Week Twenty Seven
This was an action packed week with a whole host of new places visited with various groups. Emma Horner, an a old friend who currently resides in Madrid (see Week Eight for my visit there), had returned to the UK for a week. It was also Ben Mcandrews birthday (which I embarrassingly got wrong) on the Thursday night followed by an upmarket night out in Central sorted out by Madison Allan on the Saturday. It was an eventful and enjoyable week.
Special guests include: Emma Horner, Katie Astin, Tom Madden, Sam Murphy, Oli O'Donnell, Al Young, Tom Denning, Laura Martin, Ellie Stimpson, Cecilia Segar, Rusty, Gibby, Oli Leech, Gabriel Langford, Ben MacAndrews, Hattie MacAndrews, Freddie Allen, Alex Felton, Lexa, Crackers, Josh Beebee, Brynne Mccord and Madison Allan.
Special guests include: Emma Horner, Katie Astin, Tom Madden, Sam Murphy, Oli O'Donnell, Al Young, Tom Denning, Laura Martin, Ellie Stimpson, Cecilia Segar, Rusty, Gibby, Oli Leech, Gabriel Langford, Ben MacAndrews, Hattie MacAndrews, Freddie Allen, Alex Felton, Lexa, Crackers, Josh Beebee, Brynne Mccord and Madison Allan.
Summary of The Castle
Name: The Castle
Type: Pub
Location: 54 Pentonville Road, London, Islington, N1 9HF
Date Visited: 09/07/14
Price: Decent
Rating: 4/5
Review
Emma Horner had returned to England from Spain due to her graduation, this meant it was time for some good old fashioned catch up drinks. Sam Murphy chose the destination in Angel and I have to say he chose well. This is the second pub I had been to visit in recent weeks called The Castle and this one was as good if not better than the other.
That might be a bit of a big statement from me actually, especially seeing as the Castle in Tooting does have one of the best beer gardens in London. Though this place has an exceptional roof terrace which gives the other place a run for its money. Now I'm not sure how well this place would do in the winter months as I think the roof terrace is key to its success.
The outside area is superb....I mean its a roof terrace for god's sake (apologies to my Religious audience for the blasphemy). You don't see enough them these days. It is perfect for summer drinking and the terrace itself is fairly big with plenty of tables. Not only that but it is also very open so it gets plenty of sun. Key.
The drinks were well priced I must say and when unfortunately the rain began to fall we all headed inside and managed to find a table/a line of sofas to sit on. The world cup semi final was on and being played which was another added bonus.
Again I do feel that the pub is too small inside to accommodate huge amounts of people in the winter but it is a pub I strongly recommend going to in the Summer. Hats off to Sam Murphy who recommended it.
It was a very enjoyable evening and there was a good group of us, all offering strong chat while drinking affordable drinks (what a delightful bunch you lot are). Lovely little venue....did I tell you it had a roof terrace?
That might be a bit of a big statement from me actually, especially seeing as the Castle in Tooting does have one of the best beer gardens in London. Though this place has an exceptional roof terrace which gives the other place a run for its money. Now I'm not sure how well this place would do in the winter months as I think the roof terrace is key to its success.
The gang at Angel. A strong group.
The outside area is superb....I mean its a roof terrace for god's sake (apologies to my Religious audience for the blasphemy). You don't see enough them these days. It is perfect for summer drinking and the terrace itself is fairly big with plenty of tables. Not only that but it is also very open so it gets plenty of sun. Key.
The drinks were well priced I must say and when unfortunately the rain began to fall we all headed inside and managed to find a table/a line of sofas to sit on. The world cup semi final was on and being played which was another added bonus.
Again I do feel that the pub is too small inside to accommodate huge amounts of people in the winter but it is a pub I strongly recommend going to in the Summer. Hats off to Sam Murphy who recommended it.
It was a very enjoyable evening and there was a good group of us, all offering strong chat while drinking affordable drinks (what a delightful bunch you lot are). Lovely little venue....did I tell you it had a roof terrace?
Summary of Duke's Head
Name: Duke's Head
Type: Pub
Location: 8 Lower Richmond Road, Putney, London, SW15 1JN
Date Visited: 10/07/14
Price: Normal
Rating: 3.8/5
Review
It was Ben MacAndrews birthday so a good old fashioned pub sesh on a Thursday had been arranged by his other half Laura and his close aide Alex Felton. Unfortunately for me I got everything a little muddled and thought it was actually Felton's birthday. This resulted in the most embarrassing moment I have experienced for some time.
I was slightly late arriving anyway, so the table was already full of 14ish people when I got there. Keen to make up for being late I gave a quick hello, incorrectly wished Felton happy birthday (no-one corrected me) and went to the bar to order myself a beer (lad) and a shot for the birthday boy. I returned back to the table with two shots of Sambuca, one for myself and presented the other to Felton and then loudly declared, 'Happy Birthday mate!'. Here Felton kindly informed me that it was not his birthday but in fact Ben MacAndrews who was sitting right next to him on his left. Ben took it very well to be fair to the lad but this didn't stop being turning beetroot red. Preparation prevents piss poor performance. Remember that.
