We started with delicious, seasonal cocktails of Rubarb and ginger prosecco cocktail, a harmonious balance of spice and tang and our helpful waiter advised on his favourites. We sampled the coronation chicken, rare beef salad and pea and mint arancini. The starters are reasonably priced at between £5-£7, and their size makes them almost suitable as a main. The rare beef salad is fresh and echoes the start of spring with its shaved raw asparagus. But it misses a kick of flavour to lift it further. The retro serving of Coronation Chicken was huge, large pieces of chicken in delicious homemade curry spiced mayonnaise; we devoured it whole-heartedly. The arancini wouldn’t fool an Italian but the mini size was fun for sharing.

Our mains were a Pork belly with BBQ sauce and macaroni cheese with wild garlic and Jerusalem artichokes. Both again are large dishes and slightly overwhelming. The pork belly is well-cooked, and the fat crunchy and rich. It is drenched in BBQ sauce, which isn’t for all tastes, but comes with sweet potato fries and homemade slaw. The mains range from £13.50 – £23.50, which sounds steep but the size won’t leave you feeling short-changed. The wild garlic, which is always a pleasure to spy on a menu, lifted the macaroni cheese to the next level.
My only gripe with the experience was the slow service. The restaurant was surprisingly busy for a weekday and this seems to have taken the staff by surprise too. I was left wondering if they had enough manpower to support the obvious demand from the hungry locals. We finished on a plate of chocolate desserts, which was a great sharing option. And, considering the size of the portions, that’s all you will be able to squeeze in! The menu is eclectic and includes French, Mediterranean, Modern British and a bit of New York eatery. The dishes change by season, which should keep their regulars interested too. There is also a large seating area out front, which will no doubt be a hit when that summer does finally arrive. (Words: Laura Thornley)

For more info, visit: www.therookeryclapham.co.uk

Laura Thornley

Laura is a writer and journalist working across disciplines. Her background is within the arts, having studied both its history and practice at undergraduate and postgraduate level. If she isn’t digesting the latest in visual culture, she can be found indulging her other passion – seeking out the best grub from around the world.

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As they’re all about slow cooked meats and messy eats, we went for the sweet and spicy chicken wings (massive and juicy), the New York hot dog (as awesome as the real deal) and the extremely flavoursome brisket chilli and crushed guacamole, which just about left us room to tuck into the homemade brownie which comes with cornish ice cream.  And the pricing for everything averaged at a more than comfortable £30 for two people (not including drinks).

It was a shame we didn’t manage to try the craft beers and pulled pork which we’ve heard amazing things about – but from our first impression, this is just two more reasons to give Lazybones another visit (hopefully sooner than later).

For more info, visit: www.lazybones.uk.com

The Cultural Exposé

The Cultural Exposé is a creative lifestyle listings site that covers what’s on in London and beyond.

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I am greeted at the door downstairs by a man who offers me splendid homemade Guinness-and-chocolate cake. I comment on its moistness which, as an old friend once said to me, is the highest compliment you can give a cake. So how does this all work then? I ask. He tells me you plug your headphones into each others’ players, listen… and maybe make friends. I’m marked with a blue cross and told I will be in the inside of the circle, part of the group doing the moving. Alice, la femme in charge, introduces herself, we share a bourbon, then we’re off.

There are about twenty-five, thirty people – it’s certainly a cosy event, and it all goes off rather nicely in the bijou surrounds and considerate lighting. As for the way it works, each time you form a new pairing you have seven minutes to ascertain your partner’s taste and play something you equally recommend,  like aural sommeliers. As you might expect, each musical tryst varies in its intrigue and compatibility. Sometimes you feel as though you’ve got to endure your partner’s playlist, other times you’re  just getting into it before it’s time to abruptly rotate.

I turn up with the first iPod ever made,  telling people I like repetitive Kraut-inflected psychedelia – cue a few blank looks. During one of my rounds,  the chap I’m talking to, a composer, takes his ears out. ‘This is awful’, he says.  My next mini-epoch is with a young woman who has no power in her player, so she’s forced to listens to my recommendations. When I speak, she removes her earpiece, yells ‘what was that?’ ‘Never mind’ I say. She seems to like it.

