londoners' eye

Strike a pose your own free photo-shoot.

tobias — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:00:03 PDT

This image was taken by B.V.ISIONÄRE on flickr

For us mere mortals, it’s not often we’re going to get anywhere near a professional photographer with a white screen behind us. Sure, we all know what to expect: we’ve all seen that point in the film where the blonde bombshell flirts with the camera. There’s make-up, mirrors with lights on the rim, hairdressers, glamour. But photo-shoots are out of our mundane reach. Wouldn’t it be cool though if, just for once and just for a laugh, and for no particular reason, you could have one yourself, no strings attached?

The clever people at studiolondon have clearly sussed that yes it would be and offer you and whoever else you’d like to bring a free photo-shoot. Yup, completely free. Just give a deposit when you book, turn up, do ya thang and leave. You get your own photographer, full access to their photo areas, your hair and make-up done (don’t worry guys, they won’t strap you down and power your face, it’s optional), they encourage you to take a couple of changes of clothes and you even get complimentary champagne cocktails (bucksfizzish).

The catch is glaringly obvious: at the end you get shown the photos taken during the day to tempt you into buying a just few. And tempted you will be: the photos will be good, you will look better than you thought you could and there’ll be that one funny picture of you, your friends and a rubber chicken that you feel like you’d want to have. Just to forewarn: prices start at £70 because you buy the HD CD then the photos so it’s not exactly, but it’s still not an outrageous price for a fun day out + photos and you can just politely say “no thank you” and leave.

Basically, it’s fun, it’s a bit silly and it’s free. Definitely recommended.

For bookings call: 02070369250 or go to www.thestudiolondon.com

These posts were created for: londoners eye A site offering insider information for Londoners and tourists. Advice, reviews, tips and information for Londoners and tourists from real life Londoners...

Strike a pose your own free photo-shoot.

A West-End Musical in the Woods

JDG Chambers — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:12:07 PDT

Musical theatre gives me the shivers and I have no interest in watching Andrew Lloyd Webber find his Nancy. That being said, the only thing cold and perverse about the production of ‘Into the Woods’ at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park was the mid-August wind and fine drizzle that briefly threatened to interrupt the performance. That the show went on – and that I wanted it to continue – is testament to the successful retelling of the Broadway hit, which is based on the book by James Lapine with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

The leafy backdrop provided by Regent’s Park makes the theatre (and the open-air toilets) the natural venue for a play set in the woods and every seat in the amphitheatre gives an unrestricted - if alternative - view of the four or five storey set on the stage.

Act one uses an original story about a baker, his barren wife and their quest to lift a witch’s curse which has hitherto prevented them from having a baby as a way of reminding the audience about the four interwoven fairy tales that will be developed in act two: Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel and Little Red Riding Hood.

A modern day schoolboy narrator adds an extra layer of complexity to the storytelling. Dressed in an orange hoody, the junior puppet master runs around the stage pulling the strings of his cast of fairy tale characters by manipulating a schoolbag full of voodoo dolls, including a stuffed toy version of Homer Simpson, a flame-haired troll and a pair of Barbie dolls with no clothes on. But not to worry, this second dimension should prove child’s play for anyone who managed to keep a close eye on the spinning dreidel in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Inception’.

My review of the musical up until the interval would have said that this funny story takes a similar approach to the Toy Story-type adventures that kids and their parents can both enjoy. But then the act two bomb is dropped and we learn what happens to each of the traditional fairy tales after everyone was meant to be living happily ever after…or not, as the case soon turns out to be.

The second half of the musical falls firmly in the adult camp and during the rampage of death, destruction and debasement that followed I noticed the mother in front of me cackle deliriously whilst her young daughter slept soundly by her side.

In fact, I’m not so sure I would have subjected a young child to Little Red Riding Hooding reaching sexual maturity with a wolf; a seemingly innocent fairy tale grandmother hacking said wolf into bloody pieces; the dim-witted Jack of Beanstalk fame ogling large breasts and cavorting with a musical harp made up like a gold-painted Jezebel, and a scary-looking witch hideous enough to make Quasimodo and the Phantom of the Opera think hard about raising their standards (forget hitting every branch on the way down, that freaky witch was actually made out of the ugly tree!).

The production is given a British twist from the start with a representative selection of regional accents on the stage, epitomised by a Northern Jack and his Nora Batty mother with permanent curlers in her hair. Greater contemporary pertinence is added when the freshly sheared Rapunzel is transformed into an alcoholic single mother of two and the generously sized Little Red Riding Hood starts carrying a flick-knife. But it is the two princes, a staple British attraction for the many tourists in the audience, who deliver the standout performances, aptly aided by a stuffy manservant in green codpiece livery.

Each prince cuts a dashing Russell Brand figure with rakish good looks, roguish behaviour and copiously applied guy-linger and their comedy partnership, which develops alongside their respective courtships of Rapunzel and Cinderella, culminates in the audience laughing and cheering at Prince Charming’s adulterous conquest of a married commoner.

‘Be careful what you wish for’ might be the official lesson to take away from this mash-up of vintage fairy tales but dating a celebrity prince is clearly an important caveat for the modern age. Every girl wants to bed royalty, even if Prince Charming wakes up the following morning, his unfastened trousers staying faithful to his silver-tongued reputation and caddish grin, and tells his one-night stand that his parents are to blame for him not calling her again, since they were the ones who raised him to be charming rather than sincere. Bravo!

Once the trousers come up, the second half of the performance is pulled together a little quickly and Lapine evidently has a preference for tying up any lose ends by having a giant trample on the characters surplus to his requirements. Nevertheless, the costumes are notable throughout, the staging is clever and well thought out, the ending is sweet (a little out of context perhaps) and I left the park singing the words to the songs. It seems the woods can do strange things to a man!

A West-End Musical in the Woods

Guerilla Burger

ruth — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 05:00:59 PDT

Guerilla Burgers just behind Selfridges off Oxford Street

Guerilla Burger
www.guerillaburgers.com
35 James St
London
W1U 1EA

Is this yet another chain of fancy burger joints? This was the number one question on my lips when we stumbled upon the bright blue exterior of Guerilla Burger, tucked away behind Selfridges. Although there is currently only one Guerilla Burger, it had the definite feel and slightly corporate aroma of a chain, even though the restaurant was clearly trying to come across as hip and edgy.

