Glamour, Gatsby and the Gaucho Film Club

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Paloma Kubiak

The Great Gatsby is one of my favourite novels and I loved the original film starring Robert Redford, so I jumped at the chance to view the remake in the intimate setting of the Gaucho restaurant just behind Goodge Street.

With its cowhide wall panels and jet-black interior, it provided the perfect backdrop for the screening.

The waiters and waitresses were dressed in 1920s gear, which added a 3D twist to the session and the overall experience brought the screen to the stage of the restaurant.

It boasts of the experience: “In true Gaucho Film Club Style, what’s on the screen will be on your plate”.

We sampled the fare of the roaring 20s and joined the actors as they chinked their champagne flutes and sipped on vodka martinis at the many parties held at the residence of Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio).

All dishes and drinks were bought out with military precision as described in the programme, and the ribeye steak was expertly seared to retain all the juice and tenderness of the beef. The mash was creamy and the al dente green beans were covered in a delicate buttery sauce.

Minutes later as the champagne corks popped on screen during the wild and decadent parties, our very own cold Chandon was brought to the table.

Once Nick Carraway – Gatsby’s neighbour and cousin of Daisy Buchanan whom Gatsby is in love with – received an invitation to attend one of the parties, we also indulged in a vodka martini with a slither of lemon to celebrate the inevitable meeting of the past lovers.

As Gatsby and Daisy meet for the first time in years after being invited by Nick for afternoon tea, we were also treated to a chocolate cupcake and tea served from beautiful bone china. The cupcake was rich, sweet and moist.

We enjoyed a welcome reprieve from the alcohol as the tea was followed by freshly squeezed orange juice. But it wasn’t long until the next party and so we sampled salmon mousse, devilled eggs and stuffed mushrooms – perhaps the canapés of choice from the era.

Elegantly simple, the little canapés packed a punch as the soft mushroom was filled with a smokey paprika-like flavour while the egg yolk was creamy and the white perfectly boiled.

The salmon mousse was the star of the trio as the fishy taste was eased by the sprinkle of dill.

The special menu allowed for one final tipple – a tumbler of whisky over ice. It had a heavy charcoal accent and it was the perfect end to a wonderful experience.

Das Spiel: Are You Part of the Game?

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Paloma Kubiak

Mind-reader, illusionist or trickster – no matter what you think of Philipp Oberlohr, he’ll certainly leave you mystified with his ability to master fate and delve into the depths of your soul.

Das Spiel: Are You Part of the Game? At The Vaults, Waterloo, doesn’t use the conventional theatrical props and it certainly appears as if there’s no script or set-direction.

It seems to flow naturally around the all-important members of the audience.

But then we question whether we’re all just pawns in Oberlohr’s game as the seemingly random participants are actually written into the stage-show as he reads a letter written earlier to name and thank those who played along.

We forget this is actually a theatrical experience as unassuming Austrian Oberlohr carries us, and we in turn carry him on this journey which blurs reality, the past and the present.

The players are different each night so the game you’ll be involved in will vary from mine, but I wanted to share some of the awe-inspiring and mind-boggling events that took place.

To kick off the show, Oberlohr drew a circle attached to the two sides of a triangle, followed by the words red, black, black.

He then took out a pack of cards with the numbers 1-100 and an audience member chose one. At that point we felt it would be a very long night as Oberlohr went round the room asking the audience to guess the number.

After the third attempt, Natalie shocked us all by guessing it was 32. And incidentally, she was wearing a necklace with a round pendant, a red dress and black shoes and tights – perfectly describing the pattern Oberlohr had penned earlier.

Then three blank pieces of paper were handed out and the holders had to draw one of the first things that came into their minds. As this was happening, Oberlohr’s eyes were taped and blindfolded before his hand hovered over the drawings. Incredibly he correctly guessed that two hearts with cupid’s arrow had been drawn, in addition to the rear view of an elephant. Magda was the next player.

He guessed the birth date of one player, the favourite city of another and even guessed the name of the person one audience member had shared her very first kiss with.

Oberlohr said he was inspired to create Das Spiel after reading The Magus by John Fowles. “I related to the protagonist as the reality that was created around him kept changing and transforming. This theme inspired me to create an experience like this for an audience in a live setting”.

In the same way, we’re changed and transformed from that point onwards – this is certainly unlike anything I’ve seen or been involved in before.

