Sins of the flesh...

Come on an empty stomach.

I love brunch. I love unlimited brunch even more. Enter, Flesh & Buns' Sunday Brunch.

Located in the criss crossing alleys of Covent Garden in the basement of the Thomas Neal's Centre is Flesh & Buns. Known for their 'make your own sandwich buns' they have come up with a new idea to get in the weekend crowd.

Launching on 1st June, on offer are 2 menu options: £29 or £36 per person. Let me tell you now, you will NOT leave this place with an empty stomach. If anything, you'll have to be rolled out of the place or picked up by a forklift.

What does the menu actually include?

• cocktail on arrival - kimchi bloody mary or strawberry bellini
• chips, dips and a bowl of hot salted edamame
• unlimited hot and cold dishes (the £36 menu obviously having fancier options)
• a choice of one signature Flesh & Buns per person
• Unlimited Prosecco, red or white wine for the duration (you're allowed 2 hours)
• Dessert for the table

Surprisingly, we opted for the £29 menu as it had more fun options. With the allocated time and the knowledge it was all you can eat, we still didn't make it through the whole menu! Even with my initial bold request to our waitress that we would just have 1 of everything... She thankfully walked me back from the edge of madness and suggested we ordered a few things first then add as needed... She'd done this before...

Let me set the scene... We opted to arrive right on 12 noon (when it starts) and upon entering the venue were greeted by the staff and quickly seated. Within minutes we had chips (more of a fancy prawn cracker), dip (Asia-fied guacamole and delish chilli sauce), hot salty edamame beans and a cocktail to sip on while perusing the menu.

Opting for the following, we left rather happy and certainly satisfied.

Cold Small Dishes:

• Salmon Sashimi - not your typical slices on a bed of fake plastic grass but doused in some sort of dressing amongst some herbs. Tasty but considering all the other flavours we would be eating it would have been preferred au naturel.
• Spicy Tuna roll - rather tasty, no complaints!

Hot Small Dishes:

• Korean Fried Wings - delish. The right amount of tang and spicy heat and certainly the right amount of crisp. ORDER THIS.
• Fried Squid - dusted with pepper and lime it was tasty and of a lovely texture. You get a big bowl of this which should last you the duration of the meal
• Grilled Corn - I was expecting a little fritter or pancake but alas it was literally a corn cob in half, grilled and dusted with lime spice butter. Not bad but not wow.
• Chicken Yakitori - tender meat chargrilled and marinated. Yum.

 

Flesh and Buns:

• Crispy Duck Leg - tender meat, crispy skin. What else could you ask for?
• Crispy Piglet Belly - crispy crackling, delicious meat and not too much fat. Yum

Desserts:

• Donut
• Black Sesame creme brulee

This was more than enough food for 2 and I'm disappointed to say we didn't even finish it all. Next time. 

Service is definitely on the ball in this place but almost a little too on the ball. Though greatly appreciated it almost felt like there were too many wait staff on duty and each was ensuring they were doing something ALL the time in fear of being caught out by the manager on duty. There's attentive then there's OTT and unfortunately it leaned a little towards the OTT and almost got a bit annoying... 

Would we come back again? Yeah! For that price and the other items we missed I'm definitely coming back and bringing others. Might need to leave a few weeks or months between visits but it's definitely a good way to spend a lazy Sunday.... There were a few larger groups there the day we went and I would definitely recommend this the way to go. You get to try more things if nothing else!

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Flesh & Buns can be found at:
41 Earlham Street,
London WC2H 9LX
T: 0207 632 9500

Opening Hours:
Mon - Tues: 12noon - 3pm & 5pm - 10:30pm
Wed - Fri: 12noon - 3pm & 5pm - 11:30pm
Sat: 12noon - 11.30pm
Sun & Bank Holidays: 12noon - 9.30pm

Sunday Brunch is from 12noon - 5pm with last reservations at 4.30pm

Let the light guide you...

Take cover...

On a Thursday evening we made our way to the site of London's only lighthouse, Trinity Buoy Wharf. What pray tell were we heading there for you ask? To see some upcoming talent supported by a live 22 piece orchestra and choir of course.

The Coveryard is a 'new music night where genres collide' (as their marketing team says). Set in unusual venues (how often do you see gigs in lighthouses?), they line up three upcoming talents and pair them up with a live chamber orchestra and choir. Pulling a talent each from the UK worlds of electronic, folk and alternative music for each event, what happens next is magic.

At Trinity Buoy Wharf, an empty warehouse is converted into a rather cool but still intimate music space and with fairy lights adorning the space, I was won over. The music hadn't even started yet! With a few rows of seats set up, there was floor space available for those who brought pillows to sit on and the rest of us stood around the edges.

The eve we went the three talents performing were Denai Moore, Sam Brookes and D/C. All different, all pretty damn cool! (We've already got tickets to see Sam Brookes in a few weeks) Though sold out, the event still felt relatively cosy and personal and at no point did it feel oversold or crowded. Even better, the crowd was of the type who were actually interested in the music rather than texting, chatting or taking selfies throughout the night. All good points says this old nana over here! Overall the event had a good vibe almost as if you were being let in on a secret or the next big thing. You wouldn't be wrong.

Worried about getting hungry and thirsty? Never fear! Every event has a food truck/tent and of course bar for all your eating and drinking needs.

At £12 for early bird tickets and £14 in advance it's money well spent for a rather unique London experience. Plus you're supporting emerging talent... nothing wrong with that!

Seeing red...

Surround yourself...

