To me October is always one of the most difficult months of the year. It is the confirmation that summer is finally over. The cold rainy days are far too often and the days get shorter and shorter. It is easy for one to stay at home and rent lots of DVDs, but the best thing to snap out of the October blues is to keep yourself busy with lots of activities. One of these activities is to go skating at the Broadgate Ice Skating Rink. This is the only ice rink in London that is open for six months of year, from late October to April. Despite its location in the middle of the financial districts, it is also London's cheapest outdoor ice skating rink.
It is not the biggest ice rink and it is has none of the Christmas decorations that its counterparts at Somerset House or Kew Gardens have. However, the setting in between the beautiful designed office buildings in the city, does make this site quite spectacular.
On weekdays, the ice rink is relatively empty and only a few people seem to know about it. If you have a more competitive spirit then on Monday and Tuesday evenings they hold 'broomball' matches from 6-9pm. As the name suggests, this is a different version of ice hockey, subsituting brooms for sticks and sneakers for skates.
Friday, 9 October 2009
Monday, 7 September 2009
Soho
Finally the day had arrived for my big introductory night to Soho. I had been looking forward to it all week and wondering what it would be like. I was not scared for the night because I knew that I would not run into anyone I knew that evening.
I met my friend, Hugh, outside Piccadilly tube station and the first place he took me to was Rupert Street (http://www.rupertstreet.com/). Established in 1997, this is very popular gay bar in central Soho. I had often heard him mention this bar's name and I have to admit that I had walked passed it before in order to see for myself what it looked like. The bar sits on a corner on the popular Rupert Street and has a modern look, a sort of chrome and neon lighting feel to it. Hugh told me that he had read about this bar in Time Out back in America and when he arrived to the UK, this is the first bar he visited. He told me that he went alone to this bar and felt very comfortable doing this. He added that everyone was very friendly, a mix crowd of some good looking guys, some a bit rough looking. But that on a general level, people were welcoming and approachable. We made our away over to the bar and ordered ourselves a drink, a strong one for me. I needed a good drink in order to relax myself a little and get some of the jitters out of my system. Soon one of Hugh's friends arrived in the bar and joined us for a drink. He was a good looking Italian guy, who was a consultant for one of the big firms. I thought, "wow, this might be a good evening after all, if they are all going to be like him." The crowd indeed at this bar was quite varied. I think quite a few were in the banking profession, but it also attracts a lot of the foreign gay clientele, primarily Brazilian. But they seem to be in every city and in every gay bar. We stayed here for a few drinks and then went for a walk along Old Compton Street.
Today, the street is the centre of London's gay community. In the middle of Soho, it features several gay bars, restaurants and cafés, as well as a popular theatre. We decided to have a bite to eat at Balans, a popular gay restaurant. I will have to admit, the food is fine, not something I would recommend personally. However, I have been back to this restaurant several times since then, but mainly after a night of clubbing as this restaurant is open 24 hours a day. Once we finished our meal, we had a coffee at Cafe Nero and took a seat right by windows. This is a prime spot for people watching and gave me a good viewing of Soho and the people that come here. Hugh and I had a long good chat about him coming out, how he is found coming to London, dating, etc. He was keen for me to go out and visit one of the clubs and perhaps meet someone....
He was wanted me to have the full Soho experience and decided that we should go to G-A-Y, which at the time was housed in the Astoria. The Astoria is a former theatre venue and the club is spread over this venue. With the main dance stage down stairs, another bar and dance floor on the 1st floor and a chill out area on one of the balconies up stairs. G-A-Y is famous for attracting quite a young crowd as the drinks are very cheap for London standards and invites a famous performer to entertain the crowds in the weekend. The likes of Madonna, Kylie and Girls Aloud have all performed there. G-A-Y still exists, but it is now located in Heaven near Embankment.
