London // Rise 46, Clapham

You're all lovely, loyal readers (thank you, thank you, thank you!) so if you're a regular you'll probably be aware that I moved out of home over the weekend! Gulp!

In amongst all the organising and packing, I managed to get my closest friends together to have a "Leaving London" party. The venue of choice was a lovely little 1920's inspired cocktail bar, Rise 46, a short walk from Clapham Junction station.



From the Rise 46 website

You can watch Gatsby here!

I'd been in contact with the bar to book a small area for my party and I just need to make it clear how kind and accommodating Rise 46 staff were from start to finish. When my search for the perfect venue began, I e-mailed a handful of bars to enquire about booking and whether any events were happening etc, and most places seemed pretty half-hearted about it. I suppose they know that on a Friday night they are likely to be busy regardless of whether they have a booking like mine. Rise 46, however, answered all my questions, didn't require a deposit, didn't stress me out over a minimum spend, made me feel like they'd love to look after us and replied to all e-mails promptly and politely. A massive tick already before I'd even set foot in Clapham.

When we arrived, we were greeted by Sergio - a brilliant barman - who showed us our area and a complimentary bottle of Prosecco. Loooook...!

There were enough of us to make it feel like we weren't cut off from the rest of the bar, especially as the staff were so attentive. Before long, crowds of us gathered around the main upstairs bar as we had spotted sweetie jars...the intrigue hit all of us and before we knew it, there was a multitude of popping candy, lollipops and fizzy bubblegum bottles being shared around. I mean, just take a moment to think about that - you've got a huge jar of one of the most delicious cocktails you've ever tasted, and in the jar's lid you've got an abundance of sweets (and good ones too). Are you not sold on that alone?!

If you needed even more convincing that this is no ordinary bar, did I mention that they have a popcorn machine too? You're just handed little bowls of freshly made popcorn every now and again, amplifying the fun experience tenfold. You must be sold now, right?!

We were blown away by the range of cocktails Sergio made for us and the speed with which he did it. They were honestly amongst the best cocktails I've ever had - really carefully and skilfully crafted. It has made me want to learn how to make them just as well. Mojitos are usually my drink of choice but I don't think I even had a single one that night, on account of there being so many other delicious choices. If you don't believe me, take a look at the drinks menu here...how do you even know where to begin?! (Answer: sweets. Always the sweets.)

Photo of us sourced from Rise 46 website

Other handy information ::

You must try their :: porn star martini - seriously good.
You'll be dancing to :: all the types of tracks you want to hear on a night out, and live music on certain nights if you're lucky
You'll be surrounded by :: happy people
You'll be blown away by :: how yummy the cocktails are
You won't stop talking about :: the sweets and popcorn!
You can get :: 20% off your drinks on weekdays if you sign up to be a friend of Rise 46
You can find them at :: 46 Battersea Rise, London, SW11 1EE

On the "Leaving London" front - as sad as I am that I have left my favourite city, I am pretty excited to be able to adventure in a new part of the country and explore pretty little places I don't even know exist yet. Thank you to my friends for being such wonderful company and to Rise 46 for really looking after us - it was the perfect send off!

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A huge thank you also to my friend Anj who kindly helped me out with photographs for this post. Pictures on a night out are tricky with the iPhone! Apologies for the graininess...do any of you take your SLRs out with you to bars?

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Pies and rain

Weird comfort :: After being in an extra busy museum, walking in the rain for a couple of hours because you're determined to have the day you set out to have and eventually reaching somewhere for lunch - that lunch being a HOT pie with MASH and mushy PEAS at Pieminister - squeezing water out of hair, shaking umbrellas and not wanting to leave the indoors.

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Chocolate Making Class

Aren't creative afternoons the best? I've had a little more time for arts and crafts since the end of exams and really it would be good if I could learn to make time for it during the exam period in future given how relaxing it can be. I was very kindly treated to a Sunday of chocolate-making a few weeks back and as you can imagine, it was ever so fun. Was it messy? Yes. Did my camera appreciate the specks of chocolate it is still dusted in? Probably not. Was it the perfect way to unwind and catch up with a friend? 100%. Oh and that little kitten creature (the last chocolate button) was award-winning, I'll have you know. Probably the first time I've ever won something outside of school. The other major thing that sticks out is having the best Isle of Wight project in Year 6, for which I won a keyring. This time my prize was chocolate. I'm pretty sure you can guess which I am more proud of...

I'm sure there are lots of these types of classes around but ours was MyChocolate in London and lasted around 2.5 hours. It isn't the cheapest activity but you do learn a lot and get to make plenty of chocolate to take home with you (especially if you're an award-winning button maker).

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Iranian Kebabs and Patisserie Valerie Cake

No words needed.

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Stealing a glimpse

Here's a photo I had forgotten about, on a walk that had slipped my mind, on an afternoon that was bright and mellow at the same time but I might be wrong as it might not have been the day I thought it was. London is glorious in the summer sunshine, but it is equally as magical in wholly different ways in the winter. In winter, the city sometimes feels like it is all squished together, wrapped up in rustly brown paper and tidied up with twinkly lights and ribbon. I'll try and remember to take a similar shot next week on this same walk, not least so I don't forget the moments I stop and think "Wow, I'd like to capture that glimpse for eternity".

