Boy's got Mad-Jag Skills

We booked our tickets a while ago. Jaguar Skills and friends at Koko, in Mornington Crescent. Having been to the venue a few times before for similar gigs, I was excited. Don't get me wrong, Koko certainly isn't somewhere I would venture to for a normal night out...crowds there often consist of the testosterone induced 'yoots' that I prefer to cross over the road from, rather than share an evening with. However, on the odd occasion Koko manages to get in a decent line up, just like this one, those facts don't seem to matter.

KOKO in action: Quite a sight from the top tier

After all, the venue itself is pretty cool. It used to Camden's local theatre back in 1900, and clearly conscious of keeping most of the original features still in place,  all the designers did when they rebranded the place was basically rip out all the seats, add in a monster sound system, and call it Koko.

So, there we were, the 6 amigos (myself, the ever-present Goateenie, Ma-C, Myzle, Samshine and Goldizzle) on our way to an outrageous evening of fun filled tunes, a sh*t load of booze, and nothing to lose. The fact that we had to queue in a late March blizzard storm didn't seem to bother us, and soon enough we were sharing body heat with the hundreds of other eager beavers packing themselves into the venue. 

Once we were able to feel our limbs again, off we went exploring. The nice thing about Koko is that it's pretty big, so if you don't fancy getting in the hustle and bustle of the dance floor, you can always head somewhere else. So, after checking out the pretty impressive set up on stage (there was a 15 foot robot in one corner that looked like something out of Transformers), we ventured to the top floor to take in the views and ready ourselves for a 3 hour love-fest with the UK's most prestigious turntable ninja.

This was definitely a good move, as the first hour or so of our time there was spent listening to by far the worse MC I have ever heard. He was telling people to 'go f*%k themselves' over the top of some pretty generic drum and bass...Not exactly what I had come to participate in, but hey ho, I'm sure some other members of the crowd were loving it. In fact, there was this one bald and overweight 40 year old guy who certainly was, as he embraced Ma-C for a good 20 seconds at one point.

The set was ridonc (can you see the massive robot in the left corner?)

When the Jag-man (yes I just made that up) did eventually come on, this little blip was forgiven, and the atmosphere became pretty epic. Most of our crew stayed near the back of the room, so they had enough space to go crazy, but Ma-C and I (not being guys who shy away from a bit of a good old head bang) ended up throwing ourselves in the middle of a 50 man mosh pit near the front of the stage, taking on the role of conductors for the majority of our time there.



The tunes were absolutely phenomenal...the headline act pulled out all the stops, playing every type of sound you could think of, from Dubstep to Gangster Rap, Hip Hop to Deep House and even a bit of Punk. I even vaguely recollect a System of a Down remix of Tupac's 'California Love'...very special indeed.

As you can tell, we had a rather wonderful night. However, when I woke up the next morning, it felt like I had been involved in a street brawl. I guess i could have been based on the crowd that was there, so glass half full I suppose.

Anywho, if you want to check out what's on at Koko and have yourself a bit of a mess-fest, check out their website on:

http://www.koko.uk.com/

Alternatively, if you want to see when Jaguar Skills is next in town, you can do so on:

http://jaguarskills.com/

1luv,

Finey

x

A Kim Cheeky meal in Holborn

(Kim Chee)

                                                                                                                 

I heart Korean munch

I've been a massive fan of Korean food since I was introduced to it a couple years ago (at my local on the Finchley Road called Seoul).


So, last Tuesday night, when Tea Pot and myself ventured to one of Holborn's current hot spots- Kim Chee- we were both excited and nervous. Excited that we were going to try out a restaurant a few friends of ours had been raving about, but nervous that we were letting down the 'home team' Seoul in order to do so.


As if things couldn't get any more intense, we were accompanied by our dear friends, the Txt2blairs, of whom Mr.Txt2blair is of the Kosher persuasion, limiting what he could order on the menu. 