Hugh and I approached G-A-Y and I noticed this long queue all around the building. I could not believe how many people were lined up to enter this club. It took us about 1/2 hour before we entered the club and we had to go through a security check. In all the clubs I had visited, I had never had to go through a security check. Granted, that the clubs I had been to before where always quite smaller venues and noticeably a very different crowd. My friend decided to check in his coat, I decided against it because I was not feeling very confident with the coat system. Maybe it was more because I was just not used to such a big venue. Hugh took me to the main stage area and once we entered through the doors my eyes almost popped out. There were so many people in this enormous space, and lots of half naked boys dancing on the stage in the middle of the club. I turned around to my left and Hugh had already decided to take his shirt off, I turned to my right and there was a food stand frying some sausages or something like that. I then noticed everyone was holding beers cans and plastic cups. I freaked out and told Hugh that I couldn't this. I am not ready for this kind of change and I was not talking about my sexuality, but more of the venue. In my years living in Boston, Brazil, Holland, I have always had very international friends and we always went to the very nice and trendy bar/clubs. The people are dressed smartly and drinking champagne. For me, G-A-Y was a step too much for me in one evening.
I have since been back many times and had some great nights in there. I just had to get comfortable with the whole idea, but once I was, it was easy for me to be there. I would say it is a fun place to go with a group of friends and have a nice time. There are different dance rooms, that plays different music. But as i mentioned it is quite a young crowd, like going back to a University campus party. I still prefer the other clubs in Soho as it is a bit more my style and kind of people. However, variety is always nice to have.
I met my friend, Hugh, outside Piccadilly tube station and the first place he took me to was Rupert Street (http://www.rupertstreet.com/). Established in 1997, this is very popular gay bar in central Soho. I had often heard him mention this bar's name and I have to admit that I had walked passed it before in order to see for myself what it looked like. The bar sits on a corner on the popular Rupert Street and has a modern look, a sort of chrome and neon lighting feel to it. Hugh told me that he had read about this bar in Time Out back in America and when he arrived to the UK, this is the first bar he visited. He told me that he went alone to this bar and felt very comfortable doing this. He added that everyone was very friendly, a mix crowd of some good looking guys, some a bit rough looking. But that on a general level, people were welcoming and approachable. We made our away over to the bar and ordered ourselves a drink, a strong one for me. I needed a good drink in order to relax myself a little and get some of the jitters out of my system. Soon one of Hugh's friends arrived in the bar and joined us for a drink. He was a good looking Italian guy, who was a consultant for one of the big firms. I thought, "wow, this might be a good evening after all, if they are all going to be like him." The crowd indeed at this bar was quite varied. I think quite a few were in the banking profession, but it also attracts a lot of the foreign gay clientele, primarily Brazilian. But they seem to be in every city and in every gay bar. We stayed here for a few drinks and then went for a walk along Old Compton Street.
Today, the street is the centre of London's gay community. In the middle of Soho, it features several gay bars, restaurants and cafés, as well as a popular theatre. We decided to have a bite to eat at Balans, a popular gay restaurant. I will have to admit, the food is fine, not something I would recommend personally. However, I have been back to this restaurant several times since then, but mainly after a night of clubbing as this restaurant is open 24 hours a day. Once we finished our meal, we had a coffee at Cafe Nero and took a seat right by windows. This is a prime spot for people watching and gave me a good viewing of Soho and the people that come here. Hugh and I had a long good chat about him coming out, how he is found coming to London, dating, etc. He was keen for me to go out and visit one of the clubs and perhaps meet someone....
He was wanted me to have the full Soho experience and decided that we should go to G-A-Y, which at the time was housed in the Astoria. The Astoria is a former theatre venue and the club is spread over this venue. With the main dance stage down stairs, another bar and dance floor on the 1st floor and a chill out area on one of the balconies up stairs. G-A-Y is famous for attracting quite a young crowd as the drinks are very cheap for London standards and invites a famous performer to entertain the crowds in the weekend. The likes of Madonna, Kylie and Girls Aloud have all performed there. G-A-Y still exists, but it is now located in Heaven near Embankment.
Hugh and I approached G-A-Y and I noticed this long queue all around the building. I could not believe how many people were lined up to enter this club. It took us about 1/2 hour before we entered the club and we had to go through a security check. In all the clubs I had visited, I had never had to go through a security check. Granted, that the clubs I had been to before where always quite smaller venues and noticeably a very different crowd. My friend decided to check in his coat, I decided against it because I was not feeling very confident with the coat system. Maybe it was more because I was just not used to such a big venue. Hugh took me to the main stage area and once we entered through the doors my eyes almost popped out. There were so many people in this enormous space, and lots of half naked boys dancing on the stage in the middle of the club. I turned around to my left and Hugh had already decided to take his shirt off, I turned to my right and there was a food stand frying some sausages or something like that. I then noticed everyone was holding beers cans and plastic cups. I freaked out and told Hugh that I couldn't this. I am not ready for this kind of change and I was not talking about my sexuality, but more of the venue. In my years living in Boston, Brazil, Holland, I have always had very international friends and we always went to the very nice and trendy bar/clubs. The people are dressed smartly and drinking champagne. For me, G-A-Y was a step too much for me in one evening.