And just a note about The Vaults venue – it’s a myriad of darkened rooms and tunnels under the arches supporting the train network above – a funky hideout for the urban classes.

Hakkasan Chinese New Year 2016 Review

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Paloma Kubiak

Hakkasan exudes elegance, sophistication and charm from the moment you step in to its Mayfair arms and its style translates seamlessly into the signature dishes.

As part of the Chinese New Year celebrations, Hakkasan’s launched a special ‘year of the monkey’ menu priced at £88.88 per person, available until 22 February.

Each dish has been beautifully crafted by executive head chef Tong Chee Hwee and each symbolises luck, joy and prosperity for the year ahead.

Once settled, diners are greeted with a fabulously smooth and refreshing cocktail with Eldorado 3yrs rum, Amontillado sherry, banana, guava, lime, agave syrup and walnut.

Our starter of double boiled fresh ginseng and chicken soup with bamboo pith and wolfberry, was delicate with knotty cubes of tofu and the wolfberry was similar to cranberry.

It was soon followed by the Japanese wagyu beef with pine nut in a golden cup – delicious, crispy dices of meat which glistened in the crunchy shells.

As the har gau scallop shumai, Chinese chive dumpling, duck and yam bean dumpling was brought to our table, I couldn’t wait to sample them all.

The scallop was fresh and chewy and the duck dumpling was tender and more-ish.

Our table among the London business-types was decked with the main dishes, including wok-fry lobster in spicy truffle sauce which filled the palette with a trio of textures of crispy onion, slippery exotic mushrooms and leathery-like feel of the distinct flavour of the crustacean.

The pipa duck had a crusty skin and the meat was beautifully tender and flavoursome.

My favourite dish of the evening was the grilled Chilean seabass in honey – it melted in the mouth leaving a sweet and smoky aftertaste.

As we alternated between the main dishes of meat and fish, we also enjoyed the stir fry hericeum mushroom with lotus root asparagus and lily bulb in black pepper.

It was pleasing to the eye and the asparagus was lightly salted and cooked perfectly while the mushroom was surprisingly hard compared to the normal fungi we’re used to.

All the dishes were accompanied with a dried scallop and crabmeat fried rice.

The evening concluded with a soy caramel banana delice with chocolate and peanut. It was beautifully presented, sweet, cooling and a light touch to end our dinner experience.

The Subcarpathian Region of Poland

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Paloma Kubiak

I have been known on occasion to say that Poland’s not just about Vodka and beetroot.

Since my very first trip – a surprise organised by my mum and granddad when I was nine year’s old, we’ve grown up together and each visit has left a lasting impression.

From the serene Mazurian lakes in the north-east of Poland (incidentally where I’ll be getting married next year) to the ‘Polish Alps’ of Zakopane in the South and to Szczecin on the borders of Germany in the west, Poland is a vast country worthy of exploration – even if you struggle to pronounce the city names.

Which brings me on to Rzeszow – the capital of the south eastern Subcarpathian region of Poland – Zakopane’s next door neighbour.

At a presentation to highlight the tourist opportunities in Rzeszow and the region – the first time the province has promoted itself in the UK – we were greeted with red wine grown in the vineyards of the ‘Podkarpackie’ (Subcarpathian) area.

It’s green with two national parks, it’s cultural with its museums, art galleries and wooden gothic churches and it appeals to the thrill-seeking tourists with its dog team races in the snow as well as for the laid-back traveller looking for 5* pampering at the modern Hilton hotel.

And like every great tourist centre, it has its very own market square (Krosno).

At the travel event held in Hammersmith, there simply wasn’t enough time to run through all the areas of interest, the opportunities awaiting tourists and the history of the region.

But with Ryanair flights direct to Rzeszow, it should be quick and easy to get exploring.

I just hope that Rzeszow doesn’t try to compete with the likes of Krakow and Warsaw which are now the go-to destinations for stag and hen-dos.

A Lesson from Auschwitz Theatre Review

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Paloma Kubiak

‘Vermin’, ‘parasite’, a ‘flea’ that needs to be exterminated. Those are the vile words that are shouted at the Jew who weeps and repents his actions on the stage.

For we the audience of A Lesson from Auschwitz at Churchill Theatre in Bromley are the next generation of Nazi SS soldiers being brainwashed to treat the victims of the holocaust as worthless sub-beings.