As you can tell...the pressure was most definitely on....

Almost felt like a North (west London) Korean vs (Slightly more) South Korean war we had on our hands.

So, when we arrived at 8.15 and found out that the place was so busy that we would have to wait for half an hour to be seated, I'm sure you can guess that we weren't best pleased. Of course, this wasn't helped by the fact that we had to spend that time waiting bang smack in front of the BBQ where the chefs prepared all the meat for their already seated customers! So despite its modern and quirky look, on first impressions it was very much our local restaurant that took the lead. North West Korea 1, Slightly more South Korea 0. 

It was literally painful waiting to be seated

The battle may have been won, but this particular Korean War was far from over as we were seated much sooner than expected. Soon enough we were flicking through the menu and noted the vast amount of choices for our vegetarian comrade Mr. Txt2blair...North West Korea 1, Slightly more South Korea 1. 

The mother of Korean munch: dolsot bibimbab

We ordered a plethora of treats...some traditional kim chee (spiced cabbage), deep fried tofu, spare rib broth, salmon and cod fillets, and of course an absolute MUST at any Korean gaff: some dolsot bibimbab (basically meat or tofu with rice, vegetables in a boiling clay pot with a cracked egg on top that cooks as you stir all the yummy goodness around.

We also decided to accompany the food with some quite delightful plum tea...well played Teapot and Miss Txt2blair for the suggestion.


So, all in all the meal was great and we were suitably stuffed. The service was also pretty impressive (our beef rib broth was quite bland, so after apologising profusely the manager immediately changed it for a much better one and gave us a discount at the end of the meal), meaning that Kim Chee suddenly took the lead. North West Korea 1, Slightly more South Korea 2. 

However, a key element of the experience was still to come...the bill. Would Kim Chee come out on top, or would Teapot and I would be cursing ourselves because we'd betrayed our local for an expensive night out? 

Needless to say, the bill was astounding... a mere £20 pp for a sh*tload of Korean food and drink. So, just as we thought North (west) Korea had come out on top, South Korea pulled out all the tricks...North West Korea 1, Slightly more South Korea 3. ....unbelievable!

Lad.

To conclude therefore, overall I'd say that whether it's your first time trying Korean out or not, the atmospheric Kim Chee should be tried by anyone who fancies a good quality meal for a very reasonable price.

If you want to check it out, visit their site on:

http://www.kimchee.uk.com/

1luv,

Finey

x

p.s. Thanks Singfood for the hook up- keep up the good work!

A dirt(ybird) night out

This weekend, I was very lucky young man. Goateenie and I got on the guest list for Mixmag Live's 'Dirtybird Players' night, at The Village Underground in Shoreditch. The gig was unsurprisingly sold out (apart from a few £35 tickets on the door), so you could probably guess... I was a tad excited.

After all, it was a quite mouth watering prospect to see all of Dirtybird's top talent in the same night (Claude Von Stroke, Justin Martin, Eats Everything, Catz N Dogz, J.Phlip and Kill Frenzy were all on the line-up). 

Moreover, I had only heard good things about the venue, as my brother Corque's artist Ofei performed there a little while ago and they both thought it was a wicked little place.

Slightly different to what it looked like at the gig...but you get the idea!

To give you a bit of background, The Village Underground was constructed in 2007 as an answer to the ever increasing need for affordable, environmentally stable studio space for artists in central London. 

The main centre is a renovated turn-of-the-century warehouse,  and houses everything from concerts and club nights to exhibitions, theatre, live art and other performances. 



Most importantly, the design of the building means the sound system is meant to be...well...epic.

It was reverberating Catz 'n Dogz as we got there

So, making sure we had plenty of time to get our rave on, Goateenie and I arrived at around midnight and could hear Catz n Dogz set as soon as we entered the building. Well, when I say hear, I actually mean feel... the whole place was reverberating with the sound of dirty(bird) bass. 