I have since been back many times and had some great nights in there. I just had to get comfortable with the whole idea, but once I was, it was easy for me to be there. I would say it is a fun place to go with a group of friends and have a nice time. There are different dance rooms, that plays different music. But as i mentioned it is quite a young crowd, like going back to a University campus party. I still prefer the other clubs in Soho as it is a bit more my style and kind of people. However, variety is always nice to have.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
My First Discovery
I want to continue my blog with my move to London. After 2 months of very hard working for the bank, it was time for me to start my studies at the LSE. First, I had to move from Earl’s Court to the dorms that I was allocated in South East London in the area known as Borough.
The dorm in itself was the newest building of LSE and looked very nice. However, in order to get to my room, you had to go through 5 security doors and this caused for the dorm to be quite anti-social and it was very hard to meet people. I would hardly see anybody and I was not used to this because dorms in America are very social. I also had a bathroom in my room, so I didn’t really need to leave my room and again in America you had to share bathrooms and this would be another way to socialize with some of your hallmates. It worried me initially, but I soon met my fellow students from my programme and just like myself most of them were foreigners settling in London. We all lived in different dorms scattered around the city, so we made a real effort to get together for drinks somewhere in central London or around the LSE in order to get to know each other.
At the LSE, I first started to finally do something about my sexuality. I always thought I might be gay, but it was also a thought I quickly buried far away and not wanted to deal with. I just never felt it was a comfortable topic in the late 90s in an America Universities as I saw quite a lot of students were made fun of. For this reason, I just decided to never really do anything about it as I didn’t think it was going to be a very good life for me.
However, the thoughts just kept coming back to me and in particular there was one guy who I couldn’t stop thinking about. Every day I was meeting my friends for lunch around 1pm. We had the same meeting point by the Old Building and at this time there was a good looking guy waiting for his friends as well. Every time he would look at me in particular manner and I very well remember that he was always wearing a baby blue scarf around his neck. He was always perfectly dressed and had a certain flair about him. I was convinced he was gay by the way he was always checking me out and by fashion sense. Well, in America you would be considered gay with those actions, but then in Europe you never know…
We would not only meet at the same place every day for lunch, but I would see him in the library or somewhere in London shopping. I have this incredible luck that when I meet or fancy someone, I tend to run into them everywhere around the city and again this happened with him. I always think, is this fait? I know that he always recognized me, but for some reason we never spoke to each other. I was too scared to do anything about it, in case he was not gay and personally I just didn’t have the confidence to approach him. I didn’t know what the etiquette was or what one should say. There was one day when he was right behind me on the stair case going to one of my classes. I could feel so much sexual tension taking that one step down the stairs, it was incredible. At the same time I was so nervous and decided that I need to do something about it, because I couldn’t it anymore. I am going to turn around and smile to him, perhaps even say hello. I found the deep courage to say hello to him and he smiled back to me and quickly passed me on the stairs and left in a hurry. I didn’t know how to read this, was the smile a sign he also liked me or was he just taken back by my actions and quickly wanted to get out of there.
One evening I went to study at my friend’s Tim’s dorm as we were taking the same courses in our programme. When I came out of his room, this boy was standing right in the hallway and I noticed that he was opening the door next to Tim’s room. I quickly asked Tim who he was and told him that I always see him around everywhere. Tim told me that his name is Johan, he is from Sweden and doing a Masters in Finance. Tim also quickly added that his girlfriend from Stockholm was about to visit that weekend. When he told me this, my heart sank and I was very confused with all his actions. I just couldn’t understand all the stares that we had, was he also confused? Was the girlfriend a cover up?
That weekend I was at the LSE and surely he walked by with his girlfriend walking hand and hand. It broke my heart to see them together, but at the same time, they looked like a lovely couple and I was happy for him.
