Sun, Paella, Pacharan and sobremesa

A sunny and warm day in London is an odd phenomenon; when this happens it is boradcasted everywhere from the news to social media, the paper, the radio, and it becomes the sole topic of conversation for days - this is not rare as talks about the weather in this country are a must anways, and if there is anything that you need to keep up with, that is the weather forecast.
When the sun comes out you have to ensure you have a good plan ahead of you to enjoy the outdoors, mainly because that plan will be the only thing your colleagues will be interested in when you're back in the office the following day.
We had planned with some friends to go out for lunch at some restaurant with an outside sitting area. Also, as we some times miss home, and food is important to us - reflected more clearly on the post about Jose - we decided to go for Spanish.

The restaurant is called Cigala (crayfish) and it's located just at the back of Russell Square, in a really nice street with reduced traffic, full of nice boutiques and pubs. And even though they don't take reservations for tables in the terrace, we were lucky enough to get a table outside and enjoy 3 hours of tapas, paella, dessert, pacharan and amazing conversation under the sun.
I was ecstatic when I realised that rice (paella) was on the menu, and even happier when I got a bottle of cold Mahou - a brand of beer from my home town :-D. Really worth to go and try the restaurant out, especially on a Sunday when they have a special menu: you get 2 tapas, 1 main course - if you like any of the rices you need to be at least 2 people -, dessert and coffee for just £16. Then you can easily spend another £16 in drinks.

We'll definitely be back because we felt like a Sunday at home having paella, which is the typical dish for the Sunday lunch. 

DETAILS:
Cigala - www.cigala.co.uk/ - 54 Lamb's Conduit Street, London WC1N 3LW

Hard Rock Calling!

Sunny day starts in London and excitement for the day of music and friends ahead of us fills the apartment. Not sure if this should come at the end, but Cheers! to Hard Rock for the organisation of 2013 Calling - despite the endless queues to get beer.

Kodaline

We met in St Pancras - definitely worth getting the quick train from St Pancras to Stratford International - and we set off to enjoy a full day of music under the sun.
We managed to get to the main stage just after the first tunes of Kodaline, amazing Irish band worth to check out, and wishing to see them again soon, although all gigs seem to be sold out! After that first gig, we got a spot on the (fake) grass and set up our picnic - you could actually bring food inside, no drinks allowed but the queues for beer were not bad at the time, so it was easy to get drinks.
From Kodaline, to Twin Atlantic, eating away until Miles Kane came on stage and it was time to dance!

Miles Kane

Klaxons

Everyone was up and moving to the groovy to the new and old songs from Mr. Kane, all suited up in white. Afterwards it was time for a change of scenery, and we moved to a different scenario to bounce a little to Klaxons' guitars and keyboards. We thought the queues for drinks on this side of the park would be better but they were even worse; so not drinking for a bit, and time to burn some calories instead.
Once Klaxons were over, we moved back to the main stage, and danced away to the last few songs of Paul Weller. I have to admit that I'm not a big fan but dancing to Town Called Malice was one of the highlights of the day.

We took a little break while the exciment of anticipation to Kasabian started to build up in the air. After seeing them in Oxegen, the O2 and Brixton Academy, we knew that we were about to enjoy yet another great gig but how far would they go this time? They started up with Days are Forgotten, followed by Shoot the Runner and then continued with the different tunes while the crowd was going crazier by the minute.
A Fred Astaire wannabe suddenly appeard out of nowhere after a few songs, showing us his moves to Fast Fuse and adding some entertainment to the evening. Nevertheless, other than when one of my friends almost melted when Sergio was singing solo (Take Aim), the highlight of the evening was the encore when the band gave it all and the crowd was close to explosion... Vlad the Impaler, Switchable Smiles and Fire have been the closing up for the latest tour and everyone just went WILD.
Who made you (guys) the master(s)? and, as you mentioned in your Facebook page,

Who needs Wimbledon when you've got #HardRockCalling?

DETAILS:
Kasabian - www.kasabian.co.uk/‎ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agVpq_XXRmU
Paul Weller - www.paulweller.com/‎ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y44UVAy2jgk
Miles Kane - www.mileskane.com/‎ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj5RKp0inTw
Kodaline - www.kodaline.com/‎ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkAOasSJro0
Klaxons - www.klaxons.net/ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-SJjFcnsGs

Pride and Prejudice?

I was brought up to have no Prejudice, and to always keep an open mind for new things. So when I read the critic in the paper of the Pride & Prejudice play that is on at the Open Thatre in Regent's Park, I kept  my mind open. The critic wasn't good but I thought 'how come this marevellous Jane Austen's story set in the Open Theatre at Regent's Park can go wrong?' Well, it can and it did; so much that we left the thatre in the interval, as we couldn't bear it any longer - fair to mention that 2 of my friends suffer from hay fever and they were having a hard time to breathe.

The actors were not good, the character of Elizabeth Bennet laughs all the time - I'm still in shock -, the music was terrible, and the dances... I don't think I can even categorise those! I wouldn't have had any issues if the production was low budget or something of the kind but the tickets weren't cheap, so the least they could have done was taking some additional dance classes to learn how to keep a line.

