THEGAYUK

Category: Lifestyle

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Victory Mansion, Stoke Newington, London

    ★★★★★ | Victory Mansion

    Dalston is a hive of Kabob shops, loud bars and clubs, and lots and lots of Turkish supermarkets. But a bit further north in Stoke Newington is a place that stands out on Stoke Newington High Street just down the road from the local Wetherspoons – it’s Victory Mansion.

    Victory Mansion is both a restaurant and a bar and is doing things a bit different, delicious and decadent, than most, if not all, of the places on this side of town.

    Victory Mansion, named after a mansion block that used to be on this site, is a restaurant/bar that intertwines its food and drinks with literature to create an amazing and memorable experience.

    Victory Mansion, first off, has an absolutely amazing cocktail menu that’s practically scientific in its design. There’s an amazing array of drinks, drinks that are named after characters in famous books. There’s the Holden Caulfield (Catcher in the Rye), a drink includes Aylesbury duck vodka, lillet rose, raspberry, apple and soda and the Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird) which has Wild turkey bourbon, plum sake, lychee, lime, chilli & peach bitters and ginger, among many others. We had a few of the others – one was the Patrick Bateman (American Psycho) which was a superbly delicious blend of Calle 23 tequila, banana and chocolate wine – it needs to be tasted to be believed! If you like it sweet, and who doesn’t, then please try the Henry Chinaski (the literary alter ego of Charles Bukowski) which was blended with Plantation pineapple rum, cognac, limoncello and pineapple sugar – it’s so sweet and so good. Victory Mansion’s cocktail menu is like a book, and I recommend you read it from cover and cover and sample as many as you can. It’s is an absolute standout menu.

    But it’s not just the drinks where Victory Mansion is king, it’s their new Ta-Ko menu, introduced a month ago, that’s also a standout.

    There are so so many choices of tacos (or as they would like to call them Ta-Ko) that you’ll be spoiled for choice. I highly recommend their Crispy Cauliflower, black bean & tamarind ragu with avocado and pepper mayo. It’s crunchy and is absolutely delicious. The charred sprouting broccoli & spring onion is also a standout – it sits in a nice dollop of salted duck egg relish for a creamy delight. Both the Nahm jim chicken and the Palm Sugar glazed beef short rib are deliciously filled – the chicken with pickles, crispy onions and mayo – and the short rib with pickled watermelon and blackberry sriracha, which were a burst of flavours in the mouth. All their Asian-inspired tacos are so good they really need to be tried. And while they are not Mexican-style (i.e. large) tacos, if you order several of them they will quickly fill you up. Each flavour comes with two tacos – so perfect for sharing for two so that you both are able to try each one. Other tacos that we didn’t get to try, but no doubt probably just as delicious as the ones we had include tacos with Blackened river trout, torched seabream, red pepper pork neck as well as one with fermented yellow bean leas, halloumi, sweet potato and mustard relish – it’s one I would definitely go back for. As a matter of fact, I would go back to Victory Mansion for pretty much the entire experience again. My dining companion and I enjoyed everything so so much, we want to go back again, and next time bring more friends. It’s just that kind of place, warm, hip but not trying to be, knowledgeable and very friendly staff, it just ticks all the boxes. Even the prices – those amazing cocktails previously mentioned go for between £8 to £10 each, and the Ta-Ko’s range in price from £3.50 to £4 and their absolute must sides (Asian cole slaw, charred corn, shredded beetroot, and MSG fries – basically Nori friend potatoes that are a must), all go for between £3 to £4 each. So there you go, all the above are reasons why you should go to Victory Mansion – what are you waiting for?

    Victory Mansion does a 2 for 1 – 12 pm to 5 pm Saturday and Sunday Brunch where you get brunch Ta-Ko’s and £5 brunch cocktails.

    There is also a basement that is perfect for private birthdays or dinner parties, for 30 – 70 guests.

    18 Stoke Newington High Street
    London N16 7PL

    https://www.victorymansion.co.uk

    Closed Mondays
    Bar
    Tuesday – Thursday
    5 pm – 1 am
    Friday
    5 pm – 2 am
    Saturday
    Noon – 2 am

    Restaurant
    Tuesday – Friday
    6 pm – 11 pm
    Saturday and Sunday
    12 pm – 5 pm
    6 pm – 11 pm

  • 12 things you need to know before you date a guy with a Christmas Birthday

    One gift for Christmas and Birthday will not do.

    1) We’ve never enjoyed a birthday that’s just a day for us…

    Our birthdays have always been lumped in with other activities – Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve… We’re kind of used to that, but it’d be nice for people just to remember that somewhere in amongst all the other important days, it’s ours too.