During this whole time, I had befriended a Swedish girl Ana, who I became quite close to. I was not sure what her interest was in me. I had not exactly told her that I was gay. We kept going for drinks together and there was always a little tension between us. But I knew deep down that I was gay and just couldn’t do anything more with her. I think she was waiting for a kiss, but every time I made a polite exit at the end of the evening. After a few months of this, I finally had the courage to tell her that I thought I might be gay. She laughed and thought that was the case. She said she was attracted to me, but realized quite soon that there was a reason I always kept a distance. It was a weird conversation to have, but we laughed about it afterwards. I told her about my story of Johan. She again laughed and informed me that Swedish men are obsessed about appearance. What people are wearing, how they look, etc. She said they are all metrosexuals, probably the biggest one of any country. She informed me that guys often spend more money and time on their looks. Ana believes that Johan was looking at me because he was probably checking out what I was wearing, but there was nothing behind it. I told her that in any other country, that kind of behavior is very misleading. To me this confirmed that Johan was not confused and a happy metrosexual. I was jealous of his girlfriend, but I am also very happy for them.
Johan was often walking around campus with another Swedish guy. A few years after I finished the LSE, my friend Cherine from my programme had befriended a group of Swedes in London and this boy was also part of her group of friends. I met him a few times when she had organized drinks and his name turned out to be Samuel. For some reason, we didn’t speak much to each other at these drinks parties. I was too scared that he knew about my crush on Johan, so I avoided him usually. However, last year my friend Cherine got married in America and we were all invited to the wedding. Both Samuel and I were staying in the bachelor rooms at the country club, so this time there was no way to avoid him. We ended up talking quite a bit, shopping on one day (those Swedes do love their clothes!), sharing a car to the wedding, and partying at the wedding. After a few drinks at the wedding, I had the courage to tell Samuel my Johan story. He was surprised I knew Johan and laughed about it. He told me that Johan is now happily married in Stockholm, but that he would be flattered that a good looking guy like myself would fancy him. I was very flattered with that comment and I asked him if Johan had known about my crush when I was at the LSE. He told me no, but now thinking back, he did remember that they would often run into everywhere. I assured him that I was not stalking Johan, but that I have this luck of running into people, just like I had the luck of running into Samuel a few years later. After getting to know me that weekend, he was convinced that I had not stalked Johan.
Continuing with my discovery of my sexuality…. There was another American guy on my programme who was a homosexual and we soon enough became friends. I started talking to him more about being gay and the places he goes to. He told me that he went to the LGBT at the LSE and that I should join him. I told him I was not quite ready for this, especially for other students at the LSE to find out about me. So he suggested for me to join him out one night in Soho and see what I thought about it all. I was excited about this idea and was ready to explore Soho. In my next blog I will write about my first night out in Soho.
The dorm in itself was the newest building of LSE and looked very nice. However, in order to get to my room, you had to go through 5 security doors and this caused for the dorm to be quite anti-social and it was very hard to meet people. I would hardly see anybody and I was not used to this because dorms in America are very social. I also had a bathroom in my room, so I didn’t really need to leave my room and again in America you had to share bathrooms and this would be another way to socialize with some of your hallmates. It worried me initially, but I soon met my fellow students from my programme and just like myself most of them were foreigners settling in London. We all lived in different dorms scattered around the city, so we made a real effort to get together for drinks somewhere in central London or around the LSE in order to get to know each other.
At the LSE, I first started to finally do something about my sexuality. I always thought I might be gay, but it was also a thought I quickly buried far away and not wanted to deal with. I just never felt it was a comfortable topic in the late 90s in an America Universities as I saw quite a lot of students were made fun of. For this reason, I just decided to never really do anything about it as I didn’t think it was going to be a very good life for me.
