Are you powerful enough to control the rain?

This weekend me and my friend, Chris, woke especially early on Sunday morning and headed to the Random International: Rain Room. The exhibition, known as the The Curve, only opened a couple of weeks ago, so it was no surprise that there was a snaking queue when we arrived.

Having read some reviews on this rather different piece of art, where you essentially control the rain, I was really excited to check it out. Doubly excited that it was FREE!

Open daily 11am - 8pm, we arrived before the doors opened. However, despite the queue not actually looking that big, we were told we were standing in an approximately two and half hour queue! Why did we still hang around? I'm not too sure! Luckily, with great company we were able to keep each other entertained with some rather interesting conversations: "Let's play a 'google game'...how many miles is it to Spain?...how many fish are in the sea". It seemed apart from an iphone, we were missing some key essentials for surviving the long wait. So my advice to you, take water for hydration, food for the energy required for standing for two and half hours, a book or an ipod (we lacked earphones) for anti-social entertainment. Trust me you will need it, and there isn't much around apart from an overpriced Costa coffee kisok.

Two hours in and my legs and bum began to ache. Time for a sit down and a little rest. 20 minutes later, and eventually it was our turn; excitement kicked in.

We were taken into a very large, high ceiling airy black room. As you walk around the corner, you soon come across the huge piece of digital-based contemporary art. In short, it's raining indoors.

It's not a common feeling to open your front door and happily walk into the rain, without an umbrella, so it was a little surreal when I took my first step into the down pour feeling excited. As you walk under the rain, it responds to your movements and you stay bone dry. Like magic.

For what was a very long wait, you only get to walk around the 100 square meeting field for approximately 10 minutes. But despite this, it is definitely worth the visit. If you decide to visit the Rain Room at the Barbican Centre at the weekend, just be prepared for a wait...

The World is your Oyster

My good friend, Catherine Richards, has a love for oysters. So here is her guest blog entry on London Life...

Oysters. They’re slimy, putrid and look a bit like something you’d find in a dark corner of Diagon Alley. And yet they have been a favourite of food lovers and romantics throughout the centuries.

 

Until only recently, I had no intention of ever touching one. Certainly never paying good money to experience something with the consistency of an elephant’s bogey and the smell of something worse. 

 

However, the charms of a cheeky waiter and a subsequent bet forced my hand. I tried my first oyster a year ago, on a bed of cracked ice with a dash of Tabasco, and never looked back.

                                             

Despite being wholly converted into an oyster mega-fan, I can’t say I’ve ever experienced the supposed side effects (cue the naughty innuendos). So I’ve always wondered why the oyster has maintained such a timeless association with, to put it bluntly, sex.

 

The story goes that when Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, sprang forth with gusto from the sea on an oyster shell and promptly gave birth to Eros, the word ‘aphrodisiac’ was born. Roman emperors literally paid for oysters by their weight in gold. The debonair lover Casanova also started every evening meal by eating dozens of oysters (explains a lot).

 

Are you starting to feel a little intrigued now? I hope so. Because if I could howl a recommendation for this particular oyster haunt from the rooftops, I would.

 

The Maldon Oyster stall, of which I am now a regular, is an absolute gem. Serving up deliciously fresh oysters every Saturday morning in the Partridges Food Market at the Duke of York Square, Sloane Square, they really do brighten up my weekend. The friendly bunch that crack my oysters each week are proud of their reputation as suppliers of some of the best shellfish around. And boy do they deserve it. Friendly, affordable (one oyster for £1, six for £5) and ever fresh, try their oysters with a zing of shallot vinegar and you’ll be buzzing all day. Add a cheeky Bloody Mary to the mix and, hey presto, hangover cured.

 

Slimy and putrid? Who am I kidding. See you there Saturday…

 

Burning question - to chew or not to chew?

 

Top tip: Take time to chew. Unofficial evidence suggests that chewing helps to release the ‘romantic’ qualities of the oyster into the body quicker. You heard it here first…

Maggie Jones's hideaway restaurant

Maggie Jones's restaurant is an adorable eatery in the heart of Kensington. My reason for a visit was a friend's birthday. It was a perfect choice for a relaxed evening with close friends, and it is also a perfect hideaway if you are looking to take someone on a romantic date.

On entering the restaurant we were warmly welcomed, and taken up the somewhat uneven wooden staircase (be careful not to slip). Each scrubbed wooden table is complemented with a centre piece of a candle in a wine bottle.

Once seated we were able to take in our surroundings in the dim lit and homely atmospheric restaurant. There are lots of bits and bobs hanging from the walls and ceiling, giving the place a charming sense of character.

