Fried chicken was all the rage in 2019 – will it be just as popular in 2020? Well Other Side Fried (OSF) is trying to make sure this will be the case.
With five locations in London, including two in Brixton, they are all about fried chicken – just what it says in the name! Buttermilk – dipped chicken is offered in several burger varieties. In my quick visit there one Saturday afternoon to the flagship restaurant in Brixton (not Pop) – the Honey Butter chicken burger stood out on the menu. Loads of pickles and lettuce under the chicken with bacon on top – was – to borrow a well-known phrase – finger-lickin’ good! It wasn’t that large considering the price – £8.45 – but it was delicious thanks to the smoked honey butter sauce. My friend had the Bacon Cheese chicken burger with OSF special sauce – at £7.45. Other burgers include the Classic, Buffalo, Garlic & Mayo and Vegan – all priced between £6.45 and £8.45. What makes OSF chicken burgers taste better than KFC? The quality for one, and secondly the taste – OSF are original, and good.
The order of fries were very good – they were of the small-sized variety. I asked for no salt so that I could taste them as they should be tasted – plain, but they came salted – oh well – but were cheap (£2.45). The Dirty Tots were superb. A bit pricey at £5 – they were topped with bacon bits and delicious ranch/hot sauce but weren’t hot at all. We thoroughly enjoyed these and ate them all up.
We tried the Garlic Butter Mayo and Smoke Honey Mustard (superb) dips to go with our chicken and fries(a must at 50p each). If you want bacon or Parmesan cheese these will set you back £1 each.
Beer, wine (pending liquor license approval in the main branch) and soft drinks are available as well.
If you find yourself in either Camden (Camden Lock Market), Leicester Square or Peckham (Peckham Levels), you’ll find their other locations. They are smaller so there are less menu options but the quality of food is the same throughout all the locations. The original location is right near Brixton tube station – you can’t miss it – it’s all glass – and an ugly orange inside. Too bad loud rap music was on play – not pleasant for this small 16-seater location. And unusually it was not busy at all when we were there at Saturday lunchtime.
Thanks to OSF – it looks like the fried chicken craze is here to stay – though I’d still stay away from Chicken with waffles – it’s so so wrong!
VW has just launched Passat 8.5. In a market packed with over-inflated SUV’s, you could be forgiven for thinking the Passat was no longer with us. Truth is, it’s still an important model to VW and has been with us longer than the Golf.
This mid-sized saloon hasn’t had the greatest starts in life if you include it past DNA and in that I’m talking about the ill-fated 411 and 412. VW couldn’t let go of that rear-engine layout and as a result, made a car that was out of date before it even started back in 1968.
Europe was changing and it was all about engines at the front and luggage at the back.
VW fought back with the purchase of NSU and Audi. Soon the Audi 80 was badged as the Passat and in 1973 in an array of models similar to the Audi, the Passat was born. Unlike the Audi, the VW had a fastback look about it in a hatchback configuration.
In 1981 the B2 MK2 Passat was born. Unlike its stablemate from Audi, the B2 80 had been born much earlier in 1978. What VW was to do was to take the style of the 80’s sporty sibling, the GT coupe and turn it into their new Passat. Somewhat cheeky it has to be said but what this meant for the VW driver was a car that looked like the Audi Quattro rally weapon with all the practicalities of a Golf. The hatchback body remained and was only available as a Volkswagen.
Fitted into this Passat and here for us to look at today is the 5 cylinder 2-litre engine. This 1988 GL5 model was packed with innovative ideas made it top of the range. The 5 cylinder, fitted with fuel injection meant performance and power. It developed 115bhp at a thundering 5400rpm. Torque was a useful 164Nm at 3200rpm. And this figure would plague you because this all-conquering model was mated to a 4+E gearbox.
