Author Archives

  • Absurd Bird
    Absurd Bird (Restaurant)
    Posted in: Food & Dining, Reviews

    From the publicity literature it’s difficult to work out whether Absurd Bird is a fast-food joint or a restaurant. You’ll not gain too much insight from their website, it’s decorated with wacky images of cartoon chickens which are a tad misleading. A visit to this recently opened eaterie tucked away on a busy corner of […]

  • Alice in Wonderland Exhibition
    Alice in Wonderland (Exhibition)
    Posted in: Reviews, Shows & Exhibitions

    Few people realise that the Alice in Wonderland stories created by Lewis Carroll back in the 19th century changed the way that children’s books were perceived. Before that they were purely educational and treated them as little adults. After this it became acceptable for them to be entertaining and playful. This and many other valuable […]

  • 10 Cloverfield Lane
    10 Cloverfield Lane (Film)
    Posted in: Movies & TV Shows, Reviews

    Although not strictly a Cloverfield sequel this is, nonetheless, a worthy addition to its alien-attack franchise. However, it is definitely not a found footage movie nor solely a sci-fi movie about war-mongering extraterrestrials. JJ Abrams, the brains behind the production, was also director of the first movie and more recently Star Wars but here wears […]

  • The Halycon Quartet
    The Halcyon Quartet
    Posted in: Concerts & Gigs, Highlights

    Two great cultural institutions, The British Museum and the Royal Academy of Music, came together on Friday evening, March 18th for a performance which was a delightful paean to the European Enlightenment. Conveniently performed in the museum’s Enlightenment Gallery, it celebrated an age when 18th century intellectuals across Europe embraced a new way of looking […]

  • From Dusk Till Dawn
    Throwback Thursday: From Dusk Till Dawn Series
    Posted in: Movies & TV Shows, Reviews

    I’m an unabashed Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez fan and loved the first From Dusk Till Dawn movie but I must admit I’m not a fan of prequels, sequels and certainly have not been impressed with the majority of hit movie remakes. My long standing reluctance had turned this into a Netflix throwback Thursday in every […]

  • Tattoo London
    Tattoo London (Exhibition)
    Posted in: Reviews, Shows & Exhibitions

    If you haven’t heard of Tattoo London by now then you must have nodded off in the city that never sleeps! This three month-long exhibition is significant enough to warrant recent TV coverage on the major channels all hailing London’s proud history as a centre for tattooists and this celebration of their work. It runs […]

  • Historic London Addresses: Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley
    Posted in: Features, People, Places

    Women’s History Month and it is important to remember Mary Wollstonecraft, the woman who wrote the first book advocating the rights of women and who is widely recognised as the first feminist. She was born in Spitalfields in 1759 and her social and political views were formed during the age of the Enlightenment when reasoning […]

  • St Patrick Day’s Celebration 2016
    Posted in: Events & Festivals, Highlights, Videos

    Eddie Saint-Jean captures the sights, sounds and moods during St Patrick’s Day celebrations that took place at London’s Trafalgar square on Sunday. While this year St Patrick’s Day falls on March 17, the festival is usually held over the preceding weekend. Thousands thronged to participate in the revelry celebrating the Irish patron saint with  splashes […]

  • Levi Roots Smokehouse
    Levi Roots Caribbean Smokehouse (Restaurant)
    Posted in: Food & Dining, Reviews

    I arrived at Levi Roots Smokehouse at lunchtime but barely a few steps inside the door those appetite-tingling Caribbean aromas convinced me that I was in the mood for more than just lunch. Famous for winning BBC2 entrepreneur pitching show Dragon’s Den with his Reggae Reggae Sauce and wooing the judges with his guitar playing, […]