THEGAYUK

Tag: London News

All the latest from London, the capital of the UK, home to the UK’s largest gay community.

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Brasserie Blanc- Southbank

    RESTAURANT REVIEW | Brasserie Blanc- Southbank

    ★★★ | Brasserie Blanc- Southbank, great for Meat but leaves vegetarians out in the cold.

    Brasserie Blanc - Southbank
    Brasserie Blanc – Southbank

    Brasserie Blanc, belonging to Chef Raymond Blanc, have multiple locations across the country, their Southbank branch recently under going a refurb. The restaurant itself is easy on the eyes and feels airy thanks to the large floor space. But, both peckish and avid fans of french food, we are more interested in what’s on the menu!

    The cocktail menu is rather enticing with drinks like the rose petal Martini (£8.50), coming out candy floss pink concocted out of Beefeater gin, lychee liquor, rose vermouth, fresh lemon and cranberry. Sounds good right? It was. My friend crowning it one of the best cocktails she has ever had. I went for a non-alcoholic apple & ginger fizz (£4)- generous ginger giving life to the sweet fizzy apple, so refreshing. If i had been drinking alcohol, I would have gone for the rhubarb & honey Martini. Check their website for details on £5 cocktails from 5pm.

    The A la carte menu is very well put together with French classics, although i’m not entirely sure the menu is well equipped for vegetarian diners. To start, Potted Cromer Crab (£9.50), layered with avocado, guacamole, prawn butter and served with toasted pain de campagne. The texture was super smooth and creamy, herbs running through it like coriander make the dish light, and a strong taste of the sea made this a worthy start to the meal.

    Also starting was Maman Blanc’s Salads (£7.50) – I do love a good legacy dish. Six different kind of salads arranged around the plate, with gorgeous bright colours. I’m not entirely sure the dish comes together as a whole but the individual elements were delicious; sharply dressed tomatoes, pickled veg much like a dry piccalilli, celeriac remoulade, cucumber & dill, potato & creme fraiche and a carrot ‘slaw. You could easily recreate this dish at home, which i may well do for a Summer soiree at some point. There was a dominant onion / garlic flavour and i could have done with a lot more seasoning.

    Brasserie Blanc - Southbank
    Brasserie Blanc – Southbank

    Our eyes nearly popped out of our heads, and my jealousy set in as my friends Steak Tartare ‘Maison’ (£21.50) arrived at the table, made with free-range Cornish beef too. Everything about this dish was on point, and the presentation was particularly stunning. The silky spicy beef is then adorned in delicious trinkets like cornichons, capers, shallots, herbs, and done so with such style.

    All of which made my main course even more disappointing than it already was. I was having a vegetarian day and ordered the Chickpea & Coriander Cake (£12.50) – A huuuuuge portion, which would have been great if the dish were at all nice. Two big patties, just about holding their shape together. The dish was bland and I didn’t understand the incestuous idea of the chickpea patties lying on top of a bed of chickpeas. There’s only so many chickpeas you can handle, and now I’m saying the word chickpeas a lot. See the problem here? TOO MANY CHICKPEAS. It did not agree with the aubergine puree it was served with, it was sour and pungent, almost like it was stale. Poor show considering this is the only vegetarian option on the a la carte menu for main dishes.

    We shared the Pistachio Souffle (£7.50) for dessert, and were glad that we did share, as this green wobbly atomic cloud gently lands at the table. I was a bit dubious about the idea of a pistachio souffle, but the hint of chocolate in it really bring it all together. Light as you’d like, extremely sweet but then the main aftertaste is pistachio nuts. I really liked the journey of flavours this dish takes you on.

    Our personable and sweet server, Marchin, was lovely to chat with and looked after us very well, it was he that suggested the souffle and we were glad he did. The restaurants location meant a lovely stroll along the river after our meal. I would return to Brasserie Blanc, but definitely as a meat eater for that tartare, and most definitely as a drinker for that rose petal Martini.

