Truckstop, 1st August

There seems to be no stopping Street Feast and Tweat Up. After their very successful stint at Merchant's Yard on Fridays with the Tweat Up extravanganzas on the Saturdays (I went to the amazing Taco Wars), they have teamed up again for Truck Stop. 

This time any street food vendor who wants to serve food has to have some kind of truck or van to serve from. Each van has a history which is fondly recalled on the website, and they are all currently parked up at Wood Wharf, and then will be back again the first Thursday and Friday of September.

It's a fantastic site, quite sprawling. With about 20 trucks, you need a lot of space. There are long tables set up in the middle of the vans, higher tables to congregate around if you don't need to sit, and then masses and masses of green space to plop down on. Despite the amazing heat yesterday, or perhaps because of it (have to assume they were using sprinklers) the grass was sodden. For some reason that didn't stop us sitting on it though, next to the water, listening to The Trouble Notes entertain.

A few bars dotted around helped people to work up and maintain an appetite. If you booked in advance you got ten 'Truckstop dollars' to spend at the bar. Tickets were £10 either way so buying in advance was a no-brainer. Unfortunately, you couldn't get any change from the 'dollars' so if you didn't work it out right you sort of lost out. Fortunately, most things were multiples of five so it was easy to buy wisely. I got myself a Rotary Maragarita after enjoying the one I had at Taco Wars so much. They definitely pack a punch. 

There was too much food to even seriously attempt trying, but luckily there were only a few food vendors I hadn't tried before so I was able to hone in on those. Had I realised that the BBQ at the back was open to all rather than just those doing the keg party, my choices might not have been so easy. I can feel a second visit coming on to rectify that...

But anyway, what I DID have was thus:

After a circuit I decided my first dish would be from Mother Clucker who I had heard so much about. The question was, chicken bites or chicken sandwich. I let my heart rule my head and went for the sandwich, complete with hot sauce and pickled peppers. It was a mistake. The chicken was lovely. More breaded than crispy battered, it tasted peppery and was nice and tender. The pickled peppers too were great, and a welcome topping. But there was too much bread and not enough sauce for the whole thing. I had taken a gamble and I had lost. 

I quickly followed this up with what turned out to be my favourite dish - arancini balls from Cheeky Italian. Three massive balls of arancini in a cup or in a wrap (I went without the bread this time), they were courgette and mint flavoured with buffalo mozzarella in the middle. Fantastic. Admittedly, I wouldn't have been able to pick out the courgette flavour without being told, but the mint shouted out whenever you had a bite. And the gooey mozzarella oozed out at every bite too. I had a little tomato sauce accompaniment, but they didn't need it.

After another drink and a little rest I had dessert - doughnuts from Fishdog. These were more like churros in their form, but very chunky churros at that, and came with a salted caramel dipping sauce. The doughnuts were warm and very sugary and you got a pretty decent portion. That caramel sauce though.... oof. I would have happily just had a pot of that and a spoon, forget the doughnuts!

After those I was feeling pretty full so didn't end up having anything else. Had I still felt hungry, I would have braved the queue for the scallops at Healthy Yummies. If you had seen how much butter those scallops were cooking in, you might raise an eyebrow at the use of 'healthy' but they certainly looked yummy, served in their shell with celeriac puree, bacon and seashore vegetables. I'll keep an eye out for them in future. 

We all continued sitting on the grass well into the evening, with the music floating around us, marvelling at the weather. It was what summer evenings were made for. Street Feast and Tweat Up are aficionados of fostering a brilliant, friendly atmosphere and they had done it again. Everyone I took with me was impressed and at least two were going back tonight!

As soon as I got home and looked at Twitter, I was reminded of the chillibacks which I had promised myself I would try and then forgot about later. I also didn't spot the 'secret' gin store. Did anyone else see it? I can only assume it was near the BBQ, an area I didn't explore at all.Yet more reasons to return next month. 

