Penny Blood's Black Book » South

Balham Bowling Club

Penny Blood — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:00:19 +0000

It may be way down south, miles from anywhere but the Balham Bowling Club is the best pub ever. It’s pouring with rain and I had to cut an epic breakfast at Little Georgia with Morgs short as the night before I had the stupid idea that Sunday lunch at the B.B.C was a good idea even though it meant trekking down from Bethnal Green in monumentally shit weather. And just as I get there I get a call saying that they are all still at home eating gluten free pancakes, that’s bloody great. So out of 8 people I’m the only one here, what a loser! Not to worry though this place is just great, there’s nowhere quite like it. It’s decorated in a theme somewhere between an old school and a sports club, like a set from the History Boys with gaudy furniture and tapestries, basically one giant junk shop neatly arranged. There are billiard tables and Chesterfield couches and big rooms with lots of nooks and crannies to sit in. Only thing is it’s not very cosy but at least it’s not crowded.

7 Ramsden Road London, SW12 8QX
020 86734700
Monday – Saturday 9am-6pm

Radio Days & What the Butler Wore

Penny Blood — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:04:34 +0000

When it comes to vintage I think London trumps any other city. Well yes every vintage store sells the same stuff like it’s all sourced from some giant warehouse in the sky but at least it’s all somewhat affordable. LA used to be cheap, not any more, New York is so expensive you’d be better off shopping at American Apparel, to hell with being original, Paris is good but the stores are tiny, full of French people who won’t get out the way and you have to have some seriously strong biceps to root through the clothes crammed in within an inch of their life. Radio days has a great collection of all things vintage, kitchenware, accessories, knick-knacks, shoes, clothes and so on. It’s been here a long time and the owners are seriously dedicated. It has that vibe of somewhere you’ll just know you will find something great, even if it is a pair of mustard brown Chelsea boots a size too small.

http://radiodaysvintage.co.uk/

87 Lower Marsh Street, Waterloo, London SE1 7AB
020 7928 0800
Monday – Saturday 10-6pm, Friday closed at 7pm

Tate Modern

Penny Blood — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:36:26 +0000

I honestly can’t think of a better way to waste time than going to an art gallery and sometimes I feel like wasting time and on these occasions I come to the Tate Modern. Having said that the crap of the walls is too painful to bear so I generally bypass it entirely (after a moments marvel at the incredible entrance and ground floor known as the ‘Turbine Hall’) and head straight for the brilliant bookshop which has every art book conceivable (more or less) and a vast range of magazines. Tate Modern is a converted power station and the ground floor / entrance reaches floor to ceiling several stories high which renders it unbelievably impressive and it’s even better when they don’t put any crappy art in it. Unfortunately it’s a bit too child friendly so more often than not there’s a bunch of kids rolling around on the floor. There’s a good restaurant on the top floor which although it’s quite expensive has an amazing view of London.

http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/

Bankside, London SE1 9TG
020 7887 8888
Entry is free except for major exhibitions
Sunday – Thursday 10am–6pm Friday – Saturday 10am-10pm
Last admission into exhibitions 5.15pm (Friday and Saturday 9.15pm)

BFI Southbank

Penny Blood — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:08:34 +0000

BFI Southbank is kind of a one-stop shop for going out, you can get dinner here, drinks and go to the cinema. It’s the best thing on the Southbank and I thought an appropriate place to go with my Mother as I thought it would be minimal stress as everything was in one place. Well I was wrong there. First off it’s busy as hell, like…. always, and she wanted a bottle of water. Well the bar (after queuing forever as despite my best efforts, I’m invisible to bar staff) only had bottled water in a glass bottle and this was not ok, as she knew she wouldn’t finish it and a glass bottle was too heavy to carry in her bag. So she settled for a glass of water, as at least this was free. Then by the time we got to buy tickets they had practically sold out so we couldn’t sit together, so she’s yelling across a crowded room at me that she wants to see another film where we can sit together and what do I want to see? In the end we just went to the bar, which is pretty and retro. BFI has just been refurbished and they’ve done a really good job. It’d intellectual but stylish, the kind of place that sells ‘Artificial Eye’ DVD’s of obscure Swedish films that cost £15.99 that people who live in Notting Hill and Islington buy and never watch yet let to point out that the Seventh Seal is their favourite film. you know the types, those people come here. It gets a special mention as I love the atmosphere and I love come to the cinema here and getting drinks before and dinner after.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/

Belvedere Road, South Bank, Waterloo, London SE1 8XT
(cinema booking) 020 7928 3232
(switchboard) 020 7928 3535

The Garrison

Penny Blood — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 09:56:02 +0000

So it’s been said that it’s a contender for the loveliest gastro pub in London, however gastro pub? It’s nothing of the sort, it doesn’t resemble a pub in any way. It is lovely though, with worn wooden tables and mismatched regency chairs, quirky odd antiquities under twinkly lights creating a genuinely fake vintage environment, an aesthetic as you probably know by now that I love. Serving modern British/European food, they have very graciously customised my order to accommodate my new diet de jour. Deep down in Bermondsey, near enough to London Bridge that you won’t wholly fear for your life or for running into a relative of Jade Goody. Bermondsey Street has a number of great shops, cafes and restaurants including Village East, Delphina and the horrendously overpriced but nice Bermondsey Street Coffee.