    2) We never had that handing out birthday sweets at school thing

    Whilst everyone became king or queen for the day at school when they handed out their birthday sweets or cake, if our birthday falls outside terms times, we’ve never had that experience of being uber popular for a day because we had goodies to give out.

    3) One combined gift just won’t do

    via GIPHY

    Why do you do this. We have taken notes.

    4) A combined Christmas, Office, NYE, birthday party might be cool

    Actually, we don’t mind this too much – combine the office party or the New Year’s Eve party* with our birthday, just means more people will turn up! Yay us! *See next point.

    5) A New Year’s Eve birthday can totally suck

    via GIPHY

    Trying to organise or hold a birthday/NYE party is almost impossible because people don’t want to RSVP until the very last minute, just in case something better comes along. Listen, people, every NYE party is going to be expensive, drunken and impossible to travel to and from. Just let us know so we can organise drinks and cheesy nibbles.

    6) Actually New Year’s Day birthdays actually totally suck

    via GIPHY

    Nothing is open. People are skint. Noone wants to party on New Year’s Day… So if you try and hold a New Year’s Eve Party – see the previous point.

    7) Don’t pity us…

    It happens every year. We get it. Sharing a birthday with someone infinitely more famous than us, like Father Christmas, sucks.

    8) Do not send a joint Christmas/birthday card

    Go on, splash out. Buy two cards. We promise we’ll treasure and display both.

    9) We’re used the Christmas/birthday wrapping paper thing

    Yes, we’ve all had birthday presents wrapped up in Christmas paper. It’s okay. TBH we’re just happy you remembered it was our birthday as well.

    10) New Year’s birthdays are literally the worst

    via GIPHY

    Everyone’s hungover. Everyone’s poor. Everywhere is closed. A birthday bonk is usually out of the question because we’re usually too drunk and found with our head in a toilet bowl.

    11) Christmas Day birthdays are actually the worst

    Everyone gets presents – so what’s the fricking point. And a Birthday bonk is out of the question – we’re usually just too full of roast potatoes and turkey.

    12) Everything ends when Christmas ends

    via GIPHY

    So everything is so depressing when the decorations come down, later birthdays – especially around the New Year’s period, feel totally depressing when the decs come down.

  • MOTORING | Running w-Heels November 2017

    Welcome to Running w-Heels. A monthly or some such column of the woes and joys I face running an ageing fleet of metal from Italy and Germany. So far the fleet consists of….

    Barry. The 1976 VW camper van.
    Jelf. The 1991 Mk2 Golf (with Jetta front) GL Auto
    Tempra. The 1993 Fiat Tempra
    Roberto. The 1982 Fiat X1/9

    The X1/9 has been declared SORN and now off the road for winter. An 80’s Fiat full of Italian steel is not known for longevity over a British winter. My local council started to salt the streets early.

    The Bus has finally gone off to the painters for a refresh. It’s only taken nine years since I bought it to get to this stage – eventually. More on the renovations another time.

    The Fiat Tempra with its partial galvanisation has suddenly been thrust into carrying out the daily commute because the Mk2 Golf has once again decided to a bit bing-bong wrong. The Fiat I might add has been a solid example of reliability compared to the Golf.

    I can wax lyrical about the virtues of an old Golf. Volkswagen PR would be happy with the enthusiasm I could spread about the ageing car. Ageing, however, is what the thing is doing and fast.

    With the bus out of the workshop, I had planned on attending to a bit of rust l had noticed on the floor and sill by the driver’s side wing. This wasn’t to happen. The water pump had decided to shed its main bearing resulting in a noisy pump that could fling its pulley off at any given moment.

    Replacement parts for the Golf are still readily available from most motor factors, and VW does stock some parts though I have discovered that Gates supply them with new cambelts, so that’s what I’ll be using next time and saving in the process too.

    What’s so difficult about a water pump on an mk2 Golf? Nothing if I am honest. Nothing that is if the 4 Allen key bolts come free from the main crank pulley. The use of a spline drive bit needed to be hammered in to bite the four rounded Allen key bolts. A few choice words and some grunts and all was free.

    Those who will know the wonders of the simplicity of the Mk2 Golf engine will be wondering why I was doing a cambelt as well when the water pump is run of an auxiliary belt. The answer lays in an oil weeping intermediate shaft oil seal. No mean feat and thanks to the Haynes book of lies and Barry Mc Gowan on YouTube, that job was a piece of cake. Also, the cambelt is now four years old and releasing the tension on a belt that is both stretched, and over 30k miles needs replacing. It’s good practice. After all it all that stands between the top and bottom of your engine meeting in the middle.