The Audi That’s A Volkswagen
This gearbox was Volkswagens attempt at making the car economical on a run. 4th being an overdrive and 5th being even more of an overdrive lowering the engine revs to an all-time low. This really did make 5th a gear a cruising gear. And it worked. On the urban cycle, it would return a normal 25.9 miles per gallon. Absolutely nothing to shout about but at 56mph you could get 47.1mpg and that meant you could travel some great distances on one tank of fuel.
Sadly you wouldn’t get close to that figure for one reason with that 5 cylinder engine up front. Forget the screaming sounds of V8’s or the silky feel of a V6. The straight 5 in the VW sounded like a budget Audi Quattro. The same Audi Quattro that you would hear on BBC’s Grandstand rally reports spitting fire. It was a sound that blew you away and in the Passat GL5, it blew you away even if it didn’t go quite as fast or spit fire from the exhaust. You see, it sounded fast. The engine felt amazing and it made you feel great.
The drive and handling were set more for a luxury liner than a sports car. Spirited driving wouldn’t give you the full point and squirt of the Quattro and this is where your Quattro Passat ends but it’s also where Passat starts. The Passat GL5 was about distance cruising and it managed to do that well. Back to back with German cars of the time, this Passat has a distinctive French feel about it. It floats and cossets you like a Citroën. There is a massive amount of Germanic harshness missing. Its like has never been seen again from Volkswagen.
Was it expensive in that way Volkswagens were in the ’80s? Considering its relatively scarcity back then, it really wasn’t any more costly to buy that the top sellers in the market. For your £9356 you could save a grand and buy a Vauxhall Cavalier GLS or for about the same money, buy a loaded up Ford Sierra Ghia. Now, this was the problem for the Passat GL5. CAR magazine told you to buy the Cavalier. They said it was the better car but we all knew the GLS was the tops. It even came with alloy wheels and tinted glass. The Sierra rubbed its horse brass in your face with the badge of Ghia. A badge that stood for the top of the range.
Introverted German Style
VW didn’t really shout out about their conservative Passat. The only car they did shout about was the Golf GTI and even then that didn’t quite get the fanfare it was worthy of. Volkswagen liked to keep it quiet, almost introverted. In the words of a Victoria Wood burger sketch from her one-off show, An Audience with…, “the introverts burger, it’s just a serviette but they don’t like to say anything”
This was VW’s way. And a shame because despite the lacking of glitz and glamour, the inside of the Passat GL5 was steeped in plush velour everywhere. The carpets had a quality shag about them and it felt solid. And the inside niceties didn’t stop there. You had all-round electric windows with ergonomically challenging switches on the door or centre console. Fitted like an afterthought, the switches were at least taken from the modern VW switchgear. The rest of the switchgear was dated clicky switches from the last generation of Volkswagens.
The Passat has continued to shine as a product for VW and all generations have retained some element of DNA from this very model. The one thing, thankfully, they haven’t taken is the awful offset steering wheel. Perhaps that’s why VW didn’t want to shout about the Passat?
There’s an oasis in Central London where time stands still, that is full of vivid colours and wonderful aromas, a place where you can just forget about the outside world, your troubles, politics, and just release.
The oasis is The LaLit London – a very unique and luxurious Hotel.
Situated right between Tower Bridge and City Hall, The Lalit also has an amazing restaurant – Baluchi – a Pan Asian food lovers delight which serves a contemporary take on Indian Dishes – food that is inspirational, divine, delicious and colourful. But more on this later.
The LaLit is one of the leading privately-owned domestic hotel brands in India, with 12 luxury hotels, palaces and resorts. The hotels are in Mumbai, Bangalore, Jaipur, New Delhi, Eastern Kolkata and Chandigarh; palaces in Udaipur and Srinigar; and the resorts in Goa (Golf & Spa Resort), Kerala (Resort & Spa Bekal), Khajuraho (Mangar and Temple View). It’s sole London location is the LaLit Group’s first venture outside India, and it’s one amazing place.
