Tag Archives: Review

GAUCHO TOWER BRIDGE – STEAKS, SOPHISTICATION AND SUBLIME SCENERY

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Carnivores, raise your hand if you want to learn more about the best Argentinian steaks in the Capital… Good, let’s get to it.

We popped into Tower Bridge’s Gaucho restaurant to experience its new look and Latin American style theme and learn what this much-loved chain would bring to our meat loving selves. Little did we know, the grub, the great deals that run through the week and the ambience were absolute game changers.

If you’ve not had chance to frequent a Gaucho restaurant yet, (we promise we’re not judging…much), then you might not be completely au fait with its set up. Gaucho has more respect for its meat than we probably have for our loved ones and upon arrival, a chopping block of lovely, red, cuts will be presented to you in the fashion of a specials board. The team will talk you through each of its main cuts. Butterfly (a signature piece brushed with garlic and herb), sirloin, rump, rib eye and fillet. Don’t feel overwhelmed though – you won’t leave that place until you’ve dissected which cut is best suited to you forever more.

Once you’ve established if you’re mad for marbling or bonkers for blue meat, you can choose the weight of the cut that will land on your table. 250g, 300g or for the gluttonous amongst us (don’t lie, we’re all guilty of it), 400g. To embody Goldilocks, the 300g was ‘just right’ for us.

The wine, sides and starters that will pepper the table throughout your experience are all equally well seasoned, well cooked and well-presented but the two things that stood out to us most? The succulent steaks (obvs) and the location. Sit yourself at the right table on either of its floors and you will spend your sessions staring at London landmarks and people watching. You’ll take in the tourists testing millions of snaps for the perfect Instagram picture, be impressed (and sickened in equal measure) by the sporting groups dancing across Potters Field lawns and peek through the windows of City Hall, because this location is a Monopoly style Mayfair in our opinion.

Some of the diary dates at Gaucho you won’t want to miss?

Mondays BYOB – no catch, no corkage, no size limit!

Saturday Electro Brunch – Two hours of brilliant beats and bottomless bevvies to accompany dishes from this master menu, all for £49.95pp

Visit the Gaucho site for more information.

*We were guests of Gaucho Tower Bridge

FROST’S FOODIE FAVOURITE – BIG EASY

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A taste of the Deep South and a damn good night!

Big Easy is a favourite across the London foodie scene. Good, honest grub and a relaxed atmosphere to match, these Bar B.Q houses and Crabshacks don’t disappoint and with three spots throughout London, you’re never too far away from a Big Easy style, belly busting feast.

Last month, we were invited to try out the renovated Kings Road hut – the home of the original Big Easy restaurant – and it didn’t disappoint.

Authentic, southern décor and melt in the mouth meats, there’s nothing not to love. We opted for the Bar B.Q Blowout for Two which basically means we got to try a bit of everything! All of the meats are cooked the traditional way – low and slow –  over wood. Included on this plate of perfection was Baby Back Ribs, Bar.B.Q Chicken, Chips, Pulled Pork, Cornbread Muffin, Coleslaw & Bar.B.Q Beans and Texas Hot Links Sausage. All for just £22.50 per person!

If you fancy having a food focus as opposed to a little bit of everything, ribs are an absolute highlight at Big Easy and the team take their rib rubs and sauces seriously. “Wet“ ribs are dry rubbed and sauced throughout their entire cook and the “dry ribs” are rubbed and cooked and are just sans sauce. On these, the rub and smoke work their magic to create a “bark” ensuring a crispy exterior with a succulent interior.

Happy hours and live bands make an appearance on the daily, as do fantastic foodie specials from bottomless fajitas (£20pp every Wednesday) to the Monday classic of the ‘Big Pig Gig’, offering diners unlimited Bar B.Q and a 2 pint stein of Big Easy Brew (£20pp).

To book a table at Big Easy Kings Road, visit the Big Easy website.

Review: Gary Wilmot’s sweet success in Bognor Regis

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Sweet Lorraine, The Alexandra Theatre, Bognor

New writing is the lifeblood of theatre, so for a small seaside venue like the Regis Centre to be exploring new work is exciting in itself. To beef that up by kicking off with a play by one of the nation’s most popular performers is quite some coup; even if it is difficult reconcile cheeky chappie Gary Wilmot with such a dark and tense piece. But all credit to Wilmot, who is also at the directorial helm. Sweet Lorraine is a triumph. Furthermore, it deserves a wider audience.

A compelling tale of a talented young musician with a secret, the writing is elegant, authentic and intelligent. The plot, part thriller and part grim cautionary tale, is rooted in an astute study of human nature and poses a disturbing question: just how far would you go to wright a terrible wrong that had been done to someone you love and whose life had been subsequently blighted?