    This isn’t the first time I had done a cambelt I might add. The first was some 20 years ago on a Ford Orion Ghia. That was so simple to do. Even the tensioner was a piece of cake to set.

    What I hadn’t taken into account was the plethora of markings on the VW pulleys. I failed if l am honest in timing it up correctly. My fault. Hands up. I did, however, mark it up to using my own marks, so it should have worked. What I hadn’t taken into account was the intermediate shaft being as loose as the Calvin Klein underwear of a rent boy from Kingscross. So the timing went out.

    Thankfully I had marked the sprocket so all should have been easy. Not so. Unlike some cars where “special manufacturing tools” are required to lock bits into place, the intermediate shaft had a tendency to rotate a groove or two when lining up the cambelt.

    After some more choice words, finding VW’s timing marks and about three attempts later I had it sorted. The belt was on, the tensioner set and to hell with it, I turned the key, and it started.

    All bits were put back on, the crank pulley needed drilling and tapping on one of the four bolts because it stripped and the Golf was back to running again.

    When I say running again, it wasn’t quite that simple. Six weeks in the sick bay have rendered it a bag of old spanners. It isn’t a car that likes sitting around so not the best car to own when I have others cars (or bicycles) to test over the year. The auto choke unit has now decided to throw over fuelling to the wind, but I feel this is caused by eight weeks of incarceration in the sick bay.

    Doing the work myself has saved me a bit of cash. The Mk2 Golf is as simple as a frying pan. It’s been a faff to do all this, but at 110,000 miles it’s no spring chicken of a car. It is, however, developing a pattern of having a major strop at least once a year. This one has cost me £90 in parts. It doesn’t, however, cover the rear brake rebuild, wheel bearings and front brake calliper needed over the year of 2017.

    All added up, it does still make for cheap running, but a Citroen Berlingo Multispace with sunroof is getting closer to being on the drive. It’s just that the three on eBay at the time were all red. I’ve two red Fiat’s and a new blue front door. I like coordination so brace yourselves for the shrieks from the TGUK workshop when a blue Berlingo goes for sale anywhere in the country.

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | The Lost and Found: Bottomless Brunch, Birmingham

    ★★★★★ – BOTTOMLESS BRUNCH LAUNCHES AT THE LOST & FOUND

    The weekends are for great nights and slightly late mornings, and of course good food to awake your spirits, as well as supping on some alcoholic beverages at lunchtime and forgetting the week. The Lost & Found take this occasion seriously with their Bottomless Brunch bonanza.

    The choices of Bellinis, Mimosas, Bloody Marys, in any order, are a delightful motivation to get out of bed on a Sunday morning. From 11 AM to 3 PM, you can indulge yourself in as many Prosecco glasses in a two hour booked period. The Bellinis were moreish with a raspberry floating in each glass – having one of my five a day (in abundance). What is lovely about the brunch food menu is that there is something there for any appetite. From delicate porridges to hearty breakfasts, one can take pleasure in eating rich, tasty and well-presented dishes. The hearty ‘English breakfast’ was incredibly delicious with tasty sausages and poached eggs cooked to perfection. My plus one opted for a bun-less ‘Bacon & cheeseburger’ with a fried egg and skinny fries, and according to him the dish was oozing with flavour and juices, and it definitely did not need a bun.

    What contributed to the superb event was the Victorian backdrop and out-of-time ambience that The Lost & Found encapsulates very well. The mood is just terrific for a Sunday brunch and chill. Josh looked after us again, and I must say his dedication and attention to detail rivals any other host I have met. Josh took time to explain to us how the menu worked, putting us at ease when making a decision, as well as letting us know in advance that due to staff shortage the meals may take longer than we might expect. Also, Josh made sure we were well and truly Bellini-ed and I was left feeling very fuzzy and cosy sitting comfortably in the booth.

    For just £22 per person, you are getting a very good experience with endless drinks for two hours, plus good quality, top-notch food and with an ambience that provides an escape for a weekend.

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Smashburger, Wednesbury

    ★★★★ | Smashburger, Wednesbury

    Smashburger launches the first site in the Midlands, and what a messy affair it was!

    The method of smashing is a unique way of enhancing flavour into the burger as the meat is cooked in its freshly pressed juices. The result is a delicate, intense and a full-flavoured burger inside your soft bun. According to General Manager Colin, the ingredients are prepared and cooked fresh every day, and the burgers are almost smashed to order. Situated at the heart of Gallagher Retail Park in Wednesbury, this restaurant is certainly worth a sharp right on your way out.

