I’ve written before about the Photographers’ Gallery in Soho and it remains a favourite spot as the exhibitions there are invariably fascinating, whatever the theme. What’s more the cafe’s pretty good and the shop has far too many photographic goodies to be kind to anyone’s wallet. However, when their lens turns to one of […]
I remember watching a programme on BBC2 about the history of Indian food in Britain and how Indian restaurants as we know them had their origin, not in the 60s as I’d imagined, but way back in London before the Second World War. I also vaguely remember mention that the original was still in […]
Lovers of Tiki decor and a good cocktail within reach of London are doubly blessed for, lurking below the Hilton in Park Lane, is not just a fantastic Tiki-themed cocktail bar, but also one of the original chain of post-War Trader Vic’s, now one of the longest surviving anywhere.
First the history bit. ‘Vic’ is […]
A whole day ahead of us in London, no prior arrangements other than a stop off at Embankment tube and meeting up with some very good friends – how much could we fit in?
Let’s start with a stroll along the river and across to Lambeth. Ever since I started spending a lot of time […]
It was shortly after our visit to Veeraswamy that Mrs M commented that she remembered going for a meal at another very traditional Indian restaurant somewhere down the Strand, but this one at the opposite end of the price spectrum from the luxuries of Veeraswamy. But, she feared, it was probably long gone. Something […]
The lovely folk at Smokey Joe’s cafe have invited me back again for another night of great 50s rock’n’roll, rockabilly, and rhythm & blues on Saturday 16 January. As ever, I’ll be aiming to play whatever will get folk onto the dance floor, or treat their ears as they tuck into Smokey Joe’s tasty […]
The first time we stumbled across Smokey Joe’s cafe in Cheltenham, I took one look at the function area at the back and thought what a great venue it would make for a little low-key rock’n’roll club. Balanced neatly between ’50s American diner and British Soho coffee bar, it just cried out for a […]
In a far-off distant land called Kent, there’s a building where the childhood of small boys of the 1960s is preserved and cherished, and on a very soggy Monday in our August holidays, I made a long-awaited pilgrimage to worship at the shrine. This holiest of holies is the Hornby factory on the outskirts […]
It’s a fortunate reflection on the state of the craft beer industry that a report on a good independent brewer operating out of its own premises wouldn’t be that remarkable anywhere, and would be a bit out of place on a blog devoted to vintage ‘stuff’. However, when the building is a former brewery […]
Although we didn’t pick the destination for our week off just to provide material for this blog, it was certainly our intention to treat ourselves to a break in a part of the country where we knew there would be lots to indulge our passion for the past. Part Two of this post will […]
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