Beautifully paced, the story plays out to a shocking conclusion. Gripping the attention, never for a moment allowing it to wander, evocative music and Iain Jordan’s moody lighting are key components in creating atmospheric edge-of-the-seat unease.

Aided by excellent performances from Harry Burton as Harry Burns and Martha Dancy as the eponymous Lorraine, great support is provided by Ben Fox as Phil and Katy Osborne as Emma.

Gary Wilmot has been hiding his scripting light under the proverbial bushel for too long. Here’s hoping that he continues to write and that Sweet Lorraine will play on elsewhere.

As for the Regis Centre and its Alexandra Theatre, may this gem of a seaside venue continue to champion new work.

Review: The Midnight Gang, Chichester Festival Theatre

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The Midnight Gang, Chichester Festival Theatre
Until 3 November. Box Office: 01243 781312 www.cft.org.uk

Never knowingly understated, David Walliams took his seat to loud applause from the audience on press night. By the curtain call, when he praised the cast and creative team behind the adaptation of his book, the cheers practically took the roof off. Quite right too. His story didn’t just jump from page to stage, it took flight – literally.

Set in Lord Funt Hospital, Matron rules the children’s ward with a rod of iron. A rod of iron dipped in cement and covered in titanium. Looking like Doris Day but without a glimmer of sunshine in her soul, her young patients know the risk they are running in escaping her clutches to indulge in secret midnight antics.

Aided and abetted by the hospital’s porter, superbly played by Dickon Gough (was it just my imagination or were there shades of Walliams in there?), the poorly children live out their wildest fantasies, reminding us that when something we yearn for is out of reach, dreams can be the next best thing.

The children are fabulous. We saw Cody Molko as Tom, Jasmine Sakyiama as Amber, Rafi Essex as George, Felix Warren as Robin and Cerys Hill as Sally, but I gather that their opposite numbers (Tumo Reetsang, Albi Stisted, Cooper Snow, Fibian McKenzie and Anjali Shah) are every bit as talented.

Jenny Dale is a glorious gorgon as Matron. With the bedside manner of Nurse Ratched, her swooning over Tom’s headmaster (Tim Mahendran) during The Punishment Will be Severe is one of many highlights.

With lovely performances also from Lucy Vandi, Matthew Cavendish and Marilyn Cutts, lots of doubling up means that the cast appears bigger than the reality. Collectively they manage quick changes – of costume and character – with impressive and seamless speed.

Simon Higlet’s ingenious set is a joy, full of surprises and magical elements. Music by Joe Stilgoe provides agreeable accompaniment, but it is words rather than music that are his greater accomplishment. Astute, witty and dexterous, notably in So Many Questions which sees a beleaguered doctor trying to fill out an admission form, his sparkling lyrics are marvellous.

Tender, funny and thrilling, Bryony Lavery’s adaptation retains all the heart and humour of Williams’ book and sprinkles precisely the right amount of theatrical magic into the story.

Director Dale Rooks is to be congratulated. A stunning show for all the family, The Midnight Gang is an absolute tonic. I urge you to get dosed up.

From a child’s perspective – Lily B (14) says:

The Midnight Gang is an action-packed story with memorable characters. Comedic, cheering and cleverly staged, especially with the flight of a naked grandma, Matron was my favourite. Child-hating, chocolate loving and power crazed, she was the perfect love-to-hate character. A great show for children and their families, I especially liked the messages to let your imagination run free and to be kind to each other. Definitely five stars!

Review: Flowers For Mrs Harris at Chichester Festival Theatre

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Photo: Johan Persson

Until 29 September

Box Office: 01243 781312

cft.org.uk

You might not go home humming the tunes, but what Flowers for Mrs Harris lacks in catchy songs is more than made up for in warmth and charm.

An elegant retelling of one of Paul Gallico’s much-loved series of books, there’s not a great deal of colour to in Ada’s life. Set in the post-war 1940s, a gossip over a cuppa with her friend and fellow charlady Violet Butterfield and a bottle of milk stout once a week is about as bright as things get.

‘Doing’ for he clients by day, always giving them added value in kindness, wisdom and good old fashioned common sense, by night she conjures up the company of her late husband at the kitchen table of their rented Battersea home. Falling in love with a Christian Dior gown while cleaning for a well-to-do lady (“a dress to make you feel”), she vows to work for as long as it takes to save for such a frock of her own. Helped by Violet, the next two years are filled with purposeful drudgery. Sustained by the mental image of her fairy tale dress, she toils day and night, cleaning, mending and reassuring.

It is a story that could easily become saccharine-sweet and mawkish, but director Daniel Evans (who directed the production as his swansong at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre – and where it won three UK Theatre Awards – before taking up the reigns at Chichester), gets the balance absolutely right.