Most importantly, when everyone arrived, we moved onto the food. At a first glance, the dinner menu looks a little on the pricey side - starters £6-9, main courses £14-26, sides £5, puddings £5. However, there is a set menu created for groups of more than 10 people. The Maggie Jone's three course set menu is great value for money at £25.00 per person. Unlike with other restaurants, I was not disappointed with the reduced size of the full dinner menu

The hearty British food was delicious. I went rather traditional with my choices of Prawn Cocktail and Rump Steak with Bearnaise Sauce. Others went for Maggie's Spinach and Almond Tart,Rocket Salad, and Asparagus Vinaigrette to start, majority for Rump Steak with Pepper / Bearnaise sauce, or Roast Rump of Lamb with Rosemary and Garlic for main. A wonderful array of sides complemented our main course, including new potatoes,green beans, chips, cauliflower cheese, and garden peas with pancetta.

Pudding continued in style and size. There are no disappointing portion sizes here. Among the 10 of us, we chose a selection of Burnt Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate and Brandy Sauce, Lemon Sorbet, and Apple Crumble with Custard.

Excellent food, relaxed atmosphere, a restaurant with real character, I would definitely return to this restaurant. I am also looking forward to checking out the sister restaurant, Poule au Pot, in Orange Square.

Evans and Peel Detective Agency

A surreal experience where you are taken back to the 1920's prohibition. 'Old fashioneds', inventive cocktails, secret doorways, a dimly lit and cosy speakeasy bar - you will never experience any of this unless you make a visit to the Evans and Peel Detective Agency.

Do you have a case that needs solving? If not, your going to have to make one up if you want to drink in this joint.

Unrecognisable as a bar or restaurant from the outside, Evans and Peel Detective Agency is located on a side road off Earls Court Road.

By appointment only, hit the buzzer and you will be greeted by the gatekeeper. Once guided downstairs you find yourself in a small study-like room where you will be asked for your case; we used  a case based around identity theft. It's worth coming prepared and you should be willing to have some fun with the questions the gatekeeper throws at you. Once your case is accepted you are taken through a secret door disguised as a bookcase.

After an exciting and very different entrance we were welcomed into a dimly lit bar in an exposed brickwork basement.

It was time to sample the drinks menu - classic cocktails with a twist. I started with an inventive gin and tonic with earl grey and lavender, while others sampled 'old fashioneds' with honey and vanilla, brandy sour with pale ale, lemon and bitters and an earthy beetroot based cocktail. All cocktails were £9.50.

On the whole a unique experience and highly recommended.

Crazy Bear, crazy food, crazy girls, crazy loos...

 

Crazy Bear first came to London in 2004, and has two branches in the heart of the capital - Covent Garden and Fitzrovia. The private club is exclusively for members and their guests. 24 hour membership can be be arranged for your very first visit.

Unlike many members clubs, Crazy Bear prides itself on creating an eclectic atmosphere by welcoming members and their guests from diverse classes, incomes and professions.
Crazy Bear puts it very well: "it's probably not worth joining if you want conventionality or pretentiousness!"

10 of us girls booked in at the Fitzrovia branch for the Champagne Dinner - complimentary champagne throughout the meal with an eight plate tasting menu.

At first we were seated in the downstairs bar, which was bustling with people sipping on champers and cocktails. As a group of 10 girls, who were there for a catch up, we chose to remain in the downstairs bar for our starters. We didn't want to head up to the more reserved restaurant in case we disturbed the earlier sittings!

The modern Thai cuisine was outstanding. For starters we were served:

 

COTSWOLD CHICKEN SATAY with ard-jard and peanut dipping sauce

PRAWN HAR GAU DUMPLINGS

 

 

BARBECUED PORK BUNS

TUNA nigirizushi

After our starters we took our seats in the upstairs restaurant. Our main dishes included:

• CRISPY GRESSINGHAM DUCK with pomegranate and roasted cashews
• SEA BASS
• OSTRICH STIR-FRY with red curry paste and long beans
• BABY PAK CHOI
• served with STEAMED JASMINE RICE

To see what other dishes are available take a look at the á la carte menu.

As well as the excellent food, service, champers and atmosphere, when you visit the toilets....yes, the toilets....you will be in for a surprise! Firstly, if you are able to actually find the toilets WELL DONE! Secondly, if you are able to distinguish which are the ladies and which gents, you're impressing me. And thirdly, (I can't talk for the gents) but if you don't walk into a wall, a door or a mirror CONGRATULATIONS!

Overall, we had a brilliant evening at Crazy Bear. I would recommend you to visit the bar or restaurant, even if it is just to see the loos!