    REVIEWED BY : @Lohanjordan

    ADDRESS: 9 Belvedere Road, Southbank , London, SE1 8YP

    TELEPHONE: 0207 202 8470

    PRICE:  ££££ (explained)

    STAR: *** (explained)

    TIPPING POLICY : http://brasserieblanc.com/restaurants/southbank/

     

    Follow Jordan Lohan on Twitter

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Strut And Cluck

    RESTAURANT REVIEW | Strut And Cluck

    Almost every other block in London has a chicken restaurant, whether it’s Nando’s (they’re all over the place, unfortunately), Clockjack Oven, Bird, or Chickenshop. However, another bird is making its debut in London – turkey.

    Sauce PR
    Sauce PR

    Strut & Cluck, which has free range turkey dishes on its menu, has thrown open its doors in trendy Shoreditch. It bills itself as a restaurant inspired by eastern Mediterranean home cooking, as well as dishes that come from the Israeli owners’ own family.

    On a strip of Commercial Street that has Nando’s and Costa right across the street, and the posh Hawksmoor next door, Strut & Cluck is a warm and cozy restaurant that has a relaxed, cool ambiance and is easy on the eyes. The story behind the idea of the restaurant is based on mom and family chef, Limor, who started serving her family turkey as a healthy alternative to chicken. Thus the restaurant Strut & Cluck was hatched.

    Giving it a try a week after its official opening, me and my dining companion were welcomed by the friendly staff to the back section of the restaurant – an indoor porch-like setting – with wooden tables and large bay windows. We were presented with a cup of Arak – a sweetened anise-flavored alcoholic drink. It was sweet and had a bit of a zing to it. We then ordered four starters and two main courses from a menu that categorises its food as Nibbles (light starters such as olives and popcorn), Roasted & Tossed (Mediterranean taster dishes), On the Bone (Turkey), and No Bones (pastrami, kofta, escalope and schnitzel). The star starter was definitely the Charred Cauliflower – cauliflower that’s been charcoaled, with lemon zest infused créme fraiche, nigella seeds, and pomegranate. I’ve not eaten anything like it before, it was stunning. We ordered the half portion and it was enormous! Also delivered to us was a dish called Far East-Middle East – lettuce cups filled with spicy hand pulled turkey, topped with roasted almonds, pomegranate and Labneh (Lebanese cream cheese). It was a bit spicy yet cool and delicious. We also had Spread of Labneh, which came with cherry tomatoes and sourdough dipping bread.

    The mains were just as fabulous. We decided to share as it would’ve been a crime not too. Limor’s Classic Slow-Roast Thigh turkey was simply superb. It’s a large turkey thigh, served on a bed of caramelised red onions with sweet potatoes. The skin was crispy while the inside was very moist and tender. We also ordered the Hand-pulled Shawarma with dates and pine nuts, served on a bed of freekeh (wheat) and a dollop of Labneh. It was a true Mediterranean dish encompassing many regions. The table next to us, meanwhile, had ordered the Charcoal-Grilled Escalope, and it looked scrumptious.

    After feeling absolutely stuffed and satisfied, we went for desert. The staff recommended a Baked Haroset (a small cake made of fruits and nuts which is usually served as a Passover dish), and Seasonal Fruit (charcoaled!). I was served plums over almond crumble with a scoop of ice cream (gelato if you want – I went for the passionfruit). The almond crumble that came with it was dry and flaky and hard to eat with the fruit – perhaps a syrup or cherry sauce would’ve given it more of a flavor? The Haroset, of Palestinian origin, which was nut and apple grated, is also served with either ice cream or gelato. While it did not wow us, it was nice, light, and not too large. There’s also a selection of excellent cool, refreshing cocktails, some with ingredients such as turkey bourbon, fruit jam, and jalapeños! Beers, wines and juices are also offered.

    Why Strut & Cluck over those cloney chicken places? Turkeys are a super food, being one of the most nutrient-dense sources of protein. Turkey also contains essential amino acids as well as phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and iron, and is also a great source of lean protein. It also contains all the B vitamins, and Strut & Clucks’ turkeys contain no growth promoters or artificial additives.