An intimate production by Brother Wolf, the play consists of just two actors: the intimidating Rudolf Höss, played by Eric Colvin as the Nazi soldier, and Abraham Könisberg, portrayed by James Hyland, who barely manages to stand on his feet.

He wears a chalkboard around his neck, etched with ‘Ich Bin Zurük’, meaning he’s an escapee.

Unfortunately, he is now to be punished and made an example of in-front of the roomful of trainee Hitlerites.

It makes for uncomfortable viewing, as the lesson from Auschwitz is actually 25 lashings against the prisoner’s blistering back.

And with each rise and fall of the whip, we’re told that showing sympathy towards the prisoners is a sign of weakness, how no Jew is spared – women and children won’t leave the camp alive and how a ‘genius’ has developed a deadly gas substance which can kill more than 2,000 people per day.

Even better, the healthy Jews will build the contraptions ie the showers, which will ultimately kill their own kind – it’s ‘political hygiene’ at its finest.

The rest, as they say, is history.

It’s hard to find anything enjoyable about this play given the bleak subject matter, and in all honesty, I was relieved it was over after just an hour.

But Hyland, the SS soldier, was convincing as the dominatrix and Colvin pulled on all the right emotions.

We’ve all heard the tales of horror and survival from the camps, but what was different about A Lesson from Auschwitz was how it flipped the norm so it was told from the side of the Germans.

However the tales of death and destruction in Nazi-occupied Poland are retold, the lessons from Auschwitz must live on today so that history never repeats itself.

In commemoration of the 70th anniversary since the liberation of Auschwitz, the play’s dedicated to all the victims – those who were murdered and those who survived.

Twelfth Night or What You Will, by William Shakespeare

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Paloma Kubiak

Either my education’s failed me or I’ve failed my education as this is the first time I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing the great William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, or What You Will.

A production by the Pell Mell Theatre Company at The Space on the Isle of Dogs, I had no preconceptions of what the play was about, let alone how it compared to the written word or other stage adaptations.

Twelth Night came across as organised chaos – entertainers with painted faces stretched, performed, laughed and mocked the other characters and we never quite know whether they’re visible to all on stage or if they just act as a narrative device to help the audience’s understanding.

At times they were comedic in their moves, at other times they were somewhat distracting pacing about the stage while the audience tried to keep up with the main characters.

I was glad to see Shakespeare’s chief ploys of gender swapping and love triangles present.

Orsino pines for Lady Olivia, but she’s ironically hypnotised by Orsino’s page boy, Cesario, a woman who’s disguised herself as a man. And Cesario – aka Viola – is in love with Orsino.

The play is predominantly set at Lady Olivia’s home, where we meet her outspoken maid Maria, her pompous chief servant Malvolio and where her uncle, Sir Toby, roams the corridors after late night drinking sessions.

We also meet Feste, the fool who is wickedly honest and surprisingly witty and who shone through his thickly painted face.

As the love triangle heightens and madness has descended on the cast as the once disinterested Cesario has now wed Lady Olivia, is forced to fight Sir Andrew who’s also trying to win Olivia’s heart, and comes to blows with his/her master Orsino who believes he’s been betrayed, Sebastian enters.

The long lost twin brother of Cesario/Viola stands in front of the whole cast and all is now made clear. The way Sebastian was revealed and the way we saw each of the characters seem to realise the truth was a great strategy.

And though the play’s a little farcical as Lady Olivia is happy to have wed the male counterpart of Cesario, it was heart-warming to see Cesario revealed as a female – as she’s able to declare her love for her master, Orsino.

Viola, played by Ella Garland, was truly fantastic – she had the right mix of authority and playfulness for the role.

You couldn’t help but warm to Malvolio, played by Andrew Seddon, who paraded around in a grand suit before dressing in yellow stockings in the belief this would win the heart of Lady Olivia.

The actual play was simple in terms of props, and I think this was the right move, as the costumes were majestic and the lighting and music filled the stage.

Twelfth Night is showing at The Space until 8 August – tickets are available from https://space.org.uk.

The Diner, Ganton Street, London Review

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Paloma Kubiak

The 4th July menu – coined as the “gorge of July” by my accompanying colleague – is not elegant or pretty or petite, but that’s its huge selling point.

Generous portions with lashings of gooey cheese and chocolate leave you licking your fingers, wiping your mouth and hoping you don’t have to carry on a conversation while you’re trying to chomp your way through a man-size burger.

