• Added: 18th of December 2006
• Area: South Kensington
• Category: Nightlife

London SW3 5TX
020 7351 6826

amoneg said
Welcome to New Chav City
Oh my dear lord! The signs were there... 5 entrance fee on King's road?!? a 30-something year old Chinese clubber passed out in a doorway a few metres away?!? Should have known better. I know. A word to describe this club? DINGY. More words? Poorly ventilated, unimaginative bar lighting, ugly red walls... the list is simply endless. The ultimate description is that the club is teeming with sloanes. Tall sloanes, blond sloanes, drunken sloanes, 'daddy's bought me a brand new car' sloanes. Eurgh. It's been a while since I've been in such company so maybe I missed the change but honestly! When did sloanes turn into such CHAVs?!? Swigging champagne/bacardi straight out of the bottle on the dancefloor. Boys in that pathetic uniform of a suit jacket with rolled up collars. Oh my dear lord! The only thing this club has going for itself is the DJ.

You must have guessed by now that I didn't like the venue.

• Added: 16th of November 2006
• Area: Camden Town
• Category: Restaurants

London NW1 1BA
020 7388 8399

amoneg said
try the salad...
Great food. Good prices. One thing I really like about Asakusa is the way the menu is posted on the walls in true Japanese style. Be sure to try the Asakusa salad. Delish!!

• Added: 16th of November 2006
• Area: Tignes
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Tignes 73320

amoneg said
It's a long way to go for mulled wine
Quiet and cosy, Grizzly's is the perfect retreat after a full day on the slopes. Grab the armchairs by the massive fireplace. Order a mulled wine and warm your chilled bones...

• Added: 16th of November 2006
• Area: Soho
• Category: Nightlife

London W1F 9RD
020 7287 8111

amoneg said
Spell Kool with a K for Kabaret...
The first time I went to Kabaret's Prophecy, I nearly missed the entrance. A few minutes walk from Regent's street, it's easy to do. The only clue to its location is a sturdy-looking man dressed in black standing outside a door, crowned with flourescent white light. I walk up to the bouncer who turns to look at me wordlessly. Is this Kabaret? Yes. I'm on the guestlist. The bouncer steps aside to let me walk past him. As I do, he holds out his hand and presses a black and white poker chip into the palm of my hand. Curious. I walk past him and down a mirrored staircase with red laser strobes beaming across it in different directions. As the bottom of the stairs, is a small reception desk (cloakroom and ticket sales). This is where I got my first glimpse of the club. Breathtaking. In front of the reception desk, is a set of glass doors through which the muted sounds of the club can be picked out. The glass doors also offer a view of the walls of the club which are covered from top to bottom and left to right in LEDs. I hand the poker chip to the lady behind reception and push open the glass doors. The noise levels ramp up instantly. The DJ dishes out funky/dirty house with a sprinkling of ol' skool hip-hop. Patterns flash up on the walls. The crowd is young, beautiful, energetic and fun. The club is small and packed. Drinks are very expensive but portions are generous. I've been twice now and have spotted some c-listers both times. It can be a little pretentious but as long as you've got a good group of friends with you, it's small enough to make your own. Definitely kool with a K.

P.S. Be sure to take a look at the toilets ;)

• Added: 16th of November 2006
• Area: Paris
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Paris 75004

amoneg said
chocaholics anonymous
This cafe is my one of my favourites. I always drop in whenever I'm in Paris. Tucked away in a charming cobbled street next to an old church, this cafe has a true Parisian feel to it... unfriendly staff, gigantic salads, tarte au something-different-every-time, seating inside and outside on the terrace and yes... typical french music. There's plenty of French food on the menu with a distinctive North African influence. For example, an extensive selection of "bricks" (which are a lot like crepes). Very tasty. And as if that isn't enough to convince you, they've got one more trick up their sleeves... the "bol au chocolat". Order one of these babies and you are brought a large, deep bowl with a mound of melted chocolate nestled at the bottom and a large jug of hot milk. Mix the two together to suit your individual taste et voila... D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S. Perfect. A massive bowl of hot chocolate all to yourself. Magnifique!

• Added: 16th of November 2006
• Area: Paris
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Paris 75005

amoneg said
Is that a man on a traffic light?
Le Crocodile is the sort of bar you enter not knowing whether you'll make it out again. Located in a quite side street, the door to this cocktail bar is tiny. A sign of what's in store really, because the bar is tiny. The seats that line the walls of the bar are designed for tiny bums and the tables are miniscule. But that's pretty much where tiny ends in this bar. The cocktails are served up in hefty portions by a quiet lady who is old enough be your granny. Bizarre. Careful by the way. She's either got a slight wicked streak or a very very shaky hand. The cocktails she concocts are mind-blowingly strong. So much so that some of them verge on the unpleasant. Drink up. It has to be done. It's a bit like playing "chilli chicken" with your mates to see who can eat the most chilli, to see who's hardest (or dumbest). It's funny. Somehow, you just can't help yourself. If you happen to stay on beyond 1am, the staff hurry towards the door and lock you in. Don't panic like I did though. This is simply to stop people from coming in so you can drink in peace. The staff will happily let you leave when you're ready. They'll even open the door for you! Open till some obscene hour of the morning, you won't care when you stumble out but probably will care when you wake up the following day. Ouch. The last time I went, one of my friends was so exhilarated by the experience that he ended up climbing up a set of traffic lights and whooping at the top of his voice. Completely out of character. But that's the effect this place has. Don't say I didn't warn you.