Gourmet Burger described itself as ‘A laid back burger place with soul. Menu includes salads, hotdog & tacos, shakes, beers, great graphic design & a fantastic team working to the sounds of funky 60s & 70s music.’ Laid back it certainly was – when we arrived on one side, we were asked to walk round to the other side of the restaurant to see if we could get a table, which made it highly confusing as there was clearly no defined entrance or waitress ready to help us.

The food was decent, hearty burgers and good sweet potato fries - but pathetically small desserts for the price! When I asked a waitress to recommend a dish, she told me she couldn’t as she was vegetarian! Don’t get me wrong, nothing bad about being veggy, but isn’t the point of a burger the meat?! Overall, the atmosphere was pleasant, if slightly rushed – I hadn’t even finished my meal when my plate was whisked away (bad table etiquette?).

Furthermore, there are a set of rather odd rules, which sound like they’ve been made up by a bad tempered soul who’s seen too many burgers in his lifetime and don’t really go hand in hand with their ‘laid back’ policy:

About the rules – don’t talk about them with your mouth full.
Celebrate if you want but we don’t sing happy birthday.
Music is at the volume we like – ear plugs available on request.
The customer is only usually right.
All you need is love – if the Beatles said it we believe it!
If you don’t see it we don’t have it!

Unfortunately, there was nothing remotely new or exciting about this place. If you’re after a quick burger to make up the calories after a Selfridges shopping spree, then location wise, this is the place to go. Otherwise, I’d follow my instinct next time and opt for one of the smaller restaurants on the other side of the road. As part of the ‘Giraffe’ family, I would stick to what they’re good at.

Guerilla Burger

Notting Hill Carnival is back

luke — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 02:14:50 PDT

Image taken by L-plate big cheese on Flickr

Notting Hill Carnival is back again this weekend!

The carnival runs every August bank holiday and is mass of colourful costumes and hundreds of Caribbean food stalls and wonderful floats. The carnival pretty much takes over west London for the weekend and is used by most people as a good excuse to get pretty drunk and generally have a good time. You can find out more about the event on the Notting Hill Carnival website.

This year the festival is starting with a steel band competition on the Saturday and a kids day on Sunday which is catered to families and people taking younger children with them. The main parade and parties will start on the bank holiday Monday, which may leave a lot of people feeling pretty hung over on the following day at work!

The carnival generally starts on Great Western Road and winds down Chepstow Road and on to Westbourne Grove and finally Ladbroke Grove. After the floats have left the streets the after parties will start in various locations and clubs.

The area will probably be rammed all weekend and it could be worth checking transport for London if you are planning on heading down there. If you are coming from further afield you can save money on accommodation by going to Voucher Codes, they are offering a discount of £15 off flexible Rate Room Bookings at Travelodge.

I have never been to Notting Hill Carnival even though I have lived in London for quite some time now and am looking forward to this weekends crazy happenings! Luckily we have managed to get tickets to see Major Lazer as part of the Red Bull music academy which I think will be pretty good!

Getting There:

It looks like getting the bus could be the best bet as a lot of roads will be closed and several tube stations won’t be open on Carnival Sunday or Monday. There is a lot of info on the Notting Hill Carnival website which I would recommend taking a look at before heading down to the event, there is also a map below for any cyclists or people living nearby:

View Larger Map

Notting Hill Carnival is back

Things to do in London to beat the Autumn blues

ruth — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 05:00:22 PDT

It’s that time of year again, when Mr Cloud Man doesn’t know if it’s summer or winter, rain or shine. This can be pretty depressing when you’re cooped up in work, battling traffic during the daily commute, or sitting indoors at night as the wind howls against your window.

However, never fear, as we haven’t given up yet! There are plenty of things to keep us cheery round about this time of year. The city is your oyster, and London in particular is hardy and resilient against all the weather the folks from upstairs like to bring us.

Here is a list of things to do that has made me particularly happy lately:

Image taken by daiwilliamsuk on flickr

A Day at the Beach: Whitechapel Art Gallery
www.whitechapelgallery.org
77-82 Whitechapel High Street
Whitechapel, London E1 7QX
Sunday 22nd August, beginning 1.00pm

Who needs Brighton, when Whitechapel Art Gallery is bringing the beach to us? Recreating the seaside experience on Sunday 22nd August at Altab Ali Park (just opposite the gallery) and holding on to the summer sunshine in the east end, Whitechapel is building it’s very own beach! Complete with volleyball, postcards, art themed sandcastles and a snack bar, what’s not to like about this little plan. Fingers crossed the weather holds up!

Image taken by London Permaculture on flickr

Oikos Project
www.oikosproject.com
Marlborough Playground, 11 - 25 Union Street
London SE1 1LB
Plays running 26th August – 18th September

During a time when the government is cutting arts funding in the UK, the little geniuses that are the Architecture Foundation and The Red Room have created their very own temporary theatre made completely out of recycled material and aptly named the ‘Jellyfish’. Volunteers have been working hard to build the project during July/August, and show times for two different plays are almost ready. See Ticketmaster for details on how to purchase tickets.

Image taken by Carlo Nicora on flickr

Notting Hill Carnival
www.thenottinghillcarnival.com
Sunday 29th – Monday 30th August

It’s Notting Hill Carnival time! Seeing as I’ve missed it for two years in a row, I’m determined to get my bum over to the west side for a piece of the action this year. As the largest Caribbean street festival of its kind in Europe, the streets will be teaming with the sights of brightly coloured costumes and the smells of hundreds of Caribbean stalls. Make sure you stick around to watch the parade on Bank Holiday Monday!

Image taken by jeni rodger on flickr

London Design Festival
www.londondesignfestival.com
18th – 26th September

A massive yearly event that spans the entirety of London, check out what’s on offer on the website and make sure you don’t miss a thing. There are over 200 events planned and highlights include a partnership with the V&A, a mechanical octopus in Trafalgar square and a ‘Design against Fur’ exhibition at Dreamspace Gallery.

Things to do in London to beat the Autumn blues

Photography Courses in London

luke — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:30:38 PDT

Image taken by Okko Pyykkö on flickr

As a hobby photographer, I did a little research recently into photography courses in London. There are loads of courses available out there, from lots of different institutions and colleges. Choosing a photography course to take in London is a little bit like saying ‘how long is a piece of string’!

With literally hundreds of courses on offer and lots of places to take courses, I think choosing the right course boils down to your requirements and aims in terms of what you want to get out of it. Also, this depends on your experience with photography and the type of photography and cameras you are most interested in.