The gang for Ben/Felton's birthday
After that incident I went outside to collect my thoughts before returning and from there the rest of the evening went without a hitch. The pub itself was lovely. The food, although I didn't actually have any, looked tasty and due to the grunts of approval from those eating I believe it tasted good too. Another bonus of the pub is that the Duke's Head overlooks the Thames so you can take your beer outside on the riverfront and look over the phenomenal surroundings. That's if you feel like acting very cliche...although I must say I did it and i enjoyed it.
Ed wanted a big mention and took a photo of himself with Hattie and Laura. There's your mention
The evening was really nice and was good to see all the Newcastle crew who I hadn't seen for a few weeks. I am a big fan of Putney and I am big fan of this pub as it has a great atmosphere and is in a superb location. Well priced and the bar staff were very friendly end efficient. Nice work!
Summary of Maddox Club
Name: Maddox Club
Type: Nightclub
Location: 3-5 Mill Street, London, W1s 2AU
Date Visited: 12/07/14
Price: Appalling
Rating: 2.65/5
Review
After being criticised for being too nice in my blogs recently, a damning review was due. Congratulations Maddox Club you take that honour and win the prize for being the most pretentious club I've been to for quite some time. This 'high end' club stinks of self importance.
Wow Jack aren't you being a bit harsh? Probably a little. To be fair Jay Z has partied at this club before and Matt Le Blanc (Joey from Friends) as well. Also, I must say I did actually have a pretty decent evening and it was kindly organised by Maddie who had a useful contact who had been able to sort a table for us and had got us on the guest list. Josh, Brynne, Maddie and I arrived and saw a big queue waiting for us. Despite being on the guest list we were unfortunately told our place still belonged at the back of the queue.
The contact was rung but his sway had nothing on the 'powerful' woman holding the clipboard at the front of the venue. Effectively while we waited (which was for a good 40 mins) we noticed a number of groups bypassing the queue and heading straight in. I'll give you a tip...if your a guy have slick back hair, wear a fancy(ish) jacket and have 7 girls in tow who can giggle on cue....you'll skip the queue. Hey I'm not bitter.
This was where our base for the evening
Once we got in the venue we went to meet the contact at the table where we had a base and danced the night away. I wasn't getting a great vibe of the contact and I'm pretty sure he wasn't a huge fan of me...obviously he hadn't heard of the blog. That said the music was awesome and for that you can't complain because it is so rare to go to a club with a good music policy these days (oh Jack you're soooo scene!). The smoking area was also pretty cool but small.
The main problem with this club is that it advertises itself as high end so it has a lot of tables dotted around to ensure groups spend a lot of money. The issue with this, is that there is simply too many tables meaning there is effectively no dance floor. No dance floor or a small dance floor in my view is a big negative for a club. Everyone loves busting a move in a club....Fact! That coupled with two vodka tonics coming to £21 also meant that I didn't view this place in such high regard.
The main problem with this club is that it advertises itself as high end so it has a lot of tables dotted around to ensure groups spend a lot of money. The issue with this, is that there is simply too many tables meaning there is effectively no dance floor. No dance floor or a small dance floor in my view is a big negative for a club. Everyone loves busting a move in a club....Fact! That coupled with two vodka tonics coming to £21 also meant that I didn't view this place in such high regard.
Despite me sounding like a moaning myrtle I actually had a really good night. This was due to company and the music not my surroundings. Wouldn't bother coming here again. I could be wrong but I doubt it. £20 entry fee as well folks. Eish
Special Shoutout
Winner: Ben MacAndrews
It has to be Mr MacAndrews. Although it was good to see Emma again and Maddie really did sort us out on Saturday but Ben has to win this week. The man took me forgetting his birthday incredibly well and for that I am very grateful. Ben is also one of the big dog chefs at Quo Vadis which is an incredible restaurant I have had the pleasure of going to. Highly recommend it.
Check it out here: http://www.quovadissoho.co.uk
Happy Birthday mate and forgive me for my faux pas.
Poem Advice
Looking for an atmospheric place in Angel
And fancy a pint as well
Then the Castle's the pub for you
The roof terrace there is swell
Putney and the river thames
Is where you'll find the Dukes Head
Embarrassing I got the birthday wrong
My god my face went red
If its overpriced and pretentious
Then the Maddox Club it'll be
Thank god the company was awesome
with good music making me happy
Song of the Week
New feature guys....song of the week. This blog is turning into a lifestyle mag eh?
Nico and Vinz - Am I wrong?
Thanks again for reading guys. Oh by the way, if you have anywhere you would recommend going or fancy sponsoring the blog then do get in touch. Please contact me on jackgravestock@hotmail.com for all media enquiries.
Remember to do the three most important things:
Like
Share
Subscribe
See you next week fans
X
No comments:
Post a Comment