    Our waiter Francesco was very friendly and explained the unique and unusual menu to us. With starters costing in the range of £5 and £8 and mains no higher than £12, Struck & Cluck is a very affordable, and excellent, lunch or dinner choice. It’s a journey of flavours that your taste buds will not have experienced before. In Israel, Turkey is eaten all the time, in America it’s pretty much eaten on Thanksgiving, however, in London, it’s practically unseen and unheard of. With Strut & Cluck, founded by husband and wife Amir and Limor, let’s hope that this will change, as Struck & Cluck fuses together turkey and Mediterranean flavors, with an emphasis on Israeli food. Strut & Cluck is a delicious, sensible, and much much better alternative to Nandos!

    Strut and Cluck has seating for over 70 people, and there is also a ten-seater private dining room).

     

    Reviewed by: Tim Baros

    Address: 151-153 Commercial St,  Shoreditch, London E1 6BJ

    Website: http://www.strutandcluck.com

    Phone: 020 7078 0770

    Rating: ★★★★

     

     

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Briefs

    THEATRE REVIEW | Briefs

    ★★★★ | Briefs

    PR Supplied
    PR Supplied

    There are seven men who strip down to their briefs every night on the Southbank – in a show called ‘Briefs!’

    At the London Wonderground right near the London Eye, ‘Briefs’ is one of the world’s hottest all-male boylesque extravaganzas. For the fourth straight year, these men are packing in audiences, and packing it in their briefs, to perform their stunts and magic tricks whilst leaving very little to the imagination! This Australian sixtet (plus one New Yorker) is led by the glamorous and vivacious and sarcastic hostess Shivannah. She is our guide throughout the show, with multiple outfit changes that outsparkle the spotlights!

    And her boys put on quite a show! For starters, we get Louis Biggs who has a thing for unscrambling a Rubick’s cube in his briefs, to Evil Hate Monkey (yes, that’s his name in the program) who does acrobatics that take him up and down, legs spread in the air, and another who does yo yo tricks that are a bit too close to his bits for comfort. And the best for last is the finale where heavily tattooed Mark ‘Captain Kidd’ Winmill splashes all about in a large champagne glass, and, just a word of caution – don’t sit in the first two rows!

    ‘Briefs’ is a show of glitter, flesh, high heals, very naughty jokes, and undressed men put in compromising positions, all for the benefit of their audience. It’s circus, physical theatre, showmanship and fun, lots of it, and it’s burlesque – with balls! The men have spent the last year touring the world and they’re fame is ever increasing, so now’s your chance to go see them. It’s a limited run that’s ending on September 24th – so get tickets now! ‘Brief’s’ is oh so sexy!

    Briefs plays at the Southbank until the 24th September

  • GAY THEATRE: The five shows you need to watch this Autumn

    GAY THEATRE: The five shows you need to watch this Autumn

    London is bursting at the seams with theatre and this autumn is looking particularly gay. Here are 5 things that are on my radar for the cooler weather to come.

    Boys In The Band
    The Classic One:
    “The Boys in the Band” is having a revival at the Park Theatre, London. Mr and Mr, Mark Gatiss and his husband Ian Hallard are appearing in this overdue revival of a classic gay play from 1968. Self-loathing gay man Harold isn’t happy about aging and is in for an interesting birthday night as the drinks flow too freely and one of his close friends has bought him a hot male hooker for the night. The play shocked straight audiences when it first played. It also divided gay audiences with some seeing it as a making headway in the fight for gay rights and others seeing it as a negative portrayal of waspish queens wallowing in self-pity. Not so different from some of the reactions to the way the media presents gay men in the 21st century. See what you think for yourself. This should be a corker.

    Previews: 28 Sep 2016. Runs from 4th Oct 2016 (7:00pm) until: 30 Oct 2016

    The Historical One:
    Kenny Morgan returns for a second run at The Arcola in Dalston, London. Mike Poulton based this play around the events that inspired Terrence Rattigan to write his work The Deep Blue Sea. In 1949 Rattigan’s on/off lover, the eponymous Morgan, gassed himself to death after struggling with diminishing success in his acting career and a turbulent love affair. It’s a fascinating glimpse of what life for a gay man might have been like in the post-war period and there’s a stellar turn from Paul Keating as Morgan. TheGayUK saw this first time around and I gave it a thumping good 4 stars.