I studied photography at college with manual and analogue cameras, which taught me a lot about the technical aspects of taking pictures. I was therefore looking for digital photography courses as I recently picked up my first digital SLR camera.

During the course of my research I created the list of websites below, all offering differing types of courses running at different times of the year and times in the day. As most people have work, school or university/college commitments, the course providers offer courses which run in the evening on weekends or during the day for prospective students.

As I mentioned before, you should consider what you would like to gain from the course, whether it is getting to understand your camera more, improving a certain style and discipline of photography, or polishing off some existing skills. It can depend on what you already know and what you are expected to know for each course, but this will become obvious when reading through the course details. A few points you should know a little about before attempting a more advanced course should be:

• Manual camera settings

• Aperture

• Shutter speeds

• ISO levels

• Manual focusing

• Rule of thirds

• f-stops

• Exposure and exposure compensation

• Depth of field

• Light meters

• White balance

The below institutions cover the following aspects and disciplines of photography, and all offer digital or manual photography courses in London:

• Fashion photography

• Street photography

• Documentary photography

• Studio photography

• Portrait photography

• Night time photography

• Macro photography

• Creative/Abstract photography

Check out their websites for more information. Some courses are run by individuals offering one to one tuition and others are run in larger classes or tours, so you can pick which you prefer:

www.londonschoolofphotography.co.uk

Price Range - £295-£595 depends on course and duration
Course Length - 1-4 days
Style and notes – Offers workshops which are peer guided and evaluated, courses cover street, creative, travel and photojournalism. The introduction course will teach you a lot about your camera and what aspects will affect your pictures such as white balance, ISO and shutter speeds.

www.londonphototours.co.uk
Price Range - £85-£150 depends on course and duration
Course Length – 4-5 hours
Style and notes – These courses seem more focused on beginners and focus on outdoor and street photography which is an obvious idea really considering how many markets and interesting people there are in London. If you have just got a digital SLR and are not sure about some of the settings, this could be a good place to learn more and build confidence in taking pictures of people.

www.takebetterpictures.co.uk
Price Range - £135-£140 depends on course and duration
Course Length – 1-4 days
Style and notes – They offer longer courses for beginners and cover some more unusual aspects of photography such as macro photography (which is a firm favourite of mine) and flash photography in studio settings. This could be a good place to book a course if you are tempted to branch out into more technical areas of photography. They also supply a range of courses for getting to know your digital SLR.

www.photographycourselondon.com
Price Range - £75-£150 depends on course and duration
Course Length – 3-7 hours
Style and notes – These guys are quite flexible with course times and could be a good place to look into if you want to take a course in the evening or at the weekend. They offer one and one tuition which definitely helps to develop your photography skills. They also boast a studio and creative photography classes, so this would also be a good place to study if you are interested in learning more about studio work.

www.cameratrails.com
Price Range – around £70
Course Length – 3-5 hours
Style and notes – Camera Trails seems to be more tourist focused and offers courses and workshops that trail around London’s sites and markets. This would be a good place to look if you want to get some good photos of the usual London tourist spots but wouldn’t suit more advanced photographers trying to learn new studio techniques. They also run night trails for taking photos of London landscapes at night, which is definitely best to do in a group.

www.photographycourses.org.uk
Price Range – around £60-£275 depends on course and duration
Course Length – 1-2 days
Style and notes – These courses are run by Nigel Wilson and seem to be more of refresher courses for aspiring photographers than people new to the medium. There are also plenty of night time workshops available and other disciplines include travel, landscape and studio work. This would be an ideal place to take a course if you are looking for hands on advice and one to one teaching.

www.photofusion.org
Price Range – around £95-£245 depends on course and duration
Course Length – 1-3 days
Style and notes – Photofusion offers a unique range of courses which would appeal to a wide range of people. You can start from scratch and learn the basics of using your digital camera or you can focus on the brand of your camera to get the most out of your equipment. They also run a number of darkroom and analogue courses which would be ideal for the more advanced budding photographers out there.

www.zoom-in.org
Price Range – around £75-£180 depends on course and duration
Course Length – 3 hours to 3 days
Style and notes – Zoom in have a fantastic range of courses which can be completed in the evening or weekends. The prices are reasonable enough and you can learn how to use a darkroom and develop your own film (which is a well worthwhile experience). Also, they run exhibitions of students work so this in an ideal place for aspiring photographers to start out. This is definitely where I would pick if I was going to take a photography course in my spare time!

www.citylit.ac.uk
Price Range – around £120-£250 depends on course and duration
Course Length – various ranging from hours to days
Style and notes – City Lit have a solid reputation for offering a wide range of courses which are flexible enough to suit any time schedule. You can complete courses in the evening or weekends, and they offer a wide range of photography courses so there is plenty to choose from depending on what you would like to learn and explore. These courses are quite cheap compared to other higher education institutes and are short enough to act as a good introduction to longer learning.

www.arts.ac.uk
Price Range – in the thousands
Course Length – weeks to years depends on course and duration
Style and notes – University of the Arts in London is a network of several art institutions who offer a large range of photography courses include full time and part time BA(Hons) and MA(Hons) courses in various disciplines including fashion, styling, studio and portrait photography. Obviously these courses are a lot more expensive and take a longer time to complete but they must be pretty amazing - if only I could afford to go back to Uni!

All of the above courses are based on using a digital single lens reflex camera or SLR and most expect you to own a digital SLR and have a good understanding of its settings and operation points. It is worth checking what equipment you are expected to have before signing up for a course as most will expect a DSLR, some batteries and some imagination!

If you have taken and completed any courses at the above mentioned places, let other people know what you thought in the comments below…

Photography Courses in London

West London Small Gallery Tour

tobias — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 05:00:00 PDT

There’s something really appropriate about visiting art galleries when it’s raining. As I
walked into a Mayfair gallery I wished I wore glasses so that I could pensively chew on
their tip with the rain pouring outside. Partly because it would be a great Kodak moment
but also because the art galleries in West London lend themselves well to pretentiousness.

Tucked behind the Royal Academy of Art is a network of side streets filled with luxury
shops, car dealers and art galleries that blur the line between gallery and art merchant. You need to be armed with a fairly thick skin when visiting these more than slightly pretentious venues. But, if you can get past the initial awkwardness of being greeted by a bored and too polite receptionist, the smell of money and very prominent price tags, and of having to be rung into a gallery at the start, you can find some great artworks. Just remember that off putting exterior does not mean unwelcoming interior.