HintHunt, 30th July

And so I come to the final challenge of HintHunt - writing about HintHunt. Without giving anything away that is. And while that might be frustrating for the reader, trust me, if you're going to ever go (and I really think you should) you'll appreciate not having seen any spoilers. 

You know pretty much nothing when you go into the room other than being told not to smash things open in order to find clues. Apparently some people in their excitement/desperation go a bit too far and start breaking things. Which led to the next hint - if you see something has sellotape on it, don't unpeel the tape, thinking something is hidden under there. The tape is just evidence that someone got a little carried away on a previous visit.

It's easy to see why. They told us the main thing they can tell you to help is check everything. Then check it again, and again. But when you feel like you AND all your fellow hunters have done just that but seem to have come to a hiatus you do start to wonder if you haven't gone far enough. Is something inside that innocent-looking object? But it doesn't open! It will if I smash it on the floor! Happily, we didn't get to that stage of delirium, with another look round we always seemed to find another clue, and we did escape the room. Well, sort of. We found all the clues with one second to spare but had one final task to finish before the door would open and so we were kindly given an extra couple of minutes to do that.

I was 'anxious' even before we went in, already ramped up on adrenaline released by going into the unknown and wanting to conquer it. I love these sorts of things and have done quite well on them in the past (ahem, almost winners of A Door in a Wall) and felt my own pressure to succeed. Then, once you're in the room you are racing against time with the clock on the wall ticking off each second which rather piles on the pressure. The room is by no means large but everyone was moving around so rapidly in it, I actually got a bit sweaty from exertion!

It turns out we got the hard room - the Zen room. And it IS hard compared to some of the other clue-based things I've done. You definitely need a lot of mental agility to unlock some of the clues. However, part of the game is to be given hints along the way. I honestly don't think you'd get to the end without them. So, one of the girls sits in a cubby hole and watches the action inside unfurl via CCTV. This could be a little unnerving but they're on your side. Yes, they are watching to make sure you're not vandalising anything but mainly they are there to give you hints when you've got as far as you can and need something to nudge you in the right direction. This was invaluable when we'd actually solved some of the clues but for some reason weren't getting the right result. It was great to have someone say, 'no, you're right, keep trying' before we abandoned that line of thinking. 

We had five on our team which is the maximum number of people. Four is the optimal and I think it might have been slightly better like that as with five of us there were moments where one of us was at a bit of a loose end while the others figured out one of the clues. I would say there are definitely elements of working as a team (another hint we got was to communicate and listen inside the room, yeah, I know, big hint), but if you're going to get out you do all have to take individual initiative. There are so many clues to solve, some of you need to be working on some while others work on something else. You do need to be vocal and somewhat methodical, letting everyone know what you've found that might be needed and keeping track of it all. And on top of all this, there were plenty of red herrings and we definitely wasted time with some of them - it only really becomes obvious what were dead ends right at the end. Until then, everything could potentially come of use.

While it did feel a bit treasure-hunty, it's a unique experience. And deserves the praise that has been heaped upon it. It's quite an exhilarating hour and I wish I could tell you more about it. And of course, photography and filming were strictly forbidden so I have no images to share. The girls that are on hand to set you up and keep an eye on you are fabulous - very friendly, very funny, help you out just when you need it but not before. I cannot wait to go back and try the John Monroe room. I wish I could do it for the first time all over again. Honestly, get a team together and get down there!

BBQWhiskyBeer, 29th July

I want to just say this - I had heard about BBQ Whisky Beer waaaaay before it went and won Ribstock 2013, I just hadn't got around to going. Of course when it was crowned champion I wasted no time in getting there, a little worried that the rest of London would have the same idea. But, on a Monday the place was not at all full and even though our booking was for 7:30, we ended up sitting at our table a little earlier than planned.

