Author Archives: Frostie

Big Easy Covent Garden launching on 17th March

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Big Easy Bar.B.Q & Crabshack: the evolution

A new 300-cover, American Bar.B.Q restaurant and bar in Covent Garden

the big easy covent garden

London’s Chelsea institution, Big Easy Bar.B.Q & Crabshack will open a new restaurant in Maiden Lane in March 2014. Taking inspiration from its King’s Road sibling it will offer a serious evolution of the beloved ‘crabshack’ in a more urban West End setting. The new venue will provide the most authentic, American fresh-smoked Bar.B.Q, seafood, cocktail and drinks offer in the UK.

 

In the kitchen taking the coveted and key role of Pit Master will be Pete Daversa, former pit master at Hill Country Barbeque Market in New York. Pete has also worked at Blue Smoke BBQ (NYC and opened in Hong Kong). Big Easy Founder, Paul Corrett’s design vision has been overseen by industry heavyweights Macaulay Sinclair.

 

The site has a formidable history: it is located in a former electrical power station built in 1883, owned by the Gatti Brothers and first used to light their own restaurant, ‘The Adelaide’ on the Strand. On the back of their success in the electricity business , the Gattis’ then formed the Charing Cross & Strand Electricity Supply Company and the site went on to power the first bright lights of the West End. The interior will honour the building’s original heritage, retaining many authentic features, such as copper conduits, brickwork, and steel and concrete girders, complemented by industrial lighting. Exposed timber beams and lots of Big Easy appeal – neon lobsters, Americana and nautical touches will add to the charm – set over three floors and 10,000 sq ft, forming an awe-inspiring space.

 

A central feature will be the striking nine metre theatre-style kitchen situated on the lower ground floor. Focus will be on a ‘wall of fire’, comprising two, 2.5 metre Argentinean-style parilla charcoal grills as well as a two-metre rotisserie spit that will roast whole hogs, and a huge 2.5 metre wood burning oven. A dedicated Bar.B.Q pit area will house two, 1.5 tonne J&R wood burning smokers imported from Texas where meats will all be freshly smoked on the premises using a variety of woods, including Oak, Hickory, Apple and Cherry, for up to 18 hours to impart their unique flavours.  Diners can keep an eye on what has just come out of the smoker via the restaurant’s website and social media.

 

The menu itself will be based around the finest Bar.B.Q pork and beef cuts, rare-breed British steaks and freshest local seafood.  In addition, carefully sourced beef including Wagyu and USDA and traditional-breed pork will be showcased together with what Big Easy is also renowned for – the very best and freshest lobsters. The lobsters will be sourced all year round from Nova Scotia for their consistency, flavour and quality. A specially designed 1500kg lobster tank has been constructed on the premises to house almost 2,000 live lobsters with sizes ranging from 1 to 10 lbs. As always Big Easy’s ever popular daily-changing specials will continue to ensure unparalleled value for money.

 

Big Easy Covent Garden are getting serious about their drinks offering too: situated on the ground floor, will be a jaw-dropping, nine-metre bar, boasting over 500 bottles on nine levels with a focus on domestic and imported premium and American whiskeys, as well as rare tequila, rum, liquor and French and Spanish brandy. Imported, purpose built cocktail machines will dispense frozen Margaritas and other well loved cocktails as well as Manhattans and Old Fashioneds on tap. The bar list will also include ‘Boozy Juices’ and milkshakes with an alcoholic twist and a great list of craft beers including exclusive brews on tap.

 

Big Easy will continue to boast live music seven nights a week with two to three sets a night featuring some great musicians, with perhaps a few stars of the future making an appearance.

 

 

Big Easy Covent Garden
12 Maiden Lane
London

@bigeasylondon #thebiglaunch

www.bigeasycoventgarden.co.uk

Where did the Lottery come from?

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The lottery games of today are varied and incredibly numerous, offering a near-endless range of gameplay options, risk:reward ratios and odds of winning. Some people fancy their chances playing online on sites like Coral, whilst others prefer to yell and groan along to the TV. The rules and the mediums differ, but the essence of the game is just about the same everywhere.

 

Lotteries are now played in almost all countries throughout the world, from Ireland to Italy, Australia to the United States of America, but where did the game come from in the first place?

 

The British Isles?