What’s great about this part of London for a start is that no two galleries are alike, and they are all in easy walking distance of each other. In a short morning I must have seen at least 10, and it felt like not enough. But because I saw too many to sum up, I am just going to go into detail about a few that really stood out to me to give you a good idea of what the area has to offer. Check out the map below to get an idea of the area. The yellow icons are the galleries I would recommend visiting.

Philip Mold portrait gallery (29 Dover Street, London, W1S 4NA) – Stark and beautiful collection of world class portraits, mainly 16th and 17th century but some more modern ones as well.

The Air Gallery (32 Dover StreetLondon W1S 4NE) – Works by a single artist, David Begbie, following the same idea: wire mesh nudes. May sound under impressive, but very detailed work with stunning shadows.

Flowers (21 Cork Street London W1S 3LZ) – Just when you think you’ve seen enough photos of destitute urban landscapes, this exposition comes along. Amazingly humane photos of urban China.

Redfern gallery (20 Cork StreetLondon W1S 3LZ) – Filled with spaghetti western landscapes or gardens. All by the same artist, Annabel Gault, who paints with a childish feel and bold brush strokes. Think Rothko painting the countryside. Beautifully presented.

Apricot gallery (27 Albemarle Street, London W1S4HZ ) - This was absolutely incredible, really the best I saw. A Contemporary Vietnamese art exposition with a mix of ‘political’ paintings, one really powerful painting of faceless soldiers marching under a red flad stood out, and more serene landscapes. Vibrant and engaging.

Below is a Google map of all the galleries mentioned in this article (yellow markers) and some extra West London Galleries that are worth a visit (blue markers): Click the map to view larger…

View Londonerseye - Art gallery tour (west) in a larger map

West London Small Gallery Tour

Sugru - the best invention since sliced bread

luke — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 05:58:02 PDT

Sugru hack gallery

Sugru is a London based invention which is pure genius! The idea is simple you use Sugru, a silicone based product to hack things better…

Sugru is a putty like substance made from silicone which sets when exposed to air after around 30 minutes. It takes 24 hours to set fully and can be molded and textured to any shape imaginable. Sugru has endless applications and now comes in a few colours, you can even add phosphorescent powder to make it glow in the dark!

We recently spoke to Jane, the inventor of Sugru about how she came up with the idea and how people have been using Sugru in amazing unexpected ways.

Jane teamed up with several retired scientists (I like to think of them as mad professors in the style of doc from ‘back to the future’) and created a silicone based compound which was developed and refined over three years. Jane got loads of advice and training from the scientists which lead to Sugru it it’s current form.

The invention was spawned from a college project whilst Jane was studying at the RCA on the Product Design course and took off after it was featured in a British Airways in flight magazine. Sugru is a really unique invention which has taken off due to it’s customers imagination. People all over the world are hacking things better in the most unexpected ways.

Keep an eye on the Sugru twitter feed and blog to see some cool inventions and uses for the wonderful stuff!

I think Sugru is great and have been using it non-stop since I found out about it. Everyday you spot new ways of using the clever stuff and so far I have used it for:

holding together a smashed usb stick
beautifying a external hard drive
patching up bicycle tyre cuts
fixing the plumbing in our toilet
creating some funky key covers

Sugru and Jane are currently based in lovely East London and sell Sugru online at Sugru.com

What is Sugru?

Sugru - the best invention since sliced bread

Secret Cinema

mish — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 01:08:38 PDT

This image was taken by Russell_Darling on Flickr

Oooh I’m so excited! I’ve been wanting to go a Secret Cinema event for a long time now but haven’t quite got my act together.. just to fill you in, Secret Cinema is a group of genius individuals who create screenings of popular cult films in the theme of the film itself. The main draw is the mystique surrounding the events - each month a film, which is kept secret until the very last minute, is screened in an undisclosed location. You are given a few cryptic clues such as a dress code, but the whole experience is geared towards brewing as much excitement as possible! The founder of Secret Cinema Fabien Riggall says he feels it is important that the audience becomes part of the event.

For example, the last Secret Cinema screening showed Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner….shrouded in mystery, I’ve read participants were taken in a bus from Canary Wharf station to a warehouse in the docklands that was reconstructed in the image of China Town, Los Angeles, November 2019. Actors made the scenes come alive..there was a chinese woman offering passersby a live, cloned scorpion in a jar; a woman in a gold and black bikini had an albino python wrapped around her shoulders and two dancers writhed in futuristic masks to name a few of them. Wowzers!

For the upcoming Secret Cinema all I’ve been told is.. “We are looking for the world’s journeymen, fighters, rebels, artists, musicians and dreamers who do not fear the dark of the nights or the heat of the midday sun. Stay quiet, only whisper amongst yourselves, and look for secret paths amongst the streets and alleyways from where you are from. Be part of the uprising…” Cryptic.

Anybody else going too? Post your ideas on what the film might be below…..the suspense is killing me!

Secret Cinema events take place monthly and the latest details can be found on their website at www.secretcinema.org

Secret Cinema

Small gallery tour of East London

ruth — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 05:00:29 PDT

I know the norm is to check out the larger, more obvious galleries in London such as the Tate Modern, National Gallery etc, but the reality of it is that London is buzzing with a lesser known on the tourist track art scene. This is what makes London so exciting, and such a great place to live. There’s always something happening, always something popping up, exhibition openings here there and everywhere. It’s hard to describe the sheer extent of the art world within the capital, but let’s be honest, people don’t move here for nothing. I’ve been here for three years now and am still only scratching the surface.

Here is a little tour you can do on your bike/hardened tourist legs of small East London galleries. The exhibitions are changing constantly so make sure you keep up to date with the latest goings on. For some great info about the lesser known creative events out there, check out my friend’s website: www.thewhatwherewhen.org

From Angel tube, turn left out of the station and onto City Road. Continue down City Road for ten minutes and turn left onto Wharf Road before the Texaco Service station and McDonalds. Here you’ll find Parasol Unit, a great not-for-profit gallery with some beautiful architectural features. Parasol showcases the work of new international contemporary artists - currently showing is the work of Tabaimo, a Japanese video installation artist who deals with dark subject matter relating to Japanese contemporary life. It’s a great show and well worth seeing - make sure you head upstairs as there is more work to be seen.

After Parasol Unit, head back down City Road, left on to Old Street and straight into the heart of Shoreditch. Turn right on to Charlotte Road just after the Reliance Pub on your right hand side. There are a great collection of smaller galleries to be found here, including Kemistry Gallery, a great place to pick up some unusual poster prints and presents. Specialising in graphic design, the work is normally fun and highly accessible.