    The Beef Bacon Cheeseburger, made with Applewood smoked bacon and American cheese, mustard, ketchup, pickles and red onion served on a multi-grain bread is probably one of the best burgers I have had in my mouth. The bread was soft and complemented the burger beautifully soaking up the juices and sauce oozing out of the burger. There is no way to avoid running mustard/ketchup sauce down your hand as it is a truly messy encounter. The sour pickles married well with the tangy mustard and galvanised the whole meal – Fourth of July happened in my mouth. My plus one had Spinach, Cucumber & Goats Cheese Beef Burger on a brioche bun which was very well presented and it had plenty of fresh vibes to it.

    What was very impressive about Smashburger was the excellent customer service experienced throughout the joint. Chloe was particularly pleasant and very hospitable offering us to try the churros at the end which was an offer you could not refuse. The atmosphere was very busy but the staff bantered and looked after every customer with genuine care.

    There was a problem with the fryer as a couple of items of the meal were slightly over-fried, particularly the Haystack Onions, and the Churros also were overly cooked on the outside and undercooked on the inside. It was not a happy ending, but I would read this book again! I would like to think it was a one-off blip.

    The service was second to none. The quality and concept of the burgers through smashing was ingenious. The highlight for me of it all was the Oreo Hand-spun Shake – O.M.G! The best chunky shake I have had – it is going to take a lot to beat that!

  • CAR REVIEW | Jaguar XF R-Sport 250ps AWD

    ★★★★ | Jaguar XF R-Sport 250ps AWD

    CAR REVIEW | Jaguar XF R-Sport 250ps AWD

    House Trained Cat With Trimmed Claws

    With all of its extras, £59,000 worth of Jaguar sits on the drive. It sounds a lot except its starting price is just £42,000.

    Just don’t tell anyone.

    Sat there in its big blackness of black paint, black wheels and privacy glass, it attracts attention. It attracts compliments. It is safe to say that on the road the compliments are equally forthcoming.

    There is something about a Jaguar that you don’t get with any other premium brand car. There is a lot of acknowledgement and a lot of admiration. Perhaps it’s because of its inherent Britishness that does it. Perhaps it’s the drama that has surrounded the Jaguar brand.

    Since being taken over by the Tata Group in 2008 the changes at Jaguar were slow and steady at first. Within 8 years they started getting it together. Add a couple of years on top of that and Jaguar now have a bigger range of cars than ever before and the brand is now as desirable as it was in the 60s.

    It’s not to say that the 80’s and 90’s Jaguars were not desirable, it’s just that they were questionable in terms of reliability, build quality and resale.

    It’s not all good news though. The XF R-Sport I tested failed me in one area. I’m being picky, probably more so than I usually would be but only because I saw it, it annoyed me. The top of the boot area under the parcel shelf lacks a cover. You wouldn’t see it. I can’t quite explain it. It’s just missing. It’s an area that gets missed by many. To me, it’s like the final piece of the boot lining jigsaw.

    What isn’t missing is driver enjoyment. From the outside, the big cat is very attractive. Sleek headlights and integral grill now replace the tired retro look they tried. The looks work. It makes for an elegant design. The lines flow from bonnet to boot. There are no tricks.

    Driving the XF R-Sport AWD is made easy thanks to the parking assist pack with surround cameras. An option worth having. The cameras show the front wheels making parallel parking a breeze. There is now no excuse to scuff the alloys on a curb.

    Adopting a perfect driving position is very easy with almost infinite adjustment available on the memory seats. Handy to have should you wish to car share with a significant other. This then sets you up to enjoy anything you want to throw at the XF R-Sport. I wouldn’t want to be a passenger in the XF. It’s not that you don’t get enough space to stretch out or comfort, it’s just that driving the Jaguar is where you enjoy it the most.

    Together the car flows along. The 250ps turbocharged 2 litre Ingenium engines power delivery is smooth and progressive in its application of power making the XF R-Sport a pleasure to drive. It lacks some out and out slam-you-into-the seat throttle reactions but that would only remove you from the linear feel of the cars flowing progress. If you want that from your XF you can always opt for the S model. Don’t think that this XF won’t get out of the way of its own shadow. With a 0-60 time of 6.2 seconds, it isn’t slow. And all this with a commendable low Co2 output.

    All this power gets transmitted via an 8-speed automatic gearbox. The ratios are nicely spaced. If pushed it will hold on to the gear which can be a minor inconvenience. Pull out hard and fast and then come off the throttle would often result in a sudden jerk in the ride where the gearbox had held onto the low gear. The price you pay for all that power and the 0-60 time.

    The big structure of the shell is in aluminium and this helps make the XF feel light yet being of light construction does not in any way feel like it flexes. It is a taut chassis and good job too. The handling of the all wheel drive system fails to fail you. It holds on with immense grip. Adaptive Surface Response (AdSR) along with adaptive dynamics make split-second changes to the car’s behaviour. It works well. There were times when you could feel it change from soft barge to sports saloon and its job of keeping you on the road was good. I can’t say I went out of my way to provoke it but I tried a couple of times and I can say it sort of left me feeling a little flat.

