Birkbeck Student Union Rooftop Bar

Hard to believe that one could get confused wandering onto the UCL campus, after all its not an enormous site. The Birkbeck University hides in perfect innocence however, a student union bar in its more lofty of floors. Making my way through the student building and past laboratories and corridors with strange signs such as “do not move this chair” I suddenly find myself at the entrance to the union bar, a few wooden steps down and I’m in the main room, a couple of comfortable large booths sit to the left and to the right the long bar, busy with student folk leaning over desperate to get the attention of the bar staff. And who wouldn’t want to, with prices like these in central London it would be difficult to understand why a student would want to drink anywhere else. And with a good selection of beers in hand I make my way past the pool tables onto the rooftop outside. The rooftop is large enough to hold a good twenty standing and four picnic benches worth of thirsty Birkbeck scientists. Sitting at one of the tables and smoking only in the permitted areas the night passes and it’s a great feeling to be so high up, hidden from the views of London and even the eyes of the other students below it seems, despite the rowdy noise that develops.
Overall a great little student bar, right in the heart of all the action, with a rooftop offering and prices that make you remember how good it once was to be a student, I may come back if I can get an new NUs card off eBay - 7/10

Courvoisier Bar

Perhaps the only part of my evening at the Bompas and Parr complete history of food experience that was truly in a bar was our wander around the great house later on. This bar is set in the heart of the building on the first floor, bright before the day comes to an end and riddled with small chairs and tables, the old and young and little bowls of twig lets. The bar is serving only a couple of Courvoisier based cocktails and the bar men move swiftly around trying to dazzle with tricks and flashy smiles. As our evening draws to a close we decide we have had enough over the normally expensive beverage but are surprised to see that the price in this little bar remains so low with large bottles of XO strewn around the room.
Overall a bit of a show-room rather than a posh bar, with advertising all over the place. Not tempted to stay for longer than the length of the rest of my experience that evening but truly glad that this high quality liquor sponsored the whole event - 5/10

Bompas and Parr Desert Room

By now my head is spinning, the room is because the drinks I have had on the Bompas and Parr journey through the complete history of food, have been strong and they are about to get stronger. My stomach is turning from the bombardment of truly questionable flavours as I stand at the entrance to the “desert room”. A sculpture of the gherkin of London is at the forecourt of the room while at the back behind a veil of pink curtain is hiding a crowd of people standing in a circle. A member of waiting staff presents straight Courvoisier to us in small wine glasses while we stand and wait for the next part of the experience. She mentions something about a special blend and attempting to drink the smallest thimbleful chokes slightly as the strength of the drink bowls me over. The pink veil empties and I am suddenly standing around what looks like a spinning wedding cake with sugar sculpture around it and on a lower ledge, the same desert is lined up, plate after plate. Drinking my drink and eating my desert standing I soon learn that what I am heartily tucking into is whale vomit and I set the plate down and dash out without finishing my drink.
Overall the experience was truly a strange one. The desert bar rounded off the food event of the summer in a glamorous way and as the few days of this event close up the British summer, I wonder if I really left the planet on this fateful evening when perhaps my feet are more comfortable on earth. Marks on presentation alone - 7/10

Iguanadon Dining Room

After exiting the inflatable stomach in the Bompas and Parr complete history of food experience and feeling somewhat dizzy from un-stomach able truffles and now lurching down a corridor of foam mushrooms while trying to put my shoes back on, we are suddenly at the foot of a large staircase and met by a quite scared looking hostess at the entrance to a jungle screen where before us the dining room comes into view and we are sat down at a table for four with another couple who themselves are confused as to why we are now being served duck in a reduction to the noise of dinosaurs. Meanwhile in the centre of the room other diners partake in their meal inside the body of an iguanodon reconstructed owing to some crazed scientific gathering some 150 years ago. To say the least we are all finding it difficult not to run a mile as we are served punch. In fact the punch was the best bit for me, a very strong brandy based mix full of flavour which deserved a hearty splutter following each mouthful. I am not sure if this counts as a bar or a dining experience but with the focus around the drinks and a gold tie clip of the edge of my glass I decide it is a bar. As I wipe the corners of my mouth I am encouraged to leave by a different door and downstairs to the desert room.
Overall one of the weirdest dinners I have ever had in one of the weirdest rooms. My punch had a punch and on the tale of free tie clip I hereby mark 5/10

Rooftop Gourmet Reverse Champagne Bar

This summer experience from Bompas and Parr leads us in our quest to find out more about the complete history of food to the high rooftops of Belgravia. And I have to say that riding in a tiny lift built some 100 years ago in a building of the same age with two strangers is a pretty terrifying experience. Once to the top of the world we exit out onto a quaint roof terrace. Instantly we are presented with Foe Gras truffles wrapped in gold and we munch them hungrily, only to have our faces turn a meek a sour expression as we quickly look round for somewhere to empty our mouths, there is none, we swallow and regret for the rest of the day as our stomachs try to express the profanity. The staff dressed in white attire with gloves, lead us to a bar where we are served a reverse Champagne, with cognac and some light mixer with grapes where the fizz has been added directly to the grapes. Standing perched above London we fiddle to eat grape, drink for miniature wine glasses, waving an inedible truffle around our heads and thankfully have our undesirables taken from us before being led back downstairs.
Overall a mixed review, the Champagne was pretty interesting but the truffles knocked us off our feet, at least the view was quite breathtaking and the bar man in the top hat was entertaining - 6/10