Opening in 2017 – The LaLit London was formerly the St. Olave’s Grammar School (from 1855-1967), a stately red brick building that, from the outside, in its neo-Baroque style, still has this appearance. (Lambeth College occupied the premises from 1968 until 2003). And inside, the rooms have not been tampered with architecturally so the former gym, offices and classrooms are still intact. And in keeping with the Grammar School theme, the rooms are named as such including the Headmasters room which is an annexed seating room next to the bar – which is called the Teacher’s Room (presumably where the teachers hung out back in the day), to the hotel rooms which are called ‘Classrooms’, and The Naanery (Baluchi) where the menu is entirely dedicated to naan bread, which was the Assembly Room back in the day. The school theme is throughout the hotel in keeping with its history.
And the rooms come in all shapes and sizes, with high ceilings. Suites large and small, from the Lalit Legacy Experience with three rooms, to The LaLit and Lambeth Suites, to the Thames River View Suite (with of course is a panoramic view of the river), and to the Tower Suite, which is part of the original tower of the building. Smaller rooms, called Classrooms, will more than match your budget.
All rooms are cosy, intimate and offer an elegant stay. And the rooms come with the usual hotel amenities but also a high tech toilet, heated bathroom floor, safe, Kronokare bath products including lotions, shampoo, conditioner and bath gel that have an amber fragrance that will take you to the forgotten ancient times of Rajasthan while the sweet and spicy tones of vanilla and spices will pamper your senses. Rooms also include Flat Screen televisions (I had a hard time getting mine to work – the remote control was temperamental), a collection of travel books, and in the bathroom more amenities including shoe polisher, comb, dental kit, shave kit, vanity and sewing kits, robes and slippers, and a scale. The beds are super comfortable, and the pillows even more so. It’s these extra little touches that make a stay here very enjoyable and memorable. But it’s the ambience, and atmosphere, the smells, and the colours that will make your stay an amazing one.
The LaLit is a very relaxing place, from the earth tone colours of the interiors of the hotel to the star pendant light fixtures throughout that give the place an Indian glow. The hotel is smoke-free and includes a 24-hour fitness centre and spa in the basement for all your pampering needs. A 24-hour desk is also available, and the views of Tower Bridge, City Hall and the amazing environs of this very unique part of London is right at your doorstep.
And then there is Baluchi restaurant – a destination all on its own. Their menu takes inspiration from the major food regions of India to carefully craft an elegant cuisine, which is made from the finest organic ingredients. And the room, the Naanery, is one of the most stunning dining rooms in London. A blue hue coloured ceiling gives the room a soothing glow, with wood-panelled walls for that very extra special and unique touch. And the food is divine. It was my second visit to this restaurant and the food was just as good this time as it was last time. The menu, continuing with the school theme, include a Beginning Term 1 (starters), Mid Term (mains), and Term Break-School Holidays (dessert) sections.
I can’t recommend enough, and am still thinking about it days later, the Kaffir Lime Chicken (starter) – it was perhaps the best taste of chicken I have ever had. Three pieces of tandoor roasted free-range chicken were perfectly cooked – nice and brown on the outside and perfectly white on the inside – and delicately placed cashew crumble along the side – made this a dish to die for, and it’s only £9.50. Also very good, and a good deal at £21.50 – was my Lamb Shank Gushtaba. Cooked with fennel, cashews and saffron, the shank was not spicy at all and was a very large portion, coupled with masala mash to make the dish a meal in itself, with the lamb amazingly tender and chunky. My dining companion had the Bharwan Zucchini (£9) as a starter – one small dumpling-like courgette with masala soya sauce, curried coconut curd and pickled garlic. It was good but not great value for the money – unlike the chicken. His main was the Aubergine Steak – three large aubergines with coconut sukka and spiced tofu mince placed on top, and cooked with Malabar sauce. It’s a nice vegan dish, with a bit of a kick – but a bit pricey at £16.50. The mango and coconut Naan was to die for – two large pieces at only £4.00 with the flavours just the right combination. And on to the desserts, the Saffron Infused Tandoori Pineapple was nothing special, with slices of tandoori cooked pineapple on the bottom of a chunk of cardamom ice cream (which was good) – at £7.50. The Raspberry and Chocolate Tart – expensive at £12.00 – was a large chunk of chocolate with pistachio sprinkles with sorbet – and was heavy. Other dessert choices that might tickle your fancy include Chocolate Mousse or the Ginger and Mint Cake.