• Added: 16th of November 2006
• Area: Paris
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Paris 75006

amoneg said
Ga Ga Goo Goo
Zero de Conduite is one of my favourite bars in Paris. Not many bars can boast this particular USP - cocktails served in baby bottles. Yep, no need to read that again. You got it the first time. The bar is v small and cosy. Staff are friendly and will often share a joke with you. It's non-smoking which is v. rare in Paris. Although it takes a while to get used to drinking from a baby bottle, a quick glance round the bar at fully-grown male 20 somethings doing the same soon makes you feel at ease. The bar is cartoon-themed -everything from paintings on the walls to the cocktail menu. The bar has loads of board games you can borrow making this perfect for a quiet Sunday evening drink with friends. Last time I was in there, a French family walked in - Mum, Grandma and grandkids in tow. Obvious first-timers, it took them a good 20 minutes to realise that drinks were served in baby bottles. Hilarious! I think they must have imagined they'd walked in on some strange baby bottle fetish meeting. Be sure to drop in at least once. It's is very popular so avoid winging it and book in advance.

• Added: 16th of November 2006
• Area: Paris
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Paris 75006

amoneg said
Oh, I'm an Englishman in Pareeeee
I usually get slightly annoyed when Brits go to English pubs when abroad. What's the bloody point? I'll step off my soapbox for a minute to introduce you to one of the nicest English pubs in Paris. Le Mazet is rumoured to be one of Jim Morrison's (of Ze Doors) favourite watering holes before he died (well... obviously before he died... hope he doesn't still go there now). I ramble... I'm sorry. It's a bit late. I really ought to be in bed. To cut a long story short, this pub is worth a visit if you're in Paris for a few days. The crowd is quite mixed - french boho chic meets English footie fans - bound to be interesting, right?

• Added: 14th of November 2006
• Area: Soho
• Category: Restaurants

London W1D 5BQ
020 7434 3399

amoneg said
Friends of Friends - Saturday 11th November
Photos, More Prizes and Thanks

Hello Party People!

We'd like to say a big thank you for coming along to the "Friends of Friends" event last Saturday 11th November. We had a blast organising it and and judging from the photos of the evening it looks like you did too!! More about that later... first, a word from our sponsors.

More Prizes

"TrustedPlaces was very happy to sponsor last Saturday's "Friends of Friends" evening. We'd like to thank Amone, Gladys and Lavanya for organizing such a great evening. We hope that the raffle winner of the TrustedPlaces prize will enjoy his dinner for two in the next few weeks. If you missed out on the prizes, you can still win a TrustedPlaces card and t-shirt that give you access to a 50% discount in 450 London restaurants. All you have to do is create a profile and write a review of the "Friends of Friends" evening at Lupo -

http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/bar/1e81f7m/lupo

If you have any questions feel free to email walid@trustedplaces.com. See you at the next "Friends of Friends" evening!"

Flirt Wall

There were 3 matches on the Flirt Wall. We'll be putting those lucky people in touch with each other over the next few days. Don't worry if you missed your chance to use the Flirt Wall. We will be inviting you to the website in a few days to view the Virtual Flirt Wall.

Photos

The photos of the evening are up on the web - simply follow the link above to view them. If you have any photos from the evening, be sure to send them in to us.

What Next?

We are already planning the next "Friends of Friends" event. Please email us your feedback on this last event so we can improve subsequent ones.

See you all soon.

Amone, Gladys & Lavanya
info@starcrossedevents.com

• Added: 7th of November 2006
• Area: Knightsbridge
• Category: Restaurants

London SW3 1NQ
020 7838 1500

amoneg said
No"Zzzzz"omi -
Ok. So I don't seem to be having much luck with venues recently. I went to Nozomi a few weeks ago. It started off badly with the doorman/bouncer giving me a bit of attitude because the venue was already packed. To be fair, he quickly redeemed himself when my mate came out to find me by letting me in. Once in, I swam my way to the bar through masses of London's "glitterati" - a 60 year old man doing a very good Hugh Hefner impersonation with 3 nubile 20 somethings drapped around his neck/5 young male sloanes with their hair scraped and gelled back a la Count "Dracoool". Once I got to the bar, I ordered a mojito. $$$$ - Yikes! It wasn't even that good!!

What was good though was the music... a mixture of pure and latin jazz. Only one thing made the experience worthwhile. I ran into an old friend of mine just as she was leaving the bar. Needless to say, I soon took a leaf out of her book and did the same.