    Run at the Arcola Tuesday 20 September – Saturday 15 October. They also have Pay What You Can Tuesdays (tickets in person from 6pm – limited and subject to availability).
    The Fringey One:
    The tiny Hope Theatre in Islington is perched above a pub on Upper Street and this month has these short morsels on offer, lasting 90 minutes in total. Two Short Plays About Gays are Middle Aged Rent which is about a teenager lost in the maze that was Eighties London, long before mobile phones, social media & Grindr. How he comes out, both literally and figuratively, is the focus of this new piece, specifically written to premiere at The Hope. The Diva Drag is a bittersweet story of love and (possible) reconciliation.  Do you go to your homophobic mother’s funeral, or go on stage as her instead?

    Sounds like a fascinating hour and a half in an intimate setting. Theatre in this small a venue can be visceral and fierce so here’s hoping for both.

    Runs at The Hope until 24th of September

    The Eclectic One:
    And What? is the newest (and only) pan-London Queer Arts Festival on the block, featuring 130+ artists and more than 25 events in 15 venues throughout September and October. Covering the North, South, East and West of the Capital And What? brings you everything from Visual arts to Circus, International drag Superstars to LGBTQI film and Performance Art to Dance.

    Expect edgy, scary, hilarious and some just plain wrongness (or you should demand your money back). That’s what a good fringe fest should be all about. I’m drawn to Return to Grey Gardens. I’m a sucker for RuPaul’s Drag Race star Jinkx Monsoon. Who doesn’t love a narcoleptic Jewish drag queen?

     
    The Immersive One
    Tennessee Williams’ plays speak to gay men in an inimitable way. Faded Southern Belles, repressed men and domineering matriarchs and all that passion and desperation? It certainly chimes chords with my past, present and future. Due to the constraints of his times, Tennessee’s plays didn’t feature openly gay men. This play features two and this version is semi-immersive (semi-immersive sounds good to me. It implies voyeurism with no interaction). The audience gets to spend the evening with a bunch of shameless lowlifes in a run down bar. It’s been re-imagined as taking place in a seaside bar in Essex. Sounds genius to me. William’s always gives good value and this one sounds utterly intriguing.

    Catch it at The Southwark Playhouse from the 5th to the 29th of October.

    Follow Chris Bridges on Twitter

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Party

    THEATRE REVIEW | Party

    ★★★★ | Party at Above The Stag

    CREDIT: PBGStudios
    CREDIT: PBGStudios

    There’s a party going on in Vauxhall and you’re all invited!

    Party, a play at the Above the Stag theatre, is about seven gay men who get together one evening to hang out, chat, be together, and basically talk about sex, as gay men do! And what a party it is! It involves alcohol, lots of alcohol, where seven handsome and hunky guys pretty much up for anything, play a game called Fact or Fantasy, a bit like Truth or Date, which involves, of course, male nudity – all taking place in a cozy living room.

    Party, written by David Dillon in 1992, originally ran in Chicago before moving to New York, and has even been produced internationally.

    For this version, directed by Gene David Kirk, the party, and action, takes place in a British man’s living room, with references to British culture, news, and the requisite British accents! It’s the home of Kevin (Nic Kyle), who is letting out his extra bedroom to Peter (Stefan Gough). In attendance at the party are dancer Brian (Jamie Firth), teacher Ray (Ben Kavanagh), Philip (Lucas Livesy), James (Sam Goodchild) and young and innocent Andy (Tom Leach). They’re all friends, good friends, but when they decide to play Fact or Fiction, a game where one man is to tell the truth, lie, or act out someone else’s fantasy, secrets are revealed, as well as skin, lots of skin, in a game where being shy is not an option! And it’s Ray who steals the show with best lines – he actually berates Andy for not knowing who ‘Barbra’ is or how to tell the difference between a cast album and a soundtrack. Peter reveals, during the game, that he’s got a secret crush with one of the men, while Brian is sexy and he knows it, and is the first to strip off. It’s a party in this intimate theatre where the audience feels like they’re right in the middle.