We had a couple of drinks – mine was the Kheera Khazana – at £10 a glass it was fresh cucumber, lemonade, elderflower syrup, and fresh lime and was sweet and refreshing while my friend had a martini which was served to him accidentally incorrectly – but he drank it all. The staff at the restaurant, and including the hotel, are all nice and professional and go out of their way to make your dining experience, and stay, perfect. This included the next day at breakfast where they brought me anything I wanted, and also pointed me in the direction of the buffet. The English breakfast was very very good, and so were the pancakes (yes, I ate all of this), and the buffet had just the right amount of food from cold cuts to fruit to plenty of juices and pastries. There is also an Indian Breakfast if this tickles your fancy – including Indian style scrambled eggs, a Bombay Masala Omelette and Masala Dosa (a type of pancake made from fermented batter with potato filling) to Medu Wada – a deep-fried Latin dumpling served with sambar and coconut chutney. And if you live locally you get %15 off – however, leave the dog at home. Also, the restaurant and bar can also be hired for weddings and ceremonies.
The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group promotes inclusivity and welcomes all with open arms. The Group launched the Elphie books with the Drag Queen Story Hour – to share Elphie’s journey through understanding and embracing self to empowering others. And in their hotel magazine, The LaLit Insight, LGBT issues and articles are included, and in London, they regularly hold gay-friendly events including their NYE party which was hosted by a slew of drag acts. A great time was had by all. The Group not only advocates inclusive policies, but also adapts them as well for their 100 or so LGBT+ employees.
They also have India’s first Inclusive Loyalty program for same-sex and different-sex couples. And for Valentine’s Day The LaLit London offers a romantic five-star dinner accompanied by the sophisticated ambience of the Matthew van Kan Jazz Trio, where Chef Jomon has created a special Valentine 5 course meal. Expect to be treated with the perfect amalgamation between European and Indian cuisine. Guests will enjoy stylish dishes to share with their partners as well as individual plates for the perfect harmony. Tickets are £80 each.
The LaLit and Baluchi experience are perfect for the traveller and foodie. They both capture the essence of sophistication – they are an oasis, and what an oasis they are.
Robert Pattinson in director Robert Eggers THE LIGHTHOUSE. Credit : A24 Pictures
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Powerful acting by both Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, and superb cinematography by Oscar nominee Jarin Blaschke, are the highlights of this film about two men sent to a remote location to take care of a lighthouse in the middle of nowhere.
As boredom, heavy and continuous rain, and monstrous waves take their toll on both men, they start grating on each other after too many meals and too much time together, and it all comes to a head as Pattinson’s Ephraim Winslow starts getting annoyed as Dafoe’s bossman character Tom Wake barks one order too many.
A bit on the homoerotic side, The Lighthouse is visually so unlike any film you’ll see this year, or even this decade.
Going into this film I expected a story of the lovable Mister Rogers – the man who, for decades hosted the US children’s television show Mister Rogers Neighborhood, but it’s not a story about him.
It’s the story of writer Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) doing a magazine article about Mister Rogers.
Of course, Mister Rogers hypothetically stands in for Vogel’s father, a man he never got along with and was never able to please (played a bit over the top by Chris Cooper).
Hanks is superb as Rogers but after leaving the cinema I felt a bit ripped off as I didn’t get the film that was advertised.
Yes it’s true about all the hype surrounding the South Korean film Parasite – it’s funny, dramatic, and very very different, and it sticks to you like, well, a parasite.