The decision was then clear, as we agreed that before swallowing our Pride we would leave the theatre and go for dinner instead; good thing that Pirata saved the night!

Saaaaaaaaaamba!

Happy circumstance, which I'm not allowed to diclose, I find myself with some fellow Spaniards in the City just around lunch time on a Wednesday afternoon and decide to attempt the mission of having lunch at SushiSamba. If you check on the website of the restaurant, they state that they now take bookings 2 months ahead - I tried booking and failed miserably, as I was only doing it 1 week in advance, how dare me? - so we had a tough one ahead of us.

We walked in, it was 4 of us, and the first step was getting pass the first hostess (beautiful blonde) who was kindly letting a young man know that they don't take bookings for the terrace for drinks over the weekends but that he, and his friends, were more than welcome to come and join the queue (good plan for a Friday evening even if queueing is a national sport); as we wanted to have lunch, she said that we accomplished mission 1 and were eligible to the 34th floor - only the lift ride ascending over the city would be worth it (you can see the Gerkin from the top!).

When we arrived upstairs, there was a another hostess (this one was brunette, if I recall correctly). One of my fellow companions, the one who has been framed, made the first attemot to get a table. However, brunette hostess said that everything was full :-( but we were welcome to sit on the sushi bar. That's when I decided to go with all I had and tell her the full story, with a big smile, about my fellowship coming all the way to Spain and the fact that I had tried to book a table 2 weeks in advance; she seemed to buy what I said, or simply she got bored of listening - I can talk - because she allowed me to complete this phase and get to talk to the boss of all hostess, the one an only person in charge of the tables! So there I went, flapping my eyelashes and with the kindest smile, in order to try and conquer the third lady. After a few minutes of neogotiation and talking about the poor visitors coming all the way from the southern kingdoms, I think she took pity and gave us the last table available. Mission accomplished!

This post is already long enough but I need to talk about the food. This Peruvian-Brazilian-Japanese restaurant is really cool, and I wish it would have been a nicer day to enjoy the view even more. But what would London be without the cranes and the clouds?

Back to the food, sorry! The ceviche here is not my favourite, you should already know if you read about 'Sour and Happiness' (if you haven't, please do), but they have Padron Peppers and just that made me happy. The rolls are extremely good, best California Maki that I ever had, and definitely try the Sea Bass, it's mind blowing. We didn't taste any of the meat dishes but they smelled lovely. And the cheesecake for dessert was a-m-a-z-i-n-g!

Just be ready to take your credit card for a tour, and in case you don't want to be concious about it, there is a sommelier that will make sure you try a few sakes to ease the pain.

DETAILS:

SushiSamba - www.sushisamba.com/‎ - Heron Tower  110 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AY

Where Sour meets Happiness

Not long ago and thanks to one of my friends, we got to discover this little restaurant in Soho. I don't know if it's actually little but as it's always really busy - regardless the day or the time - it seems so. For the fans of Peruvian food this restaurant is a must; for the ones that don't know Peruvian food or maybe they're not such fans, it's a must as well.

The only downside that I can see for now, it's that you always have to book in advance, or you will not be available to enjoy the tasty food and drinks. We've even tried for late dinners and the restaurant is still busy. However, if you're patient enough, you will be rewarded with an amazing experience. Whether you sit on the bar or in the main restaurant, the staff who work there are simply amazing, and most of them speak Spanish in case you want to practice. Order some Pisco Sours for the party and some Cancha while you have a look at the menu.

Don't miss the yuca or the taqueños, of course some ceviche must be in the order (it's what gives the name to the restaurant), and if you love meat don't miss the lomo saltado. Just keep the Pisco flowing and you will then understand the place where Sour meets Happiness :-)

DETAILS:
Ceviche - www.cevicheuk.com/‎ - 17 Frith St,  London W1D 4RG

Jose el Pirata del Camino

In case you haven't realised among the Spanish people you may know, Jose is a very popular name. It can be just Jose, or with some addings such as Jose Maria, Jose Antonio, Jose Luis, Jose Miguel... and those four little words make probably one of the most difficult names to pronouce. Just blame it in on the J!

However, this is not about the Spanish name, but about the Spanish restaurants in London. Back home, we make a lot of fuss about food. Every family, business, friends, or love meeting that needs to count for something will take place around food. Those tasty tapas:  jamon (ham), tortilla, gazpacho (yes, the cold tomato soup), boquerones, croquetas, smelly cheeses, and the less known mouthwatering larger dishes are the unmissable witnesses for every get together. So no wonder we're always in search for the little place in London that will make our tummies feel like home.

During these years, I've had the chance to go and taste some of them - I realised on the Tapa Fantastica fair a couple of weeks ago that there are plenty of Spanish restaurants in the city. Camino, by Kings Cross - there is another one in Canary Wharf now - used to be my favourite one, as they even have Alhambra Especial - beer from Granada that an ex-friend introduced me to a couple of years back (only worth legacy of that friendship) - that will make the evening hard to remember. However, now it has turned out in some crazy loud music place where the conversation is hard to follow - not that we listen to each other much anyways regardless how loud we talk - but we like being part of a conversation. So the secluded El Pirata in Mayfair, has become the alternative, as it even has a bar where you can sit and feel like being back in Madrid - just get a Mahou and be merry! However, if you are adventurous enough, I highly recommend heading South of the river (if you dare to cross the Thames), and go to Jose in Berdmonsey Street for some tortilla and some pluma iberica to die for!