However, the thoughts just kept coming back to me and in particular there was one guy who I couldn’t stop thinking about. Every day I was meeting my friends for lunch around 1pm. We had the same meeting point by the Old Building and at this time there was a good looking guy waiting for his friends as well. Every time he would look at me in particular manner and I very well remember that he was always wearing a baby blue scarf around his neck. He was always perfectly dressed and had a certain flair about him. I was convinced he was gay by the way he was always checking me out and by fashion sense. Well, in America you would be considered gay with those actions, but then in Europe you never know…
We would not only meet at the same place every day for lunch, but I would see him in the library or somewhere in London shopping. I have this incredible luck that when I meet or fancy someone, I tend to run into them everywhere around the city and again this happened with him. I always think, is this fait? I know that he always recognized me, but for some reason we never spoke to each other. I was too scared to do anything about it, in case he was not gay and personally I just didn’t have the confidence to approach him. I didn’t know what the etiquette was or what one should say. There was one day when he was right behind me on the stair case going to one of my classes. I could feel so much sexual tension taking that one step down the stairs, it was incredible. At the same time I was so nervous and decided that I need to do something about it, because I couldn’t it anymore. I am going to turn around and smile to him, perhaps even say hello. I found the deep courage to say hello to him and he smiled back to me and quickly passed me on the stairs and left in a hurry. I didn’t know how to read this, was the smile a sign he also liked me or was he just taken back by my actions and quickly wanted to get out of there.
One evening I went to study at my friend’s Tim’s dorm as we were taking the same courses in our programme. When I came out of his room, this boy was standing right in the hallway and I noticed that he was opening the door next to Tim’s room. I quickly asked Tim who he was and told him that I always see him around everywhere. Tim told me that his name is Johan, he is from Sweden and doing a Masters in Finance. Tim also quickly added that his girlfriend from Stockholm was about to visit that weekend. When he told me this, my heart sank and I was very confused with all his actions. I just couldn’t understand all the stares that we had, was he also confused? Was the girlfriend a cover up?
That weekend I was at the LSE and surely he walked by with his girlfriend walking hand and hand. It broke my heart to see them together, but at the same time, they looked like a lovely couple and I was happy for him.
During this whole time, I had befriended a Swedish girl Ana, who I became quite close to. I was not sure what her interest was in me. I had not exactly told her that I was gay. We kept going for drinks together and there was always a little tension between us. But I knew deep down that I was gay and just couldn’t do anything more with her. I think she was waiting for a kiss, but every time I made a polite exit at the end of the evening. After a few months of this, I finally had the courage to tell her that I thought I might be gay. She laughed and thought that was the case. She said she was attracted to me, but realized quite soon that there was a reason I always kept a distance. It was a weird conversation to have, but we laughed about it afterwards. I told her about my story of Johan. She again laughed and informed me that Swedish men are obsessed about appearance. What people are wearing, how they look, etc. She said they are all metrosexuals, probably the biggest one of any country. She informed me that guys often spend more money and time on their looks. Ana believes that Johan was looking at me because he was probably checking out what I was wearing, but there was nothing behind it. I told her that in any other country, that kind of behavior is very misleading. To me this confirmed that Johan was not confused and a happy metrosexual. I was jealous of his girlfriend, but I am also very happy for them.
Johan was often walking around campus with another Swedish guy. A few years after I finished the LSE, my friend Cherine from my programme had befriended a group of Swedes in London and this boy was also part of her group of friends. I met him a few times when she had organized drinks and his name turned out to be Samuel. For some reason, we didn’t speak much to each other at these drinks parties. I was too scared that he knew about my crush on Johan, so I avoided him usually. However, last year my friend Cherine got married in America and we were all invited to the wedding. Both Samuel and I were staying in the bachelor rooms at the country club, so this time there was no way to avoid him. We ended up talking quite a bit, shopping on one day (those Swedes do love their clothes!), sharing a car to the wedding, and partying at the wedding. After a few drinks at the wedding, I had the courage to tell Samuel my Johan story. He was surprised I knew Johan and laughed about it. He told me that Johan is now happily married in Stockholm, but that he would be flattered that a good looking guy like myself would fancy him. I was very flattered with that comment and I asked him if Johan had known about my crush when I was at the LSE. He told me no, but now thinking back, he did remember that they would often run into everywhere. I assured him that I was not stalking Johan, but that I have this luck of running into people, just like I had the luck of running into Samuel a few years later. After getting to know me that weekend, he was convinced that I had not stalked Johan.