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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: THEN & NOW at Beetles + Huxley

A few weeks ago, one of my lovely old university friends and I met in Piccadilly for a much needed catch up after the summer. You know when you live in the same city as somebody but somehow don't manage to see them anywhere near as much as you would like to - silly, "life" getting in the way... - yep S is one of those. I think my new year's resolution will be to see more of my closest friends because that is what "life" is, not textbook after textbook.

We went for some soup and then wandered around the market stalls outside St James' Church. It's a great live music venue by the way if you ever get the chance to go. I saw Laura Marling there quite a few years ago and it was enchanting.

Beetles + Huxley is a little gallery in a road opposite the church, specialising in photographic prints. We knew there was a National Geographic exhibition going on so a stop there was a must. Unfortunately this one has finished now but take my word for it, the photos were just spectacular. Here are a few of my favourites...

David Doubilet Here

Sam Abell Here

Stephen Alvarez here

How privileged the photographers must feel to have been able to use their skill and talent to capture such stunning natural scenes.

Have you been to any exhibitions recently that you would recommend?

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How do you respond to hateful opinions?

From here

I really don't want my blog to become somewhere I complain but there are certain things that are less than cheery which I really would like your opinions on. What do you think of the following?

I was on the tube over the weekend and a man who I would guess to be in his 60s sat next to me. He was reading a mini newspaper - a newsletter if you will - of around 10 pages and from what I could see, it was written by what I can only hope is someone with extremist views. The quotations which caught my eye included "Multiculturalism has no place in Britain" and "Multiculturalism is a Liberal/Marxist idea which has failed".

Now, I don't know about you, but this shocked me so much. How could this man sit next to me (I identify myself as British but I am not English) in a carriage full of more people from different ethnic backgrounds, and actually believe those types of mantras? Was this his form of protest against everybody else in the carriage? What was he trying to achieve by reading something like that, let alone in public?

I toyed with the idea of confronting him, but didn't because I didn't know how he would respond. It was suggested to me later that he probably would have liked seeing me angry about it and it isn't possible to reason with such people. Whilst this is probably true, I can't help but think that this sort of attitude needs to be confronted. Should we be stunned into silence? Does this defy the Shouting Back principle I echoed recently?

Someone else suggested that it is through educating younger generations that we can wipe out xenophobic attitudes. I think that this will help but it makes me sad that there seems to be difficulty addressing people who already hold such views.

Living in a multicultural society is such a splendid thing. I have been brought up not caring one jot whether somebody is from a different country to the one I am from or live in, or of a different race. I have found it nothing but enriching to learn from one another, as you would to learn from anybody regardless of their background. That is by no means to say that our differences should not be recognised for the purpose of celebration.

All I mean is that, at the end of the day, we are all just people. My favourite lyrics come from a line in a Regina Spektor song - "People are just people like you" - and I always thought they were so true. The lines I noticed from the rubbish this narrow-minded man was reading were juxtaposed with more lyrics streaming through my headphones at the time - "underneath his skin there's a human" (Human by Daughter)- and I couldn't help but think "Really?" We are all the same underneath - we are just flesh and bones with a mind and soul, so is this man just a victim of brainwashing or is his flaw just more shocking than a flaw of another?

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Fitzrovia Belle

This week was Mike's birthday and I think it is fair to say that it was probably one of the least conventional. Hospitals aren't really a birthday treat, are they? Whoops. 

Anyhow, to make the day more cheery, we decided a naughty lunch would be most apt. Luckily, we didn't have to walk far before we stumbled across Fitzrovia Belle - a lovely looking pub (and hotel) on Tottenham Court Rd. We were sucked in the second we saw that they did hot dogs. Naughty lunch haunt found!

There is a normal menu but just LOOK at the BeerDogs menu below!!

Whichever hot dog you order, you can choose between beef, pork and vegetarian. We ordered pork hot dogs, Cajun chips (which set my mouth on fire) and an excellent bowl of onion rings.

M had a beer battered dog and I gobbled up those gherkins.

And then the Oklahoma Dog which was smothered in barbecue sauce and melted cheese. Deeee-licious.

(Told you the onion rings were excellent)

I would definitely recommend Fitzrovia Belle. The staff are helpful and friendly, and I saw couples, families, friends and business people there so it is an ideal place to meet anybody really. I mean hot dogs aren't the cleanest things to eat so if you're thinking of it as a first date venue then perhaps do a little disclaimer before the meal starts about inability to guarantee crumb-free hair/clothes. Definitely not speaking from experience... 

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Walking in London

London by night - beautiful, magical place of wonder.

I've also discovered that walking around the city, when only the commuters have come out to play, is much, much nicer than when the place is crowded with tourists. The rush away from public transport, however busy, seems organised and therefore much calmer. The other morning, bright and early, I went for an hour and a half walk from London Bridge to Euston Rd, sipping on a free latte shot, eating doorstep toast and chatting about everything and nothing. Much nicer than the 5pm rush I must say! 

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A View From the Shard

Isn't our city just lovely?

It was cool to see how much green space London has in amongst the big, grey buildings. I'm pretty biased but it is definitely my favourite city in the entire world :) 

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