The Wargrave, by the way, is a pretty nice pub. We sat outside for a bit which obviously doesn't give you much of a feel for a place,  but inside it has a proper pub ambiance but with nice touches like stained glass lampshades and some sort of distillery machinery in the corner. The whole place is full of nods to its illustrious whisky collection. 

But enough of that, we were there for the 'cue, the smells of which, and the smoke of which, was wafting all over us as we sat looking at the menu. Of course, we all pretty much went for ribs, and I couldn't go there without trying the beef one which had conquered Ribstock.

It was most definitely a competition-winning rib. And, even though I didn't make it to Ribstock this year, I've tried a few now. The smokey flavour was deeply present and evident in the pinkish hue throughout the rib. The meat was tender but still had a bit of chew to it and there were plenty of slightly charred bits to remind you that it was BBQ. The rib was glazed with a sticky, almost tarry, slightly sweet BBQ sauce that, I have to say, reminded me quite a bit of the one my Dad makes, which is a pretty high compliment. 

Not my best photo

Stephen got the pork ribs and I was allowed a little bite. They were fantastic too! Again, smokey flavour through it, ridiculously tender meat easily removed from the bone. One mouthful really wasn't enough. And I really liked the accoutrements of colelslaw, pickled carrots and pickles. I had a little ketchup with my chips but certainly no sauce was necessary on the main event - the meat. 

Nor is this

One odd-bod had a burger - the one that came with short rib beef on it, and required a firm hand to squish it down from its stacked height and make it edible. It looked amazing and my friend seemed pretty pleased with it. 

The portions at BBQ Whisky Beer are pretty immense, although everyone did say that they thought my jacob's ladder out of the three we'd ordered was a little smaller in comparison. I'm not sure if they were just saying that to make me feel better about finishing mine with more ease than the two boys that had also ordered the rib, but I confess I did feel I got a 'ladies' portion. Don't get me wrong though, there was still plenty of meat to contend with, meaning I didn't feel as reluctant as normal giving some to my boyfriend to taste. It defeated one of the other boys and he had to dole out what he couldn't manage to finish among the rest of the table.

The baked beans were a bit posh for a place like this - they were a mixture of bean in a thin spicy sauce, rather than what I think of as baked beans - baked beans should be at least a little claggy. And... I wouldn't have minded some meat in them beans! Can never have enough meat.

The chips, sorry, triple cooked chips, were fantastic. For once, I'd be happy to say the triple cooking actually had a noticeable improvement on the chip. I am kinda sad I 'shared' them with my boyfriend. While I was still toiling with my beef rib, before I knew it, all the chips were gone. 

I think I probably could have fit more in and am a teensy disappointed that we just had the mains and didn't try to fit in a starter or force down a dessert, but with one eye on my waist and another on my wallet (I am out every evening this week, which does neither any good), I didn't protest too much that we weren't making the most of our trip. BBQWB is in a bit of an odd location, but with food that good a return visit is a guarantee so I'm sure I will have the chance to try the rest of the menu. And some whiskey which we also didn't manage!

Most of us at the table have been to Red Dog, Pitt Cue Co and Duke's and there wasn't much debate about it - this was clearly a front runner. They all have their merits - Red Dog is buzzy and more affordable; no one can beat that bone marrow mash at Pitt Cue; and Duke's had great smoky flavour. But they all have their downfalls too - Red Dog has a less obvious BBQ taste, Pitt Cue has no booking, Duke's meat wasn't as melt-in-the-mouth. And yes, even BBQWB has some down sides - it is a little pricier than the others, and it's in kind of a 'meh' part of town. However, it manages to merge amazing texture with an intrinsic BBQ flavour in its ribs similarly to the way Pitt Cue does, but you get more AND you can book! What's that phrase now? Oh yeah -  #Winning!

Die Freche Muse, 27th July

I have wanted to go to Die Freche Muse for the longest time, and managed to get to the one on Saturday, which was the last ever Die Freche Muse. It was a bit of an anticlimax, but perhaps that is inevitable when I had more than a year of anticipation.