Continuing with my discovery of my sexuality…. There was another American guy on my programme who was a homosexual and we soon enough became friends. I started talking to him more about being gay and the places he goes to. He told me that he went to the LGBT at the LSE and that I should join him. I told him I was not quite ready for this, especially for other students at the LSE to find out about me. So he suggested for me to join him out one night in Soho and see what I thought about it all. I was excited about this idea and was ready to explore Soho. In my next blog I will write about my first night out in Soho.
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Riccardo's
Near my beloved King’s Road, you will probably find one of my favourite Italian restaurants in London – Riccardo’s.
The restaurant has a cozy covered outdoor patio and I would recommend you book a table for this area as it is more comfortable to be in here. Even in the winter it is better to be seated here as they have heaters and provide you will blankets. I personally find the inside a little noisy and cramped, but it is rustic and it would not be the end of the world if you had to seated inside.
Riccardo’s provides a taste of Tuscany with a tapas approach. It has hard to understand what is a starter or main course at a first glance and most of the items you can get in a small or large portion. The staff are very helpful and will advise you which dish is more of a starter or main course. After trying most of the dishes, I now go back for the same main course every time. A lovely taglietelle with a rabbit ragout. It is simply delicious and I can never miss it when I visit this restaurant. As to a starter, I tend to follow their tapas approach and order 3 starters to share among friends. There is no better way to enjoy a Friday night in a casual and relaxed approach sharing delicious food with friends.
I really enjoy this restaurant and have had so many amazing memories here. This restaurant is very popular for lunch, but I would note that on Sunday lunch time you will find a lot of families there with little bambinos. I think the service is always friendly and caring. They are not the most efficient, but they mean well and try hard.
The restaurant has a cozy covered outdoor patio and I would recommend you book a table for this area as it is more comfortable to be in here. Even in the winter it is better to be seated here as they have heaters and provide you will blankets. I personally find the inside a little noisy and cramped, but it is rustic and it would not be the end of the world if you had to seated inside.
Riccardo’s provides a taste of Tuscany with a tapas approach. It has hard to understand what is a starter or main course at a first glance and most of the items you can get in a small or large portion. The staff are very helpful and will advise you which dish is more of a starter or main course. After trying most of the dishes, I now go back for the same main course every time. A lovely taglietelle with a rabbit ragout. It is simply delicious and I can never miss it when I visit this restaurant. As to a starter, I tend to follow their tapas approach and order 3 starters to share among friends. There is no better way to enjoy a Friday night in a casual and relaxed approach sharing delicious food with friends.
I really enjoy this restaurant and have had so many amazing memories here. This restaurant is very popular for lunch, but I would note that on Sunday lunch time you will find a lot of families there with little bambinos. I think the service is always friendly and caring. They are not the most efficient, but they mean well and try hard.
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
Bluebird
Not too far from The Pig’s Ear, is a well known establishment called the Bluebird. This restaurant was developed by Sir Terrence Conran and now managed by D&D London.
The site also incorporates a café, bar, event space, members’ club & deli. The café downstairs is the perfect venue for a lunch on a beautiful sunny day. With a very welcoming terrace that now also includes some very comfortable sofas for that ideal bottle of wine on a late afternoon. It is a perfect venue for people watching all the Kings Road shoppers.
The restaurant upstairs had a refurbishment in 2007, and has given what was a vast space some needed warmth. The furniture has stayed to its art deco origins and includes a lovely bar in the middle of the restaurant that serves some excellent cocktails.
I would say the food is good, but nothing that really stands out or make me want to write about. I would personally go to Bluebird to enjoy the café on a sunny day or have a breakfast as the full English is something to go for.
The site also incorporates a café, bar, event space, members’ club & deli. The café downstairs is the perfect venue for a lunch on a beautiful sunny day. With a very welcoming terrace that now also includes some very comfortable sofas for that ideal bottle of wine on a late afternoon. It is a perfect venue for people watching all the Kings Road shoppers.
The restaurant upstairs had a refurbishment in 2007, and has given what was a vast space some needed warmth. The furniture has stayed to its art deco origins and includes a lovely bar in the middle of the restaurant that serves some excellent cocktails.
I would say the food is good, but nothing that really stands out or make me want to write about. I would personally go to Bluebird to enjoy the café on a sunny day or have a breakfast as the full English is something to go for.