    Party is 100 minutes of very funny jokes, lively atmosphere, and laugh out loud comedy. It’s play which celebrates gay men who enjoy the company of other gay men, sexual attraction or not. And all the actors deserve praise, and courage, for baring it all – it’s exciting and done in good taste. This is one party you definitely don’t want to miss.

    Party plays at Above The Stag until October 30th

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Punkplay

    ★★★ | Punkplay

    punkplay at the Southwark Playhouse
    CREDIT: Helen Murray

    “…there are no actual rules except the ones we choose to live under. You need to eat, drink water, sleep now and then. The rest is negotiable.”

    There’s a celebration of punk this year in London. But what exactly is ‘punk”? A 40 year-old music genre, a lifestyle choice or a way of thinking? Commerce would have you believe it’s a look that you can emulate by spending cash on the high street. It’s way more complex than any of those definitions. “punkplay” relates Punk to the lives of two teenage boys who are feeling conflicted and struggling to see how they fit into 1980’s American society.

    Duck’s father wants him to enlist in the army to learn discipline and awkward and ungainly Mickey wants to find where he fits into the scheme of things and snog the face off schoolmate Sue Giki. He’s also keen to learn about sex from Duck. The boys linger in Mickey’s bedroom, making up band names, calling each other faggots and surrendering to feelings of disaffected rage. They’re on roller-skates too, all the way through the play. Don’t ponder this one too much. It makes sense by the end. They fight over a girl, insult each other and French kiss: usual teenage boy stuff.

    It’s hard to capture the anarchic and chaotic feel of punk without resorting to clichés but the mostly novice team here have managed to do this with verve and a resounding freshness. It’s uncomfortable viewing, claustrophobic and raucous with bursts of comedy. Naturally, there are blasts of music as the boys riff on an electric guitar and hammer at drums.

    This isn’t a play that will suit everyone but it has a soul and a message and it’s one that grabs the viewer. It’s one of those plays that gains something from being reflected upon and the ending redeems everything that went before. There’s a peculiar beauty to the piece and it has a witty symmetry. The play left me thinking of how “punk” relates to “queerness” and gay identity. Lack of rules and negotiable norms? I’ll take some of that.

    Punkplay runs at the Southwark Playhouse until the 1st October

    Follow Chris Bridges on Twitter

  • The top gay travel destinations revealed

    The top gay travel destinations revealed

    So you’re owed some holiday time. It’s time to pack your shiz up and go on vacay.

    Are your work colleagues starting to give your work station a wide berth and “concerned” look because you’re giving off that all-work-no-play-makes-Jack-go-crazy look?

     

    But where to go? The world is your oyster.

    Well users over at Ranker.com have been voting on the best holiday destinations to go to if you’re LGBT…

    Here’s where they suggested:

    San Francisco

    Ah, possibly the gayest location on earth. Don’t forget to visit the Castro and breath in all that gay history.

    Paris

    I mean they say Gay Paris don’t they!

    Seattle

    The weather may not always be perfect, but its stance on equality has always been incredible having legalised same-sex marriage in 2012 and having provisions for gay state employees since 2001. Bravo.

    New York City

    How you doin’…

    Montreal

    First of the Canadian cities to get voted on… Best time to go would be early August when the city celebrates Pride.

    Vancouver

    gay vancouver
    CREDIT: Pixabay / gtriay

    Let the vibrant city invigorate. Check out Davie Village and Commercial Drive.

    Melbourne

    It’s where Please Like Me is filmed… and find out what our roving travel guy Nick Baker thought of it.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Vanities: The Musical

    THEATRE REVIEW | Vanities: The Musical

    ★★★★ | Vanities: The Musical

    Imagine an afternoon Channel 5 film full of ‘women’s issues’. Or one of those novels that you take on holiday, read, instantly forget and then leave in the hotel room when it’s over. Syrupy sweet and wholesome but emotionally stirring on some levels. Predictable yet mildly intriguing and easy to digest but enjoyable nonetheless. That’s “Vanities” in summary. Oh, I almost forgot to mention: it’s also tremendous fun.

