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Burnt Out at 26

If you’re looking for a bar with the X factor, Vertigo 42 should get your vote. However, it does require some effort. You need to be ‘smart casual’, make a reservation, check in, head through airport-style security gates and endure some ear popping while the dedicated one stop lift whizzes you up to the 42nd floor.

On entering the intimate bar set in a round, my vocabulary is reduced to ‘wow’. The twinkly lights of London are magical and, in the daytime, I’m told you can see anything within the M25.

Comfortably seated in a low squidgy swivel chair, my companion and I set about the onerous task of sampling the winter bellini menu. The charming hospitality manager, Mike, tells us the mixologist ‘really pushed the boundaries’ in creating the range and glancing at the menu, I tend to agree.

The mixture of ingredients look incongruous, but on a taste of each, I agree with Mike that the combinations ‘really work’.

First up, and one for those with a sweet tooth, was the lychee and hazelnut bellini, the unusual twist receiving a definite thumbs up from the male point of view. My favourite was the perfumy rose and plum concoction closely followed by the orange and raspberry bellini. This was not just orange and raspberry though. The addition of fino sherry gave my palate a distinctive delicious hit.

Number four combined fruity flavours from raspberry and passion fruit with chocolate syrup, which added depth to the cocktail without overpowering it. And finally, the yuzu and cranberry bellini went down very easily. The tartness of the Japanese citrus juice set off the sweetness of cranberry and raspberry perfectly.

If fruity bubbles are not your thing, you can toast the view with wine (from £9.20 a glass) or champagne (from £14 a glass).

The bar food is also stunning, although the prices are as eye popping as the views. Highlights were some deftly seasoned seared scallops with crispy bacon (£19.80), a creamy blue cheese quiche (part of a plate of canapés for £32) and some chunky oozy olives (£4.95). If you’re feeling flush and hungry, you could head downstairs to the Gary Rhodes restaurant.

Saturday opening of Vertigo 42 is relatively recent and a reduced cold food menu operates on this day.

Regardless of the panoply of flavours bombarding your taste buds, the focus of your attention should really be on the stunning views. It’s worth a walk round the bar to take them in from different perspectives.

Vertigo 42 is an unforgettable venue from which to marvel and appreciate London far away from the bustle and noise. Although if relaxation is your thing, you might prefer a more subdued evening earlier in the week.

Vertigo 42
Tower 42
25 Old Broad Street
Liverpool Street
EC2N 1HQ

Tel: 020 7877 7842

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Bellinis at Vertigo 42

Do the words ‘vegan footwear’ make you clutch your hair in despair? Do nightmares of outrageously comfortable shoes that look exactly like pixie ears pass through your brain? You don’t want to join the banana-skin-eating brigade, you say? Beyond Skin vegan shoes may just change your mind.

Maybe you won’t become a raw-food Nazi overnight. And maybe pepperoni pizza will still beckon on a Tuesday evening. But Beyond Skin pumps are more feminine and flirty than Deborah Kerr. And more sexy-assassin than The Bride. (Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration.)

The Beyond Skin story is one of survival. It’s what your grandma used to say about success. Talent is great and all, but perseverance despite setbacks is what will get you there in the end. For Beyond Skin, the vision to produce cute vegan shoes that harm ‘no humans, animals or small children’ began in 2001.

The idea was to produce the shoes locally in the UK, supporting local industry and enterprise and featuring ethical business practices. But it was two years before the small team even found their first factory, which went bust shortly after.

Two defunct manufacturers and many demoralising years later, a London family-run factory agreed to produce their shoes, and Natalie Portman took their label to the first step in its long-term vision by wearing Beyond Skins to the Golden Globes and in the film V for Vendetta.

A boutique line of high-end, designer footwear called Sui Generis was born. But the team quickly realised that in order to offer wholesale, relatively affordable shoes to a wider clientele than Natalie Portman, they would have to consider manufacturing options outside of the UK. Now their wholesale line is produced in Alicante, Spain.

Says designer Natalie Dean, ‘We do not use any animal products in the creation of our shoes. All our production is in Spain and all our materials are either Spanish or Italian and sourced as close to the factory as possible. Our focused eco fabric is Dinamica, which is made from 100 per cent recycled PET plastics (water bottle lids), is fully sustainable and so durable it is used by Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar for their high-end interiors.’

