Chambers of Flavour V2 - The Gingerline Experience

So excited to finally get a chance to do this.

I'd heard about the Gingerline experience before, but their tickets are so darn hard to lay hands on. So, when Alex gave a couple of yelpers the opportunity to try them out, I threw as many hats in the ring as I could and was chosen for a 6pm slot on Tuesday. So much excitement to get into Version 2 of the Chambers of Flavour.

When they send you your ticket, they ask you if you have any food allergies / intolerance. A friend with me had a shellfish allergy and she was well catered for during the experience.

Now everything is kept super secret until the very end, including the location, until 4pm on the evening of. I received my text message at 4:30 and I just about managed to reach in time for my 6pm time slot. Thanks to the wonderful chaos of Oxford Street Station during evening rush hour in the midst of Christmas Shopping mania, making it a herculean effort to change lines.

You have to reach on time, given their format, if you reach late, they won't be able to accommodate you in the next lot. This is not the WB studio and they only take a maximum of 16 people in at a time. So plan to be around the Liverpool Street / Islington area by 5pm, if you have an early slot.

We were served a welcome alcoholic drink on arrival that was appreciated after the biting cold outside. A lovely machinist explained the concept to me and ran through a few rules (no photographs inside etc)

The pre-experience space includes:
- The bar which opens at 5pm.
- A complimentary coat check where you can leave all bags and purses (recommended to leave your hands free during the experience)
- Washrooms (best to use them here. There is one more opportunity mid way through the experience, but you will miss out a bit on the banter)
- Seating space with tables.

The bar had a nice variety of cocktails. Some could be consumed in the waiting area and there were 4 options that could be bottled for takeaway during the experience. (No other opportunity to buy drinks inside) They pack it in cooling bags and you can even choose a bottle of wine instead of cocktails. These drinks have to be paid for and are not covered in the ticket price. Prices are around 8-9 Pounds a glass. Mocktails too are available.

The experience flows through a story, each phase takes you into a new space where you meet new characters, enjoy a nibble or a drink. Each room was equipped with water bottles, glasses and napkins.

The performers were lovely, having so much fun. There's a lot of audience involvement at every stage. The food was much better than I expected (supper theater doesn't always have the best food, but ginger line has designed the experience around the food and that makes all the difference)

Tips:
1. Leave everything at the coat check and leave your hands free.
2. Buy drinks at the bar, before you handover everything to the coat check.
3. Use washrooms at the start to maximise your experience inside.
4. Arrive early if you can.
5. Flat shoes and comfortable trousers/jeans make it easier to move around.
6. When you finally arrive, you may not be certain that you have found the right door and there's no one outside that you can check with. Just read the instructions carefully and you will know when you are at the right place. As you walk closer to the doors, you will hear some muted chatter.

Have fun.

I did love the experience and if I'm lucky enough to get tickets for the next one, I'd definitely return.

Yelp and Paint Jam London present: Newbie Street Art Night Walk

This was a SUPERB event. I have walked around the Shoreditch area a bit, and seen some street art. Occassionally, I have even stopped to take a picture or two of something that really caught my eye.

But Peppe our guide was a gold mine of information. Not only did I learn about a few more artists, I can now recognise their work, even if I don't remember their names *blush*

He showed us why it was important to look up the walls and not just at eye level, to see junked cars converted into art, mushrooms sprouting near drain pipes, pixelated pac man type gifs, modern deathmask 3D art, fossils and dinosaurs. It was truly a whole new world.

The group was a lovely size and very friendly. The weather was chilly, but all of us were having so much fun, that everyone persevered right until the end.

I'm not a big fan of bagels/beigels, so I've never walked into either of those famous shops in Shoreditch. But we stopped to take a break from the cold at the Beigel Shop -  a little sample of those instagram celebrities - rainbow bagels - had me picking up a bunch of them for brekkie.


My brother had just landed in London the previous day and absolutely loved this alternative perspective on the city.

Rating : 5 / 5

Yelp Mingle: Immersive Cinema with POP Picturehouse - Hairspray

Hard Rock Cafe
150 Old Park Lane
London W1K 1QZ

Fun, fun, fun.

We got to put on some 60's style makeup. Some of the yelpers were dressed for the appropriate time period.

A well stocked bar. Some decent nibbles - loved the chilli cheese fries and the cocktails were potent.

Seating was a tiny bit cramped, but better than most live theatre seating in London.

