Kahaila

Before Christmas time my friend Matilda set up a make your own head-band workshop, where a group of people from her class and a group of outsiders got together to make any random type of head piece. I was going to attend a Great Gatsby themed party, so of course I went along and made something, or rather, 4 things. 

This workshop was held at the back of a cafe called Kahaila on Brick Lane. My flatmate Charlotte calls it her favourite place on Brick Lane. It's a cute home-y coffee shop that offers a variety of food and drinks, and cake. The indoors is similar to my flat in the sense that they have the same brick walls as we do. But not only that, they have these amazing wooden tables which are really worn out, but not in the sense that they're about to collapse but in a beautiful "I have lived" sense. 

One of the beautiful things about Kahaila is the artwork hung up inside it. They have temporary shows of different art from around the community. Oh and I forgot to tell you, it's a charity coffee shop. Which means they give all their profits to supporting local community projects. So stop by, grab a cake, enjoy the art and feel like you're doing something to help others while enjoying your self. Their sandwiches are good too.

Here's their website: http://kahaila.com/

Los Campesinos! at Heaven

While stressing out during deadline week, I realised I was going to a Los Campesinos! gig at Heaven with a diehard Los Campesinos! fan, my flatmate Charlotte. Her obsession with them started a long time ago, whereas my fondness of them only started a few months ago. Prior to the gig Charlotte was getting more and more excited, and I was happy I was along for the ride. As a band, I like Los Campesinos! I just find it really hard to understand their lyrics and therefore I feel really silly when I attempt to sing along. 

Thankfully later that evening we were in a crowd of people half singing the lyrics, so I didn't feel too out of place. Heaven is a club underground (like most London clubs) near Embankment station. After walking down the stairs you can see how big the venue really is, it's huge. And luckily they have a really long bar too. After grabbing a pint of San Miguel we went to the middle of the dance floor, and waited for the support band, Joanna Gruesome. 

Joanna Gruesome were a really cute band, and they looked like they were having a lot of fun on stage too. It was so cute to see the band's parents at the gig too. They got a little carried away with their guitar riffs but overall it was fun to see them perform. After their set, everyone was getting a little more antsy waiting to see Los Campesinos! And when they came on everyone went nuts. The crowd started jumping, and screaming, it was fun until people started getting really sweaty. The band was really nice to the public and kept saying thank you which is probably what I loved most about the gig. 

Being in London means I am lucky enough to have bands I like around a lot, I need to start going to more gigs. Have you heard of anything good coming up?

Here's Los Campesinos!'s website (designed by Charlotte): http://loscampesinos.com/

Here's Heaven's webpage: http://www.heaven-live.co.uk/

Gem Bar

Gem Bar is a nice wine bar near Regent’s Street. I have only gone there a few times, but every time I’ve chosen a good tasting wine. The drinks are not cheap but if you just want to relax after a day of shopping or you have an hour to kill before going to a show near by its a very good place to go.

The staff is very friendly and they are keen on recommending different wines. The music isn’t too loud so you can still have a conversation. The interior is very modern with sleek booths on one side and nice tall bar tables in the centre of the room. 

I’ve had some great moments here because the place gives you the impression you’re the only people there and no one is listening to your conversations. I can’t wait to go back again… I just need a wine drinking buddy! (They do not only serve wine I’m just a very big fan of their wine collection especially when you compare it to other bars around London)

Here’s their website: http://www.gem-bar.co.uk/

The Trafalgar Chelsea

When walking around Kings Road in Chelsea, you may get bored and need a drink. Go to the Trafalgar. Not only do they have drinks but they have amazing french fries too. We stopped inside to get away from the cold and grab a drink while resting our legs. Sadly with these winter days you feel like its ok to have a drink at 4pm, “hey, its already dark”. I indulged in a large glass of rose and sat in a comfortable armchair with no intention of moving again for a while. 

They play relaxing music low enough for you to have a casual conversation and not have to yell. There are so many tables that you don’t eavesdrop on anyone else either. They have about 10 different beers on tap, I challenge you to taste them all! They also do a discounted beer of the day. 

I really liked having a break there, sometimes everyone needs a little pick me up after a day in the cold. If you live around there I really recommend an afternoon in the pub with friends. 

Here’s their website: http://www.thetrafalgarchelsea.co.uk/

Paramount

If you’re looking to have a drink with a view and you can’t afford the Shard, the next best option is Paramount bar and club. You need to call to make a reservation, but after that you don’t even have to worry about being on time. The building where you find Paramount is called Centre Point, and the closest station is Tottenham Court Road. Upon arrival, you walk up the stairs and talk to the reception, they then take you up to the 33rd floor where you will find the bar. 