Turn back around and follow the road across Old Street and into Hoxton Square. Here you’ll find the infamous White Cube Gallery, home to artists such as Tracey Emin, Jake and Dinos Chapman and Damien Hirst. Like it or hate it, it’s worth a visit.

From White Cube, head back on to Old Street, take a left and pop into Electricity Showrooms for some hearty English grub (the chip butties are amazing) which is just a short walk away. After you are suitably fed and watered, jump on the number 55 bus outside, heading towards Hackney Road, or alternatively carry on walking if you’re feeling energetic.

At the end of Hackney Road (with plenty of sights to be seen including a city farm, but let’s leave that to another day….), take a left on to Mare Street and right on to Vyner Street. Yes, it looks dodgy, but don’t let that put you off. Vyner Street is bursting with small independent galleries in old warehouses, all with exciting exhibition schedules. While you’re here, check out Wilkinson Gallery, the big black box slap bang in the middle of the rundown warehouses. The gallery is in itself a beautiful building – remember to press the buzzer and someone will let you in through the massive doors. It’s like that for all of the galleries on this street, so don’t worry as most of them are open, you just need to be buzzed in. Other ones to check out are Nettie Horn, Fred Gallery and Gift gallery, all small but really great little spaces. There are always new galleries popping up to, so keep an eye out.

Phew. A lot of galleries in one day. There are too many galleries to mention in East London, but more walking tours to come. As a final pitstop, head over to Hurwundeki café on Cambridge Heath Road for a quick cuppa, and pop into the V&A Museum of Childhood on your way to Bethnal Green tube stop.

You can find directions and contact details for all of the galleries mentioned on their websites, enjoy!

Parasol Unit - www.parasol-unit.org

Kemistry Gallery - www.kemistrygallery.co.uk

White Cube Gallery - www.whitecube.com

Electricity Showrooms - www.electricityshowrooms.com

Wilkinson Gallery - www.wilkinsongallery.com

Nettie Horn Gallery - www.nettiehorn.com

Fred London Gallery - www.fred-london.com

Vyner Street Information - www.10vynerstreet.com

Hurwundeki Cafe - www.hurwundeki.com

V&A Museum of Childhood - www.vam.ac.uk/moc

Small gallery tour of East London

London’s best single speed and fixed bike shops

ruth — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:00:46 PDT

The frenzy of the fixed gear bike has completely taken over London. Now as popular as ever, London’s hipsters have moved backwards to a time when shimano and 21 speed gears just didn’t exist. And it’s damn refreshing! Yes it’s true, fixed and singlespeed bikes have been around for ages on the London scene, but guaranteed you’ll spot tourists peering curiously at you when you toddle past, even more so if you have no brakes. It’s simply unheard of in some towns – there’s not a bike thieving chav in Newcastle who would lay their hands on a bike with no gears and front suspension!

But the beauty of the fixed/singlespeed bike is its simplicity. I love my little bike and as a car deprived Londoner, have taken to the eco route of bike obsessing instead. Cycling is by far the easiest way to get around, providing of course you curb your fear of nasty lorry drivers and bendy buses. But it is fun!

Here is a rundown of my favourite bike shops in London that have a handy array of fixed gear/singlespeed bikes. I’m afraid that the mecca of the fixed rider lies in the heart of East, where you’ll find many a brakeless ruffian/vintage framed hipster/hardcore courier skidding around.

Brick Lane Bikes
118 Bethnal Green Road
London E2 6DG
www.bricklanebikes.co.uk
The daddy of the fixed/singlespeed bike shop, Brick Lane bikes is a hard contender to beat. It’s been around for years and the best thing about it is their vast array of stunning vintage frames hanging from the ceiling. They are also super nice so go ask them whatever you want. And check out the best salt beef beigel shops round the corner while you’re at it.

London Fields cycles
281 Mare Street
London E8 1GR
www.londonfieldscycles.co.uk
Go and speak to Ez here – he is a legend! I’m a shorty and he helped me out no end trying to find a little singlespeed with a blokey A-frame. In general, London Fields cycles are a great source for any type of bike you might fancy, with an unpretentious feel and a wide selection of parts. You can also as with most bike shops get your tyres pumped up for free.

Mosquito
123 Essex Road
Islington
London N1 2SN
www.mosquito-bikes.co.uk
This is the technical gem of the bike shop world – you can get fitted and kitted by Roger and co here and your knees/shoulders/elbows/fingers shalt never hurt again. They really know their stuff in here and there are a great availability of perhaps more unknown makes such as Kinesis Decade, Fixie Inc and Independent Fabrication.

Tokyo Fixed Gear
4 Peter Street
London W1F 0AD
www.tokyofixedgear.com
It’s like walking into a sweet shop at Tokyo Fixed, drool at the ready. Tucked away down a side street in Soho, Tokyo Fixed have made a huge name for themselves ever since they opened their store not too long ago. Fixed bike fanatics, this is for the hardcore lover of bikes and not for the faint hearted, but it’s worth checking out all the same. They have cranks/pedals/brake levers/frames/wheels in every colour imaginable, and mainly deal with custom builds (no off the pegs here). Warning though, it’s not cheap but then again, no decent custom builds are. They also organise loads of events, such as Nocturne’s skidding comp last month. Woop! Go and visit, and get inspired.

14 bikeco
13 Elys Yard
The Truman Brewery
E1 6QL
www.14bikeco.wordpress.com
It looks pretentious, feels a bit nerve wracking to walk into, but 14bikeco make some beautiful bikes for the fixie crews/ fashion conscious crowds of the heart of east London. Set in the painfully cool Truman Brewery, the vast array of frames on display are the first thing to catch your eye. And they are really friendly too, so don’t be afraid and go and ask anything you like.

London’s best single speed and fixed bike shops

Red Bull X-Fighters at Battersea Power Station

luke — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 03:32:30 PDT

Red Bull X-Fighters is coming back to London on the 14th of August!

X-Fighters is the world’s biggest Freestyle Motocross (FMX) tournament as is coming to Battersea power station as part of the UK leg of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2010.

After the huge demand for tickets and success of last year’s event, the London leg of the series will now be held in front of a huge 28,000 crowd, giving more fans the chance to experience a night of electrifying, high-octane action. Those with tickets will not only be able to experience this iconic venue being brought back to life for the second consecutive year, but will witness the world’s best FMX riders as they descend on the British capital for a night of mud-fuelled mayhem in the penultimate event of the series.

