Last night on a whim, my friend and I headed to the Barbican for a performance of The Blue Dragon.  I didn’t know anything about the famous Mr Robert Lepage who both directs and takes a starring role in this contemplative production, but I thoroughly enjoyed his latest outing. 

Performed in French, Mandarin and English with English subtitles,  The Blue Dragon is set in China and follows the fate of three intertwined characters.  It has a strong multimedia approach with interludes of  interactive video on large screens; some were Chinese dance routines, others were the execution of calligraphy.  I loved the approach overall and the clever use of the limited stage space to evoke movement and changing spaces.

There are only three performances left,  so if you’re free and can get yourself a ticket then I thoroughly recommend it.

The Blue Dragon is on till 26 Feb, so catch it if you can.

Last week I headed along to the Drunken Monkey for a taste of their new Tea Party Menu.

In contrast to the normal heaving nature of the upstairs bar area, the downstairs dining nook was an oasis of calm.   

We sampled the Quince Asian Tea, a tasty hot infusion with liqueurs served in a teapot that went down very easily; the Citrus Iced Tea with gin and plenty of vitamins for the Christmas season from the fresh juices; and the range of three organic cakes from private baker A Little Peace. 

Personal favourite was the lemon and ginger drizzle cake and the hot cocktail tea, I love the idea of a cocktail in a teapot!

The afternoon tea needs to be booked in advance so your tasty cakes can be whipped up for you.  It’s £11 for tea (they have twelve different teas to choose from) and cake. It’s extra if you decide to add cocktails.

I don’t think the primary export that comes to mind when thinking of New Zealand in London is cafés, coffee and baristas. But that is what you’ll find when entering one of a new breed of independent cafés populating London these days.

Café culture has been strong in NZ for a long time. We like nothing better than relaxing alone and watching the world go by, or chatting with friends with a flat white or long black in hand. These are served with a healthy dose of love, maybe a bit of quirk, and, dependent on the time of day, eggs on toast, a savoury muffin (we do love a good savoury muffin) or a sweet treat.

Many cafés roast their own beans with strong rivalries between your local favourites. For me, it was always Café L’affare, but that’s an aside. In London, I’m lucky enough to be near Nude Espresso on Hanbury (who roast nearby in the Truman Brewery, I think) run by a guy I recognise on sight from Wellington but can’t quite place. If we spoke long enough we’d sort it out, as is often the way with Kiwis abroad.

NZ barista’s can also be found in many of the best cafés and coffee houses in London. Our twang could serve you in Monmouth; the excellent (but Aussie) Milk Bar, Flat White, and Lantana; or the “Sacred Café line” – six locations including Stanford’s bookshop and Carnaby Street.

I’d love to know more NZ links in London’s coffeehouses: hook me up!

On Saturday I headed south to the Imperial War Museum to view the Ministry of Food exhibition and attend a cookery demonstration from Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall and Sophie Grigson sponsored by the Company of Cooks.

During the 1930s, Britain was very reliant on imports to feed the nation and the Ministry of Food was the key organisation in encouraging the nation to eat well (for strength and vigour!) and manage food stocks in war (and post-war) Britain.

The art works are fabulous, Dig for Victory really was an inspired campaign, as are all of the examples of foodstuffs from the period; whether sweets or soapsuds.

The introduction of rationing and instruction on health management through eating well actually improved outcomes for a range of health indicators.  To me  it’s just all so relevant now with obesity and other health issues on the rise and the credit crunch putting pressure on the family wallet.

I’d also spent a couple of hours making my way through the holocaust exhibit, so it was good to cheer myself up with someone cooking a potato and herb floddie, the equivalent of a British rosti .  The demonstration was an amusing hour and a half as the two cooks meandered their way through a split pea and ham soup with a very long French name (having been served at The Dorchester – how posh),  the aforementioned floddies and sorrel salad, and some jelly mastery with leaf gelatine, juices and egg cups.

Jane was born just before the war in 1939 so grew up in the rationing period through til the early 50′s. She’s the author of the Good Granny Cookbook, and other similar volumes and was tasked with producing the accompanying book for the exhibit.  Sophie is a well known TV chef with several cookbooks and obviously loves her veggies!

The last of the three demonstrations is on Saturday 19 June with Allegra McEvedy and Henry Harris and focuses on finding free tasty treats for the dinner table.  After a long discussion on Saturday about the merits of making ones own elderflower cordial I should imagine it will be an entertaining and informative hour!

Ministry of  Food is at the Imperial War Museum until January 2011. £4.95 for adult ticket

Last night I had the opportunity to view the new Rainforest Life exhibit at ZSL London Zoo.  

The enclosure is climate-controlled and contains a large central mock rainforest filled with various monkeys, birds, sloths (exceedingly popular with the crowd – possibly because they don’t move very fast so you can get a good close-up look) and at least one anteater (my personal favourite). 

The rainforest is viewed from a platform and is entirely open, so the monkeys can be zipping around your feet while you’re looking at the other animals, including iguanas and bird-eating spiders.  There is also a nocturnal zone where you can view bats, fish, rats and the famously ugly, blind naked mole rat.