    It’s not that it is a bad thing in any way. All the gizmos go someway to make the big cat very safe if a little too safe. It keeps the car planted to the road and while it makes you feel like the king of the road, unlike some power saloons, it won’t try and kill you. I can live with that.

    There were a few things that to me didn’t quite work. The cruise control seemed a little finicky to set at first. There are many switches on the steering wheel. What I expected to find was adaptive cruise. For such a big and powerful car I expect to find this standard equipment for anything that comes with cruise control.

    The Jaguar illuminated kick plates were a nice touch. I’m not a fan of blue lighting though. What would have been nice was illuminated steps in the rear. ‘XF’ set in these would have looked quite nice.

    I can forgive it the kick plates and boot trim. However, the XF does go some way in making a luxury barge a great British barge. Driving dynamics aside It’s not quite up there with the Germans in interior tactility. It’s very close though and what would look better on the drive? A Jaguar or a Munich motorway muncher? I’ll tell you this for nothing, I’ll have the Jaguar thanks. For a start, people let you out in traffic.

    Love

    Price
    Smooth progressive engine
    Economy

    Loathe

    Lack of adaptive cruise control
    A bit too safe in the handling department
    Trim tactility

    The Lowdown
    Car – Jaguar XF R-Sport 250ps AWD
    Price – £58,860 (as tested)
    MPG – 40.9 mpg (combined)
    Power – 0-62mph – 6.2 seconds
    Top Speed – 147 mph
    Co2 – 159 (g/km)

  • MONEY | In a changing world, gay couples plan for their financial future

    50 years since the decriminalisation of male homosexuality, Britain has come a long way in equality for same-sex couples.

    As the law and society have become more accepting of gay and lesbian families, more and more of our community are opting to start families of their own. A 2015 report from the Department of Education found a record number of children are being adopted by LGBT parents, and within 18 months of marriage equality taking effect in England and Wales, over 15,000 same-sex couples had wed. Still, there are unique challenges and prejudices facing gay and lesbian families. The most recent British Social Attitudes survey found that only 48 percent of respondents felt that same-sex couples should be able to adopt as freely as straight couples. It was only this year that gay couples won full equality in pensions, when the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex widows and widowers are entitled to the full pension as opposed to simply the amount placed into the pension after the Civil Partnership Act took effect in 2005. This represents a massive step forward in financial stability and equality for gay and lesbian families.

    Increasing financial stability and equality for gay and lesbian families is something Liverpool Victoria is trying to do. The largest insurer of individual incomes in the UK, LV= (as they’re styled) offers an array of products including car insurance and life insurance policies. The largest friendly society in the country, LV= is owned by its policyholders who number 1.1 million out of over 5 million customers throughout the United Kingdom. LV= recently profiled four shareholders who are in same-sex relationships as part of their examination of what the “traditional” British family looks like today – and what that family’s financial needs may be. Iain and David, from Sussex, have been together for 23 years and are raising their two adopted children, biological brothers Christopher and Anthony. Over the course of their nearly quarter-century together, Iain and David have faced discrimination in financial services.

    “When I applied for my first mortgage with my previous partner in the late 1980s, we weren’t allowed to have an endowment mortgage because we were a gay couple,” Iain said. “There were concerns about AIDS and at the time we were asked to have an HIV test.”

    Still, things are improving, according to Sarah and Laura, another same-sex couple insured through LV=. “Society is increasingly inclusive as more individuals are finding the courage to be themselves openly,” Sarah said. “It has led to an increasing presence of families like us in daily life and in the media. The progress is slow but it’s heading in the right direction…”

    Sarah, from Reading, married Laura, from Idaho in the USA, three years ago. Civil partnerships and marriage equality have made it easier for same-sex couples to traverse the difficult immigration process, but there are still financial concerns these couples have to consider. “Our experience of life insurance was that it wasn’t as straightforward as expected,” Sarah said. “We took independent advice when looking as there were a lot of questions we wanted clarification on, and a lot of future-focused parts that we weren’t sure how to answer.” Not being from “traditional families” can present unique challenges at work and when applying for insurance and other financial products, as Iain explained. “I have experienced people at work thinking that David and I fill traditional roles most of the time, I’ve earnt slightly more than David and there’s been an assumption that he’s the primary carer and I’m not.”

    Same-sex couples also have more typical financial concerns, especially in our tumultuous world. “Things are moving so fast, with Brexit, with what’s happening America,” Iain explained. Planning to use the equity in their home for their own future, they’re unsure they’ll be able to give their children enough to get on the housing ladder. “[I]f we have to rely on the equity in this house, their inheritance will be less – and there’s a worry about the housing market.”