    Review of Vanties the musical
    CREDIT: Pamela Raith

     

    The story follows the friendship between three women through being High School cheerleaders in 1963 (yes, it’s American. Very American), living together in a sorority house at university in Dallas, reuniting in their late twenties in New York and finally meeting again as they are hitting 40 back in Texas. Joanne is traditional and wants to be a wife and mother, Kathy is driven and organised and wants a career as a sports teacher and Mary just wants adventure (a.k.a. sex and travel). There we have it in three handy female stereotypes: earth mother, career woman and bitch/whore. Naturally. There’s infidelity, hurt, alcoholism and nervous breakdowns plus the odd abortion, betrayal and blazing row. It’s soapy, light and watchable.

    There are, however, various qualities that elevate Vanities above this form. Firstly, the songs: they’re almost a parody, aping the girl groups of the 60s and 70s with tones of Bacharach, The Supremes and The Shangri-Las. Kirschenbaum’s lyrics are witty and amusing and although they’re not the most memorable riffs, they’re easy to listen to, raise a smile and work well in the context. Racky Plews’ choreography echoes the styling of the music and there are some moves worthy of a lip-syncing runner-up in RuPaul’s Drag Race.

    Secondly: the cast. Lizzy Connolly, Ashleigh Gray (a previous Elpheba in the Wicked U.K. tour) and the lovely Lauren Samuels (who was award nominated for ‘Bend It Like Beckham’) are all equally strong and carry the show with ease.

    Thirdly, the staging: the tiny space of Trafalgar Studios 2 is transformed into a shifting, overtly feminine space full of the cluttered paraphernalia of girlhood. The show works well at such close quarters, given the minuscule cast and scrutinised emotion.

    A 2009 sickly saccharine musical that was based on a 1974 Broadway comedy and that has never managed to hit this side of the pond? It may not sound like the best proposition for a good night out. Sit back, relax and this hollering, dancing all female group will show you just how wrong that assumption would be. Just don’t take your straight male friends. I’m not entirely sure that they’re going to ‘get’ this one. School of Rock or Groundhog Day, anyone?

    Vanities: The Musical plays at the Trafalgar Studios until 1st October 2016

    Follow Chris Bridges on Twitter

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Pharmacy 2

    RESTAURANT REVIEW | Pharmacy 2

    Now open until 2am on Saturdays for ‘Summer Lates’

    Pharmacy_2

    South of the Old Smoke’s river is becoming ain’t-no-thing-but-a-chicken-wing trendier by the week. The Tate Modern’s new pyramid Switch House has opened its awe-inspiring 360ᵒ viewing terrace; Canadian apparel brand Kit and Ace’s new boutique resides in Borough Market; and Damien Hirst and Mark Hix’s new venture – Pharmacy 2 (P2) – situated above Newport Street Gallery in Vauxhall (NSG), Hirst’s very own gallery exhibiting Damien’s personal collection from the likes of Banksy, Tracey Emin and Picasso. P2 hosts Saturday ‘Summer Lates’ night where the dripping-in-Hirst-decor eatery pumps out club grooves from 10pm until 2am with a DJ on the reins.

    Nowadays, you can’t hit the south side of the Millennium Bridge unless you’re sporting a beard, spray-on jeans and a whole menagerie of flaming birds tattooed across the back of your neck.

    Super-ish cool, hip and roughly happening kids that we are at TheGayUK – we thought we’d better slip into our skinnies and take a butchers.

    Our first artist of call: Jeff Koons, whose work currently dominates the NSG. Obvs a fave of Mr Hirst’s, he owns the whole collection here bar two pieces. A giant Balloon Monkey, oversized mound of rainbow Play-Doh and Inflatable animals intwined in household objects and each other. Just imagine if Willy Wonka didn’t have a sweet tooth.

    It was a long-term ambition of Damien’s to own a gallery and share his art wares – entry is free. Don’t miss Made in Heaven in the ‘no photos aloud’ room – see-no-evil emoji monkey.