Rainforest Life is a fantastic, immersive experience suitable for all ages.

Rainforest Life at ZSL London Zoo opens on 27 March.

The Chessboxing Organisation’s site states that “Through chessboxing training we embrace a system of continual personal development without limitations”. All I know is it makes for a hugely entertaining evening, particularly once you throw in some dry ice, a hulahooper and a dancing man in a blue suit!

A round of chess takes four minutes and a round of boxing three minutes. Between the rounds there is a one minute pause, during which competitors change their gear. A win can be decided by either the chess or boxing.

If you think this sounds like your cup of tea and want to get involved, you have a couple of options.  You can come along as a spectator to the next bout on 15 May at The Boston Arms, tickets to be released.  

Or, you can have a go yourself!  There is chessboxing training available this weekend at Rooney’s Boxing Gym near London Bridge.

I was really pleased to see that the second event I attended had an even bigger turnout than the previous one (hopefully aided by me and my friends telling all and sundry that they are missing THE night out in London).  There may even be a special event in April so keep an eye on The Chessboxing Organisation website.

Hope to see you there in May!

This week, I was invited to the launch of Chinese Cricket Club, a new restaurant at the Crowne Plaza in The City.

The venue has unusual decor for a Chinese restaurant, with pictures of cricketers behind the bar and a distinct hotel feel that belies the quality and general scrumptiousness of the food. 

Head Chef Brendan Speed (formerly of Zuma Istanbul) and his team provided wonderfully spicy orange beef, steamed prawn dumplings, succulent lobster in the shell, soft shitake mushrooms, zingy squid, miniature hot and sour soups, and a light coconut mousse with tropical topping. 

As far as I could see, the hungry work crowd thought it was simply delicious, and so did I!

Guests quaffed champagne and Jim Barry wines while they watched one of the chefs whip up dumplings. 

It was extraordinary how he picked an identically sized piece of pastry off a roll, smacked it with a cleaver into a circle, and filled and pleated it so evenly. 

Chinese Cricket Club is named after the newly formed Chinese national cricket team and also celebrates the recent translation into Mandarin of the laws of cricket.

The association with Jim Barry wines extends the cricket theme: one of the Jim Barry vineyards has a cricket pitch in the middle, and the wine of choice at the launch was Cover Drive cabernet sauvignon.

I’m not sure if my sense of sight, smell or taste let me down when I caught up with Meet & Wine on one of its regular wine club meetings at Meat and Wine at Westfield London last week.

Meat & Wine is the only restaurant of the worldwide chain in the UK. The menu includes a range of steaks as well as specialist meats such as kudu, ostrich and kangaroo. There is a huge wine list (at reasonable prices) to match your choice.  

Exposed stone, rich reds and browns, spacious seating with big tables, and candle-light reflecting off thousands of wine bottles in glass towers give a lush feel. It’s a steak house with a bit of class.

We had a wonderful intro from Ryan Morgan, representative of Rathbone Wine Group. He comes from the Margaret River region near Perth, which sounds simply fabulous: “You’re either a winemaker, a surfer, or you run an arts-and-crafts shop.”

Ryan ran through prominent Australian varieties and regions, and topped up our knowledge of vintages, alcohol content and price points before we began the blind tasting. 

Looking at the results, my team lacked both a nose and a palate, but knew approximately how much a wine should cost and how alcoholic it was.

Meet & Wine events offer different wine experiences each time – one popular summer event involved matching wines with barbecued meats. 

All the events are designed to improve your wine knowledge and palate while having fun. I’m no connoisseur and had a fabulous time. You just need to enjoy wine to have fun!

Next year, the Meet & Wine evenings will be quarterly, kicking off with a Valentines-themed evening of bubbles in February. Keep an eye on the site for more info.

After a champagne reception, guests made their way through to the Atrium of the shopping centre. Screened off with flowing curtains from high on the first floor, the cream of London’s hoteliers, venue operators and London lovers were dressed to the nines and celebrating the achievements of the year.

It was easy to get into the swing of things with some fabulous acts, including a hula hooping marvel Marawa Ibrahim, currently starring in La Clique!

An illustrious panel of judges had made the hard decisions on who won what, and it was great to see the excited winners claiming the rewards for their hard work.

The lucky winners included the National Maritime Museum (Gold Award for Visitor Attraction of the Year), Wicked The Musical (Best Family Fun) and Spandau Ballet’s Tony Hadley (Outstanding Achievement Award).

Full details of all the winners can be found at awards.visitlondon.com

Change tells the story of a performer’s life as the artist spins his way in and out of spectacular costumes.

The art of quick change is centuries old and involves the use of props such as sheets, umbrellas and boxes to cover the performer for a split second as they change from one costume to the next.   

Part magician, part comedian, and a consumate showman, Brachetti’s signature show A Man of a Thousand Faces has been seen by more than one million people worldwide. 

Even a period of simple shadow play (probably so he can catch his breath) is charming.  Brachetti’s masterful performance really does need to be seen to be believed.

This delightful act, London-themed to further engage the audience, is one for the whole family – the children in front of me loved it. 

Change is at the Garrick Theatre until 3 January.