    Sarah and Laura don’t have children, but plan to in the future. “We have a checklist that is a mixture of practical and financial factors we want in place before trying, which includes priorities such as buying a home, paying back any loans (excluding mortgage), finishing our travel wish list (for now), and having enough in savings for fertility treatment.” Fertility treatments could become even more expensive as the NHS has considered cutting funding amidst an ongoing budget crisis. This uncertainty about the future is why Sarah and Laura are planning ahead. “Our plan is to take as much control as we can as early as possible, rather than relying on government pensions when we get to retirement age,” Sarah said. “We both contribute to private pensions and are focusing on building up savings.” They say they worry about unexpected expenses, preferring to pay for insurance on their home and car “so that we don’t have to find large sums if something goes wrong.”

    50 years since decriminalisation, gay and lesbian British families have come a long way. But while we look at the past, it’s also important we look towards the future and plan ahead. Getting a sound financial footing now can help gay and lesbian families achieve even greater personal happiness as we continue to benefit from and enjoy the fruits of equality.

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Gaucho Restaurant Broadgate, London

    ★★★★★ | Gaucho Restaurant Broadgate

    Gaucho Restaurant Broadgate, London

    Are you looking for a perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon? Look no further, Gaucho Restaurant Broadgate in the City is the place to go.

    Gaucho Restaurant, which sits right in the middle of the UBS buildings right near Broadgate Circle, is hosting Saturday Electro Brunch. It’s an excellent, fun and perfect mix of music, food, and alcohol, and it’s also the perfect place to while away a Saturday afternoon. And it’s not just brunch, it’s Electro Brunch, and it’s an orgy of food and alcohol, and a real live D.J. spinning electro beats, in a sumptuous and very classy atmosphere, all for the low price and excellent valued £49.99.

    Yes, for just £49.99 you get all you can eat and drink, from 11-4 on Saturdays, and the excellent price of £49.99.

    We went on a recent Saturday afternoon to have a taste, and we were not disappointed at all. Brunch being the keyword in the name, the food are all brunch items, and I tried to have as much as possible to get a real flavour, and taste, of the menu, as the portions are appetizer size, and that was not a problem. The 2 small sizes of the French Toast were perfect. Served with peanut butter and strawberries. The Avocado on Toast popular as it is now on menus, couldn’t have been fresher. And my lunch companion wanted gluten-free bread, and Gaucho accommodated her, no problem! She also asked for, and got, salmon on toast, a dish that wasn’t even on the menu!

    Of course, I had to have the Steak & Eggs, and it came out as ordered. Small portion, but the steak was mighty tender, and with Chimichurri dressing which is on every table, it made it all the more superb. And the oven baked chorizo was practically a main meal in itself and consisted of a nice slab or chorizo, fried eggs, delicious mushrooms and served in a small frying page, and while the chorizo was not as well cooked as I would’ve liked, it was very good. And the coup de gras were the pancakes. Though small, the two had almonds and just the right amount of syrup, dessert size portion, but a dish that I would highly recommend – tres Bueno! Also on the menu include Eggs Florentine, Fried Provoleta, Beans on Toast, Eggs Royale, and Bacon or Choripan Sandwich – there’s just so so so much!

    And let’s not forget the drinks. You get a choice of the Gaucho Bloody Mary, the Aperol Spritz, Rubia Pilsener Lager, and Domaine Chandon or non-alcoholic refreshing juices such as the Apple Gone Loupe or Orange Zinger, both very refreshing and cool. For £10 more you can upgrade to the Electro Brunch Premium, which includes the above as well Pornstar and Espresso Martinis! So you owe it yourself to experience this – you’ll have an amazing time with a staff that’s so very nice and lovely in a setting that’s delectable and delicious.

    Gaucho’s Electric Brunch is on every Saturday from 11 – 4 at Broadgate, Canary, Chancery, Piccadilly, Sloane, Smithfield, Tower Bridge

    £49.95 PER PERSON
    BIRMINGHAM, LEEDS & MANCHESTER – £45.00PP

    Gaucho requires a deposit of £10 per person to secure your booking
    Guests can have as many plates as they like within two hours.
    All dishes and beverages are included in the price for 2 hours from the time of seating, so indulge yourself.

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  • CAR REVIEW | Dacia Duster Lauréate

    ★★★★ | Dacia Duster Lauréate

    Sometimes the annoying happens. For some time now I’d wanted to try a Duster and when l managed to get hold of one I was told that it was due for replacement in 2018 but would l still like one anyway?

