Latest favourites and wishlist by Buraco

Shunt Vaults - review by gregwo

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:04:58 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by gregwo

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

Tags: relaxed, cool & smart, young and fun, underground, friendly

The Shunt Vaults have an atmosphere that can't be matched-- deep in the tunnels of London Bridge Shunt is making amazingly craetive work in the context of a members bar. It's a fantastic evening where you can enjoy some drinks and check out whatever is on offer that week to see-- bands performance art, theatre or a range of other things. The place has a great buzz about it and there's nothing that I know of like it around. The work they create there is so interesting and diverse, you'll always be in for something new every time you go!

Most definitely worth checking out!

Cargo - review by sparklepants

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:49:06 +0000

Cargo - review by sparklepants

Rating: 4.1

Location: 83 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7739 3440

Website: http://www.cargo-london.com

Tags: cool & smart

Probably one of the best place to go if you're into trying out different music! Always a brilliant atmosphere and a guaranteed top night out.

606 Club - review by LukeG

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:06:40 +0000

606 Club - review by LukeG

Rating: 4.0

Location: 90 Lots Road, SW10 0QD, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7352 5953

Website: http://www.606club.co.uk

The 606 Club is my favourite jazz club in London. In my opinion, it's the only jazz venue that has remained real and true to the jazz ethos. There is no pretentiousness, the ambience is great, the music excellent and the food really tasty

Shunt Vaults - review by girlswear

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:11:44 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by girlswear

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

Tags: live music, indie, cool & smart, live, electronica, young and fun, pool, underground, trendy, friendly, cool

This is one of my favourite places in London. The Shunt Vaults situated beneath the London Bridge, you can still feel the dampness and musty air of this Victorian vault.

No matter how often you visit, it's a different experience on it's own, mainly because each week is curated by a different artist including art, performance art, dance, live band and DJs. Permanent area includes a small pinball arcade and pool. You can go into different rooms with different things happening, or find that secret vault with your friends. Shunt is a MUST experience if you've never been, and you'll be addicted.

Shunt Vaults - review by chrisp

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:02:31 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by chrisp

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

Tags: trendy, cool & smart, young professionals, glamorous, young and fun, students, sexy

An extraordinary place, like stepping into a Jack-the-Ripper film set, only with alcohol and burlesque dancers. Set in a good acre of sooty disused railway arches and long-forgotten brick vaults underneath London Bridge station, Shunt is a completely unique experience and well worth the effort finding it (it's almost invisible from the outside). Drinks may be nothing special, and they didn't even serve food as far as I could tell, but you can have hours of fun just wandering through the grimy urban spaces, hiding in the shadows or dancing in the spotlights. There's nowhere else like it.

The Big Chill House - review by tomc

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:21:19 +0000

The Big Chill House - review by tomc

Rating: 4.0

Location: 257-259 Pentonville Road, N1 9NL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7427 2540

Website: http://www.bigchill.net/house.html

Tags: cool, cool & smart, electronica, sexy, trendy, relaxed

If you fancy something slightly more buzzing than the bigchill bar then head to the bigchill house. Regular top quality DJs across 3 floors makes this a great place to go if you like chilled and funky music!

606 Club - review by tomc

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:58:40 +0000

606 Club - review by tomc

Rating: 4.0

Location: 90 Lots Road, SW10 0QD, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7352 5953

Website: http://www.606club.co.uk

Great jazz, authentic setting and nice food!

Shunt Vaults - review by kellytron

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:12:39 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by kellytron

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

Tags: relaxed, young and fun, students, underground, trendy

This place just amazed me. I couldn't think of a more perfect venue. Massive space (with hidden nooks and crannies so pick how loud/busy an area you want to be in), performance, live music, art, pinball machines, cheap booze and even a truck with chairs on the tray to sit in. I actually passed about 30minutes pretending to drive this truck and honking the pretend horn - but this isn't compulsory although it does speak volumes about how much of the aforementioned cheap booze I may have consumed.

It's the sort of place you could take a jaded Hoxton-ite and actually get an impressed look out of them.

Shunt Vaults - review by rogoff

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:48:32 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by rogoff

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

Tags: cool, underground, friendly

I first went when there was a show called Tropicana here. We went through a little door in the wall of the tube station only to find ourselves in what looked like a London Transport staff room complete with Tube staff reading The Sun. From then on, the evening just got stranger and stranger as we were led into the vaults.

Anyway, that was the show and now there's the bar. I guess it's run by the same team who put on Tropicana because it's got the same quirky feel to it with quite a lot of the theatre too.

If you're looking for something fun and different then you won't find much better than this. Great space, great place.

Shunt Vaults - review by lottiebooth

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:44:38 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by lottiebooth

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

Tags: cool, cool & smart, young professionals, young and fun, underground, friendly, relaxed

I went here to the Shunt Lounge for "A Dickens Christmas" which was our office christmas party. Someone had shown me pictures before i went but nothing prepared me for how amazing those vaults are.