The Diner is right in the middle of tourist hotspot slash hippy-heaven Carnaby Street but it has a warm and homely feel to it as the walls are covered in mock wood cladding and American-style booth seating areas line the restaurant.

As part of the special Independence Day menu which will only be available on 4 July, we started off with the Frito pie – a bag of frito corn chips topped with beef chilli, sour cream, jalapeños and coriander.

It nestled inside a crisp-packet-like wrapper and we were told this was a popular snack ordered by American football fans during half-time.

The beef was tender and stringy, a bit like pulled pork and each mouthful had a real kick to it.

Next we sampled the Chicken skins – shredded BBQ chicken potato skins with Monterey Jack sour cream and jalapeno. Beautifully greasy, the potato skins were well done and the smokey chicken pieces complemented the cooling sour cream.

For our mains, we had the Taco crunch burger – an 8oz brisket burger cooked pink (though the staff were accommodating when I asked for mine to be cooked a little more well done) with queso cheese sauce, crisp tortillas and caramelised onions.

Meaty and filling, the burger was a real hit with myself and my friend, and this dish seemed to have a Jewish influence as the brisket was topped with a lightly toasted brioche bun.
Apparently the chief operating officer at The Diner loves Jewish food after he was inspired by the cooking-style and recipes during a trip to Miami over the festival of Hanukah.

It was accompanied with a side of corn of the cob which was rolled in lime mayo, grated cheese and chilli powder and it’s spice tingled on my lips.

Just when we thought we couldn’t eat anymore, the dessert, or S’mores as it’s known, was bought out to our table.

The graham crackers were smothered with melted Nutella and marshmallow and again, there’s no lady-like way to eat this. It was sweet and warm and a great finish to our evening.

Luna Gale at the Hampstead Theatre Review

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Paloma Kubiak

Taken by Manuel Harlan

Luna Gale is undeniably an intelligent, thought-provoking and memorable play which is debuting at the Hampstead Theatre this summer after receiving mass acclaim over in the States.
Playwright Rebecca Gilman expertly draws the audience to judge each character almost immediately, but their thoughts are shown to be misconceptions as the play unwinds.

For it starts off with young couple Karlie and Peter sitting in a doctor’s waiting room; he’s fading in and out of consciousness and she’s twitchy, abusive and violent.

Social worker Caroline tells the couple that their baby daughter, Luna Gale will be taken into care while they seek help for their crystal meth addiction.

At that point, we’ve already judged the couple – dirty drug-taking low life’s who have endangered the life of their vulnerable, innocent baby, which has forced the state to intervene.

And we’ve made up our minds about Caroline too – the veteran social worker – who strives to do things by the book.

But as the play unravels, we warm to Karlie and Peter who show their devotion to each other and in cleaning up their acts to get their daughter back.

At first, Karlie’s mum Cindy is portrayed as a good, stable figure and it’s almost inevitable that Luna Gale will be placed with her grandmother in ‘kinship’, despite Karlie’s protest over this (we learn Karlie had a rocky relationship with her mum).

However, Caroline mocks Cindy’s faith in God and the more she hears Cindy speak of the ‘end’, the less inclined she is to let her have Luna.

That is until the straight-talking Caroline asks Karlie if she was abused as a child which is why she acted out as a teenager. She answers ‘no’ and the curtain closes with Caroline asking ‘but what if it did?’.

In an interview about the production, playwright Rebecca Gilman says the play isn’t dark and she doesn’t want it to seem like a miserable night out.

It covers the disturbing subjects of childhood sexual abuse and drug abuse and Gilbert explains she wanted to bring this to the mainstream stage to show that it can and does happen.
But there are comedic and touching moments too – which would be a shame to reveal here – making Luna Gale a fantastic all-rounder. Directed by Michael Attenborough, the cast were flawless, passionate and truly inspiring in their roles.

Luna Gale is showing at Hampstead Theatre until 18 July.

Frost Magazine

Books and Lifestyle

Tag Archives: Paloma Kubiak

Glamour, Gatsby and the Gaucho Film Club

Das Spiel: Are You Part of the Game?

Hakkasan Chinese New Year 2016 Review

The Subcarpathian Region of Poland

A Lesson from Auschwitz Theatre Review

Twelfth Night or What You Will, by William Shakespeare

The Diner, Ganton Street, London Review

Luna Gale at the Hampstead Theatre Review

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