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12 Nov

Girls Aloud’s Sarah Harding Opens City Bar

Posted by Jenny in Clubs, Pubs & Bars 3 Comments

kanaloa_bar

Club Tropicana drinks are free – and so were the cocktails at the launch of Polynesian-themed bar Kanaloa last night!

Admittedly, you will have to pay on a regular night, but with cocktails starting from £8, it’s certainly not the most expensive drinking hole in the The City.

Just like its sister bar Mahiki, Kanaloa is all bamboo, palm trees and low level lighting. The music favours 80s cheese with a few modern pop and 60s hits thrown into the mix.

There’s ample seating and a reasonably sized dance floor, with a net full of brightly coloured balls above it.

If you’re here to impress, order The Dead Man’s Chest, a £100 cocktail brought to you in a parade of sparklers, lanterns and cheering from the bar staff. (It’s a voodoo funeral procession apparently.) The cocktail is mixed before your very eyes in a treasure chest, which is then filled with straws for your drinking pleasure.

Will Kanaloa tempt the Royals into The City? It already has a fair celebrity quota, as it counts Sarah Harding and DJ Tom Crane among its investors. Plus JLS, Sugababes and Cilla Black were all spotted at the opening. We’ll keep you posted…

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10 Nov

80s Flashback at the Met Bar

Posted by Jo & Jamie from the Met Bar in Pubs & Bars 2 Comments

I Remember the 80s quizFor those of you who know their Duran Duran from their Japan, last Friday night in the Met Bar would have been the event for you. We time-warped back to the era of shoulder pads, mullets and power ballads for our first I Remember the 80s music quiz.

Hosted by none other than Met Bar loyalist Jonny Awsum, our eight teams of members (including Oasis’s Andy Bell) were each given a different 80s wig, from punk rocker to Tina Turner.

Music intros from one-hit wonders to cartoon theme tunes and famous faces were played in quick-fire rounds.

To buzz in, guests had to don their wig, jump up and scream “I Remember the 80s” first. One point was awarded for every correct answer, but two were deducted if the answer was wrong! Suffice to say, much chaos ensued (what can you expect with a room full of DINKIES and BOBOs)!

After an hour and a half of intense battle (and a little bit of cheating), the final bell tolled and the scores on the doors were totted up by Jonny’s glamorous Flashdance assistant, Eleanor. For the losers, a wooden spoon; for the winners, neon leg warmers and the chance to sing karaoke on stage to Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer!

 

Another successful Met Bar event involving fancy dress and slightly wild behaviour (you might notice a pattern emerging!) In fact, we enjoyed it so much we have decided to host a 90s quiz next time. So dig out your combat trousers, your Spice Girls fan club badges and your yoyos, and watch this space!

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5 Nov

Met Bar Spooktacular – Part II

Posted by Jo & Jamie from the Met Bar in Pubs & Bars No Comments

The Met Bar team

We know you’ve all been waiting with baited breath for our second Halloween instalment, following our Met Bar Spooktacular – Part I, and now that we have *finally* recovered, here it is!

Last Thursday the Met Bar was transformed by the fabulous Serena Mattar into a rock’ n’roll graveyard for our Death on the Dancefloor party. Giant cobwebs, dismembered skeletons and ex-rockstars’ gravestones littered the bar, making more than a few of our day-time guests jump!

As dusk descended, the Broken Hearts hit the decks and the special effects make-up team from Lost In Beauty, Primrose Hill arrived to give the Met Bar team our macabre makeovers. With us both transformed into a vixen vampire victim and suicide cupid (guess which was which!), it was time to drink some Devil’s Punch and get the party started.

Joined by the ever fabulous Johnny Blue Eyes (stylist to Beth Ditto) dressed as no other than Jesus (complete with light-up crown) the party was full of the weird, the wonderful and the downright scary. Miss Pandemonia was resplendent in her usual PVC get up. Throw in a couple of super-sized red Japanese wigs, Marie Antoinette’s ghost and a dead prom queen and you’ll get the idea!

When Freddie Mercury scrambled onto the bar for a rendition of  We Will Rock You, we knew our Halloween party was going down in the history books! Definitely one of the wildest and kookiest nights we’ve ever had in the bar, and our members certainly created the infamous electric atmosphere.

And, as if one Halloween party weren’t enough, on Saturday night the bar hosted fright night festivities again. Yes, two of our members clubbed together and hosted a Halloween party for a crowd of 150 guests. Jamie dusted down his wings and shot himself through the heart once again to join in yet another gory celebration, with the bar hitting capacity for the second time in a week!

Suffice to say we are now ready to leave Halloween behind for another year… roll on Christmas!

