Parker McMillan

nikos

cool and unusual 14th November 2006

4 found this helpful

..first thing you notice after descending into the 'guts' of Parker McMillan's are the arched rooms with their distinctive exposed brickwork (Victorian perhaps?) Normally this sort of thing can feel a bit claustrophobic as the arched ceilings are a bit low and you also find that in the event of an emergency you'll probably meet your end in one or other of those room-vaults.. ..but.. with a little bit of creative lighting (mostly brothel-red) the atmosphere has been mellowed considerably and chances of panic attacks suppressed..
..sadly I wasn't there in time for the burlesque Shakespearian performance but people told me it was very good.. ..so.. next time..
..bar was ok (they even have some beer-on-tap which cocktail people may frown upon but having spent most of my years in London as a student I always have an eye out for value(=volume)-for-money; also sometimes you just feel like a bloody pint of Guinness, right?).. and the bar-stuff could do with a bit more vigilance and a bit less ice in the cocktails.. ..but not too frustrating overall..
..the music I can't remember which means that it was a) unremarkable but also b) not annoying.. so I'll give it a strong pass..
..the people.. ..well.. it's not really fair to judge Parker McMillan's from the clientele of that night as it clearly comprised some of the coolest types that roam the bars and clubs London (and live to tell about it on Trusted Places afterwards ;-).. ..but it was great to see old faces and some new faces :-)
..possibly the only problem with this bar is its location (which cannot really be attributed to the bar itself but there we are) ..some of us felt a bit thirsty still after the bar closed but being in the City there weren't many walking-distance late-night bars/clubs around so the crowd dispersed sadly back to their homes for a cup of tea and some zzzz's..

..overall a very special bar certainly worth a visit (Jazz nights sound particularly enticing!)

Buraco

London's Tora Bora Hideout 14th November 2006

7 found this helpful

Being the lexicographical geek that I am, any opportunity to use words like labyrinthine, crepuscular, nebulous and (dare I say it) buttocks gets me a little excited. The Trusted Places party at Parker McMillan affords me the unique opportunity to unleash these WMDs of the English language in a single piece of prose.

So with dictionary and thesaurus now well and truly digested, let me get on with the matter in hand.

First thing to deal with is the location. The Moorgate / Barbican area is not somewhere I've frequented much in past adventures. This being a Friday night, the numerous heaving All Bar One-type experiences I passed en route to PMcM indicated that there generally is minimal reason to be here for some entertainment, unless you happen to have rolled into a pub from your workplace across the road. PMcM even stood out from the crowd with it's somewhat garish neon sign beaming in to the dark night (a post-ironic 80's throwback statement of intent?). Anyway, it had me wondering what I was about to behold as I entered the doorway.

And lo, we entereth the labyrinthine complex that would please greatly the leaders of international terrorism groups if this was to be their underground hideout. A veritable extravaganza of Victorian vaults greets the senses. Dim, red, seedy lighting adds to the crepuscular ambience. The sound of lounge muzak drifts innocently by. Not your average bar this one, but very very pleasing.

The setting was utterly perfect for the burlesque Shakespearian performance that was delivered to a fairly bewildered audience in a nebulous whirl of thespian spontaneity. I learned after the show that the actors had no chance to prepare in this most unusual theatrical venue, but you would never have guessed. The action flitted from pillar to post, table to bar, cave to cave in a manner that left the watcher both bemused and elated. The burlesqian turns - all high kicks, alluring glances and unabashed exposure of buttocks - drew gasps and applause from the gallery, who by the end had beceome an intimate part of the unfolding drama. It was a marvellously enjoyable piece of entertainment and certainly made me muse as to what the All Bar One hoards were missing out on!

Nice work Trusted Places. I like this stuff.

sokratis at 14/11/06

You are a lexicographical super-geek indeed. Labyrinthan, nebulous, crepusucal buttocks can only be found in some serious pulp fiction or very b-movie scripts.

walid at 14/11/06

I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with Soks, Buraco. Seriously good review though :-)

robcarter at 15/11/06

Might I venture 'vespertine' as a stand-in for 'crepuscular'. Narrowing it down to evening only improves the sense.

Just a thought - hadn't realised I'd missed arse though - how irritating...

sokratis at 15/11/06

wow, that one did not even exist on thesaurus.com. I had to google it.
Loosing cool points fast here boys, I'm checking out of this magniloquent emulation.

Buraco at 15/11/06

i am particularly fond of 'crepuscular'. it really rolls of the tongue. just like 'buttocks'...

robcarter at 15/11/06

If this is a favourite words list, I love "plinth". And "budgie". And "rotund".

Buraco at 15/11/06

i quite like 'anathema' and 'bellicose' amongst others (my real favourite is 'bastard' said in a very Northern way, but i think admitting it undermines my uber-intellectual facade). my uncle (Alan incidentally) has this thing where he claims all words in the English language can be categorised as either woody or tinny. you should give it a go sometime.

NikoTheFinn at 17/11/06

sounds like a good time was had by all. i was there in spirit, from the other side of the pond. where, incidentally, not many people would know the meaning of "crepuscular" or "vespertine".