Medieval Bar

Deep in the heart of a summer 2010 experience into the world of food by Bompas and Parr 8 adventurers set about climbing down a narrow and darkly lit staircase into a gloomy corridor beyond which itself leads across a narrow wooden bridge across the spat of eels beneath. The pathway grows more challenging until one its stepping from metal grate to metal grate over thick dark swamp waters, holding a makeshift rope from above for support and then suddenly we are in a dimly lit but proudly presented dungeon. A well dressed barman suddenly emerges from this scene of black plague and explains the nature of the bar before us, ancient remedies and elixirs mixed to cure us of our daily imbalances and woes. I have previously been earmarked with a blue sticker and as such am fed a treat of shallow spirit in a glass with an ice cube on the end of a stick and something about Phlegm and pears. The experience is one I remain cautious about but finish my drink quite glad I was not a green participant who is forced to drink absinthe and choke back mushroom popcorn. We leave the dimly lit bar, its alchemist feel and the eels to head back towards the rest of the experience in a tiny lift

Overall a well presented idea, of course with no money changing hands the selection was one that was made for the drinkers but a theatrical performance well put together by this, one of the most curious evenings I have ever encountered - 7/10

The Worlds End

A focal pub as you come up the Stroud green road from Finsbury Park station and it just so happened that I came by to visit during world cup season. With a number of big screens and projectors the drinker sitting at the bar in the center of the room is surrounded by the wails of football fans. Drinks are well priced and beer is clearly the favourite with plastic cups all the rage as the noise grows. The pub is larger inside that you would expect and a couple of picnic tables outside make for a proud beverage drank under the sun in the afternoon.

Overall a local favourite with a very good atmosphere despite the odd chav wandering in from outside to catch a glipse of life size football players on a big screen - 7/10

Shunt Bar and Club

An infamous bar that shut its doors in 2009 only to reopen in 2010, the same venue but with a new take - an arty, theatrical perspective.
The entrance is a tiny cubby hole in the ever popular London Bridge station, commuters completely surprised to see dozens of people queueing either side of an unlabelled doorway. Waiting for a few minutes we are let in for the hefty sum of £10. Once inside we are greeted with the most curious of layouts that i have ever encountered.
Cavern after cavern after hallway after tunnel of dark dank disused service tunnels that could have just was well been sewers but dried out and lit up with underlighting, with random pieces of furniture dotted about the place. The hallways went on and on, a stage in one, a live band in another. Before long a parade of folk dressed in zombie outfits with tights over their heads slowly march past us, never looking in our direction slowly strolling to the sound of a gong.
The venue has a number of bars dotted around serving mainly bottled beers and ciders with both coming in at high cost. The toilets at the far end were a bright mix of unisex cubicles and the tapestry of goings on made my head spin. I will mention sitting in an aisle of aeroplane seats watching on a cinema screen a 1970s untitled cartoon with bulky noise-cancelling headphones, with empty chairs around me in a dark chamber of architectural genius.
Unfortunately the atmosphere was not entirely present. The venue barely half filled and by 1am the staff were already beginning to shuffle people out of its doors. The worst part was a lack of tuneful music, the audibles was the heavy echo of people speaking and every now and then a folk band would pipe up for a very short rendition of an unmelodious chant meaning little to anybody.
Overall the consensus was that shunt had lost a lot of its former charm, now appealing to a more arty crowd but the venue itself is magnificent, enormous, awe-inspiring and despite the whole performance it has so much potential to be one of the best and most unique venues in the world - 9/10

Montcalm Club Lounge

On the 6th floor of the Montcalm hotel in London is the club lounge, a long corridor-like room with soft carpets, new plush seating, windowless and private with TVs displaying sports results and computers for Internet access. The venue is comfortable, the serving staff are friendly but not particular confident in handling the affairs of the occupants. At 6pm I find the room to be quiet, only the hum of canape buffet at the end of the room can be heard. Free drinks are on offer, sparkling wines and a manner of different drinks along with coffees and teas.
Overall an aditional perk to booking the club room is the access to this exclusive lounge, a complete hideaway in the heart of marble arch and definitely adding weight to the value of the experience of my stay, free drinks always go down well but could do with more of an atmosphere - 7/10

Palace Lounge at The Rubens Hotel

“Tea for two at the Rubens, darling”, the words can be heard uttered by the various drinkers and diners, invariably over 50 occupying the prestigious lounge at the Rubens hotel. Opposite the Royal Mews and perfect for a cup of English, scones and views of parading tourists, the tea at the Rubens is a treat for all. At first it does seem a little outdated but the staff are more than friendly and despite the decor being out of modern tastes the light delicacies and finger sandwiches fill up the diner and delight before the classic Buckingham view.

Overall a great little spot to go and relax for tea if you have been hard at work exploring London, try to get the main table opposite the mews at the time for the changing guard for a full on tourist feel - 8/10