Director Bong Joon-ho, who wrote the screenplay with Han Jin-won, tells the tale of the Kim family, who are all unemployed (they attempt to get a job folding pizza boxes but fail miserably) and live in a ground floor basement apartment where locals relieve themselves right outside their window. They also steal Wifi connections from neighbors.
The son, Kim-woo (Choi Woo-shik) gets a job tutoring the daughter of the wealthy Park family who live in an architecturally stunning home. And soon enough, the daughter, Ki-jeong (a brilliant Park So-dam) poses as Kim-woo’s friend ‘Jessica’ who is then hired to be an art therapist for the Parks’ young son. And then eventually the father (Song Kang-ho) and the mother (Chang Hyae-jin) get jobs in the Park household as well, infiltrating the Parks’ home and their lives, like an organism (parasite). But their good luck just about comes to an end when the former Park housekeeper (whose job the mother stole) comes back to check on what she left behind (it’s quite a surprise!), and it’s then that the Kim family ruse starts to be discovered and it all slowly starts to unravel, especially when the Parks come back home early from a rained out vacation.
It’s such an extraordinary tale that could only come from the man who gave us The Host (where a monster kidnaps a young girl), and Okja (where a young girl raises a large pig).’ Joon-ho elicits great performances from all of his cast, especially the younger actors of the Kim family – they are all very dastardly in their lies, and the Park family wife (Cho Yeo-jeong), who is oblivious to what is happening in her very own home.
Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival as well as two BAFTA Awards (Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Not in the English Language), and nominated for 6 Academy Awards, Parasite is truly one of the best films of the year – it’s a dark comedy that’s very very dark – and delicious.
Jamie is advised, by his career’s teacher that the best option for him, is to pursue a career as a forklift driver. Foolishly, despite the possibility of being surrounded by a plethora of fit warehousemen, Jamie opts for the more humdrum life of a drag artist!
He then decides, with some prompting from his best girl-friend Pritti, to attend the end of school prom in a dress. A slinky white number more akin to Wimbledon than a prom but hey, it’s a drag themed musical, so bitching’s my prerogative.
While shopping for a prom dress, he’s persuaded by Hugo, the shop owner and a retired drag veteran, to perform at the Legs Eleven cabaret show, in Sheffield, yes I said Sheffield, not Berlin in the ’30s but Sheffield! Despite last-minute anxieties, his performance is a success and well met by all his classmates. Thus giving momentum to his dreams of a Martina Navratilova prom night.
However, throughout all this, he had an erroneous belief that his dad had been holding a torch for him. A belief urinated upon from on high, when on a surprise visit to his dad, it becomes apparent that Jamie’s mum had been sending birthday and Xmas gifts addressed as his dads. With devastating effect, his dad tells Jamie, he never supported him or sent any gifts, quite the reverse, that Jamie had always been an embarrassment which is why he abandoned his mum to start a new family.
-Exit stage left: A very distraught Jamie. -Que: More heart-wrenching tunes. -Exit handbags: Copious amounts of tissues.
Through the course of the show, one grows proud of the protagonist’s ability to grow a tough skin in the face of adversity, particularly from the main antagonists, his homophobic dad and fellow schoolboy Dean, who adds racism to the smouldering pot of jealousy and hatred. All controversial topics which were deftly and eloquently handled by Jamie and his fellow classmates.
The audience roared with approval when Jamie delivered a bitch slapping, Kung Fu kiss to his would-be assailant, Dean, during one such attack, which sent him packing with his tail between his legs.
The show culminates with a feel-good finish. Our princess does go to the ball and it all ends with a sprinkling of fairy dust and happy thoughts.
The talented kids in the show bring intense levels of energy and high octane dance routines whilst the senior members of the troop keep it grounded with solid acting performances, to a great storyline that bravely tackles all sorts of current and controversial issues in a positive manner. A clever use of set and stomping songs all contributed to the deserved awards this musical has won.