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30 Oct

Photo of the Week: Rock and Roll Afternoon Tea at The Gore

Posted by Jenny in Eating Out 1 Comment

Cakes at The Gore hotel

This week’s pic shows what happens when afternoon tea goes rock ‘n’ roll – it is put on a Union Jack plate and served at The Gore hotel!

The Gore was the setting for the 1968 launch party of  The Rolling Stones’  Beggars Banquet album, and favoured hangout of such musicians as Annie Lennox, Paul Weller, and er, Spandau Ballet.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Afternoon Tea includes the best cheese and ham sandwiches I’ve ever tasted (how did they make a simple sandwich so good?) and delicious chocolate éclairs (which tasted suspiciously boozy.)

Do you have any brilliant London images to share? (They don’t have to be cakes, although we do rather like them!) Join the Visit London Flickr pool and your snaps could end up here on the VL Blog.

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27 Oct

Met Bar Spooktacular – Part I

Posted by Jo & Jamie from the Met Bar in Clubs, Pubs & Bars No Comments

Scream Tea at the Met BarWith our penchant for extrovert occasions, it’s no surprise that we take Halloween very seriously here at the Met Bar. Not content with just one instalment we will be updating you on our Halloween happenings in a two-part fright night special.

Yesterday saw the launch of our Scream Tea menu in collaboration with turntable goddesses, the Broken Hearts. Inspired by the work of Tim Burton and Tim Walker, as well as their own interest in the macabre and the aesthetics of Halloween, the Broken Hearts have created a delectable seasonal menu that will be available daily 3pm-6pm from Monday 26 October until Saturday 7 November.

Guests can expect a frightfully delightful menu including seasonal pumpkin, blackberry and blood-red versions of the legendary low-fat cupcakes, combined with a classic Broken Hearts colour palette and a few spooky surprises such as taxidermy crows, giant spiders and edible artwork by illustrator and Halloween-enthusiast Rob Flowers. You can also expect to hear a mouth-watering culinary soundtrack handpicked by the Broken Hearts themselves.

And speaking of the Broken Hearts, they will be our special guest DJs on Thursday night for our Death on the Dancefloor Halloween Extravaganza – until then ”stay spooked” for our next episode where we will spill all the gory details…

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8 Oct

FrankMusik Live and Found at the Met Bar

Posted by Jo & Jamie from the Met Bar in Clubs, Pubs & Bars No Comments

FrankMusicAs a child of the electro generation, it’s no surprise Jamie became a big fan of electro-pop whizz kid and singer-songwriter du jour, FrankMusik.

Recently back from touring with Keane, Pet Shop Boys, Lady GaGa and Perez Hilton Presents in the US, it only took a few calls to entice FrankMusik to the Met Bar decks.

Or, we should say BACK to the Met Bar decks? Although not commonly known, FrankMusik used to DJ here regularly before starting his glittering music career!

His return was much anticipated, and after a quick bite in Nobu on Thursday evening, he came down to an already packed bar full of Met Bar members, achingly cool music moguls and the gorgeous Natalie Imbruglia (with friends Sam and Holly Branson).

With the paps going crazy outside, the atmosphere was quite simply electric – echoing the sounds from FrankMusik himself including remixes of his latest hits – the beat-boxing and vox-popping went long into the night.

Suffice to say it was Berocca popping for us on Friday morning! Watch this space for the next big Met Bar party…

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26 Sep

Femme Fatale at the Met Bar

Posted by Jo & Jamie from the Met Bar in Music, Pubs & Bars No Comments

If you have ever been seduced by an alluring woman, you will be familiar with the meaning of Femme Fatale. Until last night we (Jo and Jamie) had never succumbed to the fatal charms of a woman but in true excessive style, we fell for not one but four in one evening!

Last night, our new live music event Femme Fatale debuted in the Met Bar in conjunction with ZEN FM presents, showcasing the best in emerging female musicians. Naively sipping our cocktails, we were unaware of the potent mix of music that was to follow.

Axe Girl

The first performance, a Celtic Harpist called Jharda, enchanted the audience with her haunting voice and melodic strings, delicately evoking a strange desire to dance in the royal courts of Henry VIII.

Then, Axe Girl with her punky attitude rocked the stage with a mix of edgy pop-rock anthems. Cue much head banging and air guitar action.

After we were released from the clutches of our first two sirens, voluptuous songstress Charley Bird sent the audience into a heady whirl of Kit Kat club excitement with her Dietrich-esque voice and pin-up poses.

Finally, Chyna Wyne captivated the crowd with her striking beauty and Reggae beats in her gravity defying high heels (teacher by day, diva by night) whilst we got up and got down to the bongo beats!