Whilst it may be tempting to search close to home to begin with, the birthplace of lottery games is almost undoubtedly elsewhere on the world map. Perhaps the two best known lottery draws from this part of the world are the nationally televised UK National Lottery – founded in the mid-nineties – and the Irish Lotto, which began in the 1980s. Whilst lottery games undoubtedly arrived in the UK in some form much earlier, the roots of the lottery actually extend far deeper into the past…

 

The Italian Quarter?

‘Italian Lotteries’ were widespread throughout Italian-American neighbourhoods of the USA around the turn of the 20th Century. The link between Italy and lotteries seems a particularly solid one – the nation’s own national draw SuperEnalotto has existed in some form or other for over half a century – and, as our next destination proves, it goes far further back in time.

 

Ancient Rome

Whenever you’re in doubt as to where something useful in modern society comes from, there’s a fairly strong chance that the place of origin was ancient Rome. The Romans gave us everything from viaducts to vomitoriums (we still have those, right?) and are often spoken of as the progenitors of civilisation as we know it. Hard as it may be to believe it, the Romans played the lottery too, in a range of variants from dinner party games to area-wide fund-raising lotteries not altogether dissimilar from those seen today!

 

China

Everyone knows that every great genius steals their ideas from somebody else. If the Romans were those great geniuses, then maybe the ancient Chinese were that somebody else. The earliest evidence of lottery style gaming in China comes from around 200BC, in the form of kendo slips. Remarkably, it is believed that the money raised through the game was used to help fund the construction of the Great Wall of China! Could it be that we’ve been playing the lottery since the dawn of civilisation? Written evidence suggests that the Chinese were doing so hundreds upon hundreds of years before those kendo slips were made!

 

The Most Viral Moments in Oscar History

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Here you are, the most viral moments in Oscar history, just for you. Enjoy!

oscars

Jennifer Lawrence Backstage Interview at Oscars

Jack Black and Will Ferrell Oscars Performance: Get Off the Stage

Jack Nicholson Interrupts Jennifer Lawrence Interview at Oscars

Hugh Jackman’s Opening Number at Oscars

Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey Oscars Duet

Adrien Brody Kisses Halle Berry at Oscars

Michael Jackson Performs Ben at Oscars

Roberto Benigni Goes Crazy after Oscars Win

Russell Crowe Acceptance Speech for Gladiator

Tom Hanks Gives Acceptance Speech for Forrest Gump Win

Most viral Oscar moments measured by Visible Measures and its True Reach methodology and patented video platform to analyse over 8.1 billion video views across the web during 2013.

Visible Measures has tracked over 3 trillion video views, 500 million videos, 16,000 video campaigns since 2005, and sees over 380 million people cross its platform every month. Pretty impressive.

Shuttlecock Inc. presents: Rumble: Part Deux

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18th – 22nd & 25th – 29th March 2014

rumble 2Shuttlecock Inc. return to London in March with a Gallic spin-off of their sell-out pop-up, Rumble At The Deli… Rumble: Part Deux.

An off-the-wall parody of France’s rich gastronomic tradition, Part Deux will be fronted by Shuttlecock’s latest comedy creation, Arnaud Hérouville-Saint-Clair-Escoffier: great–grandson of culinary legend, Auguste, and chef/proprietor of Parisian institution, La Constellation – so named for its unrivalled string of Michelin stars.

Putting their reputations on the line, Part Deux will see chefs from both sides of the channel battle it out for the chance to scrub the great man’s oven with a toothbrush.

In the line-up of so far are Shuttlecock’s very own Ollie Templeton (Moro), defending champion Max Pasetti (Bocca di Lupo, Trullo), Tom Stracker (The Walnut Tree, The Ledbury, The Dorchester Grill, Heston’s Dinner), Tom Forster (St John, Bocca di Lupo, Trullo, Roberta’s, Chop Shop, Clamato, Septime), Freddy Money (El Bulli, The Dorchester Grill), James Knight (Moro, Barrica, Copita, Quality Chop House) and Ellen Parr (Moro, The Art of Dining).

Once again, the rules are simple:

Three rounds of no-holds-barred culinary one-upmanship

Two guest chefs

One winner

Inspired by some of Arnaud’s most famous recipes and using three key ingredients bought from the market that morning, the two challengers will create their own three-course menu for the evening’s diners, with each course going to a vote when the plates are cleared. Best of three: starter, main, pudding.