A few weeks ago (I'm catching up on some posts...) a couple of friends suggested going to an underground car park to check out a photography exhibit. In typical me fashion, no part of the invite sounded dodgy or boring so one lunch time we headed into the innards of Soho to go underground...

The Vinyl Factory in collaboration with Edel Assanti opened to the public their Brewer Street Car Park creating a unique gallery space below ground showcasing Richard Mosse's 'The Enclave'. Walking in, you're faced with a number of large scale images adorned on cement walls with lighting carefully directed.

Simply, you need to see them for yourself. The images are visually stunning.

Documenting the landscapes and people of war torn eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Mosse captures the beauty and eerie nature of a place touched by tragedy where 5.4 million people have died as a result of war related causes over the past 6 years.

In another room, Mosse's multi-channel film plays in the darkness. Projected on six screens around the room, the audience is transported into the landscape and into the lives of the people of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo while a haunting soundtrack plays in the background.

But what's so different about this exhibit? All images are shot on discontinued military surveillance film. With an invisible spectrum of infrared light, the usual jungle landscapes are turned into vivid hues of purples, reds and pinks. Beautifully shot, it unnervingly does not obviously portray the horrific violence that has terrorized the area for some years.

The Vinyl Factory exhibit ended some time ago but lucky for you, Richard Mosse has recently won the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2014 at The Photographer's Gallery!

Get there quick the exhibit is only on till 22 June 2014!

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The Photographer's Gallery can be found at:
16-18 Ramillies Street
London W1F 7LW
T: 0207 087 9300
E: info@tpg.org.uk

Opening Hours:
Mon - Sat: 10am - 6pm
Thurs: 10am - 8pm
Sun: 11:30am - 6pm

Send it to print!

Squidgee that paint

Screen printing often comes with memories of high school art class. Crappy over sized t-shirts, weird designs you never liked in the first place and wonky prints because you didn't quite master the art of the squidgee. For these reasons I've always been intrigued as an adult to try my hand at the craft again. When a friend suggested doing a class at Drink, Shop & Do, I was quick to say yes! To be honest, who REALLY needs an excuse to do some crafting?

On a Tuesday evening, we headed to Kings Cross excited at what amazing tea towels would eventuate by the end of the evening... The sessions are taught by Zeena Shah who runs her own business selling hand printed textiles and workshops external to this particular venue.

The session is about 1.5 hours and with quite a few participants (there were at least 40), don't expect to be walked through the process step-by-step or getting much one-on-one time. Saying that, Zeena is extremely lovely and very enthusiastic about her chosen craft and will happily answer any questions if you ask!

To be honest, the instructions were as simple as:

1. grab a piece of paper
2. draw a design
3. cut it out
4. come over to the printing table
5. pick a tote or a tea towel (there were options the night we went)
6. put the design down
7. (assistant will put the screen down)
8. dollop some paint
9. squidgee it down
10. (assistant will lift up the screen)
11. Ta da!
12. dry it off with a hair dryer

At the end of the day it's not the most complicated process but a bit more teaching would have been good. All in all not too many complaints as it was a fun night out and at £15 a session you come away with a nifty tea towel and good night out. Let's not forget the drinks you can have while you're crafting... Espresso martini or red wine anyone?

Would we do another workshop at Drink, Shop & Do? Yeah why not? It's not overly expensive and at least you come away with something to show off to your mum. Just don't come expecting to have a thorough teaching session and you'll be peachy!

Checkout their other classes and events here.


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Drink, Shop & Do can be found at:
9 Caledonian Road
Kings Cross,
London N1 9DX
T: 0207 278 4335
E: mail@drinkshopdo.com

Opening Hours:

Mon - Thurs: 9am - midnight

Fri - Sat: 9am - 2am

Sun: 10.30am - 8pm

You scream, I scream...

We all scream for gelato...

As the weather heats up (let's be honest, I don't need warmer weather to justify a visit for ice cream...) everyone's thoughts head to ice cream, gelato, fro yo, 99 cones and ice lollies. Whenever in Soho (or close enough to justify a walk to it) my place of choice is Gelupo. Located within the cobbled streets and alleys of the theatre district, Gelupo is the answer for when you need a sweet treat. 

Let me assure you this stuff is the real deal. Flavours taste like they really should with no excessive sugars or artificial tastes. The usual suspects (hazelnut, chocolate, pistachio etc) line up next to something a little different (fresh mint stracciatella, hokey pokey, ricotta and sour cherry, bonet, fior di latte etc) and with a daily rotating menu you'd never be at a loss for which flavour to try next.

The pricing isn't the cheapest you'll find in the area but for something this good, it's worth splashing out a little. Prices range from £2 for a 1 flavour cup to £6 for a four flavour cup. Generally speaking a 2 flavour cup is enough to satisfy and that'll only set you back £3.

If the weather is nice you could take a seat outside or wander the streets of Soho with your cup of delight in hand. Alternatively, you can pull up a stool at the back of the shop and peruse the many Italian delights on offer while enjoying your delicious gelato...

Not into gelato and sorbets? They do granitas, Italian cakes and biscuits plus special and regular coffees too. 

Either which way get yourself to Gelupo, you won't regret it. You might just see me in the line too! (don't save it for just the warmer days either... gelato tastes just as good in the winter!)

**apologies for the return to rather crappy photos... this is a small glitch in the blog!

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Gelupo can be found at:

7 Archer Street

London W1D 7AU

T: 020 7287 5555

E:howl@gelupo.com

Opening Hours:

Mon - Thurs: 12noon - 11pm

Fri - Sat: 12noon - 1am

Sun: 12noon - 10pm