For my 26th birthday my lovely mother got me and Dan tickets to see War Horse. We've both been dying to see it since hearing rave reviews from just about everyone and boy, they were right!
Firstly though we went for a spot of cocktails...
We stumbled upon Wolfe's Bar and Grill. It was just round the corner from The New London Theatre on Drury Lane so it was perfect for us. Wolfe's
The interior was lovely, really grand and it had a real feel of times gone by. You could picture 1920s women in their tasseled dresses smoking at the wonderfully snakelike bar.
The curve in the bar gave you a little booth for two, giving you some privacy at the bar. Really great idea.
Oh and did I mention the wonderfully glam mirrored ceiling!
They have a great selection of glasses, the glass really makes all the difference when it comes to drinks. Don't you think? Nothing worse than asking for a white wine spritzer and it comes in a coke glass.
Their menu was pretty extensive too. Not cheap mind, but we are in London after all.
I went for the Disaronno Sparkling, Disaronno and Prosecco. Strong was an understatement and as I'm not much of a drinker, Dan finished it for me.
He went for a Golden Mojitto, Dark Rum, Cointreau and mint I think.
They were very good and very well presented.
I did have tassels on my sleeves, I almost fitted in.
War Horse was our next stop.
I've never been to the New London Theatre before, it was very modern with not much personality but the view was absolutely cracking!
You're not allowed to take photographs during the performance so I grabbed a sneaky two before curtains up. (there were no curtains)
The show was really wonderful! Honestly, you must see it. The actors and horses were at our eye level and they moved amongst the seats so we felt really immersed in the performance.
The mechanics behind it were mind boggling and I was completely mesmerized by the sound effects. All made by the actors! The horses were almost real.
Go see it, please, you wont be sorry!
Our next stop was dinner, well cocktails first. Before hand I had found a really promising dinner spot Joe's Southern Kitchen in Covent Garden.
We were early so we nipped down to their basement cocktail bar.
I had chosen Joe's because it had Southern in the title. As I'm sure you've realised by now I am partial to Southern American cuisine. The menu looked promising online, real buttermilk pressure cooker fried chicken, chicken wings and all the sides you'd imagine.
Hold your horses, the food is yet to come. Firstly lets discuss the cocktail basement.
Not great.
Very red lighting and very non southern music.
I was expecting some Johnny Cash at least, but no. Even a DJ playing dance music turned up. What is that about?
I did however find some Cash whilst popping to the ladies room.
It was pretty busy in there though
You can enter via the outside steps or through the restaurant.
There were lots of interesting decoration and bits and bobs but again, nothing screamed southern to me.
As I was driving home from the station I decide on a lemon iced tea. It was okay, it needed a bit more sweetness for my taste. It did seem home made though which was a plus.
Dan went for the special, a watermelon martini. It was pretty yummy actually and in the proper glass.
It was finally time for dinner, I couldn't wait to get stuck in. The vibe was better upstairs. Country music played the bar looked lovely, nice metal tables etc. Very nice.
For starters Dan went for the BBQ chicken wings. He was very happy, he is quite the critic so when he says something is nice, it usually is. He actually said that it was the best starter he 'd every had. Quite a statement.
So far so good.
I went for the popcorn shrimp with spicy green salsa. It was nice, the salsa had a good kick to it but I wasn't thrilled. It was maybe a little greasy for my tastes.
The presentation though, was lovely. Skillets and enamel bowls.
For main, Dan went for chicken cooked under a brick. It looked yummy but he wasn't impressed. He said it was a bit slimey and tasteless. He also got a caesar salad which was okay ish.
I obviously went for the traditional buttermilk pressure cooker fried chicken. It was nice, very moist chicken and there was a lot of meat. I just couldn't help being reminded of KFC. I wanted a crispy lightly coloured fried chicken and it was just a little soggy. It just didn't deliver.
I went for mash and chicken gravy as my side. The mash had a nice texture but lacked in flavor. The gravy wasn't much to be desired either really. We also got a slaw to share, it was average.
So all in all, I wouldn't recommend Joe's. A bit of an all mouth and no trousers place. It had a lot of promise on paper but it was a bit of a let down.
Those are the worst, I'd much rather a bit of a dive with an incredible menu than a fancy pants place that lets down on the taste.
Oh and Joe's, play country music if your going for a southern feel. Surely.
Go and see War Horse though and if your a little early pop down to Wolfe's!
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