Skinner Chicken and Beer

Up for a laugh on a Wednesday night back in February  I headed up town with a mate for a date with Frank Skinner and Friends. Mikey is hungry and we stop for a butchers at a steak house on St Martins Lane, blow me they are charging £ 22 for an 8oz sirloin, not surprising then that there's only 6 people in pre-theatre. The exterior looks enticing , they've gone for the 'butchers shop' look, hooks and chains in the front window, but they've not quite carried it off , its too polished, not enough blood and sawdust flying around.

We skirt around the sirloin and make a quick dash to Leicester Square for some KFC. 
My mother would be appalled if she could see me walking along the street munching on a piece of greasy 'one-ninety-nine' chicken. I have to say though, it was delicious and seemed to fit in well with the night's entertainment.

We'd had a few beers on the way and arrive with a minute to spare at the Noel Coward Theatre , the bell is ringing as I pop into the stalls bar and order a couple of beers, £9 for two bottles of San Miguel, now they are having a laugh and were not even in there yet.

Frank Skinner

We've just settled into our seats in the middle of the stalls, when Frank hits us with an opening fisting story, the old girl next to me is in stitches. Frank is impressive with his stage craft and stillness, something that gets overlooked in his current role of hosting an over-edited panel show, this man knows his stuff.

'One Nil to Fulham' shouts a man from the the back of the audience, (there playing against West Brom Skinners team). Skinner is not taking the bait and lets the football reference fly over his head. I guess it must be like a rock star getting constant requests for the old songs when he's trying to move on to new material.

The half time interval arrives none too soon, after we've endured a somewhat confused and unordered second act who struggled to engage the audience before embarking on his rant of incoherent anti-tory banter , strange coming from a man who looked every ounce the city banker.

At Half Time here on a cold and misty night in St Martins lane its 
One nil to Frank.

We pop out for a quick smoke on the steps outside. The guy who asked me for 'ninety pence' in Leicester square twenty minutes ago is back 'without his limp' this time, I don't feel so bad for having refused his request first time around.


Lee Nelson opens the second half, his well crafted mockney geezer routine going down well with the audience. Nelson explores the idea of legalizing all drugs and selling them in supermarkets , Taste the Difference Weed and M&S excelling as purveyors of Crystal Meth.

After the show we head back south and stopping briefly to top up on supplies, its freezing out and we hurry up the road and back into the coziness of my flat. We're buzzing from our little adventure and in need of a munch, so I pop some 'outdoor bred pork chipolatas' in the oven and we sit down to discuss the good and not so good of our evening with Frank and his Friends.

One accomplished professional delivering the goods with competent ease and a couple of rising stars who I'm sure will be playing in the top division very soon.



comedy tickets for two £32.00
refreshments four bottle beers £18.00

Out OfTen
Entertainment 8
kfc 8

Borough Market

Borough, a photo by Robert Harrison2010 on Flickr.

A modern take on Borough Market

Raising the Steaks

Here at the Half Moon pub, we have have just changed our butcher to Warman and Guttridge of Smithfield market who are supplying us with some great tasting British sirloin steak.

We serve our 8 oz sirloin steak with a crispy rocket and sweet pepper salad and a good portion of old style chunky chips. It's a great way to indulge yourself and for only £12.95 we think its good value too.

We recommend medium rare, its nicely charred on the outside and succulent and juicy on the inside.

Sirloin steak and chips , medium rare and juicy @ The Half Moon Pub 

The Half Moon Pub
10 Half Moon Lane
Herne Hill
London

Out OfTen

A recent trip to the Southbank Centre in London gave me the opportunity to catch the last day of the Pipilotti Rist light show, which I can thoroughly recommend should you get the chance to see it.

I was with two friends and we had the most amazing two hours of visual and aural stimulation that I have enjoyed in a long time.

Photo Pipilotti Rist 

After the show were all a bit mentally stoned and in need of a good feed. We found ourselves a table in the riverfront bar and kitchen at the BFI. 

The waiter came over to our table and asked us what we would like to drink, mine was simple, a bottle of beer , my two mates wanted a pint of ale, which turned into more of a challenge.

It took us three attempts at ordering before they told us what was 'actually available' as opposed to what we would like off the ale list. 
It seems to be a growing problem these days when visiting central London restaurants to be able to  find a waiter or bar person who has a basic knowledge of the English language. It makes me wonder how they got through the interview process to get the job in the first place.
Anyway returning to our table , our drinks eventually arrived and we placed an order for three 'Bavette' steaks medium rare, which arrived promptly and I have to say cooked well. 

The Bavette Steak is not a cut of beef I am familiar with and so I was pleasantly surprised with its flavour and succulence. Bavette Steak, also sometimes called 'Flank' is cut from the lower part of the animal and not generally a popular choice at the butchers, however given the current financial climate I see it as a good alternative to the more expensive cuts when ordering steak in restaurants.

So overall a good meal was had, but I have to say very poor service and when the bill arrived at £66 for three, they had added an additional 12.5 % for service, 'What Service' I hear myself say. This left me feeling that these guys are not really interested in building a good returning customer base. Maybe you don't need to bother with service when you can rely on the thousands of tourists that pass through central London every day.

Out OfTen

food 7
service 0

brockwell park sunday sledging

brockwell park sunday sledging , a photo by Robert Harrison2010 on Flickr.