What I take from the evening is that I should listen to old Fleetwood Mac, most people like music with beats, The Death Grips and Scorn are a bands I now like and I doubt I have converted anyone to my msucial tastes. But I’ve certainly discovered some new music to investigate further, which makes this a fine little foray for a Thursday evening. (Words: Ed Spencer)

Speed Listening takes place every third Thursday until June.  The next event is on March 21st, but for more info visit: www.thenotewell.com

Ed Spencer

Ed is a writer of many guises, currently scouring the literary world to find someone lucky enough to publish his first novel, Blighty – a satire set in the environmentally fascist People’s Republic of Britannia. He also contributes to Artrocker magazine and discusses life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness at http://rufioriggs.wordpress.com

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Sticking up a middle finger to its former tenants ( a Christian mission), the venue’s subversive  theme goes in hard from the jump; the lighting’s incredibly low,  the “inbread” part of the menu is pitched at “sinners”, skeletons are depicted in the stained-glass ceiling breaking bread Last-Supper style – and of course, there’s an all-seeing eye thrown in. It’s a bold statement as even the menu offers a few gags (Bingo Wings, badoom-ching! And you may not want to know the colloquial meaning of “Monkey Fingers“), but it was hard to laugh off the bright red cocktail called, er, Time Of The Month (!?). Still, the Donkey Punch cocktail (ahem) made with  lime juice, ginger beer and absinthe and the fruity Tipping The Velvet (double-ahem), were thankfully, quality Plan Bs, even if their names leave much to be desired.

First impressions aside, the food itself had some impressive highlights. For starters, those monkey fingers and chilli cheese fries are an absolute-must – and while we were less wooed by the fried pickles (tempura-style, nothing remarkable), the currywurst served over fries was also a great choice.  As for mains, the red chilli burger and cheeseburger  were cool and just what you’d expect  (although a friend was slightly overwhelmed by the spiciness of the green chilli burger), but my hat goes off to the delicious brilliance that is the roast beef sundae.  It looks deceptively sweet, but this creation is simply garlic mash and gravy with roast beef, horseradish cream, topped with a cherry tomato.

Considering there are other burger outlets that are more notorious for their food (Patty & Bun, Lucky Chip and Honest Burgers),  time will tell if MEATMission‘s restaurant credentials can match the hipness of their brand. But it seems like the sort of venue that’ll make a killing on the weekends as it’s near the heart of most of the Shoreditch action, it’s not too pricey, the music’s good, there’s yummy cocktails and it  has the right kind of starters for grazing – what more could a food-loving coolhunter ask for?

For more info, visit: www.meatmission.com

Matilda Egere-Cooper

Matilda Egere-Cooper is the founder and editor of The Cultural Exposé, but has been a freelance journalist since 2002. Her work has featured in i-D, Dazed & Confused, The Mirror, Blues & Soul, BBC Entertainment and The Independent amongst others, and she picked up a prize for her writing at the Record of the Day Music Journalism and PR Awards in 2007. When she’s not managing TCé, Matilda’s a journalism lecturer, mentor and freelance photographer.

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Sort of.  In case you can’t remember, Shawshank Redemption tells the story of a man thrown in jail, accused of murdering his wife and her lover. He pleads innocent but gets on with doing his time until he discovers evidence which could set him free. His initial years locked up are pretty harrowing to say the least – and inside the world of Future Cinema, we get a taste of this prison life that at times is almost too authentic for entertainment.  During the first part of the production, a few participants are shouted at and humiliated, while I witnessed  a few disturbing moments that I imagine was particularly uncomfortable for my fellow ladies in the mix.

That said, there’s no denying that Future Cinema are brilliant at what they do as the production values are incredibly high (I’d go so far as to say mind-blowing) – and any questionable factors of the spectacle are soon overcome by the convincing actors, activities and the eventual screening of a film that’s deserving of the homage.  But playing make-believe incarceration may falter in comparison to more light-hearted FC productions like Grease, Bugsy Malone  - and in a few weeks Casablanca – which you probably wouldn’t mind paying 45 quid for. Still, if you’re brave enough, want to play along and oddly fancy the kicks, this could be the ticket. Just don’t take a date if you’re a fella – and ladies, you might want to leave the girlyness (and heels) at home. On until February 24th.