This isn't just an ordinary bar, its a bar with an amazing view. I like to go there around Christmas time because they’ve already set up all the lights so there’s even more to see. The drinks aren't cheap, but with a view like that it’s worth it. Also, their wine glasses are bigger than in most places around London. The staff is incredibly polite, and they know exactly when to approach you and when to leave you alone. That to me is very important I need to read the whole wine list before choosing one, and I hate being rushed.

After making your order, walk around the bar, since all the exterior walls are made of glass you can see London from every direction. Last time I went I spent hours just awing at the view. I never expected to see that much of London especially since somehow its always grey here. Overall, if you want to treat yourself to a good drink and a nice evening I strongly recommend Paramount. Where else can you go to see all the Christmas lights? 

Here’s their website: http://www.paramount.uk.net/

Panic! at the Disco at The Forum

About a week ago I had the wonderful opportunity to finally see Panic at the Disco live for the first time. I had booked the ticket in July, so I was practically counting down the days until the show since then. Doors were at 7, but I assumed that since they had a support act not that many people would be there that early. I got to The Forum in Kentish Town at about 6:50 and the queue for the concert went around the block, it must have been at least 400 metres long, if not more. 

Once finally inside, I was able to leave my coat in the cloakroom, and buy a band t-shirt for my sister. I would have spent money at the bar too, if it hadn’t been so crowded. But what more can you expect from a sold out show? The inside of the Forum is really beautiful, it has a baroque feel, but with brighter modern colours. If I wanted to I could have gotten a seated ticket on the upper balcony of the venue. 

The support band, New Politics was amazing and they really got the crowd going. The singer even jumped into the crowd for a bit which of course made everyone scream and jump for joy. When there were guitar solos he would break dance too, I was really impressed. When they finished their set, there was only a short break before Panic at the Disco came on. Everyone went absolutely mad when Brendon Urie came on stage. It was really great to be part of something with so many people. I love music because of the way it connects people. The crowd was so in sync we were louder than Brendon. Overall it was great to see him perform.

The only downside was how aggressive the crowd got, and that he was the only one present from the original band. If you ever hear of any gigs at the Forum I recommend you go, its such a nice venue and even if you’re immersed in the crowd you can still see the band really well. 

Here’s Panic at the Disco’s website: http://www.panicatthedisco.com/

Here’s New Politics’ site: http://newpoliticsrock.com/

and here’s the venue’s webpage: http://mamacolive.com/theforum/

The Hoxton Seven

Walking around Shoreditch trying to find a slightly more relaxed and quiet bar may not seem like such a hard task on a Tuesday night. But after strolling past at least 10 bars, we were getting a little tired. Luckily we found The Hoxton Seven. Which is a great little place on a corner of a big road. You walk up a few little steps and step through a big heavy door and voila, you’re inside this cosy yet large bar. They have couches and booths set up around all the sides of the room, leaving enough space in the middle for the Saturday night crowd. 

After we chose our booth, we glanced through their drinks menu, admiring all the strangely named cocktails. I chose a passion fruit mojito. Which I must say is probably the best mojito I’ve had in London. The music was the perfect volume for us to continue our conversation and enjoy our drinks without having to scream. The service was fast, and for east London, and cocktails the drinks weren’t priced too highly. 

But I think the most interesting about this bar is the art around the room, and the huge stuffed black bear in one corner of the room. Its a fun slightly quirky bar, but good for a lazy night out, especially if you don’t want to dance. 

Here’s their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Hoxtonseven

Cargo

Attempting to do a bar crawl with a few friends during London Cocktail week we decided to hit up Shoreditch since Covent Garden was a little far. The first place we went to was Cargo. Cargo is on a side road that looks more like an alley than a road but since we were in a group we decided we’d be OK walking down this alley. Looking just at Cargo’s entrance it looked like a club. On a Tuesday night we weren’t looking for a club. We just wanted to chat. So we continued working. And we saw Cargo’s open terrace, so we went back. 

Looking at all the full booths we chose a round table and ordered a round of drinks. I picked my typical bar drink, a cider. But it wasn’t just a normal cider, it was pomegranate flavoured! The others mostly got cocktails which looked pretty tasty. There was club music playing softly in the background. The smokers were able to smoke without having to miss out on conversation. And everyone was enjoying the last slightly warmer evening before winter came. 

Cargo had some really nice decorative details around the inside, and the terrace was incredible. I’d like to go back there on a busier night, or maybe when the weather is good enough for the terrace to be full. Even if it wasn’t exactly what we were looking for Cargo was nice enough so that we could enjoy our evening out. 

Here’s their website: http://www.cargo-london.com/

Doggett's

On my way to Waterloo Charlotte and I saw this interesting looking pub looking out on the river near Blackfriars bridge. So on our way back we had to stop by. At this point I was also quite hungry, so of course I looked at the food menu first. This pub (Doggett’s) had several floors where you can enjoy the view of the river and enjoy a pint at the same time. The middle floor is the dining floor where they serve you as though you’re in a restaurant. We chose to stay downstairs near the back of the pub so we could relax and speak as loud as we wanted without disturbing anyone.

