I?m starting to think that Rehana and I are choosing the wrong nights and wrong times to visit these supposed R&B venues. Admittedly the 5.30-10.30 time frame we seemed to be choosing was not going to be party central but surely that shouldn?t stop the venues playing good music!

We arrived at Fuel at about 5.30 (me after my travel writing and photography class and Rehana after a hard day?s study). Fuel is located in the heart of Covent Garden and like many bars was extremely cosy. We were one of the first to arrive and we settled down with our jug of Sex on the Beach and I settled down to a very nice pesto chicken fetucinni dish (which by the way was massive and just what my grumbling stomach was after.) At that early stage of the night the bar was playing a slightly funkier version of elevator music. Okay ? not the most flattering descriptions but the music really was blah. Having said that, Fuel does have a certain ambience to it with plenty of areas for up close and personal encounters balanced by some open spaces for larger groups. The upstairs area has all these small balcony areas ? seemingly popular with the crowd even though it was absolutely freezing out ? that I would imagine give a view out onto Covent Garden itself. By 9.30 Fuel was getting busier, with most of the clients being the late 20s-30s professional, but the music wasn?t getting any better and so we left.

We ended up going on an extra long walk around Covent Garden, Leicester Square and up Regent Street to see the Christmas lights. Interestingly, they were themed on Disney?s The Incredibles (you know,

the

animation of the Christmas season.) Rehana says there is always a theme but I guess I was just surprised to see such blatent marketing. I?m looking forward to see what else the Christmas season has to offer here in London. I just hope I don?t find myself at Oxford Street any time in the next 5 weeks ?

Considering the number of people in the park and at Clapham in general our passage out of the park was relatively stress free. Rehana had heard Sand had a good rep for R&B music so that was our first destination. But you should now be familiar with Rehana and my luck – surprise – there wasn’t any good music. Its an okay place ? quite modern and funky but very small and not a lot seats to park your butt on. There seemed to be a lot of tourists in there. Not that I?m one to talk! After nearly a couple of hours we walked back in to Brixton – it wasn’t actually that far and I really need the cool air to clear my head.

It was that awkward time, 10ish, before the night life gets really busy so we couldn?t decide what to do. We checked out the movies ? nothing. We checked out the Brixtonian – and though there was no private party this time – it was totally lacking in atmosphere. The “bouncer” told us to come back after 11 but in the mean time to try the Satay Bar. So, we checked out the Satay Bar. Turned out to be an okay venue. It was definitely a much more coloured place than any we had tried to date and, without being prejudiced, this was reflected in the music (meaning it was great!). Unfortunately, the DJ that came on at about 11 wasn’t very good as he just couldn’t put together a set of good tunes – he was all over the place. Rehana was getting bored so we went to leave at about midnight. Some guy, who had been eyeing her all night, followed us to the ladies and proceeded to put the moves on to her. I don?t think she was impressed. It was pretty funny though.

Total steps taken: 16,018

Busy day today. Started with a hair cut, moving to a whole day of shopping, a massive dinner at TGI Fridays and then a midnight movie.

Oxford Street. Having spent an entry last week describing how horrible my last visit to Oxford Street was ? I couldn?t believe that today I found myself back at the scene of my distress. I was lured into it as I thought I was only getting my hair cut and suddenly my friend Elvira was like, I?ve gotta pick up a couple of things ? mind if we go to Oxford Street. And so, to Oxford Street we went.

It wasn?t as bad as last time. Don?t get me wrong ? it was still mad and people were still absolutely frustrating to navigate around but it did seem noticeably less busy. As a result we spent most of our day there and we were dog-tired by late afternoon.

TGI Fridays. After a long day of walking around it was good to have a chance to relax and enjoy some good old American food at TGI Fridays. It also didn?t hurt that they had one my favourite cocktails around ? Chocolate Mint Cookie though I can?t remember what it was exactly called. Its almost a meal and drink all in one with its Oreo cookies, White Creme de Cacao, Green Creme de Menthe, milk, vanilla ice cream, crushed ice and garnished with another Oreo cookie (yes I?m a sucker for the creamy sweet cocktails). Our meals were massive and I walked out ready to hit the sack.