Once again, Red Bull X-Fighters London will feature 12 of the world’s top FMX riders, including 2009’s World Champion Nate Adams and Tower Bridge conqueror Robbie Maddison. Each of the dozen riders will be battling it out and performing gravity-defying tricks to lay their claim to the title, Red Bull X-Fighters World Champion 2010.

So far this year, Red Bull X-Fighters has already taken the Bullrings of Mexico, Pyramids of Egypt, Moscow’s Red Square and Madrid’s famous Las Ventas by storm, with only London’s Battersea Power Station and Rome’s Stadio Dei Marmi providing the other unique arenas for one of the most jaw-dropping sports on the planet.

Following last year’s historic Tower Bridge jump, Australian Robbie Maddison is thrilled to be heading back to the UK to compete in the Red Bull X-Fighters:

“London has some great memories but this year I want to win Red Bull X-Fighters, so I am working on a new trick this week, something special just for London – an event winning trick!”

Representing the UK will be 25 year-old FMX rider, Chris ‘Swampy’ Birch. After his first appearance at last year’s London event, Birch is now fully aware of what he needs to do on the big stage:

“Being in the company of the world’s best FMX riders at last year’s Red Bull X-Fighters was a huge honour but was also quite intimidating. This year, with a bit more experience and a more intense training schedule, I am hoping to really give my home crowd something to remember. Watch this space!“

Tickets for Red Bull X-Fighters 2010 (Saturday) and the Qualifiers (Friday) are available now via www.redbullxfighters.com and http://www.facebook.com/RedBullXfighters last years tickets sold out fast so if you want to go make sure you book early, prices depend on where you stand in the power station.

Red Bull X-Fighters at Battersea Power Station

Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme

luke — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:43:07 PDT

Boris recently unveiled the new Barclays cycle hire scheme in London you can find out all the info you need about how to hire a bike and how the scheme works on the tfl website.

Tfl have also made a cool video explaining how the scheme works which answered most of my questions give it a watch below:

All the illustrations for the new cycle hire scheme are really cool and seem pretty geared to making new cyclists understand road safety:

I haven’t tried the scheme out yet but will do just to have a go on one of the dorky looking bike and see how it all works first hand!

Hopefully the new scheme will encourage more people to cycle and this will eventually lead to heightened cyclist awareness from drivers and HGV wielders. As much as I don’t like Boris he does seem to be responsible for some major changes in London (some for the good) like this new cycle scheme and the new cycle highways.

The new cycle highways are basically glorified wider cycle lanes which I have used a couple of times now and have found a lot better than existing cycle lane strips. However care still needs to be taken as some drivers forgo restrictions in dense traffic and straddle the lanes for over taking purposes!
Looks like everyone in London is becoming cycle obsessed viva la revolution…

Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme

London Cyclist - 25 London Cycle Routes ebook

luke — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 03:07:49 PDT

We were recently asked to take a look at an ebook from London Cyclist called ‘25 London Cycle Routes’, which unsurprisingly is a list of 25 cycling trips in London. The book costs around seven pounds - which is really decent considering you get lots of ideas for trips out on your bike. So even if you only go on one or two rides then you are getting your monies worth.

If you think of it in terms of pub items it roughly works out at two drinks and will no doubt trim a few drinks off you (I know my belly could do with this!).

On first impression, my initial impression was wow! Some serious research has been done to make this. All of the routes come with GPS co-ordinates so you can navigate your way along the route in transit, and the trips feature various notes about points of interest along the way.

Most of the routes are quite common and unfortunately not particularly original, but if you are new to London it would definitely be of interest to you. Some of the more advanced routes are quite interesting and the two long distance routes of London to Brighton and London to Chichester are well worth the £6.95 price tag!

Some of the more unusual rides include a tour of Saturday markets which will probably take all day when you factor in the cakes you will no doubt eat along the way. Another interesting ride is the architecture themed route, which takes in some of London’s famous buildings.

Although it would be tricky to read the pdf on route using your phone, you can print off the routes and take them with you.
It would probably be best to print off each one as and when you need it, as the whole book is somewhat of a beast!

Most of the routes will suit the casual bike rider and allow you to take in some tourist sites along the way. However, if you are attempting some of the longer routes or park based ones you should make sure you have the right equipment before setting off, as it could be worth taking spare inner tubes for longer rides rather than running the risk of getting stuck miles from home!

One of the best things about the ebook is that there are routes for everyone, no matter what level of rider or what kind of bike you have. Some of the routes are catered to road, hybrid and single speed or fixed bikes as they are based around nice flat surfaces and roads, whereas other routes are more suited to hardcore mountain bikes with suitable suspension forks and disc brakes. The routes are varied in distance and can help you get fit or extend your commuting passion.

You can buy the cycling ebook here

You can also see what other people thought of the book here

Below are some picture from the ebook showing what the maps and routes look like:

London Cyclist - 25 London Cycle Routes ebook

Top 5 unique free things to do in London

luke — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:23:32 PDT

By Yuli Linssen- Kaminitz

London is one of the most vibrant cities in Europe- Unlimited number of museums, more than 100 theaters, the famous royal family, numerous vintage shops and of course Katt Moss. Even though London attracts more than 27 Million tourists a year, many people from outside Europe still find it an extremely expensive destination to visit.
In order to make life easier for those of you who cannot afford to go to on a shopping spree or watch three theaters shows in a row, here are the top 5 free things to do in the city:

1. Speakers’ corner-

Cumberland Gate Park Lane, North East corner of Hyde Park, London W1K 7TY, United Kingdom - 07533 098 035
Open Sun 12pm-7:30pm
Not only this attraction is free of charge, it is also worth visiting regardless! Where else would you be able to listen to extremely passionate people talking about their beliefs, ideas, conspiracy theories and rough opinions? On 1872 the parliaments have decided to allow public speaking in the north-eastern corner of London’s Hyde Park. People from all over the country gathered to raise their important issues - the main discussions were: politics, religion, the economic situation and more. Until this day- every Sunday you will be able to witness people standing on a small chair in Hyde Park and lecturing the crowd.