They had 3 actors who interacted with the audience a bit and performed some of the dances simultaneously as they were being played on screen.

A very different way of watching one of my favourite movies. Quite enjoyable.

Rating : 3 / 5

Yelp and Not Another Salon: Not Another Hair Event!

This event was so much fun. Loved trying out the wigs and seeing other yelpers in different colours. Never thought a blonde look could go with my skin tone.

In the food and drink - loved the tea and mini bite pairings from Tea Studio & Funzing, the bubble tea from Bubbleology and the White Russians with Pirates Grog Rum.

Chipotle Burritos are best assembled fresh and to taste, the pre-rolled standardised ones weren't as good.

We got to taste just 2 gins and were we too late to try the wine (second lot who entered at 8:30) or did they not show up? Anyway, the Bubble tea made up for it.
 

Small disadvantages of being in the second lot
- the nail bar had a really long queue and before we got to the front of the line, it was time for her to close up.
- we just couldn't get inside the secret room. It was a small space and the people who had found seats there had gotten quite comfortable
- the floor had gotten quite dirty with all the food on offer - but that could just be my semi dormant OCD cropping up.

Overall, it was a good event. Sophia and her team are awesome - they are so down-to-earth and not at all intimidating - (It was a complete surprise that Ross who fitted me with the wigs is a regular stylist at London, Paris and Milan Fashion Weeks!) I quite liked the vibe of the location and the attitude of the stylists. I think I would go back to them for my next colour treatment and maybe let them do something new with my hair.

It was great to meet Beth and Christoph, other known yelpers and some newbies too. Looking forward to a whole lot of events in this year.

London's First Mulled Wine Festival

I really got lucky with Yelp London's First Mulled Wine Festival. I had offered to help on the 12th in the first slot 12-3. Things were on the quieter side when I started out, as everything was being set up. So I got the time to figure out what was going on where, where the ATM's were, the wifi set up etc. I managed to meet the community managers from Birmingham, Manchester & Edinburgh and other yelp elite & chat with each of them.

At around 1pm, the lunch crowd started coming in & the action heated up a bit, helping people download the app, telling them what yelp was all about.

At 3, things had quietened, so I finally left the main booth (registration only) and actually headed to the food and drink areas. Since things weren't rushed, I had a chat with most of the stall owners and got to try everything for free with the nifty Yelp Elite VIP wristband!

I started with the Mulled wine at Chez Antoinette - a lovely sweet mulled wine with strong flavours. I absolutely loved this one. I also got to try half a duck confit baguette. I loved the duck but the bread was a little too crusty for me. (I prefer soft breads) They have a permanent location in Covent Garden, so I'd love to try more of their food there.

As I was munching on my baguette and sipping my wine, I headed over to the DJ booth being run by Phizz. They were handing out goody bags with pop chips & Phizz Rehydration tablet samplers to Elite. The music they were playing was really good, but at the main booth where I was stationed, we could only hear the opera being played from inside Covent Garden Market. The DJ's said that they only had permission to increase their volume later in the evening.

My next stop was Gosnells where I tasted mead for the first time (An alcoholic drink made from honey. I've read so much about it in historical fiction, but I wasn't sure how it would actually taste). It was lovely. Again, a sweet drink, so right up my alley. The mulled version was even better & my glass was fortified with a shot of rum.

With my baguette over, I headed to the Meat Liquor stall. I've been following them on instagram and been very tempted to head over to one of their locations, but hadn't got around to it. The dead hippie burger was FANTASTIC!. So I know that I HAVE to head to their restaurant ASAP. As I was chatting with the lovely lady here about food & meat, she offered me some of their Jagermeister Spice. Which was also amazing. I'd have loved to take some home with me, to sip on in the evening.

The final stop in this section was Morelli's Gelato which had 2 Christmas Specials - the mulled wine and the mince pie. They were also offering Irish Cream & another flavour. I had the mince pie, which was very good and later in the evening I had the chance to taste the Irish Cream & the mulled wine too. I think the mince pie was my favourite.

Corral one over and done with, I headed to corral two. I started with LIC Pops - Mulled Wine pop. I've had their pina colada & mojito pops before, so I knew I could expect something fantastic. It was delicious, but frozen (obviously!) These pops are better suited to be enjoyed at home in front of a fire or radiator, than in chilly, windy, nippy, Covent Garden on a semi winter night.