Midnight Movie. However, I had a date with my third London Film Festival movie later on: Sky Blue (also known as Wonderful Days) at 11.15pm at the National Film Theatre along the River Thames so I couldn?t crash right then.

Total steps taken: 21,965

If you want to go to The Roadhouse, a restaurant/bar/club at Covent Garden, make sure you get there before their cover charges kick in ? ?10 after 9 on a Friday night seemed pretty expensive for a place I wasn?t going to be spending too much time in.

When Nathan invited me to his roommate?s, Sarah, birthday-do I wasn?t expecting to be thrust into this very American retro style bar. It is actually an okay place ? the music wasn?t too bad (everyone loves ?Footloose? right?) and the place was jamming. Unfortunately this and the fact that the bar men were busy showing off their flashy ?Cocktail? serving style meant that bar service was very slow. Sometimes its good being a girl though as I?m sure I got served much quicker than some of the guys who appeared to be camped at the bar.

I didn?t stay long, two shots (kamikaze and a melon mix) was enough to make me realise that I was never going to catch up with Sarah and their crew. They were looong gone and having a great time and to be frank I was dead tired. If there had been any talent to keep me hanging around I might have stayed longer but sadly The Roadhouse was really a case of quantity but no quality!

Total steps taken: 13,145

I’m starting to think that fate just doesn’t want Rehana and I to find a nice bar/club to chill at. Tonight, Rehana wanted to try out The Brixtonian Havana Club for their Caribbean fare and the different kinds of rum (apparently over 300) on offer.

Our problems began before I could even meet up with her. After class I hopped on to the Underground to make my way to Brixton only to find there were issues with the Victoria line. The problems were on the northern part of the line so it shouldn’t have affected me. I’m not sure what I was thinking when I was telling myself I could still make it to Brixton on the tube. Of course those problems would filter down to my part of the line and after a frustrating hour of waiting at various stations we were told at Pimlico – 3 stops from Brixton – that the line was shutting completely and we would have to find alternate methods of travel. Dang it! So, I had to make my way with about a million other people (okay – it wasn’t really that much but it sure felt like it) to the number 2 bus to Brixton. Naturally these buses were packed to capacity and as bus after bus passed us by it was time to walk to an earlier stop to try and get on. Even this proved difficult and I found myself pushing my way (illegally of course) on to the back of the bus. To say it was cosy was an understatement. Some guy started taking liberties, as you do apparently, but I couldn’t do anything to fend him off as my arms were pinned to my side. Sheesh. Anyway, finally I made it to Brixton where Rehana, starving Rehana (she was supposed to have broken her fast already), was patiently waiting. We hurried to The Brixtonian only to find it had been taken over by an engagement party (or so we could gather from the heart-shaped balloons adorning the stairs)! Dang it again!

We made a decision to give Living a second chance. After all, it was Thursday and supposedly R&B night. When we got there it must have been about 7pm or so and there was no music, it was very smoky and the crowd was, well, pretty boring. We were also starvation by then and to our dismay Living didn’t serve any food except for crisps. We thought we’d have a drink to give the place a chance so made our way through a couple of packets of crisps plus a jug of cocktail but by 9 there was still nothing. So, we dashed across to Speedy Noodles, overate (portions are huge!) and dashed back. Okay we didn’t really dash but you know what I mean. Back at Living there was still nothing much in the sense of music – the DJ was around but apparently his sense of R&B was just not what we, or the larger public, understood it to be. We gave it until 11.30 and except for maybe one song, I wouldn’t say it was an R&B night. I don’t know what the other customers were thinking – but to look around I don’t think they were really and R&B crowd and it seemed to be a place to hang and chat more than anything. Dang!

Total steps: 11,678

Oxford Street is a mad mad place. I’m sure everyone has heard of how busy Oxford Street is but the word busy doesn’t even cover it. At one stage we were so desperate to avoid the crowds that was easier to hop on to the tube to get from one end of the street to the other! The fact that it was drizzling didn’t keep anyone away. In fact, it seemed that it was even busier than usual due to the weather. If I hadn’t been so keen to get some winter clothes I would have skipped shopping there altogether. As it was, in the end I lacked the patience to wade through a line of 30 people just to get to the changing room so I walked away from Oxford Street with nothing but a good soaking, oh, and a good French manicure. Can’t seem to stop looking at my nails now.