Buraco at 17/11/06

do yanks understand bastard?

robcarter at 17/11/06

Should that not read "Do yanks understand, bastard?"

Buraco at 17/11/06

nice! drew a chuckle. we used to call him Niko the Bastard at uni you know. for obvious reasons.

NikoTheFinn at 17/11/06

oi, ganging up on me now, are we? an innocent man, thousands of miles away, who can't defend himself in person. y'all should be ashamed of yourselves.

robcarter at 19/11/06

My Norse friend; you are many things but and innocent man you are not.

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Mez

The place to hold a party 14th November 2006

3 found this helpful

Discovered this place thanks to the fantastic TP party that the boys organised. The place is a few minutes walk from the Barbican station (walk under the bridge and you'll find it waiting for you at the end of it on your left). Doesn't look like much from the outside, but the interior, a few levels down, really struck me by its spaciousness and uniqueness. The place is basically a collection of cave-like rooms, which create an interesting space and a sense of discontinued flow. You can get some intimacy by being in one of the rooms, yet still feel part of the larger community of Parker Mc Millaners who you'll see hovering in the nearby caves. Good thing about this place is that you don't have to wait long for your turn at the bar (I noticed two bars, there might be more), and you can listen to some cool live Jazz, which is an attraction in itself. The bar staff is friendly, and the crowd is young, cool, and relaxed. If you want to de-stress after a hard week's work, then this is the place to do it in.

Thumbs up to this wonderful discovery and to the TP crew for organising such a fun-packed and joyful party.

sokratis

Thanks to everybody 14th November 2006

1 found this helpful

Thanks to all for coming. It was a great night. I really enjoyed meeting TPers I hadn't met before; introducing Hazzabout to Annika and lots of other members to each other; the music; the drinks and of course the show and the venue.

We'll have to try very hard to do better next time!

belinda

Oh What a Night! 8th November 2006

5 found this helpful

Well done TP'ers - a truely fun night. You managed to keep everyone partying on til late and such a wonderful vibe with friendly peeps abounding. The Shakespere show was a treat. We really enjoyed ourselves and I didn't even have a hangover (much).

Great space. I love the caverns and nooks. Open spaces are often boring and cold but his place has lots of different areas for seating and standing, there is always somewhere to rest your drink or a wall to prop you up.

The bar staff were friendly and helpful. The cocktail list was impressive and the range of spirits was large. My only suggestion would be to have a better wine list, one red and one white just doesn't cut it for me.

I would love to go here again to listen to some live music.

Thanks for a fun night TrustedPlaces and for finding us this gem to see live music in the city.

lisas

Great Atmosphere...Great Place....Great People....Great Party! 7th November 2006

3 found this helpful

WOW! This is the first thing that comes to my mind when thinking at the TrustedPlaces party we had last Friday at Parker Mc Millan. I had never been to that bar before....and I have to say I'll definitely go back! I love the little lounges, the Victorian vaults, the atmosphere...quite jazzy and New York like as Walid says.

Plus the TrustedPlaces crowd really made a difference....together with the great hospitality from Parker Mc Millan. It was actually the perfect combination of cool people, nice venue, good music (and the show ;-))) drinks and food! Yeah, I tried some food as well and it was pretty good...

Looking forward to the next cool TrustedPlaces party...are you ready guys????

alexandros

Great Party! 6th November 2006

4 found this helpful

Hey guys, this was a great party, thanks! The show was interesting and the TrustedPlaces members turned out to be really cool and friendly! Good work!

walid at 06/11/06

Thanks for all of your help Alex!

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caffeinehit

Great Night 6th November 2006

1 found this helpful

Great night guys, thanks!

sokratis at 06/11/06

Hey, thanks for coming and bringing all those cool people too. See you at the next one.

caffeinehit at 06/11/06

More than a pleasure... Everyone had a great time - all very vague towards the end it has to be said but a good time had by all... Roll on the next one...

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walid

New York Jazzy Place 18th October 2006

3 found this helpful

We are very happy to announce that we're going to launch our public launch party at this great venue. Parker McMillan has this underground New York Jazzy feeling to it and I simply can't wait to have our party there. We look forward to seeing you all there very soon!

Also make sure that you all say hi to Russel (see picture), the cool Marketing & Events Manager @ Parker McMillan!

****** UPDATE *******
On behalf of the TrustedPlaces Team, I'd like to thank Parker McMillan for being great hosts of the party, Flagship Productions for the great sizzling Shakesperean show, and of course to all our members who attended the evening. We hope you all enjoyed the party as much as we did!

To all those who didn't attend, have a look at the pictures and the upcoming videos. Don't worry if you couldn't attend we will have many other new interesting, cool, and fun parties in the near future.

robcarter at 06/11/06

Man - that'll teach me to be late. I miss the free drink (I knew about that - Cheers Walid!), the food and the comedy-bondage-McDonalds-porno show...

Didn't see much of the place - liked the zebra room though. Thanks guys.

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