There are some pictures of the christmas party at http://www.dickenschristmasparty.co.uk

Fabrizio - review by arif

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:50:37 +0000

Fabrizio - review by arif

Rating: 4.2

Location: 30 St. Cross Street, EC1N 8UH, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7430 1503

Website: http://fabriziorestaurant.co.uk

Yes it is great and i like it

Shunt Vaults - review by BView

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:48:05 +0000

Shunt Vaults - review by BView

Rating: 4.6

Location: 20 Stainer Street, SE1 9RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7378 7776

Website: http://www.shunt.co.uk/

Tags: jazz, pop, indie, live, electronica, young and fun, students, rock, hip-hop, house, underground, trendy, friendly, cool

this is probably the best venue I have ever been to. That may sound like a big shout but believe me this is almost entirely unique. It is the antithesis of a poncey cocktail bar in soho. The decor is completely minimal (in fact its pretty much non-existent). This underground venue still has original brick work and is much as it was before. There are random pieces of artwork/furniture dotted all over the place (an old grand piano, pinball machines and weird pieces of "modern art). It sells cans of Red stripe at a huge mark-up but hey, what the hell, its worth it!

Fabrizio - review by sue

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:15:09 +0000

Fabrizio - review by sue

Rating: 4.2

Location: 30 St. Cross Street, EC1N 8UH, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7430 1503

Website: http://fabriziorestaurant.co.uk

Tags: italian, family & home feel, good value

After reading all of the rave reviews about Fabrizio I had been very keen to go there for a meal, and was excited when the opportunity finally arose to dine there one evening.

Based on the reviews I had read, I wasn't expecting the restaurant to be fancy looking - and it wasn't, though I have seen worse. I did thank my lucky stars however that we weren't there on a busy night and had to sit downstairs near the toilets - this whole area smelt like Venice on a bad day.

Service was friendly enough, though there was no sign of the famed Fabrizio himself. The menu had enough choices to appeal to all of us, and a chilled glass of Prosecco helped us to get the evening underway. The wine list was not very exciting, so we stuck to a bottle of the House red which was cheap and entirely drinkable.

Our meal started out well. We ordered two pasta dishes to share between the three of us - the Crab & mascarpone ravioli with creamy lemon sauce & rocket, and the Aubergine & pecorino tortelloni with French beans & sage sauce. Both dishes were really enjoyable - the pasta was perfectly cooked and the all the flavours worked.

Our main meals were a little less successful. We had the Seared beef tagliata with balsamic reduction, rocket & potatoes; the Medallions of lamb crusted with herb, with cranberry & port sauce, & mashed potato; and the Pan fried seabass with creamy pernod sauce & wilted spinach. The beef was a little tough and the balsamic reduction was over-powering; while the lamb was good quality, the flavour of the sauce was just wrong; and the Seabass was nicely cooked but swimming in the creamy pernod sauce. Maybe we are too fussy.

Wanting to love this restaurant, we pushed on to dessert, opting to share a serving of Tiramisu. Sorry to say, it was possibly the worst Tiramisu I have ever had. The main complaint was that although it looked like a decent serving, 2/3rds of it was just whipped cream covered with cocoa, and the small cakey part was unremarkable.

The Big Chill House - review by ross

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:29:51 +0000

The Big Chill House - review by ross

Rating: 4.0

Location: 257-259 Pentonville Road, N1 9NL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7427 2540

Website: http://www.bigchill.net/house.html

Tags: music, multilevel, colourful, varied, basement, terrace, large, spacious

Hidden, in the sense unless you know what's behind the windows you wouldn't give it a glance. It's a surprising and lovely place:-

As 'hidden' places go, well frequented pubs aren't high on the list. Especially ones that are given awards and media attention, as much because they're also a music venue as anything. However I was dragged into this Kings Cross boozer last April for the first time and really taken with how the nondescript frontage hid a gem inside. I'm very fond of the curious and the different. And comfort. Big fan of comfort. And out of main hours this place is still not packed, regardless of it's profile. I hope it stays that way. Because the interior is best enjoyed selfishly.

The Big Chill House has a very spacious ground floor with lots of standing room and tables with settees and armchairs. Then there is the much-segmented mezzanine overlooking the main floor, with bed-width soft couches and walls to hide behind. Nooks and crannies for all the crooks and nannies. But mostly I like the basement (see the photos). It has two booths designed for stretching out in, as you have to climb into them, feet off the floor, and the tables are suspended from the ceiling so as to not get the way, then there's the rest of the subterranean bit. Looking mainly like a set from Gerry Anderson's UFO. Essentially - assuming it never becomes so fashionable you need a machete to get to the bar during the day and on Sundays - this is one of those not-quite-central pubs that is worth visiting just for the surroundings. Not quite as quiet as a genuinely hidden boozer perhaps, but certainly a comparative place to be at times of a need to relax (and drink.. Definitely not to forget the drinking part).

Fabrizio - review by Cedric

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 15:54:40 +0000

Fabrizio - review by Cedric

Rating: 4.2

Location: 30 St. Cross Street, EC1N 8UH, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7430 1503

Website: http://fabriziorestaurant.co.uk

Tags: italian, family & home feel, good value

This is indeed a very good choice if you are looking for a restaurant, or if you are an Italian-food lover like I am. This small venue is puzzling at the first look, small, minimalistic deco... I initially thought that I had been istaken. But the surprises lay in the food. The chef is really knowledgeable, present both in the kitchen and the front room to advice and engage with the customers. I opted for crab linguini which were not even on the menu but which had been cooked for the couple of Italian sitting on the next table and who happened to be relatives of the waitress... A special that I have not regretted with its fresh mushrooms and the delicate sauce. Overall, the four of us really enjoyed the evening in this restaurant which, although located in the other side of the city, might see us again very soon. I strongly recommend this venue!