Pizza East

It's wet January, payday seems so far away, and everyone in London seems to be taking part in Dry January after inhaling too much alcohol in the lead-up to Christmas and on New Year's Eve.

Myself included.

I spent a little bit more than I should have on presents and Christmas drinking this year, so much so that like everyone else, I am hoping payday would be tomorrow, not a couple of weeks away.

To wash away the grey and gloomy January (seriously, when will the rain stop?), me and Frankie thought a post-Christmas catch up hiding from the rain would be a good way to cheer ourselves up!

Anyone for pizza?

The House Of Peroni

If you come out of Oxford Circus tube station, and walk north past H&M and Nike, you will turn a corner and find a row of terraced town houses.

At Number 41 is The House of Peroni. Neatly tucked in the middle of the terrace, but bursting at the seems with Italian culture.

From fashion, to film, music, art and food, this is worth a trip one evening during November!

Walking in through the flourescent entrance, we decided to work our way through the house room by room to take in everything it had to offer.
First stop, the bar on the ground floor, which is open from 12pm - 11pm. 

The drinks menu has been created by Gerry Calabrese, who is the man behind the drinks at the Hoxton Pony, and there are a range of new cocktails created especially for the house.

For us though, nothing can be a great pint of Peroni after a long-day in the office!

Which may, or may not have, gone down a little quicker than it should have done!
At the rear of the bar is a dark room, featuring moving art across 8 screens by digital artist Quayola.
Just like when you stare at the clouds, you could sit down and spot the different shapes that were created as the art moved from frame to frame.

After shape spotting and catching up on each others week, we made our way out into the hall to be met by The Blue Ribbon. 

 

Upstairs is a completely different atmosphere. If downstairs was for the artists and relaxing, then upstairs is for the fashionista's and food lovers. 
Oh, and the best part? There is a private cinema showcasing a range of films.

Hanging from the ceiling are white backdrops which sections the room out, and acts as screens for fashion films to be shown throughout the night, whilst the DJ fills the room with his latest music.
We grabbed a spot and carried on catching up, whilst staring up to see the short-films being screened.

Emilio (His real name is Joe, but we were being Italian for the evening) works at a fashion house, so was in his element when he spotted a selection of handbags by designer Simone Rainer.

Simone was studying a maths degree when he discovered fashion was his love. He dropped the degree, created his line, and the rest is history.

You could see his mind racing away as he unzipped, zipped, felt and held the bag as if it was his own.

Whilst I (now named Sebastiano) worked out that my camera wouldn't fit in any of them, so headed on through the archway towards the outside area.

Top is from Zara (Similar here), jeans from Levis, shoes from Dune and bag from Mulberry.

Earlier in the year, I told you about Street Feast over in Dalston, and on selected evenings you can find a couple of their stalls out on the roof terrace; serving up (you guessed it!) pasta and other Italian dishes, which tasted really good whilst washed down with more Peroni!

If you want to have a sit down meal, then you can in the restaurant on the ground floor. Click Here to reserve a table. 

As it was freezing outside, we ate our pasta quick and went back inside to be greeted by a new friend...

As the house is inspired by 1960's, Silvia Bergomi created a bespoke fragrance for the event.

Of course, Emilio went straight in for a smell from the bottle and gave his seal of approval.

If you love calligraphy, then make sure you don't just walk through the entrance without taking in the work by graffiti artist and graphic designer Andrea (he is also know as Riot!). 
After a few drinks, you may be stood there staring for a little longer than normal, reading all the words he had written.
Not that we did that at all...
Okay, maybe we did for quite a while- but it was so cool!

Fit to burst of Italian food, drink and culture, we made our way back out onto Portland Terrace and into the cold night. Sebastiano and Emilio were off to party!

The House of Peroni is only here for November though, so you have a couple of weeks to get yourself down there! Each week the house holds different events and film screenings, so it never stays the same.
You can find it here, and the house is open from 12pm-midnight, Monday to Friday. 

Ten Tips For Brighton Pride

Brighton pride. Probably the biggest pride of them all, which means that you would be a fool to miss it!

It is a rainbow-storm that is about to hit this traditional seaside, with street parties, rainbow flags and a pride park about to sprinkle a load of gay glitter all over the party-goers. For everyone who isn't from England, this is our Big-Huge-Gay-Bash of the year!

Think Lady Gaga meets Glitter Cannon mixed with The English Seaside.

Compared to other prides I have been to, this is probably the best around, so I will be heading down once again to get involved with the celebrations. Tweet me if you are going, it would be good to say hello to you all!
As Brighton has so much going on, and sometimes the feeling of 'where do I start?', I have 10 tips that will guarantee you have a great pride! So pack your wellies in you are camping incase it rains, get your pre-party alcohol stocks ready, and get ready to spend your Saturday at one big party!

