Stranger Than Paradise

Wilton's Music Hall

Back in 2009, Wilton's Music Hall played hold to Stranger Than Paradise - a gypsy inspired party featuring burlesque/cabaret/live band shows at the beautiful Wilton's Music Hall. This Victorian venue is a diamond in the rough. While perhaps a little dilapidated, it has so much vintage character and lots of space to explore.

Entrance to Wilton's Music Hall

The stage

Order of the evening

The event itself was a spectacle and for £10 each, it was another unpretentious, affordable, non-touristy activity to do in London. 

There were a number of rooms within the Music Hall to explore and during the intervals, it was easy to get to the bar, try a few cupcakes, chat to various characters in fancy dress and then settle comfortably upstairs to watch from the balcony or standing at ground level.

The acts themselves were random, colourful, arty, funny and very entertaining. This was a unique event, like nothing I'd ever seen before! 

One of the arial acts from the Sawmill Collective

The Texas Chainsaw Orchestra

The after-party was at a really cool alternative bar called The Jamobree at Cable Street Studios, where there were more live bands. It was a bit of a walk to get there from Wilton's (and there's no way I'd be able to find it again if I didn't have the address) but luckily it was a balmy September evening and in any event, I was wearing a thick Vodka Jacket. 

The Destroyers at the Jamboree Bar

The after party after party was at the Old Ship for breakfast but I after all the excitement of the evening, I left for bed at 5am.


Wilton's Music Hall, Graces Alley, Tower Hamlets, London, E1 8JB, Tel; 020 7702 2789

The Company Shed

Best Seafood Outside London


If there's one thing you must do on a sunny spring or summer weekend, it's head to The Company Shed on Mersea Island, which is surprisingly in...Essex. Eat fresh seafood to your heart's content then go for a stroll around the harbour, or more likely, pass out on Monkey Beach.

So there are two ways to get to The Company Shed from London - train and then bus or taxi or car. The first time I went I got the train but with the changes I had to make because of engineering works, it took about 4 hours. Arrrgh! On my second visit, I took the car and it was an hour and a half journey. The only disadvantage of driving is not being able to have a boozy lunch.


Anyway, when I arrived at the wooden shack just by the harbour, I was surprised at (a) how much publicity this modest little canteen had received and (b) how busy it was and (c) despite the above, the value for money!


On my first visit I was lucky enough to get a table without having to wait long. The excitement of eating was so overwhelming that I ordered a seafood platter consisting of cockles, green lip mussels, unpeeled king prawns, peeled prawns, cockles, smoked salmon, smoked mackerel, a crevette and half a crab, a side salad, jellied eels (I'd always wanted to try these but had never had the chance before) and oysters, all of which I reluctantly shared. Then we scoffed it all without even thinking to take a photo of the spectacular array. Ooops. Afterwards, to take home, we also bought some mackerel pate and smoked mackerel fillets.


It's a "spit and sawdust" kind of place but they have things like cutlery, glasses, drinking water, salt and pepper so all we needed to bring with us was:

• Bottle of white wine
• Shallot vinegar
• Mayonaise
• Butter 
• French stick

Boom!

The food counter inside the company shed

My second visit, whilst more successful journey-wise, was less successful table-wise. We arrived at 12noon and because bookings are done by way of waiting list as and when you turn up, we were looking at a 2 hour wait...So just before we left, disappointed, I thought fast and asked if we could recreate our own seafood platter to take away. Upon hearing we could, I ordered just about every item in the fridge in front of me (much to the dismay of the long line of customers behind) and it was all packed neatly into tubs and paper. I even managed to get a box of oysters, which they cut open, ready to eat. Our next stop - the beach to enjoy with wine, bread and condiments. 


So, for not much more than £20 I managed to get a tub of peeled prawns, a large bag of unpeeled prawns, a tub of smoked salmon pate, a tub of smoked mackerel pate, a couple of smoked mackerel fillets, half a lobster, a dozen oysters, some green lipped mussels and a side salad. WOW!!

Lobster 

Prawns and smoked salmon pate

Oysters

Smoked mackerel fillets

On the way to the beach

Towards the sea

OK, so a few tips for if you're planning a trip to The Company Shed:

1. Go on a sunny day in case you can't get seated and have to take away - there's a lovely beach just down the road to picnic at.
2. Call in advance to ask if they can reserve you a seafood platter as these get sold out!!
3. Bring your own drinks/bread/condiments.
4. Arrive early e.g. 10am to get a table for lunch. You can always go for a coffee at one of the pubs down the road.
5. Try anything you've been curious about before but never tried before - it's probably the cheapest place you'll get to do this near London and if you don't like it, it's not that expensive that you feel bad about throwing it away.

The Company Shed, 129 Coast Road, West Mersea, Colchester, CO5 8PA, Tel: 01206 382 700

The Modern Pantry

Brunch at The Modern Pantry


Compared to some of the other great cities of the world, when it comes to brunch London is still catching up. Fortunately, the places that do do brunch, do it well and The Modern Pantry is no exception.