Carol and I ordered food, a steak and a burger, and Matilda just got fries. But these weren’t normal fries. These fries were real and proper chips. Big and chunky with the peel and everything. And they tasted amazing. The staff also brought us all the condiments straight away which was great. 

Enough about the food... this pub has at least 12 different beers on draft, so if you want to have a lazy afternoon out with a few friends its a great place to go. And its easy to reach, just on the other side of the river to Blackfriars station. 

Here’s their website: http://www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/doggettscoatandbadgesouthbanklondon/

Oxjam

This passed weekend my friend Niko's band (MOKSHA) played in Shepherd's Bush at Belushi for Oxjam. Oxjam is a day of music in association with Oxfam. All the proceeds of the event went to Oxfam. You had to pay a 10 pound fee for a wrist band which gave you access to 4 venues. In each venue there was a different line up for the day. 

We arrived there about 5 seconds before MOKSHA started playing. The bar wasn't full, but there were quite a few people that were looking forward to listening to some live music. We ordered beers and took a seat to take in the music without spending the whole time staring at the band. They held their own very well. And the singer (Luke) introduced each song well. 

My favourite part of their performance was a cover of "Ain't No Sunshine" which really impressed me because it was so different from all the other interpretations of the song. When they finished their set the next band started setting up and the organisers went around offering a £1 shot for charity. The mood of the whole event was very relaxed. It was the perfect thing to do on a Saturday afternoon. 

This was the website for the event: http://www.oxjamshepherdsbush.com/

And this is MOKSHA's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mokshamusiclive?fref=ts

Life

Life is a yoga place on Brick Lane. At least that's what I thought it was, one day they handed me a flyer. I generally take flyers and then look through them when I get home just so I make sure I don't miss out on anything I'd like to attend. The flyer advertised that they have a bar and "garden". We wanted to escape the madness of Brick Lane so we went in. The bar section is really nicely decorated and there is a lot of fresh fruit at the bar but the garden section isn't too nice. 

We sat in the garden section anyways, even thought it was really a smoking section. We ordered 2 smoothies and the barista brought them out to us, he also came by later to check if we liked them which I found quite nice since they usually only do that in restaurants. I had a super food smoothie called "sexy" which had berries and yogurt, and Daniella had a "ginger zinger" which had quite a kick of ginger to it.

Overall I liked being in that secluded area because it was a really good break from the crowded streets. They also do a bar night on Friday nights, so I might go to that, or maybe attend a yoga class.

Here's their website: http://lifeshoreditch.com/

Bukowski

On a sunny Friday afternoon a cocktail or beer was needed. So I headed to the Boxpark in Shoreditch to grab a drink. This cute little box on the upper floor was serving frozen margaritas and American beer so we had to stop there. The place was called Bukowski. The waitress was really nice and while she got our drinks ready I looked around the little box. 

They had the kitchen at the far end of the box, and they were able to fit in a few booths for people to eat in when the London weather is not so nice which happens to be most of the time. There were a few small details around the restaurant/box which made me like the place even more. My favourite detail was a light up sign saying "Bukowski" in flowing writing as though it had been hand written. 

One of the reasons Bukowski is popular is because they cook their food on a charcoal grill, and therefore the meats have more rustic flavour. Sadly they don't seem to have anything vegitarian on the menu, but if you go with some meat loving friends then you're alright. I just really enjoyed the atmosphere inside their little box, as well as on the open terrase with picnic tables on the top of the Boxpark, its perfect for a casual afternoon. Here's their website: http://www.bukowski-grill.co.uk/

Paper Dress

Paper Dress is a vintage shop in Shoreditch which happens to be a cafe/bar as well. Its really cute from the sign on the outside attracting in customers to the blackboards inside near the bar showing all the available drinks. There are a few small coffee tables inside, and a bigger one with a large couch. There is also cute detailing near the changing rooms where there are old beauty mirrors for the customers to look at the clothes on themselves.

All the clothes sold in Paper Dress are vintage, and the racks are divided by colour and time period, everything is well labelled, showing the decade it is from and any other particular remark. Vintage in London however is never cheap, but there were a bunch of vintage sunglasses for about 10 pounds each, which isn't too bad for some nice sunglasses. 

Generally, the greatest thing about this place is the ambiance, its like you walked into an old movie, because the employees of the shop are all dressed in their favourite eras of the past. Unlike most other stores, there is also a menswear section, which means if you bring boys they wont die of boredom like the normal shopping trip, cause if they don't like the clothes they can sit down and grab a beer. 

Here's their website (they also do cute vintage events once in a while): http://paperdressvintage.co.uk/