1. The Parade



First things first. If you are planning to come down and stay in Brighton, then you NEED to catch the Parade. Setting off at 11am, this is going to be the parade of all parades. There will be floats, there will be hot people, and it will be busy! Make sure you grab a spot, or just join in and follow it up to Preston Park. Grab a spot along Grand Parade. With grass areas, you can grab a spot back from the crowds but still see the full parade. Then, you can join in the end and follow it up through Brighton to the park.

2. The Pride Park



This is where the party starts. Preston Park has been transformed into a Rainbow City, with 8 tents of music, funfairs and alcohol, you will be there for hours enjoying the atmosphere. It is open from 12pm till 8pm, which means you have 8 hours of absolute party party party.



Just be warned, once you are in a tent, you are in! If you need to use the bathroom, then you will need to leave the tent and re-queuing  is never fun! This especially goes for the bigger tents which hold 3000-5000 people!


If you haven't already, buy a ticket here. They are cheaper in advance at £17.50, otherwise you will have to pay on the door which could be costly!

3. Buy a Flag



Buying a rainbow flag is probably not on the top of your to-do list when you get to pride, but once you see everyone having one, you will want in on the action! There will be stalls in the pride park, and shops all around Brighton selling them.
Grab one, wave it like you just don't care, and support the LGBT community.

4. Pace Yourself

Pride starts early, but you don't want to be going to bed early. So pace yourself throughout the day. Start on a few drinks in the morning and slowly work yourself up to the evening.
Then, as night falls, crack out the shots and go for it in one of the many clubs. No-one wants to be in bed by midnight now, do they?

5. Hit up the Pride Street Party

This is an absolute must.
When I lived in Brighton, my flat was on St Jame's Street, which turns into a street long party from the bottom all the way to the top. With bars and music blasting out, this is the place to go inbetween the Park and the club. It can get pretty busy, and the music varies as you go up the street, so be sure to explore and see how you get on!



6. Let's go to the Beach, beach!

Brighton has a beach, so get on it.
If you need somewhere to go to finish off your own booze before the club, or for a breather from the partying, then the beach is perfect!
They will probably be alot of people on it, so make friends and join in with everyone.

7. Get In A Club



Okay, so you have traveled to Brighton, and queued for ages to get in a club, and get turned away because it is too busy. Not the ideal situation!
Before you go, have a look online at some of the clubs and see if you can get tickets to them. If not, make sure you get to the clubs early as the queues will be long, it will be busy, and last thing you want is to be wandering the streets trying to get in somewhere.
Clubs like Revenge, Wild Fruit, and Legends all have after-pride parties. Just click on their names to be taken to the tickets page for each!

8. Spot the TV Crews

Brighton Pride is one of the biggest prides, and most years there will be a TV crew filming some sort of news bulletin, or a new TV show. Grab your 5 minutes of fame and get on camera if you can.

9. Buy 4 drinks at the bar, not 2.



That doesn't need explaining. With it being manic, expect the bars to be queues upon queues. So buy a few more drinks so you don't need to go back. Afterall, if you meet someone then at least you can offer a drink (or receive one) without having to stand and wait for ages!

10. Enjoy Pride

Most of all, enjoy pride. Brighton is in it's 21st year now, and each year seems to get bigger and bigger. Enjoy, celebrate and have an amazing time.
Do things you might never do (like skinny dipping in the sea) and take pictures for the memory book. Drink until the sun comes up, and look back on it being the best day and night you have had in a long time!



And just remember to have phone battery, in-case you don't know where everyone is when you wake up the next morning, or you lose a friend in a club!

Happy pride everyone!

Keeping It Country

As much as I love the hustle and bustle of the nightlife around different cities, I have to have those nights where I chill with a few friends in front of the fire, with a glass of wine in hand. If you ever wander through the Wiltshire countryside, then I have found the perfect little spot for just that!

Found right in the centre of a little village called Bulkington, The Well is a traditional Wiltshire pub that screams community and village life. Originally called The Tipsy Toad, the owners Sam and Tim have really transformed the place and brought back a country pub to a small village.

And did I mention that the food is to die for!

If you fancy going for an evening, then chill by the log fire with a beer or wine in hand. It's relaxing, and I could have easily put my feet up on the sofa and had a nap. The locals are usually in there having a pint of local cider (said in a farmer accent!) and it brings a sense of community and warmth there. A group of friends are always welcome, so don't worry that you may be the youngest amongst the OAP's because it caters for everyone.

The food is, simply, fantastic. Pub grub with a mix of specials fill the menu, whilst each piece of meat is sourced locally and the desserts are home made. It is literally home from home. If you do fancy eating there, prices range from £8.95 for the traditional scampi and chips, to £19.50 for a 16oz T Bone steak, whilst they also offer a sunday lunch. Sod the diet and have the pork, you wont regret it.

If you are a Wiltshire Country Bumpkin looking for a new watering hole, or a drive-through visitor fancying a spot of lunch, then I really do suggest trying out here. It has become one of my regular pubs now and it is worth that extra bit of petrol to get to.

Check out their website here. Their food menus can be downloaded here.