The food at the Modern Pantry is fresh and very well prepared. When your food arrives, you can see and taste that each item on the plate has been lovingly and individually prepared and despite this, the service was fast - perfect when you're terribly hungover and can't wait to eat (ehem).  

Vigin Mary and le Menu

Admittedly, ever since the first time I visited the Modern Pantry, I've stayed loyal to the first dish I tried, i.e. I can't tell you about anything else on the menu except the eggs with smoked streaky bacon, slow-roasted tomatoes, buttered mushrooms and toast. I've varied the eggs on occasion and sometimes added some...Vegemite (sorry Marmite, they just don't serve you here) to my crispy buttered toast. The thing is, when you've found something you can't fault, why choose anything else and risk not enjoying it quite so much? Each item is packed full of flavour.

Two poached eggs with smoked streaky bacon, slow-roasted tomatoes, buttered mushrooms and toast

It doesn't matter how you have the eggs cooked, the dish never leaves you feeling dirty and greasy compared to say a full English at a greasy spoon.

As above but with fried eggs. Wait, is that...is that Vegemite in the background!? Traitor.

One thing to mention on hot beverages - the hot chocolate was disappointing, too much cocoa powder and not enough milk so it was extremely bitter. The waitress defended it by saying the bitterness was due to the fact that "the chocolate used is of such high quality". Errrr!!!?? Insulting! I've been making hot chocolate with cocoa powder for donkey's years and I've also experimented with quantities so I KNOW when it's not been prepared correctly. Anyway, she agreed to substitute it for tea, which was also pretty sub-optimal but it could've been worse I suppose. Could've been continental Lipton. 


The Modern Pantry, 48 St. John's Square, London, EC1V 4JJ, Tel: 020 7553 9210

Marmite and Butter...

... on Crumpets


It's the way the butter melts though the soft spongey holes and moistens it throughout while the Marmite follows. Possibly the best way to enjoy Marmite? 

Ladurée

Sweet Stuff 


Now for someone who doesn't like sweet stuff to not only like sweet stuff but to eat 8 portions of it within 20 minutes really says something. For those of you who haven't heard of Ladurée, it is renowned for its Macrons - small, round meringue-based cakes made with egg whites, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond powder or ground almond, crisp on the outside, with smooth soft ganache in the middle. Heavenly.

Coconut, pear and chestnut, praline, pistachio, rose petal, cinnamon,  caramel with salted butter and almond marshmallow

Established in Paris, their flagship store is on the Champs-Elysées. It's best for breakfast or afternoon tea. It doesn't come cheap but it's worth it for the Parisian tea room experience.

Flagship entrance

Macarons at Ladurée Paris

Other treats at the famous tea room

Christmas window displays

However, for those of you who do not have the luxury of being able to travel to Paris, there are Ladurée stores in London at Harrods and more recently, in Covent Garden. If you worry that you won't get the same experience as you would in Paris, have no fear - you will get the same experience, complete with rudeness. Sadly, despite my love of their Macarons, the bad attitude of the staff left a bitter taste. I think someone should tell them they they work behind a counter.


On that note, I think it might be about time to try Pierre Hermé at Selfridges.


Ladurée, 1 The Market  Covent Garden, London WC2E 8RA, Tel: 020 7240 0706

Hel Yes

Finnish Pop-Up Restaurant


If there's one thing that's fascinated me since I first learnt of them, it's the pop-up restaurant/tea room/bar culture that has been emerging in London. 


Hel Yes opened for 14 days in September 2010. This pop-up was particularly unique because it was the first Finnish-themed pop-up I'd encountered and having spent my Birthday in Stockholm and Swedish Lapland a few months beforehand, I was keen to revisit Nordic cuisine.

Entrance to the secret Shoreditch location

The Menu

Bread and salted butter

Sea Bass Tartare with Archipelago Bread (the black cubes)

Lamb Neck Stew with Dill

As with many of the pop-ups, if it's not in some random stranger's house, it's in a disused, often-dilapidated warehouse. Usually in Shoreditch. This one was no different but that was no bad thing - it had character, customised with swedish alpine-themed displays consisting of raw tree branches, antlers and reindeer fur.

The chefs at work in the open plan kitchen area, surrounded by locally foraged vegetables and herbs such as wood sorrel, chickweed, polypody root and Finnish lingonberries 

Hel Yes, Londonewcastle Depot, 1-3 Wenlock Road, N1 7SL

Sherlock Holmes Museum

Sherlock Holmes Museum

Having watched all of Season 1 and Season 2 of Sherlock on BBC1, it seemed essential to visit 221B Baker Street, the "home" of Sherlock, Watson and Mrs Hudson. At £6 per adult, it is probably one of the cheapest attractions you will find it London and the best thing? It doesn't disappoint. 

Gun hidden in a book

Voodoo Mummy. Obviously.

Could this be...The Hound?

Now just need to read the books!

Muzeul Sherlock Holmes, 221B, Baker Street, London NW1 6XE NW1 6XE, Tel: 020 7935 8866