Noah Thomas who plays Jamie, is a master of the eight-inch high stiletto strut and snuggles naturally into character, whilst other mentions must go to Mellisa Jacques (mum Margaret) who gives a memorable and lung-bursting rendition of “He’s my boy” and audience favourite, Hiba Elchikhe who plays Jamies best friend and her performance of “It means beautiful”.
Already booked to see it again!
Most of the original cast have taken the show on tour, so do make the effort to catch it when it visits your town!
89-year old Director Clint Eastwood shows he’s still got it.
In Richard Jewell, he tells the story of the man who was initially blamed for the bomb that exploded in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Paul Walter Hauser is fine as Jewell, an overweight security’s guard who still lives with his mother (Kathy Bates in overacting mode). A back story of a reporter (Olivia Wilde) who will do anything to get her story (including sleeping with FBI agent Jon Hamm) did not happen so take this film with a grain of salt.
Sam Rockwell is very good as usual as the man who never doubted Jewell’s innocence.
An Adam Sandler movie connotes bad acting and a stupid plot. Not ‘Uncut Gems’ – it’s fast, furious, heart-pounding and brilliant. Shockingly and shamelessly ‘Uncut Gems’ has been ignored by the people who give out film awards – its Sandlers’ best film ever as well as one of the years top movies.
The action and plot in ‘Uncut Gems’ builds and accelerates into hyperdrive – a feeling probably akin to being on meth with the high becoming more and more intense until an explosive ending.
Sandler plays Manhattan gem dealer Harold Ratner, a man known to place a few bets in his time. He comes across a rare black opal which he wants to sell for a big score. But it’s not as easy as it sounds. Other people (criminals) also want their hands on the opal, meanwhile, Ratner owes money to loan sharks, he’s been cheating on his wife (Idina Menzel) with his sexy and saucy mistress who is his assistant in the jewellery shop (Julia Fox). Also involved is a professional basketball player dangling lots of money in his face to spend on jewellery. Combining all this and what you have is a man whose life is spiralling out of control to a point where it’s do or die for Ratner.
To say Sandler is brilliant is an understatement. I saw this film last year at the BFI London Film Festival and didn’t know what to expect going in. When I left the cinema 135 minutes later, my head was spinning and my mind took hours to process what I had just seen. The ending is such a crescendo it’s so unlike anything you’d expect from a Sandler movie.
Directors (and brothers) Benny and Josh Safdie (who did the award-winning 2017 film Good Time starring Robert Pattison), with a script by both of them (and Ronald Bronstein), bring us a superb film that’s thrilling, intense, and will have you on the edge of your seat. And while all the cast is brilliant, Uncut Gems is Sandlers’ movie.
Go see it just for him, and expect the ending to just blow your mind.
‘Uncut Gems’ is on Netflix but is also currently playing in cinemas.
Jaguar’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) has taken their spanners to the all-important and top-selling Jaguar F-Pace. Looking through the model options on the F-Pace, it would seem that the V6 S we tested back in May 2018 has now gone, replaced by this all-new SVR model.
On paper alone, it doesn’t sound like much progress has been made from replacing the 375PS supercharged V6 with a 550PS supercharged V8. You might be thinking “hold on Stuart…” because these figures alone are impressive. I’ll grant you that they are. What it lays down on the road doesn’t exactly look like much in terms of the 0-60 second sprint. Just 1 second is knocked off the S models 5.1 second time.
Where the fun lies is in the top speed that you’ll never achieve on the public road of 176mph and the massive increase in torque delivery you will get when you put your foot down. Now you have 680Nm from 2,500 – 5,500rpm. We don’t need to consider the old model anymore.
Development
It feels like SVO has done some work on the iQ-Al (D7a) modular platform that is shared with the enjoyable XE saloon. And that work feels a little more than a mild tweak and a tap with a hammer. Finally, the F-Pace has the handling that enables it to keep up with its greater power outputs. It can still plough on but this time you can encourage the rear end to catch up far quicker than before. There is no doubting that the extra grunt in useable lowdown torque helps to attribute to this vastly and enjoyable improvement.