Dazed and delighted, we took to our carriages in a love-struck stupor satiated by our first experience of Femme Fatale. Tempted? Join us for the next Femme Fatale in December.

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9 Sep

Monkey Shoulder Tree House Swings Into London

Posted by Jenny in Attractions, Pubs & Bars No Comments

The Monkey Shoulder Tree House at The Big Chill

For those of us who don’t find ourselves regularly hanging out with the Royals in Mahiki, there’s a new pop-up bar coming to town made by Cheeky Tiki, the conceptual designers behind the celebrity hang-out.

OK, so being a tree house made from reconditioned whisky barrels, this new pop-up bar doesn’t have quite same the glamour as Mahiki.  But the wooden bar with board games, orange lanterns, and whisky cocktails is still the perfect place to catch the last of the summer sun.

The Monkey Shoulder Tree House lands at the Old Truman Brewery from 10 to 13 September.

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4 Sep

London Clubs: Not To Be Missed This Autumn

Posted by Jenny in Clubs, London, Pubs & Bars 1 Comment

Pass the parcel at Oh My God! I Miss You, photo by Barry Newman

The Bank Holiday may seem like a distant memory, but London’s nightlife is showing no signs of slowing down. So brace yourselves, there’s a lot coming up over the next few weeks, here are our favourites:

The Big Chill Mini Festival – the festival season is nearly finished but from the 11-13 September you can recapture the tented, unwashed festival spirit at The Big Chill House and The Big Chill Bar.

Matter 1st Birthday Weekend – matter is a whole year old on the weekend of 18-19 September. Carl Cox, Eddy Temple Morris, Tom Middleton and Pendulum will all be joining in the celebrations.

Oh My God! I Miss You – Speaking of birthdays, Oh My God! I Miss You are launching a monthly birthday party from 2 October. All the fun of a birthday (cake, burlesque, pass the parcel) without getting a year older – hoorah!

Smirnoff Be There – Smirnoff continue their quest to find the most original new club night with four new events this autumn, kicking off with retro-Hawaiian night Rock a Hula at Bloomsbury Bowling on 18 September. If it’s anything like the last one, we’re there!

Silent Disco – Try clubbing in the historical setting of the Old Royal Naval College as Silent Disco moves in for a one-off night under the stars on 12 September.

SS Atlantica – The nautical look is in don’t you know, and our friends at The Blitz Party have come up with a brand new theme night. Step aboard the SS Atlantica for a glamorous evening of 1930s jazz, cabaret and general promenading on 12 September.

Sunday Social – Don’t waste away watching soap omnibuses on Sundays, head to The Old Queen’s Head where you can indulge in apple-bobbing, face-painting, board games and other fun from 3pm at their weekly Sunday Social.

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12 Aug

Seduction at the Met Bar: Cour-tea-san De-Light…

Posted by Jo & Jamie from the Met Bar in Classes, Pubs & Bars No Comments

Cour-tea-san De-light“Is there an art to seduction? How does one become an artist, fluent in the many techniques that can be used to appeal to the senses?”

These are questions that you may never have considered before now but for guests attending ‘Cour-tea-san De-Light’ at the Met Bar on Saturday; it was the hot topic of the day.

The idea to host a series of sassy seduction classes was conceived over several cocktails enjoyed with Kelly Isaac, Founder of seductive lingerie brand, The Modern Courtesan. The classes are designed to present short s-educative experiences from leading experts in a more relaxed, social setting to be enjoyed by groups of friends or couples.

For those who are intrigued as to what happens at a seduction class – please read on.

Firstly, expect delightful sensations throughout the course of the afternoon to tempt ALL your senses! Guests were welcomed by a delicious Ginger & Watermelon Martini before taking to their seats to enjoy an aphrodisiac-inspired version of the Afternoon De-Light menu. Gorgeous cupcakes made with fresh ginger, strawberries and Champagne each topped with a rather suggestive cherry, plus chilli and chocolate macaroons (my personal favourite) to accompany the no-bread sandwich pots and light-as-a-feather scones.

After a brief introduction to Modern Courtesan and the “Seduction Boudoir” (which was later open to acquire weapons of mass seduction), the guest speakers were invited to the stage. Saturday’s guests included best-selling author, Suzanne Portnoy, who spoke on the subject of erotic writing and her fabulous memoirs, plus iconic British photographer John Stoddart whose famous collection includes “Peep World.”

The finale to the class was the gorgeous Pegah, who captivated everyone with her exotic dancing and treated guests to a 20-minute workshop. Sad to shimmy no more, it was time to depart and complete our homework…

The next Cour-tea-san De-Light is scheduled for 26 September between 3 and 5pm.

More classes and workshops in London

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