    Appetites dosed up, we sauntered up the Fun-House-esque spiral staircase to the restaurant and were greeted as if we were clutching a Wonka Gold Ticket – a hot-chocolate welcome.

    Our waiter diagnosed parched palates and swiftly remedied with an Espresso Martini: Merlet c2 Café and espresso at £9 – and a Temperley Sour: Somerset Cider Brandy 3 years, Somerset Pomona Burrow Hill apple juice, lemon and egg white at £9.50. The martini was rich and aromatic with a firm head – just the medicine. Glüwein spices, ripe apples with zesty undertones made the West Country infused sharpener quite the positive anesthetic.

    If the staff at our local Boots had half the enthusiasm and knowledge as well as following P2’s smart dress sense we’d look forward to lining up for prescriptions.

    Our waiter administered direction – we started with Brick à l’oeuf de canard with rose harissa at £6.95 – do you remember when granny couldn’t get the Sunday Yorkshires to rise? A light half-frisby, crispy wafer pastry covering a runny egg – lively peppers and chilli from the harissa was the perfect cardiac-stimulant to complete the simple Tunisian plate. Tasty.

    The next starter: Pockstones Estate grouse on Yorkshire toast with bilberries and chanterelles at £12.50. The cure of the night, and one that should be sold over the counter. The tender bird is infused with woody overtones and hints of sweet gamey partridge – fruity aromas from the mushrooms, and bitter but intense currant flavours merge beautifully to make the ideal antidote.

    As you would expect from Damo, you’re surrounded by medicine cabinets, Hirst’s butterfly Kaleidoscope paintings and mosaics of pills – this is an adverse drug experience – beats any operating room. Capsule-ating – make an appointment with your GP.

    Pharmacy_2_interior_1_Prudence_Cuming_Associates__2H_Restaurant_Ltd._All_rights_reserved_2016

    The serum recommend to accompany our mains: Beaujolais “Vieilles Vignes”, Domaine de la Rocaillère, Burgundy, France, 2014 at £30.50. Hints of gusto Noël with savage strawberries and a modest oak bouquet – a sophisticated and well balanced bottle of plonk.

    For our mains: Torbay monkfish tail curry with onion bhaji at £16.95, and Peter Hannan’s barbecued sugar-pit rib of beef with Lambridge Farm pea salad at £18.95. The fish was succulent and the aromas were infectious – but lacking in symptoms of India – basic vital signs of flavour. In some cases braised beef can cause nausea and vomiting – quite the contrary here. Hix knows how to cook cow. Once through the syrupy barbecue coating, you’re met with a pink and supple meat – a wholegrain mustard injects tart and completes the dish.

    Throughout the evening a steady stream of well attired patients entered the premises – creating a natural buzz – no extra pharmaceuticals needed. Towards the end of our meal the DJ became the central nervous system bestowing a club/bar feel.

    ‘Summer Lates’ and Jeff Koons exhibition both finish 16th October. We prescribe a good dose of both.

     

    Reviewed by: Thabian Sutherland

    Address: Pharmacy 2 Restaurant, Newport Street, London, SE11 6AJ

    Phone: 0203 141 9333

    Website: www.pharmacyrestaurant.com

    Star Rating:  ★★★★★ (explained)

    Every Saturday Newport Street Gallery is open from 10am-10pm (last entry at 9:45pm).
    ‘Summer Lates’ at Pharmacy 2 will run from 10pm-2am (starting Saturday 30 July) until the close of the Jeff Koons show on 16 October.

    The next “late” is on the 24th September.

    Pharmacy 2 is open all-day serving breakfast / brunch, lunch and dinner.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Naked Magicians

    THEATRE REVIEW | The Naked Magicians

    ★★★★ | The Naked Magicians

    The Naked Magicians

    A naughty and funny magic show with full nudity!

    There are two men who get their kit off every night near Trafalgar Square, and I recommend that you go have a peek!!!

    These two men are Mike Tyler and Christopher Wayne, and they are starring in a new show at Trafalgar Studios called The Naked Magicians. Having seen the show, I can vouch that they do indeed take off all of their clothes (except for the strap that holds the microphone battery!).