The characters may be larger than life, but they are rooted firmly in truth, imbuing the narrative with credibility and humour. If the first half drags its feet somewhat then the second flies, which is apt given that post-interval is when we see Ada taking the second step toward her dream and reaching France.

 

Photo: Johan Persson

Clare Burt reprises her role as Mrs Harris. It is easy to see why she won ‘Best Performance in a Musical’ on her previous outing. With a perfect blend of dignity, empathy, wit and sweetness, she shines like a basking sunflower.

The cast cleverly doubles for the action on both sides of the channel. Accomplished performances throughout, Gary Wilmot is especially memorable and versatile in a number of guises and Claire Machin is a hoot as both Violet and her French counterpart.

An elegantly told and beautifully staged story of hope, aspiration and simple kindness, Flowers for Mrs Harris will lift your spirits and leave you feeling blooming marvellous.

 

Review: Copenhagen, Minerva Theatre, Chichester

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Box Office: 01243 781312 www.cft.org.uk
Until 22 September

Photo credit: Conrad Blakemore

What was the purpose of the visit made by German Werner Heisenberg (Charles Edwards) to his friend Danish physicist Niels Bohr (Paul Jesson) as the Second World War raged? The answer is by no means swift in coming, but it is a compelling journey. Which is just as well; this is not a play that allows for wandering concentration.

The ghosts of Heisenberg, Bohr and his wife Margrethe return to the night of Heisenberg’s visit in 1941 to scrutinise the intent and rationale behind the house call. Eminently bright and highly respected, the younger man’s nation has occupied his elder’s country, thus thorough examination of several theories is necessary.

With a shared passion for scientific certainty the coals are raked over with forensic-like attention to detail, stirring human nature into technical hypotheses. Tempered by Margrethe’s perceptiveness and calm, blistering disagreement between the two men is revealing, but while such convulsions are fascinating it is the historical element that gives the play ominous depth: the creation of the atom bomb and its monstrous impact.

Director Michael Blakemore succeeds in maintaining a fluidity that is almost balletic. With a small cast and a stark set the focus on the trio is as intense as the play itself, but they impress throughout.

Patricia Hodge as Margrethe is breathtakingly good; elegant, circumspect and sharp. Charles Edwards as Heisenberg and Paul Jesson as Bohr are equally excellent, both absolutely convincing as boffins who, despite their scientific and mathematical prowess, are nevertheless vulnerable to human frailty.

Michael Frayn’s play is as much about morals as it is the quest for knowledge and you are likely to come away as many questions as answers. Oddly, this is strangely satisfying.

Frost’s favourite… IMMERSIVE BAR

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London is packed with immersive bars that will amp up your drinking experience but we’ve discovered a GEM on the outskirts of Chelsea that’s brilliant for groups and those looking for a bit of role play and escapism.

A WESTERN WONDERLAND – MOONSHINE SALOON

Sometimes in London, you stop and really take in your surroundings and think, ‘Yep, I live in the best city in the world’. We had that feeling when we were being questioned by the County Sheriff in Moonshine Saloon about Stinky Pete’s whereabouts, while we were dressed head to toe in Western gear, naturally.

The Moonshine Saloon is a ‘bring your own liquor’ establishment and recommends you bring a 35cl spirit. We took a 70cl and learned they only use 35cl anyway so don’t get caught out, although they do return the bottle after your session.

From the outside on the calm streets of Chelsea, the venue can go somewhat unnoticed but as soon as you enter you’ll be feeling like you’ve entered West World. The actors don’t break character at all and engage with you throughout, playing out a storyline as they go.

It’s fun, it’s harmless and it’s a great excuse to practice a Southern accent.  Visit the Moonshine Saloon website to book.

 

 

BYE-BYE BORING BLOW DRY!

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Let’s be honest here, the main reason washing your hair is such a drag isn’t the refreshing time in the shower. It’s the lengthy blow dry process. Blow drying in the summer? Far too hot to handle. Blow drying in the winter? Nuh-uh, we’re cold and want to snuggle down in bed. Blow drying in the morning? Too much effort for our sleepy heads. You get the gist.

Enter, PowerDry.ME! PowerDry.ME is the brainchild of a Canadian brand, Design.ME, which is selling out of this beaut blow dry essential across the pond. The spray decreases your drying time by up to 50% (really!) so technically you can have a brilliant blow and style in half the time– WIN.

It’s a specially formed micro emulsion which coats hair fibres, while controlling frizz, offering heat and UV protection and smoothing and conditioning your hair. It also has a really soft, sweet scent too – a bit like a traditional bubble bath!

Ready for the super complicated usage instructions? Here we go…

  • Mist onto damp hair from roots to ends
  • Dry
  • Style

See, miracles do happen!

How much? £14.95 for 230ml

I need it! Visit Sally Beauty (online or in store) to purchase.