Wednesday 24 August 2022.

Wednesday 24 August 2022...6pm to 9.45pm... THE BREWERY - summer garden party - 52 Chiswell Street, London EC1. This popular events space is just around the corner from The Barbican. I have been here several times before including some major music awards events The Kerrang Awards in 2005 and 2008, and The Mojo Awards in 2009 and 2010. They have many different size spaces indoors but tonight it is all outdoors in their lovely courtyard. We are undercover for the drinks reception at one end then later at 7pm undercover at the other end for the sit down dinner. Around 100 guests here including maybe 90 per cent females. There are flowers everywhere , which the girls loved and took home with them at the end. Complimentary drinks all night including all spirits and mixers including JD & cokes, prosecco, wines and beers. My three course meal started with bread with marmite butter , yes marmite butter. Starter - Scallops Tacos Mains - Roasted Chicken Breast , pumpkin & potato croquette and carrots cooked in hay oil. Dessert - Smoked Dark Chocolate & Caramel Ganache with mushroom ice cream , yes mushroom ice cream. There was a fun photo booth so we made use of that. There was a girl painting some glitter on some of the girl guests faces. An excellent evening. What they say about their venue.... The Brewery is a premier corporate venue for hire in the City of London occupying the site of the former Whitbread brewery. As a leading conference space, meetings area and fine dining facility for handfuls of delegates or hundreds of guests, The Brewery operates in the same high-class, exquisite manner that saw Whitbread's brewery rise to become the crown jewel of London. As a high-class corporate venue, wedding venue and Christmas party venue, The Brewery prides itself on offering a unique, versatile environment to accommodate all of our guests' wishes. Our team of talented experts, veterans in the fields of venue management, event production and customer service, as well as our passionate team of in-house chefs will do everything to carry on the proud tradition left by Whitbread as the heart of entertainment in London. Our high-class corporate facilities ensure meetings and conferences can be tailored exactly to your specification. Each room in The Brewery - including the King George III and Queen Charlotte Rooms (named after a royal visit to the site in 1787) and the up to 1000 capacity Porter Tun room - includes a PA system, Wi-Fi services, electronic entrance signage and many more facilities to help make your corporate event as memorable as possible. www.thebrewery.co.uk - Visit their website here. --------------------------------- --------------------------------- Tuesday 23 August 2022...7pm to 10.30pm....Restaurant & bar press preview... BLOCK SOHO, 2 St Anne's Court , Soho, London. This walk through in Soho is where legendary music store SHADES was in the 1980s. The site, formerly Zelman Meats, has been fully refurbished, and will accommodate up to 120 guests, with a mix of booth seating, a large sharing table (up to 14), outdoor spaces (for up to 30) and a bar (40 capacity with stools and booths). The menu focus is primarily on premium meat dishes which are roasted on coals, with an additional selection of fish and shellfish. Executive Head Chef Stephen Boucher and Head Chef Arber Malaj’s open kitchen allows customers to see the grilling action (with four stools set up right in front of the grill). Meat is hung and aged in the restaurant’s own Himalayan salt chamber. The family-run Huntsham Court Farm supplies all the meat for the menu. Richard and Rosamund Vaughan rear Longhorn cattle, Middle White pigs and Ryeland sheep on their farm in the Wye Valley. Newlyn Fish Market provides daily deliveries of fish and seafood, drawing on their 100 fishermen who source up to 40 different varieties. We had the following dishes between us along with a few of their cocktails, and a bottle of sparkling wine. Smoked pulled pork, sourdough toast, apple English shellfish cocktail (with prawns & crayfish tails) Longhorn beef carpaccio, shaved Parmesan Lamb Chops with truffle fries and peas. Baby back pork ribs with BBQ glaze Grilled tiger prawns with chilli oil & garlic butter Block fish pie with mustard mash Dark chocolate tart, honeycomb crackling Bramley apple crumble, lemongrass & thyme custard Sundays will feature Roasts – beef, pork or lamb – with Yorkshire pudding, charred vegetable, roast potatoes and Block gravy. Breakfast includes traditional egg dishes, plus the Block Full House, Crayfish Benedict, Florentine Waffle, and The Block (a Longhorn ‘hangover’ burger, with double-stack beef). The bar offering is overseen by the company’s Beverage Director Tony Vega, and features classic and contemporary cocktails, British beers, and a concise wine list that specifically complements the meat and seafood menu, and incorporating many small producers and ethical winemakers. A major drinks focus will be on Bourbon, with more than 320 selections. A daily Croquettes & Cocktails ‘happy hour’ from 3pm-6pm will offer snacks (eg, Beef brisket croquettes with BBQ mustard, and Pig’s head croquettes with apple chutney) paired with a short list of seasonal cocktails (eg, Basil Peach Julep, or Shark Alley with Absolut Raspberry lemon, pomegranate and rosemary). Block Soho will be open Sunday-Thursday 8.30am-Midnight, Friday/Saturday 8.30am-12.30am. In addition to the à la carte menu, there will be a set menu for lunch and pre-theatre at £28 for three courses. (£22 for two courses). A really enjoyable evening , and the young English waiting staff were excellent. www.blocksoho.com - Visit their website here. ---------------------

Posted 24th August 2022