Entering the building, we noticed how simple yet effective the layout was...you walk into a small cloakroom area, with the main brick layered hall to the left, and a cave like area straight in front where the bar was.

Not wanting to waste any of our time, we let the vibrating floor bounce us all the way to a quite splendid position on the dance floor, where we spent the next 4 or so hours on, going-for lack of a better phrase- FUCKING MENTAL.

Highlights of the night for me were:

1. Listening to Claude Von Stroke's phenomenal remix of Renegade Master

2. Watching Eats Everything act just as excited as everyone in the crowd at how good that remix was.

3. Being told by some guy from somewhere in Eastern Europe that the Dirtybird 'players' make music (and I quote):

                                                    "To fuck me"


We both had to be up at 8.30 for Sunday football, so being the sensible chaps we are, Goateenie and I threw the towels in before the end of Eats Evertying's set. However, we certainly got our share of the nights outrageous tunes...36 hours on and my ears were still ringing from the awesomeness of the bass! 

In fact, the night was so fun that we just booked to go back for Groove Armada on April 20th.

If you fancy coming along or just want to find out what the venue has to offer, check out the following links:

http://villageunderground.co.uk/events

http://mixmaglivegroovearmada.eventbrite.com/

Oh, and if you want to listen to my bro's artists check out their websites below:

http://www.official-o.com/

http://iamromans.com/

1luv,

Finey

xxx

p.s. cheers Corque for sorting the night out 

'I wish to complain about this meal'...

The above quote is what my brother said to get the attention of Ricardo, the general manager at Burger & Lobster in Soho. 

Apparently it took the guy by complete surprise, as whenever he normally asks a customer how the food is, 99/100 times the response will be something along the lines of: "its delicious"; or "absolutely fantastic". 

Ohhhhhhhhh mama

After all, not only is Burger & Lobster now infamous for its beautifully simple menu (a choice of three £20 meals: a burger; a lobster; or a lobster brioche), but it is regarded as a place where the food is ''perfectly cooked, at a price that will please even if you’re feeling the pinch" (Time Out).





So, when my brother Corque grabbed Ricardo by the arm and insinuated that there was a problem with the food, I'm sure he was as amused as he was relieved when he heard:

"Yes Ricardo...I wish to make a complaint...about how f*cking GOOD this food is!"



In fact, Corque must have made such an impression on Ricardo, that when we ventured back to the Dean Street restaurant a couple weeks later, he remembered who my brother was, and let him, myself and our good friend Romania skip the TWO HOUR queue to be guided to the best seats in the house...

Truly feeling like Burger and Lobsteroyalty, we were immediately hit by the smell of rich lobster tail being dipped into a glorious garlic butter sauce. I felt like Tanka from Rescue Rangers, hypnotised whilst I was gliding towards the booth Ricardo had prepared for us...

Like a mouse to some cheese...

My mouth watered as we sat down in a great location, in full view of both the chef's kitchen and the lobster tank. 

Yes, it tastes even better than it looks

And so, thrilled that I was about to find out what Corque had been raving about, we looked at the menu and ordered... Three 1.5 pound lobsters, as well as a lobster brioche to share (purely because of how good it looked when the person sitting next to us tucked into hers)

Eventually, the meal came, and my GOD was it every bit as good as the reviews said it was...The lobster brioche was heavenly...the bread buttery and sweet, the filling fridge cold and perfectly seasoned. Then there was the lobster meal itself which, accompanied by a generous portion of crispy fries and a side salad, was so good I could have made love to it let alone eat it.

Protecting my clothes (from the juice squirting out of the cracked lobster shell) with a plastic bib, I did a 'Curly Sue' and sucked on the end of each of my fingers, licking the stunning Lobster and garlic jus off of them. I would go as far as to say that the meal was so good that all three of us were actually gutted to have finished our plates...