2. Primrose Hill-

Primrose Hill, Primrose Hill Road, Primrose Hill, NW3 3NA
This is the perfect spot to chill out, have a pleasant picnic and watch the spectacular sunset. Located in the north side of Regent’s Park- the Primrose hill not only offers the most magnificent view of the city- the district which surrounding it is full of cozy cafes, trendy restaurants, tiny pubs and shopping streets. Start your day with getting a tan in the sun and finish it with a glass of wine- there is a chance you will come across a celebrity such as Gwen Stefani, Jude Law and Ewan McGregor- all of them are extremely fond of this place.

3. National Theatre Square-

South Bank, London, SE1 9PX
The National Theatre Square offers three different vast auditoriums which more than 20 productions are being played there per year! Even though most of the shows do cost money to enter, you would be pleasantly surprise to discover how many free performances are offered monthly.
During the whole summer and until September 26 you will be able to enjoy for free the spectacular outdoor theatre- “Watch This Space Festival”. This wonderful event includes: extraordinary circus, brilliant dancers, acrobatic performances and many more.

4. Richmond Park-

Holly Lodge TW10 5HS
Richmond Park is located in Richmond, West London. It is extremely hard to believe that such an astonishingly beautiful nature area is just 12 miles away from London! This breathtaking Royal Park is the biggest in London- it covers 2,500 acres of complete beautify and total freedom for the wild animals.
Walking there, witnessing the deer running free and listening to the sound of birds- will make you feel like you are not in the UK but in a far away country which words cannot describe how striking is it.

5. Sunday UpMarket and the Backyard Market-

Ely’s Yard (entrances on Brick Lane & Hanbury Street), The Old Truman Brewery London E1
Both of these markets are sort of hidden hotspots in the city. They are quite alternative and most of the people there are locals. The Backyard market, (open Sunday from 11am till 6pm and Saturday from 10am to 5pm) offers exceptional fashion from young, talented and upcoming designers. Even though the stalls do not offer free treats, you will surly enjoy strolling around and be inspired by the fashion forward clothes, one of a kind jewellery and the distinctive art& craft treasures. The Sunday UpMarket which is located right next to the Backyard Market is similar with its unique fashion items, funky vibe and colorfulness. The major point of distinction from its neighboring market is the famous food area: Tempting cupcakes, Turkish and Moroccan homemade delicious meals, Spanish Paellas, Sushi and many more! The best part is: free tasting is offered to everyone!

EasyToBook.com specializes in discount rates on hotels all over the world that range from simple motels all the way up to celebrated 5-star venues.
For more information about hotels in London, visit their site!

Top 5 unique free things to do in London

V&A 1:1 Architects Build Small Spaces

ruth — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:00:30 PDT

As an avid exhibition buff and architecture enthusiast (I sound like such a geek) I went to check out the V&A’s 1:1 contemporary exhibition based in the Porter Gallery and around parts of the V&A. I have to say, I thought this was one of their most successful exhibitions to date, enabling the viewer to not only experience the architectural installations themselves, but to explore parts of the V&A they may not have done previously.

The V&A is clearly trying hard to change their image of a slightly stuffy museum stuck in the past, and they are doing it with gusto. There have been plenty of updates and changes made to the space, including the new Jewellery gallery, Sackler Centre and aforementioned Porter Gallery. The lesser known contemporary programme is the only section within the V&A without a permanent collection, and this makes for exciting new possibilities.

At the heart of the V&A is their commitment to making exhibitions accessible for all, and this is proven in the free 1:1 Architects Build Small Spaces show, which runs until the 30th August. The show challenges you to rethink your ideas about architecture and what the idea of ‘dwelling’ means to you on very much a domestic and personal scale.

You are encouraged to crawl, walk, touch and interact with these spaces – this is architecture that is designed to be engaging. My favourite piece was that of Studio Mumbai’s ‘In-between Architecture’ in which the practice attempts to simulate the poetic nature of dwelling inspired by the slums in Mumbai, India. The rest of the show is inspiring, from the raw quality of Rural Studio’s £45 build to Fujimoto’s delicate play of light and geometry at the top of the stairs near the Architecture Gallery.

All in all, this is an exhibition well worth a visit – even if it’s just to dip your feet in the V&A pond!

V&A 1:1 Architects Build Small Spaces

16 cycling tips for riding a bike in London

luke — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 04:00:01 PDT

Riding a bike in London is like being in the jungle, there are certain rules you should follow if you want to get out alive and unscathed! I have been cycling around London for a while now and consider myself a fairly competent cyclist having been down the Death Road in Bolivia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yungas_Road) and the Scar Road in Nepal (http://indicatorloops.com/scar/scar.htm).

However I have still managed to get into some close shaves in the capital which have, on post reflection been quite amusing, like slamming into the back of a taxi, narrowly missing head butting a few opening doors, sliding off a bike when rounding a corner in thick ice and generally slipping all over the place on slick tyres in the wet!

If you can follow most of the below rules when cycling in and around London you have a much better chance of getting where you are going without any serious injuries!

Don’t jump red lights

You might be able to see that the road is clear but a car might not see you until too late, also if you get caught jumping red lights you can get a £60 fine from the police. I’ve seen it happen to people on a couple of occasions.

Keep to the left

Where possible and advisable keep to the left of the road at all times to avoid getting pinned in by cars. Also this will make stopping at lights a lot easier as you will be closer to the curb.

Signal when turning

Use your arms to signal where you are going, basically make sure that traffic behind you knows what you are going to do before you do it. This goes for other cyclists too!

Don’t stop in front of other cyclists

When you reach the lights and make your way to the designated cycle area try not to trap other cyclists in as it’s really annoying also quite dangerous. They will have to wait for you to leave before they can by. The same can be said for stopping in front of lights because then you won’t know when the lights have changed.

Don’t cut other cyclists up

Watch out for other cyclists don’t cut people up as it’s really annoying and just leads to people making risky procedures to get past you.

Don’t go too slow

Cycling too slow can be hazardous for yourself and others as cars and other cyclists will be keen to pass you and will often drive or ride dangerously to get by. Make sure your speed is consistent and steady and that you are keeping good distance from other vehicles and cyclists.

Don’t go too fast

Cycling too fast can be dangerous as road surfaces are pretty poor in most parts of London and you will have to swerve and dodge pot holes which may mean swaying into traffic that you don’t realise is there until too late

Use the cycle areas at junctions

They have pictures of bicycles on them which means they are there for you make sure you use them to left other traffic know there is a cyclist on the road!

Wear the right gear

If you are worried about safety on the road make sure you are wearing the right gear including the right kind of clothes and shoes as well as high vis for night times.