What this also means is it can all get a bit messy and a lot of fun. It makes for a big car that feels less nervous. Even on moist roads, the traction is all there and exploitable. Now we have a car that gets a bit twitchy on the rear when confronted with coming out of fast roundabouts if you so wish for it to do so.
And all of this happens before, and by accidentally, that you select S on the gear stick. I’ll be a little unprofessional here and say I did scream and cry at the same time as it shot down the road like a stone from a catapult. What felt like a fast vehicle suddenly became even faster with more response from throttle inputs and manual inputs with gear changes.
Legally you can’t use this outrageous amount of power all the time. There comes a time where you need to be civil to other road users. Sometimes that means shutting off the snarling exhaust sound system controlled by a system of flaps and baffles.
On a normal kind of drive or commute, the F-Pace SVR is a gentle giant. Its interior on this press model, were rather cosseting and the though the seats didn’t visually lend themselves to look comfortable, did a good job.
Attention To Details
Inside the F-Pace, there is an absence of race materials. Instead, Jaguar has opted for leather and soft-touch materials where it is needed. It’s fit and finish are OK though they would struggle to match those from BMW and Mercedes and its looks are a little dated now.
And this is a shame because this is Jaguar and it’s a premium brand of car. But it fails in a few areas of neglect that niggle a bit if you go looking for them. The glovebox, for instance, has some unrefined sharp edges around it and then we get to my visual dislike in a Jaguar interior. Namely in the ambient illuminations set in the doors. Personally I’ve never liked blue lighting. It’s a harsh light so add this to the black and red leather interior and you do wonder who at Jaguar is in charge ofmaking this decision. Other interior colours are available in black with cream or tobacco or all black.
And this is the main problem for the F-Pace. It’s 4 years old in 2020 and dated inside because of this. Thankfully for £210, you can tick a box that gives you a choice of 10 colours. Keep it white as standard and you wouldn’t need this.
All this extra doesn’t come cheap and that’s before you’ve added your own essentials. You’ll regret not adding such items like the ‘driver assistance pack’ at £3100 so you can kiss the reasonable list price of £75,335 goodbye. Add the options that we have here and it tips the scales at over £83k.
Can I justify this to you? If motoring is on a budget then no, this F-Pace is not for you but you might find what you want lower down the range. That said, if a fast SUV vehicle with a kick is what you want, you’d find a lot of the competition out there quite lacklustre. There aren’t that many as accomplished and as outrageous as this and that’s why I’m rather taken by it.
The cast of Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society are back, with a disaster filled version of Peter Pan. Somewhere between the scenery collapsing, the technical hitches, backstage fallouts and some unrequited love between cast members, the troupe try to desperately to keep the show on the rails as chaos increasingly takes over, Peter Pan stops thinking happy thoughts and the crocodile becomes the star of the show.
Mischief Theatre returns following on from The Play That Goes Wrong and The Comedy About A Bank Robbery with two hours of laughter-inducing slapstick humour as the fictional cast try desperately to get through the performance. With slick precision and perfect comic timing, the cast plough through a barrage of jokes with a broad scattergun approach to the humour, as some jokes hit the mark, some miss completely and with another gag always rapidly following the last.
There were certainly plenty of smiles, chuckles and belly laughs to be had throughout the show’s duration, although the last ten minutes did descend more into silliness than comedy, but this didn’t detract from the feel-good factor the show produces. Cast member Oliver Stenton steals most of the scenes he touches; whilst Tom Babbage captures the hearts of the audience as the hapless Max.
If you have seen Mischief Theatre before, then you will know exactly what to expect and you won’t be disappointed as they continue with their trademark humour. If you’ve not, then Peter Pan Goes Wrong is a great introduction to them with an enjoyable, silly and easily entertaining show.