Dean, a veteran of the music industry, and Heather Whittle, a graduate from Cordwainers, have run the label together since 2005.

Dean is inspired by Anita Roddick, who shared Dean’s commitment to the environment, and was the founder of the sustainable practices of The Body Shop and a passionate supporter of The Big Issue.

Other inspirations include strong, politically awake women such as Katherine Hamnett, who is famous for her business ethics and her political T-shirts (think Wham!, Wake Me Up Before You Go Go), and Blake Mycoskie, who produces Argentine-inspired TOMS shoes and is known for giving a free pair of shoes to someone in need for every pair that he sells.

Visit the website for news of Beyond Skin lines, and check out its winter sale which includes Joanie – a ballet slipper in red faux-suede; Vixen – uber-trendy wedge over-knee boots; and lush and sparkly Sirene pumps. The spring line is on sale soon, and Beyond Skin is soon taking its ethos into producing other accessories. Don’t miss it at fashion buying event Pure London in February.

Pure London takes place February 12-14 at Olympia.

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Vegan Shoes at Beyond Skin

It’s February, it’s officially freezing, and the New Year’s resolutions have shrivelled away like açaí berries left out in the sun. As us work-crazed Londoners pick up the pace in the office, we can’t help but fantasise about a week of just doing… nothing.

Stop worrying about whether your journey home will be delayed again tonight, and just imagine it for a second. White sands, crystal blue water, a cocktail with a sparkly umbrella poking you in the face every time you take a sip. The prickly sensation on your skin as it reacts to sunlight, the knots in your back slowly unravelling as you secretly listen to your least cool music on your iPod. Sounds good doesn’t it?

If you’re dreaming about some time away from it all to catch up on some trashy reading and laze around in the sun, I’ve got three easy-peasy travel ideas that won’t worry a hair on that little head of yours.

Now’s a great time to visit Florida. This summertime state is prone to rain and hurricanes during the British summer months (not to mention thousands of Disney daytrippers in the school holidays).

Flanked by both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, Florida has a beach to suit everyone’s tastes. Take motorbikes across Daytona Beach, chill out on Clearwater beach or catch some waves just about anywhere, depending on your ambitions.

With a service culture that could fake-charm its way out of a paper bag, your biggest worry will be how you’ll fit in the cheese fries as well as the lobster claw bucket. Feast on food, then catch a movie – no subtitles needed!

Another hotspot for hassle-free rays is tourist enclave Cancun. Virgin Holidays are doing some good deals to this popular Mexican retreat. While nestled in your beautiful resort you won’t exactly be experiencing the ‘real’ Mexico – but with stress-induced headaches as bad as yours, you deserve to take some time out. Save the overlanding and homestays for another time. If you manage to get out of bed before midday, head to La Pasteleria for breakfast (ask in the hotel, they’ll know the place).

Luxury with an exotic edge can be found in Dubai. Living in an air conditioned palace and being driven from place to place, you won’t have to worry about finding your way around. Sit back, relax, have a non-alcoholic cocktail and enjoy the cutting edge architecture glistening in the sunshine.

This exciting city is already in the high 20s this time of year, so it’s worth avoiding high summer at all costs. The beaches will not disappoint. Go sailing or just snooze under a palm tree until teatime.

Next time: Paris, Je t’aime…

Image courtesy of Flickr

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Hassle Free Winter Sun

27-year-old writer Dean Atta shares his thoughts on singing, dancing, writing, the London riots and learning to accept rejection…

‘I still live in Wembley in the house I grew up in so I still have one foot in the past but I don’t think I could justifiably live in London and not live in my family home because it’s just so expensive.

My mother has always encouraged me to follow my dreams from day one, whether taking me to auditions, rehearsals and shows as a child, to supporting me as an adult in those times when my writing wasn’t making me any money. Her belief in me has given me the freedom to become who I am and write what I do.

Happiness is doing what you love doing and being with people you love being with every single day. Happiness is my life as a writer.

I’m still a fan of East London, particularly Bethnal Green Road. You’ll often find me in Shoreditch House or watching a film or performance at Rich Mix. I go to Rich Mix quite often to have meetings in the café or to use the free Wi-Fi. I also adore the Southbank and everything along that stretch of the river and make good use of the free Wi-Fi at the Royal Festival Hall.