The winner soaks up the applause, the loser washes up the pots and pans.

Shuttlecock Inc. are four cousins from the creative Templeton family: Anna, Ollie, Will and Ed who share a wealth of experience from the event, theatre, culinary, cocktail, music and advertising worlds. Last year was their busiest yet, with a string of sell out events including immersive pop-up dining experiences, Mile High, Vieux-Québec, The Great Indian Peninsula Railway and Rumble at The Deli. Following Part Deux they will take their unique travel-themed concept to New York this April.

Allez allez!

Rumble Part Deux
16 Hoxton Square
London
N1 6NT

Tickets can be booked via the following website:

www.shuttlecock-inc.com

@shuttlecockinc

18th – 22nd March
25th – 29th March

£55 tickets for six dishes (three courses from each of the evening’s two chefs) and an apéretif on arrival

no:carrier | Music Profile

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Artist: no:carrier
Location: San Francisco, California, USA/Ingolstadt, Germany
Styles: Electro Noir, Electropop, Synthpop, Darkwave
Similar to: The Crüxshadows, Wolfsheim, Portishead, Depeche Mode
CD: Confession EP

no:contact music profile

Members/Instruments:
Cynthia Wechselberger – vocals
Chris Wirsig – keyboards, vocals

Production: Chris Wirsig

Tracklisting:
1        Confession – Single Mix
2        Hero To A Fool
3        Confession – 1st In 14 Mix
4        And Sometimes – RMX 2011B
5        Confession – Inspired By F.P. Mix
6        A Bright Room

Websites:
Official
Bandcamp
Facebook
Twitter

Bio:
Electro Noir Pop – a description that fits no:carrier best. “We can’t be compared easily. We have our very own sound that includes elements from several styles – from Dark Wave to Synthpop, from Acoustic to Electro,” says Chris Wirsig, main songwriter and producer of no:carrier. “We found our own way, we are not going on the trodden paths. We stay true to our ideals and write exactly the songs we want to write.”

no:carrier, originally founded in 1995 in Germany, but active in its current line-up since 2001, is now a long-distance musical affair, with Chris Wirsig living in San Francisco while singer Cynthia Wechselberger still resides in their home country Germany. But as with all long-distance relationships this can add some spice to the mixture.

After two critically acclaimed albums, “My Own Dream” in 2002 and “Between The Chairs” in 2011, the duo is back in 2013 with even more variety. Still firmly rooted in Dark Wave and Synth Pop, no:carrier’s sound and topics are broader than ever, incorporating Arabic instruments, drums and percussion from different cultures, with topics ranging from melancholic introspection to defiant declarations to tragic real-life biographies.

First harbinger of the new songs was the 5 track single “Last Scene”, released in June 2013. The song reflects a dubious past, a “last scene of a play we shouldn’t have staged”, and was praised in magazines like Side-Line, Nachtaktiv, Amobss-Mag and ReGen. The follow up single, “The Nine Days’ Queen”, released in December 2013, deals with the tragic life of Lady Jane Grey who ruled England for nine days and later was beheaded. A third precursor to the new album “Wisdom & Failure”, the “Confession EP” is released late February 2014 with the album following late April/early May.

 

M&S To Launch Childrenswear Pop-up ‘Kids Shwop Boutique’ For Oxfam

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clothesMarks & Spencer to open first-ever charity Kids Shwop Boutique at Marble Arch store

Shwop Boutique to sell the best childrenswear items donated to Shwopping campaign
A host of celebrities including Joanna Lumley, Abbey Clancy, Rochelle Humes, Peaches Geldof, Alex Gerrad and Zoe Ball have donated items that will be sold
All money raised go to charity partner Oxfam as part of their Mother Appeal initiative
Over 1,000 shwopped childrenswear clothing will be on sale over three days

Marks & Spencer (M&S) is set to open its first-ever childrenswear pop-up store when a three-day Kids Shwop Boutique opens to the public this March in aid of Oxfam’s Mother Appeal.

Open from Thursday 6th – Saturday 8th March at the retailer’s Marble Arch store, the one-off secondhand store will sell the best childrenswear items donated to M&S and Oxfam’s sustainable fashion initiative, Shwopping by the UK public and a host of celebrity donations.