In a way it was still fun. I mean there really is fabulous shopping to be had there from hundreds of chain stores to all the department stores, including the largest one of all, Selfridges. Maybe next time when there is less of a crowd. Yeah right.

It seems that every week, and sometimes even twice a week, there is a leaving do at the Audit Commission. Tonight was no exception except for that the Rehana, Paul, Clare and Sharon were’t exactly leaving the Commission – just moving patches. But as I’ve said before, any excuse for a drink. After much deliberation Tiger Tiger was chosen as the location. Located at The Haymarket, near Picadilly Circus, Tiger Tiger is one of the larger venues I’ve seen and seems to be a combination bar/club/restaurant.

16 cocktails jug, bottles of wine and champagne bought during Happy Hour was enough to keep the party going until they ran out at about 8pm and then it was on to shots of tequila and bottles of Stella for some. Not anxious to repeat my experience from a week ago I was at first reluctant to partake in the festivities but after a slow start Woo Woo became my drink of the night. It was a good night had by all and the music was surprisingly good (that is, until 11 when they started playing house music – not my style!) I even managed to get up and dance a few times much to my surprise.

Total steps taken: 13,656

If you’re going to go to Bar 38, Hammersmith, make sure to get there early to grab a seat/table and stock up on drinks. Its a great looking place but it gets crowded pretty quickly after 5.30 and unless you have the patience of Job you do not want to be standing in line waiting to get your drinks – fob this job off to an unsuspecting friend instead. At one stage Rehana was standing waiting for our drinks for about 20 minutes!
This is Rehana, Ant and I before the rush:

I thought that after last night I wouldn’t be in the mood for any sort of drinking but with a “Toblerone” up for grabs and Rehana buying I wasn’t going to say no. I also managed to fit in a Banoffee Martini which with fresh banana, maple liqueur, vanilla Stoli, butterscotch schnapps, cr譥 de banane and cream sounded yummy but in the end was slightly substandard.

Oh, if you go to Bar 38, make sure to check out the cool fountain that functions as the commual hand wash area for their restrooms.

Tonight my friend Rehana was kind enough to invite me over to her side of town (Brixton) for some home-cooking followed by an evening of good r&b/hip-hop music (finally I’ve found an ally!) at a local club. The night started off well enough with Rehana displaying good old-fashioned Indian hospitality serving me a wonderfully delicious meal of massive proportions. I really appreciated the effort she went to as she had gotten home at 9pm the evening before and she still had the energy to be cooking her curries until 11. What a trooper. She is a wonderful host and I told her frankly that her talents were wasted doing audit. I mean – its not often anyone can get me to eat lamb! My mouth is still watering thinking of it.

So, after suffering from a case of “the eyes being bigger than the stomach” syndrome thus over-eating terribly (I couldn’t help it – the food was sooo good!) we decided to walk into central Brixton, perhaps 15-20 minutes and approximately 3,000 steps, to work some of it off. Rehana had read that the Living Bar (which was where Carolyn had her do on Friday night) was having an r&b night. When we got there we were disappointed to find that it was smoky, there was no atmosphere, and there wasn’t even any music worth speaking of. We couldn’t get out of there quickly enough. Just as well Rehana had the Z Bar as a back up plan. Its a bar with very smooth music and nice cocktails (if a touch on the expensive side). The Itchy London website says of the bar: “A happy hour cocktail or two from this sleek Brixton joint’s firey cocktail list never fails to get the evening off to a flying start. These guys really know how to mix their spirits and raise yours.” Oh boy. Most readers will know that alcohol and Grace just do not mix and usually two cocktails are my limit. I don’t know if it was the extra shot of Blue Caraco that our cute barman shouted us but I was a goner! (Sorry Dad and Mum!) Its embarassing to admit that I was wasted after only two drinks and its the first time that I’ve gotten sick from drinking since schoolies and that was a very very looooong time ago.

Still I had a rockin’ night with fantastic music and great company so I don’t regret it one bit.

Steps taken: 15,970 (All the extra steps must have been from weaving when I normally would have been walking in a straight line. Heh heh…)