Before I got into writing poetry in my late teens, I was really into acting, singing and dancing. Being part of major West End productions at such a young age was a huge part of my formative years and memories and it means I rarely get stage fright as an adult because I literally grew up on stage.

My perfect London day would involve sunshine, Hyde Park, a picnic, an iPod and speakers and all my closest friends. My perfect night in London would consist of a meal with my closest friends followed by some great live music and then an amazing DJ so we could dance all night long.

The diversity of the London people, whether they’re tourists, students, working here for a short time, recent immigrants or second or third generation immigrants, you can literally find someone from any part of the world living in London. I mean where else could my mum and dad – from Cyprus and Jamaica – have met but here in London?

I’m a big fan of autumn and winter because I get to wear my scarves, which I seem to be amounting a large collection of. Also because it’s my birthday on Halloween, then it’s Guy Fawkes Night, then it’s Christmas and New Year and I get to spend loads of time with my family and friends.

I feel most creative when I am with my poetry collectives Rubix – based at the Roundhouse in Camden – and Keats House Poet’s Forum – based at Keats House Museum in Hampstead. Being a writer is often a very solitary experience. I joined these groups to meet some new people and get some new ideas and I found myself in community of like-minded people all on similar journeys and supporting each other’s development. I would recommend joining or starting a writer’s group to any young writer. For me it makes writing so much more fun. You don’t even have to meet; you can set up a virtual group and support each other online.

I really love food and eating out but I’ve never been to the restaurant on top of the OXO Tower or to Gilgamesh in Camden or The Ivy or anywhere that looks too expensive because I assume I can’t afford them.

Gary Trowsdale is my favourite Londoner. He is the main man behind the Spirit of London Awards (SOLA) know as the community Oscars for young people. I won a SOLA Award in 2009 for ‘Achievement Through the Arts’ and from the first day I met Gary he has been a huge influence in my life by connecting me to so many amazing young people who are doing such positive things for this city.

I think the hard-working, community-spirited young people of London are our best-kept secret. Especially since the riots, the young people of London have received so much bad press; it’s in everyone’s interest to turn around this negative image of young people for the sake of the city’s economy, morale, pride and happiness. You don’t have to look far in this city to find a young entrepreneur, community leader or positive role model but they are not getting the press they deserve.

The song at the moment that encapsulates the feeling in London right now is song called London Bridge by United Vibrations featuring rapper Conrad the Scoundral. This track was written pre-London riots and pre-Occupy London movement but with time it has become more relevant.

I work a lot outside of London and when I’m away I really miss knowing that at whatever time of day or night I could text or Tweet one of my friends and there would be something fun, creative or inspiring for me to attend.

The cost of public transport has become ridiculous. That’s part of the reason I’m working from home as much as possible at the moment because the January increase in fares was a shock to the system and the wallet. I’m having more and more meetings on Skype these days because people don’t want to travel.

‘If you don’t ask you don’t get’; a piece of advice my mother gave me early in life and allows me to be bold in what I ask for because the worst people can say is ‘no’. Once you’re past your fear of the word ‘no’ and stop attaching a personal sense of rejection to being told no you allow yourself to be much braver. As an actor you go for auditions all the time and get told no because you’re not right for the part or someone else was better, I think this early experience of rejection toughened me up.

Why not start your journey into the spoken word scene by coming to London Liming Presents Come Rhyme with Me on Thursday 9 February? We have seven of the best poets in London performing that night: Inua Ellams, Floetic Lara, Jasmine Cooray, James Massiah, Dougie Hastings, Deanna Rodger and myself.’

Tilt’s London Liming: Come Rhyme with Me is taking place at 7.30pm on Thursday 9 February at:

Rich Mix
35 – 47 Bethnal Green Road
Shoreditch
E1 6LA

Info and booking tel: 020 7613 7498

Image courtesy of Naomi Woddis

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My London: Writer Dean Atta

There is something primitive that is awoken in us whenever a flame whooshes into the air. Whether it is the combination of a lighter and deodorant or a bonfire untamed for the briefest of moments, that temporary bloom of ions, colours and potential danger makes for a thrilling spectacle. The flames coming off a flambé are another way in which to make an arresting sight, although they haven’t been seen in a while. This style of cooking went out of fashion but is making a comeback at The Drift, the restaurant/bar in the heart of the City.