Die Freche Muse hosts parties in various venues with themes ranging from the 20s to 60s. For its final night, dress code was 20s to 40s and fabulous! Well, it was the last one. The entertainment apparently started at 10:45 and we didn't want to miss any of the acts so we only had a couple of drinks in a bar I'd suggested but I would have happily spent the rest of my night there if we didn't already have other engagements. I had never been to Bar 23 before but I enjoyed it; the drinks were reasonably priced and they were playing music I really liked - from Lykke Li to Whitney Houston. The environs were even appropriate for our garb with a gramophone and antique-looking clock on the wall, even if the music was incongruous to our clothing. 

At about half ten we ventured to find the Dalston Boys' Club, a venue I had never heard of before Die Freche Muse hosted the party there. I met someone inside who told me that the building was owned by the host's parents, who also own an antique store on Brick Lane. It showed. The place had been kitted out with a mixture of antiques and peculiarities. The owners could have held an account at Viktor Wynd's Little Shop of Horrors with all the taxidermied animals on show, and off-the-wall mannequins all over the place. 

It felt amazing just to be in the venue, with everyone looking beautiful and sexy. I felt I could have been at a "bright young thing's" private party, where the drink and food was lavished on us while we all pretended to be too frivolous/bored to watch the entertainment. In some ways, this is a very accurate description, although the drinks weren't free. They were exceptionally well priced though (double spirit and mixer for £5!!) and there was free cake and biscuits throughout the night of which I availed myself several times.

The ground floor was the main space where there was the bar and an area under the indoor balcony where the microphone was set up and a little area where the acts could perform. Weirdly, this was also where, to the right, the ladies ONE toilet was situated, so that while you were queuing (and there was always a queue, what with their only being the ONE ladies toilet) you felt like you were 'backstage'. You actually had some of the best views of the acts if you timed your bathroom break propitiously.

Up above, as I said, there was a balcony all around, and, apparently, a roof terrace and the host's private apartments, which, if you stuck around long enough, he would sometimes open up. We either didn't stay long enough or Saturday was not one of those nights.

Downstairs was the smoking area, or basement, upon whose back wall, 20s porn was being projected. I was rather enjoying the lady being spanked (rapidly of course, all movements in old films are rapid) until someone moved the projector to beam into the corner and you could no longer make anything out. Back up I went.

The first act didn't come on for at least an hour after advertised. She was a lithe singer, with a repertoire of songs from years gone by. They started off a little slowly, and really rather quietly. The rabble either didn't know she was on or didn't care for they weren't exactly muted when she was doing her set. Also, the stage was simply another area on the floor - not raised at all, and to the side, so that if you wanted to see anything and were under 5 feet 5 you had to be quite determined to get to the front. We were, and so were able to hear the songs and I thought they were pretty good. Towards the end the tempo picked up and we danced along a little. 

The night moved slowly though and I think suffered because of it. The acts all came on later than the host would promise and while they were good, it wasn't really loud enough or lively enough to command attention, or to get people dancing. Neither was the music played between sets, and each time the host took the mic he implored people to dance and everyone just carried on standing or sitting around sipping their drinks.

As the night wore on the crowd started to thin and it was much easier to see those on 'stage'. The final acts were burlesque, culminating in the same opening act doing a performance based on the Head of John the Baptist. 

She also had some beautiful large white feathers which fanned glitter all over her, and consquently all over whoever was standing near her, and I rather enjoyed that. There was quite a good fire eater (who I saw from the prime position of the toilet queue) and the burlesque stripteases were performed by women whose bodies were sublime. But it really was a case of admiring the female form, rather than the ingenuity of the acts. They didn't quite live up to the standard I've seen elsewhere, or maybe it was just the setting. Either way, I was a little disappointed. 

The final act finished at 3:30 and then we were all invited to stay and dance and drink more. Normally I would have wanted to do just that and see where the night took us, but I think the slow pace of the night had worn me down. Those of my friend group who had stuck it out were ready to go by then. 