    This got me thinking and with the Duster already being good value for money if you just take its list price as a guide only, I wondered if it would make even better sense to buy one as a run out model or just buy one now?

    If you are looking for an SUV type vehicle but feel you need to steer clear of Dacia’s offerings because it seems ridiculously cheap and looks a bit gawky then more fool you. In the days where cheap cars from the Eastern Bloc really were dreadful except for the price and a warranty, then I’d understand your viewpoint. What you need to do is not only take my word for it but also judge for yourself by the number of awards, praise and accolades the Duster has achieved since its UK launch in 2012.

    The advertising campaign used for the Duster is a good one too. All multitude of people from all walks of life singing “another one buys a Duster” ending with “hay, why don’t we get one too” and you should.

    What you can disregard from the previous models are the engines. The £14,990 Duster Lauréate sitting on my drive came with the 1.2 TCe 125hp engine and not once did l complain. The 205Nm of torque available from 2000rpm was enough if you didn’t mind the occasional cog swap when you wanted to overtake. The little engine was incredibly sweet. Smooth and quiet. It wasn’t what l was expecting if l am honest.

    The range starts from £9500 for the basic 2wd Access model that comes with no radio, through a 5 model range topping at a heady £18,400. We were given the midrange Lauréate model in 2wd. You can’t help but notice where the savings have come from and why these are such good value.

    It’s pretty much a 2010 Renault Clio inside. No such bad thing to be honest. It’s tried and tested and works. You also notice a massive dial to the right on the dashboard for altering the headlight angles. Something very French and I’ve not seen in a car since the 1980s. Crude, sort of, but immensely effective. And that is the key to the Duster’s success. It’s an immensely effective vehicle.

    Renault switchgear aside, the ergonomics are not. The inbuilt satnav and infotainment screen was awkwardly placed and visual information from the screen during a navigated journey would have resulted in eyes coming off the road, adjusting and then back to the road again. The talking part of the satnav works far better in practice and the commands were clear and concise. The 6-speed gearbox was a welcome standard feature if only because in 5th gear, the stick fouled against my lanky resting leg.

    That is annoying for one reason, the Duster gets into its stride quite easily and on the fast roads, it is easy to relax and let the satisfactory engine performance do the rest. Fifth is a gear that isn’t needed often except for the most arduous inclines. This then makes the cruise control easier to use.

    Load space is plentiful. In a car this cheap you wouldn’t be too picky about throwing everything at it. And good job too. I like to see the odd token of body colour here and there except in the boot where the load edge is uncovered and the inner of the tailgate painted. It wouldn’t take long for this to get scratched. It would infuriate me because l like the car and I’d want to look after it. Speaking of looking after it, it is ok in the put together department too. At this price, it isn’t outstanding but there was nothing I’d be too miffed about. It’s another thing the Duster does to you, you start to appreciate its no-nonsense approach to human transport.

    Ride and handling are an odd balance. It’s quite French in its ways. In actuality, it’s quite old-school French. It rides with such a lovely subtle ride that pretty much caresses the irregularities of the road. This also endows it with is a lot of bump steer and corner lurching when you get busy in the S bends. Being slightly jacked up in its SUV format, this exaggerates the motion. For this alone, I would remove the ‘sports’ tag from the SUV. It will carry you great distances in comfort. Used as a load lugger or commuter car is where it is best. A sports car it is not.

    It is a pretty sizeable car inside. I put it to good use in collecting some bits for a project. The rear section swallowed a whole camper van door and there was still space for other items. Folding the rear seat was simple and there are some neat locators in the trim to get the seat belts out of the way. With the seats folded they do not give a flat floor area.

    Look through the options for the Duster and you’ll be surprised at how well you can spec it up. As it is, the model tested would have done me proud. For little over £2000, you can have all the individual extras available. Some of them are available in packages too. Probably the best package is the extended warranty. For £850 you get 7 years or 100,000 miles of peace of mind motoring as long as you adhere to the terms.

    I’d take the Duster as it is, right now, even before the new model arrives. I don’t know about ‘another one buys a Duster’ but I’ve got brass in my pocket and I’m going to use it.

    Love
    Price
    Comfort
    Ease of access to service items including lights

    Loathe
    Exposed paint in the boot area
    Infotainment screen position
    Ergonomics

    The Lowdown
    Car – Dacia Duster Lauréate TCe 125 4×2
    Price – £14,990 (as tested)
    MPG – 46.3 mpg (combined)
    Power – 0-62mph – 10.4 seconds
    Top Speed – 109 mph
    Co2 – 138 (g/km)

  • THE QUEER COOK | The basic curry

    I am a white man from Birmingham who has lived in Devon for the last 26 years. What could I possibly teach you about making a curry… well…

    I have been fortunate through friends to know people who lived in India at the time of the Raj, in Burma and have friends who are Indian. What I cook is a melting pot of what I have been taught, what I have read, and what works for me.