In true flambé style, the ingredients for the dishes are brought out on a cruise ship-style trolley. They are here along with the type of gas burner that all the keen kids had on Duke of Edinburgh trips – while I thought I could get along by cooking sausages with a cigarette lighter and a steady thumb.

The flames don’t get going until the main course and the starter of prawn salad of prawn cocktail had me wishing that the pyrotechnics would soon begin. The dish had a rather anaemic sauce and an unwelcome crunch to the prawns.

But all this was soon forgotten as the trolley was wheeled out and we were invited to take our pick from one of the three dishes available to be cooked in front of us. I plumped for the Steak Diane. In went the filet mignon to be fried in butter. The sauce was put together with shallots, butter, beef stock, cream and Worcestershire sauce.

Then came the time for the big blow out. The chef held the pan so as to concentrate the heat on a small area of it. This was done in order to make sure that there was enough heat to ignite the brandy, which was then poured. Edging backwards as the liquid hit the pan, we were treated to a grand display of well-controlled flames.

But did it produce a good steak? I mean, these party tricks are well and good but unless they are producing good quality steaks, then what’s the point? Fortunately, the steak along with the sauce were lip-smackingly good. I was going to point out to the chef that the accompanying potatoes were a little oversalted but I decided not to argue with a man who can direct flame.

The flambé menu comes in at £27.95 for three courses or £45.95 if you decide to add accompanying cocktails with each course. That £18 add-on might seem a bit of a jump but given that you would normally pay £7-8 for a cocktail, £18 for three is actually pretty reasonable. Just remember that if you go for the cocktails, make sure you keep them away from the guy doing the cooking. Your eyebrows will be eternally grateful.

The Drift
Heron Tower
110 Bishopsgate
The City
EC2N 4AY

Tel: 0845 468 0103

Image by ewen and donabel courtesy of Flickr

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Great Balls of Fire at The Drift

If ever there was a city that likes to embrace its seedy underground it’s London. And this time, I don’t mean suspect Soho back alleys, I mean literally subterranean. Beneath Waterloo Station. Taking a more literal meaning of the latest ‘underground’ scene, in the last year the Old Vic Tunnels have been transformed into a surprise cultural metropolis.

One of the best cultural discoveries I made last year, this labyrinthine collection of cavernous rooms sprawled beneath the streets has already housed art exhibitions, music gigs, cinema screenings and theatre and now it is being honoured with its own festival – the aptly titled VAULT.

Organised by Heritage Arts, VAULT is a brand new three-week arts festival from 9–26 February, boasting an impressive array of fringe theatre, film and music, letting you get deep down and dirty under the streets, just like the good ole days. Here’s a few ideas to guide you through your subterranean adventure, consider us your shining beacon through the darkness beneath.

Boutique cinema stalwarts, The flicker club will be in residence throughout the festival, screening movies adapted from short stories and novels with surprise celebrity guests providing a reading before their big-screen incarnation begins. With previous guests including Steven Berkoff, Joan Collins and Sir Ian McKellen, the flicker club have some impressive fans and as they team up with Hammer, of the Horror persuasion, we can safely presume the big guns will be out in the vaults. Expect to see Twins of Evil, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Plague of Zombies. They’ll probably play some films too.

Kindle Theatre unite live music and theatre, combining rock, metal and soul with text and poetry in their provocative retelling of Clytemnestra, the archetypal tale of a woman scorned, told through her loyal band, The Furies. In a unique reboot of Puccini’s La Bohème, Silent Opera truly work us out of our cultural comfort zones, combining silent disco with live opera. Smashing the classic into the high-tech using personal headphones to set opera loose in the tunnels alongside live performers, Silent Opera is one not to be missed.

Streetwise Opera, a company committed to involving those affected by homelessness in the arts, invite us into the magical world of folklore in Fables – A Film Opera, a selection of short films created by some of the UK’s leading composers and filmmakers and 125 performers who have experienced homelessness.