So yes, I loved the venue, I will definitely keep an eye on whatever they might allow to take place there in future, and I loved the feel of the evening - being part of a privileged set, in grand surroundings feeling like you were almost at a wild party. I felt similarly at the Last Tuesday Society's party. But the reality was that it wasn't all that wild and that was a little disappointing. I don't mind so much now that I didn't get to any of the previous nights, though I liked it enough to keep an eye on whatever else they might be involved with. 

Black Cotton Club, 20th July

On Saturday night I stepped back in time (again) when I went to the Black Cotton Club at Volupte. It's another night steeped in vintageness with people dressed in either 20s flapper gear or 30s-40s costume. But this is no pop-culture wink to the olden days. This feels like the real deal. Almost everyone was dressed up and all the songs played are from original 45s. For me, it made it probably my least favourite of the 20s-style nights. I have realised I do like a bit of modernity to my vintage nights out. I like the swinging jazz of the early century but when you're not an aficionado, after a while, all the songs sound a bit samey, especially when there are no vocals. And I managed to miss dancing to one song I actually did know - 'Why Don't You Do Right?' as made famous by Jessica Rabbit. 

It was clear that the people who came were regulars of the scene and were there to show off their moves, while we helplessly shuffled our feet in imitation of the steps they were committing flawlessly. I recognised one guy from the 50s night at South London Pacific - well it's hard not to remember a guy dressed in a shirt and multicoloured tutu with a sock puppet on his hand! 

I still do love to watch people who know how to dance - the fast steps look amazing but I equally like the slower moves which look so effortless, like they're not even meaning to move so fluidly. I always resolve I must start learning myself. But I haven't and so after a while the novelty did wear off.

It didn't help that the night was so unbearably hot and they didn't exactly have air conditioning - a couple of strategically placed fans stopped people from completely overheating. I confess, my group rather hogged one of the fans, I don't know if the other dancers would have even realised it was there, one of us was always in front of it cooling down. It was less busy than I expected, and I wondered if the heat perhaps was a factor. 

The venue was in an unlikely building. It is down the side of a bunch of office blocks and from the outside is nothing to look at. Inside it is rather gorgeous with risque wallpaper, quite a glamorous bathroom and heavy drapes and pretty lamps everywhere - these of course are all to remind you of the fact that Volupte's day job is a burlesque venue. 

We got in at 10:30ish and with an hour or so break at about 1 to cool down and save our feet, we left at 2:30 when the night finished at 3:00 anyway. So it kept our attention for most of the night. If you're looking for authenticity then this really is not to be missed. If you prefer playing at it, like me, then I'd suggest the Candlelight Club, or Prohibition which are livelier.

Tsuru and Maison Bertaux, 20th July

I was only ever going to order one thing when I went to Tsuru - the kara-age chicken burger. This was inevitable because it was the sole reason I put Tsuru on the List after having read the London Review of Sandwiches post about it. 

I recently won a £100 bar tab at the Refinery, which conveniently enough is opposite Tsuru, so I thought I would make my way over there on Saturday and kill two birds with one stone. Bankside isn't exactly a bustling area on the weekend (or perhaps it is underused in general, hence Yelp's recent treasure hunt to promote the area) and many of the little lunch places are shut. Tsuru, however stays open for Saturdays despite clearly not getting much footfall. There were two guys outside when I arrived, no one inside, apart from me, although a couple more people came by for some take out while I was in there.