DETAILS:
Jose - www.josepizarro.com/restaurants/jose/‎ - 104 Bermondsey St  London SE1 3UB
Pirata - www.elpirata.co.uk/‎ - 5-6 Down St  London W1J 7AQ
Camino - www.camino.uk.com/‎ - 3 Varnishers Yard  The Regent Quarter, Kings Cross, London N1 9FD

Primrose Hill

I'm really lucky living just a few steps away from my favourite park in London, Regent's Park, although this entry will only be for its north end: The Hill, Primrose Hill.
I highly recommend the experience of climbing it, ok, maybe it's not considered a climb but the steep is no joke. I've run it as well, althouhg it's been a while since I last did it as I lost 2 of my favourite running companions to Spain, and the run is also recommended. It's not easy but once you're up there with little air left in your lungs, you feel that you're on top of things.

You can see all the way from Canary Wharf and the City on your left, to the Chard, the BT Tower, the London Eye, and the flag on top of Westminister Abbey. It's quite a view, and it's good to enjoy it while you get your breath back. Also the park is beautiful to have a drink or even a picnic (wheather permitting) but bring your stuff before you climb as there is nothing to buy there but some ice creams in the summer(and they van parks at the bottom of the hill).

Once you've enjoyed the view, go wander around Regent's Park Road and enjoy the pubs, restaurants, cafés, and other local shops as it's like a dream come true, and everyone is pretty. So then you wish you lived there, and you walk to the window of one of the various Real Estate agencies to check what is available in the area... that's the point when you realise you're still dreaming as the prices can't be real (but they are).

Anyways, you can continue to dream on and walk around. If you make it to Chalcot Square you can just be mesmerised by the beautiful coloured house. They are all sooo pretty. Everytime I go there with my friends, we pick a house to live in, and we keep on dreaming. You better catch up as most of them have been already allocated!                                                                                                 If you haven't done so already, at this time you're ready for a drink. You don't need to walk much longer to get to The Engineer  where you are welcomed by a really friendly and trendy staff with a good variety of drinks (long wine list, several draft beers, cocktails...) and really good food. Also it has a really cool beer garden to enjoy the sunny evenings... just make sure that you are quick to get an empty table as soon as anything is free! 

DETAILS:

To get there take the tube to Regents Park or Baker Street and then wal across the park and up the hill.

The Engineer - www.theengineerprimrosehill.co.uk/ - 65 Gloucester Ave  London, Greater London NW1 8JH

The Killers

Last Saturday I had the pleasure once again - I don't know how many times I've done so already although always less than I desire - to spend an evening with The Killers. They are one of my favourite bands, and there is so much in my life that will always be attached to these guys. And look at his face, who can say 'no' to Brandon? They are my flatmate's favourite band; she has gone from Madrid to New York and Mexico City to see them; my sister got engaged in a concert in Hyde Park when it was pouring rain (yes, a strange phenomenon in London) to The Killers singing A Dustland Fairytale; they are from Vegas and I love Vegas baby; and they are simply AWESOME, although there is nothing simple in what they do.

The concert was at Wembley, and they had even composed a new song about this concert as there is so much music history around this stadium, and now The Killers are part of it as well. I also think that we beat our personal record in gathering friends to join for a concert as I think it was about 20 of us singing along Mr. Brightside... definitely a band to check out and to <3!

DETAILS:
The Killers - www.thekillersmusic.com/‎ - Mr. Brightside

Regent's Canal - by boat

Even if London has a vast river, The Thames, it's not the only freeriding water flow of the city. There is an interesting network of canals that some even say will take you all the way to Scotland.

There are some organisations that will hire the long boats - with or without captain - that will take you along the canal. We've done it a couple of times with non-profit organisation Angel Boat all the way from Angel to Little Venice.

You can take your own food, drink, and music to the boat and just relax and sail away through quite a few landmarks of north London such as Kings Cross, Camden Town, Regents Park, the London Zoo, the mansions of St John's Wood... If you're keen you can help at the locks, as you can see a proper rock star doing so.

Don't hesitate now that the weather is nice and get your best 11 mates or girlfriends or both  (the downside is that only 12 people at a time can be at the boat) and have a great day...

DETAILS:
http://www.angelboat.org/

We Are Londoging!

Within the most characteristic icons from London, you will agree that I can list the Big Ben, the London Eye and a red bus. But what makes London unique, it's the constant flow of people that the city attracts whether it's for business or leisure.

London offers things for all tastes, there is an endless number of plans to enjoy by every variety of audience. It will be impossible to talk about everything, but I have a developed capacity for talking and an infinite curiosity to explore this city that adopted me about 9 years ago.

Bit by bit after the years, I've managed to gather a collection of amusing plans and places to be that I have decided to share for your entertainment.

Please explore and enjoy London! I hope these ideas will help.