Richard Marsh and Katie Bonna present Brand New Love Story, a brand new love story based on  that all too familiar tale of boy meets girl and their ill-fated belief that maybe this one-night stand could last forever. Elsewhere, Pangolin’s Teatime will be on hand to satisfy the shadow puppet quota in your lives with bizarre cultural critique voiced by hundreds of puppets a-top a stick in The Great Puppet Horn.

And if the delights lurking in the vaults from 7pm each day (3pm at weekends) are not enough, Friday and Saturdays see VAULT open for Lates with live music and dancing until the wee hours. The B-Movie Ball, curated by Kenton Halliday features film screenings, live bands, dancers, DJs, magicians and tarot readings. And of course fancy dress.

If you still want more –  or you lose your mates in the tunnels – head to the welcoming bosom of late night cabaret in Baxter’s Basement where twisted hosts Baxter Valentine and Bobby Windeback will be entertaining until chucking out time. Entry is free when you buy a ticket for any show on Thursday and Saturday so it would be rude to head above ground before meeting this motley crew.

Not that we encourage debauchery but there’s something liberating about the dark, dank and humid and with such a diverse programme, consider VAULT a gentle nudge in the direction of the unknown – and the chance to be part of the underground movement when it was still, well, relatively underground.

Tickets start at £5. For full details of the VAULT programme visit the website.

VAULT takes place from Thursday 9 to Sunday 26 February at:

The Old Vic Tunnels
Leake Street
Waterloo
SE1 8SW

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VAULT at the Old Vic Tunnels

Look up the word ‘hipster’ in the Urban Dictionary and you enter a whole world of pent-up frustration. My favourite being the perfectly succinct: ‘Someone who listens to bands you’ve never heard of, wears ironic tee-shirts, and believes they are better than you.’

This cultish group have honed self-deprecation to a near Zen-like art. Larry David, though, they are not.

For those of you that saw the now viral (not because it was infectious, it wasn’t, it was just plain bad) The Only Way Is Dalston would have been taken aback by the sheer absurdity of it all. As it eventually transpired, it was actually a self-made show by Vice Magazine. Yes, you read that correctly, Vice Magazine; the epitome of everything a hipster has come to represent.

Whether it’s just that they don’t like what they see in the mirror, whether it’s a form of jealousy, or even the fact that some loose form of social hierarchy based around a person’s aesthetics has been formed, it’s difficult to narrow it down. The East End has become a hotbed for the cynical, the ill-informed and the downright pretentious as much as it has for any real consistent stream of creativity.

It appears today’s ‘yoof’ have reached a plateau when it comes to what is socially accepted as ‘cool’ and this is best interlinked with a lack of any real cause to get behind.

My generation simply doesn’t have anything important to say, and if they do, it’s already been said and by people far more eloquent and intelligent than us. So, we’ve given up, resorting to hide in the shells of decades past.

The hurtling cultural shifts of the previous few decades have left ours still searching for an identity, and in the meantime, clutching onto the shreds of others. We are Generation Bland; and a bitter one at that.

The ’60s had the fight for racial equality and free love, the ’70s had punk and even the cringeworthingly titled ‘Generation X’ had grunge. Today’s generation prefers to look the part without actually being the part; a shortcut to success without the necessary ideas to back up the bravado.

Uniformed conformity is order of the hour. The façade for the sake of originality and social standing just isn’t cool man, and plus, it just all looks so bloody exhausting. Like Hyacinth Bucket gone rogue.

This is far from being some sort of rousing call to arms. I am merely, in the words of Marc Bolan, ‘talking about my generation’. We’re a bone idle bunch, but without the misdirected geniality of the ‘slackers’ of yesteryear.

Self-deprecation can be an endearing quality in a person that you know and love, but when you attach it to a whole social stratum, it takes on a much more contrived and sinister undertone. Then again, I own both a Barbour jacket and a pair of boat shoes, so perhaps I’m just as bad as the rest of them? Hypocrisy is thine name, and based on my choice of clothing, tending to sheep along on an exotic cruise is thy game… apparently.

Image by craigfinlay courtesy of Flickr

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What to Do With Hipsters?

Unlike its sexy sibling, Barcelona, Madrid isn’t in the business of wooing tourists. It’s a place for friends to hang out and jet setters to propel their careers. Take your time to absorb the atmosphere and stop every now and then for beers and (free) tapas.