I was given a very friendly greeting and told to sit where I liked. The place is quite sleek and clean looking and you can see through the service counter to the chefs at the back. I was offered some tap water which I accepted as soon as I sat down, and there are wasabi peas to nibble on while you make your selection, or wait for your food. Despite being on my own, I felt pretty comfortable in there. Tsuru is a Japanese place, owned (or at least partnered) by the same people who run Tonkotsu, somewhere I can highly recommend. I was tempted at first to order some sushi as well as my burger but then decided to get a red cabbage and sesame side instead. As I ordered it, I had a feeling my server hadn't heard me properly and when it didn't arrive I realised I'd been right. This was my first meal of the day though, and I realised as I started eating my burger that I didn't really want anything extra anyway. I'd only really ordered it to have something extra to write about.

 So, the burger. It is described as kara-age chicken on romaine lettuce with a mustard mayo in a sesame seed brioche bun. I must say, that I didn't detect any mustard in the mayo - it just tasted like the kind of mayonnaise you'd get at McDonald's. A little sweet perhaps. The bun wasn't amazing either. It did a good job holding the burger together, was a little too thick and bready, but the sesame seeds were nice. The chicken was definitely the burger's saving grace, made out of thigh meat, with such a load of crispy batter on it that it actually cut my gums a bit! It was very juicy and had a great flavour - I'm sure I caught a taste or perhaps just aroma of lemon somehow. I enjoyed it and would happily eat it again, but I wasn't completely overawed by it. The chicken burger from Rita's doesn't have to worry about being knocked off my top spot any time soon.

Maison Bertaux

I decided to head into town for some dessert and thought I would give Maison Bertaux a try. I wish I hadn't bothered. Located in Soho, it is one of the city's oldest bakeries and patisseries. It looks charmingly French with its blue and white awnings, and inside – at least in the bit I saw – it is charmingly odd, with a lot of mismatched, eccentric ornaments on display behind the cashier.

I only wanted something to take away not to eat in, so I had a look at the wares on display. To be honest, I've seen more appealing confections at Patisserie Valerie. I actually had almost made up my mind not to bother getting anything when I was asked what I wanted and of course, was too British to be rude enough to say 'nothing'. I opted for a, perhaps coffee, perhaps maple, eclair. What I'd really wanted was a slice of what might have been cheesecake but the last two were taken by the couple before me. Everything else was covered in fruit and berries which I don't like. 

As my eclair was being boxed up I saw a cake on the top shelf where the pastries were which actually looked quite good but by then it was too late. I took my eclair with me and ate it down the road. I have nothing to report really. The pastry was rather dry and not that pleasant to eat. The icing on the top was sweet and it was reasonably well filled. There could have been more cream. I didn't eat it all, which speaks volumes. Very disappointing.

The Redchurch, 18th July

I confess I had a predisposition to loving the Redchurch bar before I even went. It has been on my List since 2007 when I first moved down here and from its facade just off Brick Lane, it just oozed shabby chic loveliness. When I would go by at night it always looked busy and I was convinced if I ever did go I wouldn't get in because the place looked so small and so popular.

And then I recently made friends with someone who is something of a regular at the place and said that Thursday nights are where it's at. After Musical Bingo, he took a few of us there and I'm happy to say he was right. We were greeted very cheerily by the bouncers as we entered and I discovered that the front of the bar is deceiving - it actually goes quite far back where there was plenty of room for dancing. 

The whole place has a bit of a red brasserie type feel with tables at the front, and a smallish bar at the back. Next to this is the small DJ booth where the DJ was spinning some excellent music - Motown and 70s funk. James Brown got us all grooving. We were in there at about 11 and it had an atmosphere but there was still plenty of room to move. I thought this was how it was going to stay, then about an hour later there was a massive influx of people! Clearly everyone knows that when it's closing time elsewhere, this is the place to head to. Yet it still remained not too overcrowded. Apparently they do have a habit of not letting the place become too squished to be comfortable. There is something romantic about the place as well. Something clandestine in its red-hued decor and ambient lighting decor. I could understand why there were so many snogging couples. With a tall and exotic-looking mojito - I think there might have been an orange slice in it -  I was perfectly at home and stayed much later than I had planned. 

I'm glad to have finally made its acquaintance and I am sure I will be back.