Already excited to go back

Anyway, like all good managers, Ricardo of course came over to check we were satisfied (presumably expecting some kind of semi offensive quip).  We told him that we were: 

a) Genuinely offended by the quality of the meal 

and 

b) Convinced he should be arrested for serving such good food in his restaurant.

In fact, the only negative thing about the meal that night was hearing the people sitting next to us order the burger instead of the lobster. Don't get me wrong, you should really have a burger on the menu if you are going to call you restaurant 'Burger and Lobster', but really out of courtesy as opposed to anything else. I mean, why on earth would you spend £20 on a beef patty when they can feast on a 1.5 pound sea monster instead? Madness. 

Anyway, you'll be pleased to know that there are now four Burger & Lobster restaurants around town, so like me, if your mouth is drooling at the thought of tucking into some of their food, you can find their details on:

http://www.burgerandlobster.com/


1luv,

Finey

x

Ping pongs

Clearly, all it takes is an original theme and a lot of alcohol to make something the 'in thing' nowadays. Take Ping Bar for example. It took a small and dim lit Earls Court shop, added some table tennis tables and alcohol, and created one of London's most popular weekend spots.

After all, you'd think people fighting to get into the place at 8.30pm on a Saturday night would be because Harry Styles was playing beer pong inside. However, even if 1D's heart-throb was indeed having "a game of Beirut" in the bar, the only thing fellow Pinger's would be going crazy over, is the thought that they'd be the next in line to take aim and throw a table tennis ball into some cups of beer on the other side of the room.

Like I said... simple idea+ booze = shit hot venue.

So, with that in mind, when we ventured down last Saturday night for Lady Singdog and G-Chainz's joint Birthday celebrations, I was excited to see what all the hype was about. 

That's right...chocolate mutha f*ckin pizzas

We arrived pretty promptly (8.30pm) and it was already heaving inside. We walked past people biting into their freshly cooked chocolate pizzas, head nodded through a crowd of party goers who were dancing to old school tunes, before finally reaching the bar to purchase some tasty but slightly overpriced drinks (it cost me c£10 for a double and a mixer)...I was already getting excited about writing my blog about the place.

Probably taken on a Monday afternoon at Ping Bar...when it's closed.

Nonetheless, this joyous feeling was short lived. Turned out the ping pong tables were so busy that even though we were a group of 30 people, arrived on time and had an area especially reserved for us, our first game started at 11pm...Pretty cheeky considering that was kind of the reason why our hosts wanted to have their bash there in the first place.

Despite quite literally being stopped from getting into the swing of things, we still managed to fill those 2 and half hours with copious amounts of boozing, and therefore all had a ruddy good time. Put it this way, we were so drunk by 11pm that even being barged out the way by an adrenaline/steroid pumped bouncer (because he wanted to chuck out the "riff raff" drunks in the corner) was perfectly acceptable...  

Of course, that was until we realised this particular ruffian was actually the Birthday Boy, G-Chainz. Turned out he got so excited that we were finally able to play beer pong, he threw some beer over himself like the true G he is. Even Lady Singdog's attempt to defuse the situation, by giving the SS officer-turned-bouncer her puppy eyes were in vain. To be fair though, the c*nt had a point: throwing beer over yourself and a ping pong table is a serious no-no in a late night FREAKIN beer pong bar...

So, what are my final thoughts on Ping Bar I hear you ask?

Well, I had a hilarious night out with my mates but the ping ponged. However, that was more than made up by the amusing fact that the bouncers all had the same surname...shame I was too drunk to remember what that was, but I think it began with a D and ended with an ickhead.

Bounce- ah, that's better.

Having said all that, I think Ping is more a case of poor execution as opposed to a bad concept... I hear from friends that Bounce is much better: Taller ceilings; more space and equally decent music. Rumour has it you manage to get a game of table tennis in as well...

If you would rather make up your own mind about Ping, here's the website:

http://www.weloveping.com/#home


1luv,

Finey

x

p.s. Happy Birthday Lady Singdog and G-Chainz