    Directly from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Tyler and Wayne are two Aussies who’ve been performing as naked magicians all over the world for over two years, so they’re both used to baring all in front of an audience. But their charm and cheekiness in the way they strip is unique, and best of all, lots of fun.

    Both men are actual real-life magicians (and not strippers) and their show features all sorts of magic tricks. Ninety minutes in length, the handsome gents perform tricks such as pretending to smash an audience members mobile phone, using an inflatable penis to get members of the audience to reveal their porn names (name of street you grew up on and the name of a pet) while already having it written down, card tricks galore, and of course the disappearing clothes trick, are all part and parcel of what they do. Of course, any magic show wouldn’t be a magic show without audience participation, and some lucky (?) members of the audience get the chance to go on stage and help the men to ‘perform’ their magic. Since this boisterous magic show is R-rated, the humour and the jokes, are for an adult audience, so if you’re prudish, go see Aladdin instead! And near the end of the show, the buffed men wear top hats, not on their heads, but hats that are strategically placed and in which an audience member is tasked with holding the hat in place while Christopher performs some rope tricks. It’s hilarious! By the time the men attempt to get themselves out of straightjackets (tied by two audience members), they are practically naked, but it’s the hungry audience who wants to, and gets to, see more, and they definitely get to see more.

    The Naked Magicians takes magic to a whole new naughty level and it’s a level where you want to be at!

    The Naked Magicians plays at Trafalgar Studios until 24th September

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Britten in Brooklyn, Wilton’s Music Hall, London

    THEATRE REVIEW | Britten in Brooklyn, Wilton’s Music Hall, London

    ★★ | Britten in Brooklyn

    CREDIT: Darren Bell
    CREDIT: Darren Bell

     

    During the early years of World War Two, Benjamin Britten lived in exile in a townhouse in New York with his friend, the poet W.H. Auden and a shifting cast of artists and writers. The composer was criticised by the British press for his ‘avoidance’ of the war and faced a tribunal for conscientious objection on his return in 1942. Whereas Auden embraced his sexuality and was having an affair with a younger man, Britten was still struggling somewhat with his in the oppressive environment of 1940s England. Add to this mix some of the other residents: bisexual writer Carson McCullers hiding out from her husband, hitting the bottle and chasing after women and burlesque stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, trying to write a crime thriller. The potential for a fascinating story is all there on a plate. Sadly, writer Zoe Lewis and director Oli Rose have somehow made a dull play out of an intriguing piece of history.

    The play feels oddly old fashioned (and not in a good way). There’s something twee and tedious about the drunken party games and fumbling. The cast seem like they’re in a void and in spite of Cecilia Carey’s excellent set there’s no atmosphere at all. The four lead actors try to recreate a thriving Bohemian arts scene of hedonistic parties (which isn’t easy with four people) and instead it feels like a staid afternoon tea that anyone in their right mind would exit sharply. There’s a whole ‘You don’t have to be mad to work here but it helps!” and “Looks how eccentric we all are!” vibe that actually just feels incredibly tiresome.

    The venue of Wilton’s Music Hall (a Grade 2 star listed music hall from 1859) is gorgeous and is an echoing chamber of a space. Dom James’ sound design is beautiful when it’s in evidence: clanging boat engines, New York traffic in the background and distant music. Sadly, this isn’t very often and for most of the play the actors have no backing at all, adding to the strangely sterile environment.

    The saving grace of the play is Ryan Sampson who gives a strong central performance as Britten. He’s convincing in his vulnerability and manages to show glimpses of pain through a veneer of genteel awkwardness. The actors playing Gypsy Rose Lee (Sadie Frost), Auden and McCullers also perform ably but are saddled with a lacklustre script that feels two-dimensional.

    If you know a little about these fascinating characters then you’ll leave knowing about as much as when you came in. If you know nothing at all then you’ll be perplexed. It’s a shame that this didn’t pull it off. As the strippers told Gypsy “You Gotta Get a Gimmick”. Maybe the team here should heed that advice.

    Follow Chris Bridges on Twitter