    These are the basics

    In most of the curries I cook, there is a trinity of essential fresh ingredients that add flavour. They are Ginger, garlic, and Chilli.

    Many sauces have a base of onion and tomato. Flavour is enhanced with the use of fresh Coriander leaves at the end of cooking.

    The essential spices in powder form in my Indian cupboard are:

    Turmeric, Cumin, Coriander, Garam Masala, mild curry powder, Tandoori Masala

    I have cupboards full of many more powders, seeds, dried leaves and variants on pre-spiced dishes. A good friend travels a lot in the East and brings me back things I have never seen to try and experiment with.

    The Process

    Generally, for many dishes, this will be the process. With each stage, I will give the reason why I do what I do and when.

    1. Heat oil in a saucepan. Enough to cover the bottom of the pan with about 0.5cm in depth.
    2. Add a few black mustard seeds if you have them (These start to pop and jump in the oil when it reaches the correct temperature to add the onions; so they fry and don’t boil in the oil)
    3. When the onions start to turn golden brown add crushed garlic and chopped ginger.(In comparison to the onion these will burn quickly and spoil so there is no need to add them until about 2 minutes is left in the frying time of the onion)
    4. Reduce the heat and when it has settled after about 30 seconds or so stir in the powders. Immediately the powders are stirred in add 2 or 3 dessertspoonfuls of water. (Powders burn very quickly. They will cook in 10-30 seconds and any longer without water risks ruining the flavour and being left with an acrid bitter burnt aftertaste)
    5. Add fresh chilli whether chopped or sliced. (If chilli is added when the oil is hot it spoils very quickly and will give off a vapour that will make you choke and cough. It also ruins the flavour of the chilli)
    6. Add pureed tomato. This combines with the onion and spices and becomes the sauce for your curry.
    7. When the tomato is all absorbed into the sauce and the oil separates, the sauce is ready for meat and/or vegetables and seasoning with salt.
    8. If you are adding yoghurt to the sauce this is the stage I add mine. Yoghurt is likely to separate if you just pour it in. I blend mine with a little water and tomato so that it is thoroughly mixed prior to going into the sauce. Once added stir until the sauce comes back to the simmer.
    9. Finishing touches. When the meat or vegetables are cooked, taste to check and adjust the seasoning with salt. Stir in lemon or lime juice if the recipe calls for it. Garnish with Fresh chopped Coriander. (Lemon and Lime are added after the heat is turned off as the juice burns and spoils the flavour if added during cooking. Coriander leaves have a delicate flavour that is lost and cooked away if added as more than a garnish at the end.)

    NB If you want a stronger flavour of fresh coriander in your sauce use the root or the stems as these are both stronger in flavour and can stand cooking in the sauce. I add mine as a root in a paste with the powders, as a finely chopped stem once the tomato has been added

    Now all you need are some recipes. These will follow and it is likely as they do new ingredients will be added.

  • The Queer Cook

    I cook to sustain life because I live on a budget, I find it therapeutic; it is a good way to entertain friends.

    Living alone and on a small income means I have to derive benefit from every penny and cannot afford to waste money on ready meals or pre-cooked sauces.

    Four years ago I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Cooking from scratch means I can control the amount of sugar, salt, fat and other content in my food. In that time my blood sugar level has gone from 108 down to 43. This equates to my blood sugar being at a pre-diabetic position now. Food has played its part and so has the medication in tablet form I take daily.

    These days I rarely have people round to share a meal. So I thought I would share my cooking with you via the Internet. In the articles to follow as “The Queer Cook” I will share my experience of food and the techniques, I use to achieve pleasing results.

    It is not hi-tech, I have a small kitchen, a gas cooker, a microwave and a blender. Amongst my utensils are a set of saucepans that are 14 years old and knives and cutlery I have had from a few months to 20 years. A colander, given to me by my mother. She purchased it in 1972 or 1973 and passed it on to me around 1979.

    My cooking is from a lifetime of experience. In some ways, I resent television chefs as they have given away many of the tips and tricks it took me years to discover from others and develop through trial and error. I was cooking before Jamie Oliver was born and the only “F” word in my kitchen is the “frying” pan.

    Over time I hope to add many recipes of foods I enjoy and hope you will enjoy them too. It is my intention to build on the recipes by adding to their appeal with videos on YouTube.

    Hopefully, the recipes can be a resource for people wanting to cook affordable meals from scratch.

    Please feel free to send me your recipes and tips so we can make this a joint effort