The capital’s historic square, Plaza Mayor, is a good starting point for your stroll. It’s prettier than Puerta de Sol, the buzzing central square that’s only a short walk away.

This is the Madrid you see in the postcards – cobbled streets, lazy cafes and elegant balconies. Have a coffee and then make your way west towards the Palaceo Real (Royal Palace), via a few shops in Sol. The palace is huge and is full of beautiful tapestries, furniture, paintings and frescos. It’s also free for EU passport holders on Wednesdays.

Outside you may catch a glimpse of the old city walls, dating all the way back to the ninth century, but impossible to miss is the Almudena Cathedral.

Madrid is bursting with excellent museums. The Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofia are all worth exploring. They are flanked by Retiro Park, a great escape for frazzled city dwellers. This is a great place for a stroll, with street performers, a boating lake and plenty of hiding places for a snooze.

You’ll need to conserve your energy because Madrid really comes alive at night. The Malasaña area is a cool part of town with bars and clubs packed into narrow streets. Everyone spills out onto the pavements and buys beers from guys on street corners. Pace yourself because it’s always a late one.

A great place to line your stomach is Pizzeria Mastropiero. Run by an Argentinean family, this crowded eatery is the locals’ favourite thanks to the offer of free cake with every pizza. Genius.

Rather than the Londoner’s choice of chips or greasy kebab, many revellers here head to Café Commercial for deep fried churros dipped in gooey chocolate at the end of a big night out. This is the city’s oldest and most popular café, so you may have to queue for your late night sugar fix.

Hopefully your head won’t be too fuzzy for the El Rastro Sunday flea market. The stalls line up along some of Madrid’s oldest streets and there’s plenty of antiques, jewellery and other trinkets to browse. For lunch I recommend tostadas con gulas (baby eels on toast). Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

Next time: Escape to the Sun…

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Walking the Streets of Madrid

Aside from one short story collection, Franz Kafka’s work was largely published after his death. He failed to finish any of his novels aside from The Metamorphosis, and before his death even left a note requesting for all of his work to be burned. Luckily for us, his literary executor ignored this request, and Kafka become known as one of the great humourists in literature.

In part, his failure to complete many of his works was due to a lack of confidence and self-belief that plagued him throughout his life. In particular, his relationship with his father was strained. It is this aspect of his life that Kafka v Kafka, currently showing at Brockley Jack, examines.

Using Kafka’s Letter to my Father as a starting point, the play takes the form of an extended confrontation between father and son. Franz’s mother and one of his sisters provide a constant presence both as a reminder of the families past, and to keep the two apart during the more heated exchanges. Together the family swirl around the room, somewhere between reality and a dream, taking anything tangible on the stage with them.

Jack Wilkie and Gareth Pilkington excel in the roles of the tortured writer and his menacing father. Their exchanges are laced with real emotion. The son, who can’t escape his fathers treatment of him as a child. The father, who worked so hard to provide for the family, and can’t understand the logic that drives his child to hate him. One of the big successes of the show is in its ability to look for the motives that drive the characters, and their actions.

Lighting is used to illuminate the shadows on stage onto a screen behind, adding to the sense of heightened realism. At one stage, when his father picks up a table, Franz winces visibly. On the backdrop, the positioning of the shadows makes it look like he’s physically being attacked by the table. This is a simple, yet incredibly effective technique which provides a sense of uncertainty for much of the performance. Sound effects laden with echoing sounds of water droplets, and slow motion sequences that hint at previous violence are also frequently deployed, although with more mixed results.

There are some issues with the play, such as the under-use of the female contingent of the Kafka family, and the over reliance on slow motion, but the show ultimately remains engaging throughout. The dialogue is sharp, with knowing nods to some of Kafka’s famous works, and some clever metaphor. It sheds some light into the mind of one of the twentieth century’s most popular writers, and the internal conflict that drove his career.

Kafka v Kafka is running until 4 February at:

Brockley Jack
410 Brockley Road
Brockley
SE4 2DH

Box Office: 020 7269 9929

Image by Anna Nguyen

This post is from The London Word and should not be republished elsewhere without prior permission. Please check out our site for more great stories and features.

Kafka v Kafka at Brockley Jack