Posts Tagged Leicester Square
Lab
Posted by crackberry in Everything, Places to Drink, Soho on September 1, 2009
Shining out from the amorphous mass of Soho bars is Lab. The resident bartenders here really know their stuff, and relish the challenge of creating novel concoctions. Whether you choose to test their mettle or explore the outer reaches of the extensive menu, either way you are in safe hands. Quality is evident from the use of fresh fruit over purees, yet drinks are still reasonable at c.£6-8. Best visited on school nights, Lab’s only downside is that it can get busy and claustrophobic on weekends.
12 Old Compton Street, London W1D 4TQ. Tel: 020 7437 7820. Website: www.lab-townhouse.com
Beaujolais
Posted by crackberry in Everything, Holborn, Holborn, Places to Drink, Places to Eat on September 1, 2009
Another place that is small on space and big on character is Beaujolais, a quirky Gallic bar in Covent Garden. Wait around long enough and you’ll be able to squeeze into a seat and enjoy a bottle or two of the place’s namesake. The place is smothered in Ricard posters and French enough to make you want to chain smoke Gauloises, but they’re actually very friendly here. It’s the perfect place to forget your sorrows in a c’est la vie manner or charm a prospective petite amie. A short selection of authentic bites is also available.
25 Litchfield Street, Covent Garden, WC2H 9NJ. Tel: 020 7836 2955.
99 Club
Posted by crackberry in Places to Play on September 1, 2009
Slightly more obscure than the Comedy Store, the 99 Club is a testing ground for many of the jokers on the London comedy circuit. With this venue having no more than 30 people capacity, you can be sure that everyone will get attention, and the intimacy of the night means that it’s the perfect place if you fancy a good heckle. Not all the humour is tried and tested, which makes for an interesting mix of edgy material skirting the borders of acceptability, along with tumbleweed monologues that could do with a little more polish.
Time: Tuesdays and Wednesdays 8:30-11pm. Price: £5. The Round Table, 25-27 St Martins Court, London, WC2N 4AJ. Web: www.freewebs.com/99club
Abeno Too
Posted by crackberry in Everything, Holborn, Places to Eat on September 1, 2009
Abeno Too is the imaginatively named follow up restaurant to the Japanese Okomoni-yaki specialist Abeno. Oriental pancakes make for the perfect comfort food, sating your taste buds with duvet-like tenderness. The real attraction however, is the personal hotplate set into your table where you can play at being the next Michelin starred Willy Wonka, safe in the knowledge that your very own culinary ninja will save you from creating anything health and safety wouldn’t approve of. Be warned that you can’t book and cooking your own dinner is surprisingly popular…
Price: £20-30pp. 17-18 Great Newport St, Leicester Square, WC2H 7JE. Tel:
020 7379 1160. Web: www.abeno.co.uk
The Icon Room
Posted by crackberry in Everything, Places to Drink, Places to Play, Soho on August 28, 2009
Viva Las Vegas: The Casino at the Empire is one of the largest in London, with all the bright lights and showmanship that you’d expect from the Strip in Nevada, but with views over the West End, rather than miles of sand. Venture inside and you’ll find the jewel in the crown – The Icon Room – a gorgeous bar with a cocktail list to match. Plush fabrics, candles and enormous mirrors give the room an elegant baroque-themed feel and the bar attracts a diverse crowd from all walks of life.
5-6 Leicester Street, Leicester Square, WC2H 7NA. Tel: 0203 014 1000. Web: www.thecasinolsq.com
Firmdale Film Clubs
Posted by crackberry in Everything, Places to Play on August 28, 2009
If you like the Electric Cinema then check out the Firmdale’s Film Clubs as they take the classy cinematic experience to a whole new level. Three of their top London hotels: The Charlotte St Hotel, Soho Hotel and Covent Garden Hotel host weekend food and film combos where for a fixed price you get a slap up three course meal and then an intimate viewing of a recent good film in their private screening rooms. Really this is all very civilised and, unless you love the incessant crunch of popcorn and musty tang at your local multiplex, the way forward for film viewing.
Price: £35. Web: www.firmdale.com
La Clique
Posted by crackberry in Everything, Places to Play on August 28, 2009
Ever been somewhere where words won’t suffice to describe your experience? Welcome to La Clique – it’s like no other show you’ve ever been to before but in a refreshingly and dare I say it raunchy way… If you’re bored of all the usual musicals and the thought of sitting still through three hours of men dancing in tights and leotards at the Ballet fills you with horror, then book a ticket to La Clique where the acts become more wacky and wicked as the show progresses (or maybe it’s the fusion of burlesque and cabaret plus copious amounts of alcohol that gradually blur the line between reality and imagination). But then why else would we head to the Circus other than to escape into a dangerous and seductive red velveteen fantasy land where nudity, hula hooping and sword swallowing is commonplace (not the kind you’d see in Covent Garden, more the girl-in-red-latex variety). Not one to take the grandparents to, but round up your mates and let your wild side come out to play…
Price: £10 to £55. The Hippodrome, 10-14 Cranbourne Street, Leicester Square, WC2H 7JH. Tel: 0207 437 4311. Web: www.lacliquelondon.com