All proceeds raised from the Kids Shwop Boutique will go towards Oxfam’s Mother Appeal campaign – which is being supported by M&S – that aims to raise £10 million for projects that help mothers around the world lift themselves and their families out of poverty for good.

Shwoppers will be able to pick up once loved childrenswear items from Britain’s top style icons and celebrity mums including Abbey Clancy, Peaches Geldof, Alex Gerrard, Zoe Ball, Rochelle Humes, Sarah Story, Mel Giedroyc and Shwopping ambassador Joanna Lumley. And, thanks to the UK government, every pound raised for the appeal will be doubled. *

Each celebrity-donated item will include personal words of wisdom stitched into the fabric of the item allowing advice to be passed onto the new owner.

Entry to the Kids Shwop Boutique is free, but visitors will have to shwop – hand over an unwanted item of kids clothing, using old or unused clothes as their ticket to the exclusive sale.

M&S has asked the public to donate childrenswear items to support the Oxfam campaign through its joint Love, Mum initiative. All other items of clothing donated will also go towards the appeal.

The public can show their support by Shwopping items in any M&S store add their words of wisdom on social media mentioning @shwopping and the hashtag #LoveMum.

M&S and Oxfam’s Shwopping collaboration urges shoppers to donate – or ‘shwop’ – an unwanted item of clothing that will go on to be re-sold, re-used or recycled by Oxfam, cutting waste while raising much-needed funds for the charity.

Since its launch in April 2012, Oxfam has received 6.9 million items of clothing thanks to Shwopping, worth £4.5 million for the charity. All money raised by Shwopping is used to support Oxfam’s projects around the world working to alleviate poverty.

Shwop Boutique

Where: Marks & Spencer, Marble Arch, 458 Oxford Street. London. W1C 1AP
When: The Kids Shwop Boutique is open from 10am – 9pm on Thursday 6th March and 8am – 9pm on Friday 7th and Saturday 8h March 2014
Entry: Free with a shwopped item of clothing

For more information on Marks & Spencer and Oxfam’s Kids Shwop Boutique visit www.marksandspencer.com.

 

Ben Fogle Launches Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon Ballot

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The ballot for the world’s most beautiful city run, the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon, was opened today by Royal Parks Foundation trustee, Ben Fogle, in St. James’s Park. This year, the event takes on greater significance as government funding to maintain the parks has been cut by 25 per cent. Money raised from the event offers valuable resources to help the Royal Parks Foundations work and bridge the funding gap.

benfogle1

20,000 runners will take to the streets of London on 12 October for the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon, which encompasses four of the Royal Parks: Hyde Park, St James’s Park, Kensington Gardens and Green Park. Since its inception in 2008, the annual event has raised over £18 million for more than 450 charities while also raising sustainable funds for the Royal Parks Foundation to support London’s eight Royal Parks of over 5,000 acres. According to Virgin Money Giving, the event raises more money per runner than any other UK half marathon.

benfogle

“The government now gives less than half the £35m it takes to care for the Parks each year, leaving many gaps to fill,” commented Royal Parks Foundation chief executive, Sara Lom. “The Parks do a good job at generating income through the cafés, boating and other concessions, as well as through major events such as Frieze Art Fair and the Hyde Park Summer concert series, but the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon is vital to our efforts to help protect rare wildlife, restore historic monuments and engage young people with the natural world.”

 

Over the years, The Royal Parks Foundation has funded a number of projects to help improve and conserve the Royal Parks such as creating the Isis Education Centre, a state-of-the-art environmental education centre in Hyde Park, plus restoring the 19th century Italian Gardens in Kensington Gardens as part of a project to restore water features across the Parks.

 

“There are a number of projects we are aiming to support as a charity over the next 12 to 18 months off the back of the support we get from the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon,” said Royal Parks Foundation trustee, Ben Fogle. “For example, after years of enthusiastic use many of the Royal Parks’ children’s playgrounds are in need of some TLC. We want to help create exciting, imaginative spaces for active play in our Royal Parks, so we will be working with the Royal Parks Management teams to design new play spaces at Gloucester Gate in Regent’s Park and South Carriage Drive in Hyde Park.”

 

The Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon ballot opens on Tuesday 25 February until Wednesday 4 March. Runners can enter the ballot by visiting www.royalparkshalf.com

 

The Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon takes place on Sunday 12 October 2014, starting and finishing in Hyde Park.