For more info, visit http://www.futurecinema.co.uk

Matilda Egere-Cooper

Matilda Egere-Cooper is the founder and editor of The Cultural Exposé, but has been a freelance journalist since 2002. Her work has featured in i-D, Dazed & Confused, The Mirror, Blues & Soul, BBC Entertainment and The Independent amongst others, and she picked up a prize for her writing at the Record of the Day Music Journalism and PR Awards in 2007. When she’s not managing TCé, Matilda’s a journalism lecturer, mentor and freelance photographer.

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Nowadays it seems the capital can’t get enough of pop-ups and American food – so put the two together and unsurprisingly, you get a sellout weekend like Dante Fried Chicken’s Weekend London Cookout. Hosted over two days (with only two dinner and a lunch service on Sunday), a select number of attendees paid £25 for a gorgeous three-courser courtesy of LA’s Dante Gonzales, the award-winning chef behind Dante Fried Chicken and  the Taco Shack that swept into London last September (2011).

Dante’s philosophy is to trot the globe and celebrate good music, art and food – and he didn’t disappoint with this latest ride or fry event. Check out our snaps and thoughts below; we particularly loved the moreish smoked cheese grits with shrimp,  the sock-it-to-me-chicken and coconut spice waffles with Apricot glaze – delish!

Starters:
Black Eye Pea Hummus Endives
Andouille Cinnamon Corn Bread with Honey Butter
Shrimp with Smoked Cheese Grits

The andouille twist masked an obvious cinnamon tang we’d hoped for in the cornbread – but the cheesy grits were absolutely superb, while the black eyed peas and hummus combo worked a treat.

Mains:
Sock-It-To-Me-Chicken or
Warning-Tastes-Like-Chicken Tofu
On top of Coconut Spice Waffles served with Apricot Crack Glaze
With Cucumber Corn Ginger Salad & Crispy Leek Deviled Eggs

The fried chicken was excellent and the obvious highlight of the main, followed closely by the coconut waffles and devilled eggs. The flavours were distinctively Asian too which worked superbly.

Dessert:
21MC Choco Cherry Pie

This conclusion was a little modest – but who were we kidding? We were stuffed after the main, and appreciated such a sweet treat to call lunch a wrap!

For drinks, we also enjoyed Hennessey ice tea slushies… £2 for non-alcoholic, £4 for the original.

For more info about Dante Fried Chicken, visit www.dantefriedchicken.com

Matilda Egere-Cooper

Matilda Egere-Cooper is the founder and editor of The Cultural Exposé, but has been a freelance journalist since 2002. Her work has featured in i-D, Dazed & Confused, The Mirror, Blues & Soul, BBC Entertainment and The Independent amongst others, and she picked up a prize for her writing at the Record of the Day Music Journalism and PR Awards in 2007. When she’s not managing TCé, Matilda’s a journalism lecturer, mentor and freelance photographer.

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Elsewhere, the Mediterranean biome features fragrant, walk-through displays from areas such as South Africa and California, and you can even enjoy a Med-inspired meal in the themed cafe – but it’s the outdoor site  that’s closer to home, with its beautiful gardens, crop plots that feed the world and the WEEEman – a gigantic structure made from the 3.3 tonnes of “Waste, Electrical and Electronic Equipment” one person will throw away in a lifetime (yikes).

Of course, there’s more to Eden then just thought-provoking sites, and if you’re into your music,  an outdoor series of gigs called the Eden Sessions  runs annually – and this year, you can check out Chase & Status on July 4th and Plan B on July 6th.

So the next time you head to Cornwall for a break from the city, a visit to this remarkable project is a must – if only to see the possibilities of living an organic, environment-conscious lifestyle.

For more info, visit www.edenproject.com. 

This experience comes courtesy of Acer UK. Check out the Acer Intel U-Experience team on our journey and discover more about the challenges at: https://www.facebook.com/AcerUK/app_329103610497351

Matilda Egere-Cooper

Matilda Egere-Cooper is the founder and editor of The Cultural Exposé, but has been a freelance journalist since 2002. Her work has featured in i-D, Dazed & Confused, The Mirror, Blues & Soul, BBC Entertainment and The Independent amongst others, and she picked up a prize for her writing at the Record of the Day Music Journalism and PR Awards in 2007. When she’s not managing TCé, Matilda’s a journalism lecturer, mentor and freelance photographer.

More Posts – Website – Twitter – Facebook