I quickly headed over to Heddon Street for a Hot Scot Cider, mulled with Drambuie, which warmed me right up again. I bought one of their lemon and honey madelines, just to balance the alcohol I was imbibing and they were warm and toasty, fresh out of a warming oven.

I skipped Thistly Cross as they were having some electric troubles which they were trying to sort out. She told me I could have lukewarm cider now or hot cider later. I opted for later and was really keen to try the marzipan & gingerbread mulls.

My final stop was L'atypique who offered me prosecco for a change, which was fresh and crisp.

The Christmas Cart wasn't offering samples and as I was stuffed & marinated, I promised myself that i would be back later for one of their pies (I tasted the venison & port from a friend - it was good.) &top it with some Thistly cider before I left.

Once I got back to the main booth, things started heating up, literally. We heard that the micropigs would soon arrive and the heater was turned on for them. And the moment the pigs arrived, was when the crowds really started.

Everyone wanted their pictures taken with those cute, squealing bundles & the registration area just exploded. I lost count of how many people I helped download the app that evening.

It was then time to suit up for the Santa flashmob, where we ran around the square handing out candy canes and yelp cards. By now it was around 7:45 and I was ready to leave.

Brajesh had arrived & I wanted to take him to all the stalls, but it was impossible to get through the coralled areas. The crowds were just piling in by 7:30. There were queues everywhere. The security got strict. They didn't want anyone taking glasses outside the area which just increased the number of people inside the small fenced areas. There was no seating and the stalls were on the smaller side. so it all ended up feeling very chaotic.


Yelpers were doing their best to manage the crowds the best that they could, but it was becoming unmanageable. People who arrived around this time would not have enjoyed the festival, the way that I had the luxury of doing so.

By now, it was crowded & chaotic. We managed to snag a dirty hippy & a jagermeister, before we left to find a quiet place for dinner.

I enjoyed the event, but I can see why people who came in very early or very late found the place too quiet or too chaotic. It was a great first event, but can be made even better next year with a little more planning and objectively looking at what could be done to improve the overall Festival.

#YelpBigNightIn - Yelp’s Big Night In

I cheated! I juggled myself into celebrating THREE #YelpBigNightIn on Wednesday, Thursday AND Friday!

Wednesday, was a lovely chilled out day. A picnic arrived from Pauls via the Quiqup guys. 26 minutes from the time I placed the order online to the time the picnic hamper was delivered home by Edward. Plans to head to Hyde Park were promptly dissolved in favour of watching a movie at home. Plus picnic hamper meant no cutlery, so no washing up! Yay! Score!

Thursday was spent preparing for a Huge #YelpBigNightIn, and I was busy cooking up a storm during the day and into most of the night. A bit of a disappointment when the lady from Hassle did not turn up at the appointed time. The Hassle guys were willing to send a substitute over on Friday, but I was having friends coming over on Thursday to spend the night, so I had to quickly clean up myself. They have promised to let me use their service at a later date.

The Laundrapp guy did not turn up at the appointed 4pm either, But a lovely Shiraz appeared courtesy Mr Vine, so I was ready to just drink my disappointment away.

We had barely started on the bottle around 11pm, when a guy turned up from Laundrapp. I was shocked, I didn't know people actually "worked" that late in London. He told me that they do pickups and deliveries right until midnight. What a wonderful facility for people who themselves work late and get home even later. The biggest pleasure of course, was an empty laundry basket. No ironing this week. Tralalalalala.

Friday, a couple of friends were due to come over for a home cooked meal, but I cheated a bit. I ordered some starters and baklava from Lokkanta, which was promptly delivered by deliveroo and everyone loved the food. I'll be ordering a full meal from them some time soon. Since the starters were taken care of, I could spend more time with my friends just catching up.

I wasn't able to get anyone at Bizzby, but I'll talk to them this week and try and sort it out. I was planning to ask them to pick up some chilled beers, ciders and ice just before the party (these miniscule London city apartment refrigerators!) But the poor husband was finally dispatched to do this job. LOL.

Laundrapp is due to return the clothes on Monday and I have to contact Bizzby & Hassle to see what can be worked out, so I might just manage to extend the #YelpBigNightIn by a couple of more days. Maybe I can get myself a massage from Bizzby and a cleaning before our next round of houseguests the coming weekend? Is this going to be a #YelpBigWeekIn ?