maeverutten's Qype profile

I probably don’t really need to review this place, as it’s so well known. So you can just treat it as a public declaration I guess. I love museums overall (they are my football/chocolate/ fill in your addictive obsession) but with the V&A only a lovely walk through Battersea Park it has a special place in my heart. Perhaps it’s the variety of the collection, perhaps it’s the beautifully designed (relatively new) wing, its wonderful cafe or great exhibitions. Oh well, let’s just say, all those things together make a rather good weekend trip any time of the year!

This place used to be our local, before someone gave it the ‘piano and pitcher’ make-over recently, which in my opinion (sorry) has left it rather cold and soulless. The snack menu has become identical to The Sun around the corner, I already thought it was owned by the same people, but this doesn’t really make sense people – give us a bit of choice (different place, different menu please).

If on a Sunday afternoon you’re looking for a roast, I’m sure it’s still worth popping in here.
But with London being a cold, rainy and windy place most of the time – I’ll be looking for a cosier place to put my feet up in the future.

(picture is of the old look – I’ll update with new pic soon)

Sunday afternoon is the time to go and hang out in this place – live Jazz (and other types of music) come you way – and all for free! It was a bit deserted when we were there, which seemed a pity. But it also means that if you’re looking for a seat in a pub in busy Clapham, then this place is worth checking out. It’s got a bit of an art centre foyer feeling (so you might love or hate that kind of thing). At the back a large separate room where football games are shown (not my cup of tea) but because of the split in areas you can take a mixed group of people here and they will all end up happy.

Even though I had a fab time with the people i was with, and I enjoyed the actual bowling (catapulted me straight back to childhood those bowling lanes). I somehow found the place lacking atmosphere, it felt more like an American chain /theme park than a cool hang out place – which it so easily could be with a bit more personal effort, and less uniform commercial tat ( but then again, I’m more of a ‘home-made’ look person – so it could be right up your alley if you hate that kind of thing ;-)

I went here for tea recently, lovely Moroccan mint tea for 2, which was the real deal, tasty and plenty to go round for 2. I can’t comment on the food as didn’t have any, even though the plates I saw next to me looked really nice. Cakes seemed rather pricey to me (even for London standards), but then again for a treat once in a while perhaps worth checking out.

I wish I could give 6 stars, as this private club deserves it. If you like that shabby chic thing where you feel like you’re somehow in another period (of time) and life is good, sexy and glamorous in an arty-Soho-way, then this is the place for you. You need to be a member to get in (only by recommendation) or tag along with a friend who got their hands on membership (you guess which one applies here ;-)). Once in, it’s going to be hard to get off that lush Moroccan/Victorian bed/couch thingy ever again.

I was given a membership as a present recently and it I must say, it’s a great gift. not only do you get some free tickets as part of it you also gain a set of discounts at local restaurants. So grabbing an art house cinema film (as well as block busters, but personally I would go to a bigger screen cinema for those) was never so easy. Personally I avoid matinee weekend screenings as they can be cramped and noisy (but I’m a bit picky in terms of noise levels in cinema, so you might find it’s actually the ‘atmosphere’ you’re looking for).