Becks?

Then the Royal Oaks for you

We stole Carl's Table

Poor lad didn't have a clue

Then onto the Swan in Stockwell
The nights rather gritty

If you're out on the pull

Then you won't find a fitty.

I think I said 'then' too much in that poem, must do better.  See you next week fans

x

Follow me on Twitter: @jackgravestock