Wear a helmet

Although helmets are annoying and cumbersome they do save lives so make sure you wear a helmet at all times and make sure that it fits properly the last thing you want is it swinging down over your face!

Don’t fight with buses

Bus are bigger chances are they will win don’t even bother, just make sure they can see you.

Watch out for mopeds

Mopeds and bikes are a bit of a liability at times make sure you stay away from them as they are known to nip past bikes in tight spaces whether or not it’s clearly a bike lane.

Don’t race people just because you have gears

This a personal pet hate, when people notice I don’t have gears they always seem to race me off lights (usually I win though) don’t bother because it usually ends up in slipped gears and that horrible clicking noise and holding other people up!

Have lights at night

Use lights at night otherwise there is a high chance cars just won’t see you and pull out across or in front of you!

Stop at zebra crossings

It’s annoying when this happens when walking around London so make sure you stop for pedestrians waiting to cross, Don’t nip through when they are on the other side of the road, no-one can see round corners.

Don’t wear headphones when cycling

As absurd as this sounds a lot of people do this when cycling in London not only is it distracting but it means you won’t hear traffic noises which could indicate that something is going down like a police car flying past you!

Admittedly I don’t follow all these tips at all times but do try to stick by most of them. London is a fun place to cycle and it definitely beats paying for the tube!

16 cycling tips for riding a bike in London

Tokyo Pop Up Shop on Commercial Street

luke — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 09:23:46 PDT

We recently wrote about Tokyo Bike’s pop up shop in London which is now open!

The shop is situated just over the road from All Saints in Spitalfield’s near to fourteen bikes and the ten bells pub of Jack the Ripper fame. The opening night was rammed so made it a little difficult to check out the bikes but they seemed pretty cool, all in vibrant colours and loads of different shapes and sizes.

The shop will be open for six weeks and selling Tokyo Bike’s range of road and town bikes.

The bikes are pitched at the casual rider that likes to cruise around the city (not too fast) and take in the beauty of the urban landscape. Roughly translated I guess this means roll around, stopping and starting in between traffic lights and look cool while you are doing it?

All of the bikes have lesser spotted 650cc wheels and most of the models come with a full set of gears and curved leather handlebars.

If you are expecting Tokyo Bike’s creations to be competing with the likes of the stylish fixie bikes and Brick Lane Bikes or Tokyo Fixed Gear then you may be disappointed. Tokyo Bike are going after a totally different market and don’t seem to be focusing on high spec racing parts or fancy deep v rims.

These aren’t trick bikes and this is reflected in the prices of the setups ranging from 300-550 pounds. The shop is worth heading down to and I am sure I will pay a few more visits before the six weeks is up.

Word on the street is that Tokyo Bike intend to open a full shop if this trial proves successful so only time will tell…

117 Commercial St.
Old Spitalfields Market
E1 6BG

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Tokyo Pop Up Shop on Commercial Street

All you can eat steak at Rodizio Preto

luke — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 05:09:24 PDT

Recently I have been to a string of eating establishments with friends and have been using vouchers for restaurants in London to save a little bit of cash. Money Supermarket have recently entered the vouchers race and have lots of great printable vouchers, if you dig a little deeper you can find vouchers for unusual restaurants that you might not go to usually.

One place I recently visited was an all you can eat steak restaurant called Rodizio Preto in Pimlico. We went there with some friends and headed along to watch the football and chow down on some meat.

The buffet consists of a fairly large selection of Brazilian food both hot and cold including battered bananas, cassava and plantain. There are also loads of salads and carb based goods, which I’m pretty sure are designed to fill you up so you can’t eat too much meat!

The meat selection was pretty impressive and rather than order specific dishes taking a gamble that you might not like it, waiters walk around with large kebab skewers laden with meat. In a two hour sitting whilst watching the football we were all able to try the following types of meat:

Top steak
Rump steak
Fillet steak
Sirloin steak
Pork lion
Grilled chicken
Fillet steak wrapped in bacon
Chicken’s hearts
Ham

Yeah that’s right chicken hearts; these were quite tasty and unsurprisingly tasted like chicken but a little more rubbery. Rodizio Preto is not for the faint hearted or vegetarians out there as most if not all but most dishes are meat based and come in large amounts!

The service was really good and there were only a few times when we unable to grab the waiters attention as they made their way back and forth from the rotisserie pits at the back of the restaurant.

Some of the food at the buffet is quite random and could be improved with labels as some items were a little pot luck the like battered cauliflower. I spotted a few people drinking cocktails too which looked pretty amazing but would have compromised stomach space which is seriously needed as the food just keeps on coming and I for one found it difficult to turn it down!

It’s rare that I venture to Victoria but it looked like quite a nice area and there were loads of intriguing restaurants on the same street that I might check out in the future. Also a quick note for any cyclists out there perhaps not the best idea to cycle back home if you live a reasonable distance away. The 6.6 mile cycle back was a lot more difficult with a stomach full of meat… do’h

www.rodiziopreto.co.uk
72 Wilton Road Victoria, London SW1V 1DE
020 7233 8668

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All you can eat steak at Rodizio Preto

Burrito Bros

luke — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 04:00:44 PDT

Image taken by kpmarek on Flickr

Burrito Bros is yet another Mexican burrito stand/restaurant in central London, I stumbled upon this place after cycling past on the way to work pretty much every morning. I had been waiting for an opportunity to try the place out and recently I was at a work training session in the local area and dropped in with some work colleagues to check out the wrapped offerings.

The burritos were like a lot of other establishments in London, similar to a brick in size and weight, stuffed full of meaty goodness and a bit of a hassle to eat due to a rapidly declining structural integrity!

Over all the food was good and spicy enough, but the nachos were a lack luster affair of generic melted cheese and tepid salsa. The outdoor area was also quite small but catches the sun well at lunch time so worked out pretty well. There also seemed to be a good selection of drinks available behind the bars and the staff were all pretty chatty and pleasant (which is sometimes rare in London).

Situated close to Farringdon station and Smithfield Market this is an ideal stop off for city workers in the local area or people grabbing a quick bit to eat on the way back from work, they also do burrito delivery which could be a genius marketing stroke if they target all those x-box live players in London with the munchies!

So in a quick wrap up good value burritos which are similar to other burrito places in London quite tasty and a reasonable amount of spice…

www.burritobros.co.uk
17 Clerkenwell Road
Clerkenwell, London EC1M 5RD
020 7336 0679

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Burrito Bros