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Kings Road - The Pig's Ear
Venturing down the Kings Road, I stumbled across Old Church Street. I had heard from friends that there is a great pub on this street called The Pigs Ear and I was determined to explore it.
Upon entering this pub, I could see straight away it had lots of appeal. The appeal lies partly in the characterful yet sympathetic decor - turquoise panelled walls, high red ceilings, beautiful mirrors and old movie posters, which lends the place a relaxed, bohemian air. But the main stand out point is the food in this place.
I decided to try the bar menu on this trip and was delighted with the wonderful Irish Rock Oysters that they served with a red onion pickle and soda bread. For the main course I always have a weak spot for the steak tartare which came served with perfect French fries and one of the best garlic mayonnaise I have ever tasted.
The Pigs Ear even serve their own ale (The Pig’s Ear ale) from the Uley Brewery in Gloucestershire and have a very impressive wine list to add. I was so impressed with this pub that is has become a regular of mine and I even heard that his pub is often frequented by Kate Middleton who is supposed to be living nearby.
I am proud to have the same ‘regular’ as Ms Middleton and when I had my birthday dinner in the smaller dining room upstairs, she was having drinks with friends downstairs confirming the rumours that she does frequent this establishment.
Upon entering this pub, I could see straight away it had lots of appeal. The appeal lies partly in the characterful yet sympathetic decor - turquoise panelled walls, high red ceilings, beautiful mirrors and old movie posters, which lends the place a relaxed, bohemian air. But the main stand out point is the food in this place.
I decided to try the bar menu on this trip and was delighted with the wonderful Irish Rock Oysters that they served with a red onion pickle and soda bread. For the main course I always have a weak spot for the steak tartare which came served with perfect French fries and one of the best garlic mayonnaise I have ever tasted.
The Pigs Ear even serve their own ale (The Pig’s Ear ale) from the Uley Brewery in Gloucestershire and have a very impressive wine list to add. I was so impressed with this pub that is has become a regular of mine and I even heard that his pub is often frequented by Kate Middleton who is supposed to be living nearby.
I am proud to have the same ‘regular’ as Ms Middleton and when I had my birthday dinner in the smaller dining room upstairs, she was having drinks with friends downstairs confirming the rumours that she does frequent this establishment.
Tuesday, 26 May 2009
Kings Road - Continued
Continuing on the Kings Road, one of the first pubs I discovered on the Kings Road is the Builders Arms just off the Kings Road on Britten Street. Builders Arms is part of the Geronimo Inns portfolio located in a quiet residential street.
It is a very cozy pub with a log fire for those cold winter days. In the summer there are a few tables outside, but it is limited and hard to get a table. So it is not the best pub to recommend to sit outside. The food on offer is a simple gastropub meals, with a good Sunday roast and be sure to check their specials as they are always a delight. The clientele is very mixed, but it attracts a very Chelsea crowd on the younger side.
Not too far from this pub, is another pub that is also part of the Geronimo Inns portfolio called the Phoenix. Again, the food is similar and so is the wine list. Its ‘good-value’ menu offers Portland crab on toast, pan-roasted sea bass with a fennel, and pine nut & tarragon stuffing.
In some ways, I prefer this pub as it has a few more tables to sit outside on a very quiet street (Smith Street). The crowd is similar as the clientele likes to vary going from the Builders Arms to the Phoenix on occasions. But this pub has more of a separation between bar and Restaurant with a dining room in the back of the pub.
It is a very cozy pub with a log fire for those cold winter days. In the summer there are a few tables outside, but it is limited and hard to get a table. So it is not the best pub to recommend to sit outside. The food on offer is a simple gastropub meals, with a good Sunday roast and be sure to check their specials as they are always a delight. The clientele is very mixed, but it attracts a very Chelsea crowd on the younger side.
Not too far from this pub, is another pub that is also part of the Geronimo Inns portfolio called the Phoenix. Again, the food is similar and so is the wine list. Its ‘good-value’ menu offers Portland crab on toast, pan-roasted sea bass with a fennel, and pine nut & tarragon stuffing.
In some ways, I prefer this pub as it has a few more tables to sit outside on a very quiet street (Smith Street). The crowd is similar as the clientele likes to vary going from the Builders Arms to the Phoenix on occasions. But this pub has more of a separation between bar and Restaurant with a dining room in the back of the pub.
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