http://www.thegarrison.co.uk/

99-101 Bermondsey Street, Bermondsey, SE1 3XB
020 7089 9355
Monday – Friday 8am-11pm Saturday 9am-11pm Sunday 9am-10.30pm
(Breakfast) Monday – Friday 8am-11.30am Saturday – Sunday 9am-11.30am
(Lunch) Monday – Friday 12pm-3.30pm Saturday – Sunday 12.30pm-4pm
(Dinner) Monday – Saturday 6.30pm-10pm Sun 6pm-9.30pm

Bermondsey Street Coffee

Penny Blood — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 09:52:07 +0000

163-167 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3UW
020 7423 1525
Monday – Sunday 7am – 8pm

Franco Manca

Penny Blood — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:14:12 +0000

Ok so I take it back, Brixton does have a few places of merit other than the Ritzy and Rosie’s Café, and one would be Franco Manca. A little pizza place only open for lunch in Brixton Market, it looks a bit like a posh fish and chip shop with a giant mosaic pizza oven imported from Naples, the great city of pizza itself. There are a few wooden benches, all very tasteful and serves the most amazing authentic Sicilian pizza in the city. It totally doesn’t fit in with its surroundings as you could easily miss it amongst the exotic Afro-Caribbean food stores selling all kinds of tropical fish, bootleg reggae tapes and piles of yams and plantain. For such a modest and understated little place, a lot of energy has gone into the process of making world class pizza, starting with the cheese maker they flew in from Sorrento to train their supplier in the art of mozzarella making. The sourdough base, made with organic Italian flour, is naturally leavened with wild yeast and left to rise for a minimum of 20 hours before being baked. The select menu of six different pizzas are cooked at around 500 deg C (yes 500) for a mere 2 minutes to ensure the flavour is locked in and the base is perfectly crisped without drying out. There aren’t many reasons to venture this far south of the river but this is one of them.

http://francomanca.co.uk/

4, Market Row, Electric Lane, Brixton, London. SW9 8LD.
020 7738 3021
Monday-Saturday 12pm-5pm

Konditor and Cook

Penny Blood — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:22:01 +0000

I find it easy to get lost around Waterloo – it’s difficult to navigate due to the enormous railway station slap-bang in the middle. So on an excursion to check out The Anchor and Hope, a highly regarded gastro pub on The Cut (the food may be great but the place itself is a little ordinary), I find myself wandering down a quaint side street with little industrial houses that take you back to a time before the 2nd World War. At the end of this little street I came across ‘Konditor and Cook’, a heavenly bakery harking back to Old England with all kinds of cakes, tarts, pastries, breads, chocolates, gingerbread and other good things, including delicious hot chocolate and mince pies at Christmas. Technically the food may not be better than that of many other bakeries but it’s the experience of an old fashioned bakery that makes it special.

http://www.konditorandcook.com/

22 Cornwall Road, London, SE1 8TW
020 7261 0456

Borough Market

Penny Blood — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:13:25 +0000

It’s a food market and an expensive one at that. This is where all the local farmers from around London and stretching as far as Devon and Cornwall come to sell their goods on a Friday and Saturday. You can find every conceivable foodstuff here and it goes without saying that it’s pretty much mostly organic. There are stands with every texture and flavour of balsamic vinegar, cheese stands, fresh oysters, spice stands where you can spend hours trying every different bizarre spice with olive oil and pita bread, people selling jam in every variety from ginger and orange to Elderflower and gooseberry, falafel and wrap stands and my personal favourite the raclette stand with all the proper trimmings including corchicons and pickled onions. On a Saturday you can barely move for the volume of people but it’s worth it to sample fresh apple juice, fudge, coffee from Argentina, authentic Italian bread and local cheese.

http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk

Southwark Street, Borough (London Bridge tube under the railway next to the Cathedral)
Thursdays 11am – 5pm Fridays 12pm – 6pm Saturdays 8am – 5pm

Clapham Picture House

Penny Blood — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:00:25 +0000

I think I’ve mentioned before that Clapham is an area of London generally to be avoided with one of a few exceptions, The Clapham Picture House. Tucked away down a back street this busy little cinema has a bar, comfortable seating area serving food, hosts a film night every Tuesday where those who know the answers to questions such as “who was originally cast in the role of Captain Willard in Apocalypse Now before Martin Sheen?”, “What film was the 1950’s film High Society a remake of?” and “Who were the founders of DreamWorks?” can feel sufficiently pleased with themselves. Although perhaps not as luxurious as the Everyman in Hampstead or the Electric in Notting Hill it is still worth coming to for an evening out rather than because you want to see a particular film as it has a good atmosphere and unique character.

http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema_home_date.aspx?venueId=cph

76 Venn Street, London, SW4 0AT
020 7498 2242 / Booking: 020 7498 3323