Oh Mozzarella, how you have climbed the ranks in my cheesey estimations. When I first became aware of Mozzarella (probably thanks to Jamie Oliver, but I forget) the stuff available in most supermarkets was pretty poor. Nowadays there's a lot more choice and a lot more quality on offer. I realised how amazing Mozzarella can be during my days as a cheeser at Borough Market where you can buy some of the best Buffalo Mozzarella in town.
When it comes to Mozzarella, it's as important how you use it as much as the type or quality that you're buying. For me, it serves as a foil to other flavours but you shouldn't expect too much from it alone. Just a light milky, ever so slightly salty yumminess... Ok, enough of that, you get the idea.
What with all this Mozzarella love going around it's been a timely opening for 'Obika' a Mozzarella bar based in the West Wintergarden at Canary Wharf. I first became aware of the chain when I was in Toronto last year and spotted it there, though we didn't eat we were keen to find out if there existed a London branch and lo, one opened two months later.
Alongside some delightful Italian offerings or pizza, pasta and the like, there are a range of dishes that you choose to accompany your choice of Mozzarella. This is the Mozzarella bar portion of the menu, and if it's your first visit, how can you resist? There are three Mozzarella types to choose from, the Classic, Smoked and Creamy. I went for creamy and was quite unprepared for what arrived. I opted for the simple accompaniment of basil pesto, cherry tomatoes and baby spinach. My creamy Mozzarella was amazing. So creamy, it's hard to describe. It's as though the mozzarella ball had unravelled and melted into a creamy pile of awesome.
T had the smoked option with an amazingly delicious Sicilian aubergine casserole. The casserole was lovely, but the smoked mozzarella is just not my thing. I'm just not a fan of smoked cheese in general. So I'll leave it at that. It you like it, go for it! I know that T enjoyed it and he said it went well with the aubergine. I didn't think that I would be full after the mozzarella bar dish but I was, it was more filling than I thought it would be.
We did manage a dessert though and it was the best Tiramisu I've ever had. Serious. What's also handy is you can get the desserts in different sizes so if you're not sharing or pigging out, a mini option is just the ticket. How can you resist?!
The only quibble was that the service was a little over zealous and there's a small amount of upselling here but it's only a minor thing and forewarned is forearmed or whatevs. There's no doubting that the indredients here are at an extremely high standard and the success of the chain speaks for itself, with offerings in three continents.
It's something quite different without being too crazy and the quality of the produce shines through with classic cooking. Definitely worth a look. Check out the the moody video below for some cheese-porn basically.
Wednesday 22 February 2012
Thursday 2 February 2012
Not all Orchestras Are the Same.
The Night Shift, a night of classical music "without the rules" has been happening in London since 2006 and I've been to quite a few. Back in my student days I went along as it was inexpensive, accessible and ahem, you got a free beer. I went for the music, honest. Now my student days are all but a distant memory however, The Night Shift is still going strong and, by all accounts, gaining momentum.
In terms of the classical music concert genre, The Night Shift has to be one of the most innovative events on the scene. I'm not saying that I know a lot about the scene but I do know that you don't get a lot of classical music performed in pubs or if you do, it's unlikely to be played by totes profesh musician types who are used to playing such prestigious venues as The Royal Festival Hall and Glyndebourne.
The Orchestra of the Age of Englightenment or, the OAE for short, has the motto "not all orchestras are the same" and I would venture that this orchestra stands above most others. The OAE has many things to make it stand out from other orchestras and it's worth finding out why. The Night Shift is a great example of what makes the OAE unique and the most recent Night Shift last night was no exception.
The idea of the Night Shift is late night performances that that don't have the often formal etiquette of the classical concert hall. They are presented by erudite characters who act as the voice of the audience in asking questions and providing insight. Before and after the main event (which tends to be comparatively shorter than other concerts) there are often support acts and DJs to promote the casual atmosphere. Previous events brought a new vibe to the Southbank Centre and other venues have included The Roundhouse and Village Underground and my personal favourite, Wilton's Music Hall.
So it was that last September, the Night Shift took this informal approach to classical music one step further with a scaled down orchestra (scaled right down to a trio!) playing to an audience of just 200 in a pub. The success of the event sparked an idea, to take the event on a pub tour. However, as with many arts organisations funding was a struggle and so they took to the effective initiative of crowd funding through an organisation called We Did This. Watch the video to see how it works.
WeDidThis: art for everyone, funded by everyone from WeDidThis on Vimeo.
In a nutshell it's a nifty form of arts fundraising where you donate to projects and your donation sees you get a reward. That is as long as the project reaches its funding target. It's quite an interesting scheme and it was thanks to this funding scheme and donations from OAE Friends and supporters that The Night Shift were able to tour the pubs of London Town.
The first of five pub tour gigs took place last night at The George Tavern on Commercial Road, conveniently just around the corner from my flat. It is a great pub and a fantastic venue with a great reputation for performances in the East End. It was a great night. A cosy, candlelit pub the perfect setting for some Purcell and what lovely Purcell it was. I used to hate Purcell but this evening had me converted thanks to three players in a pub with some really interesting snippets about the composer and the music from the players. It was a great evening that certainly exceeded my expectations. A particular highlight was singing some excellent drinking songs, you don't get THAT at any classical concert I've been to. There certainly was a real intimacy to the gig and the audience seemed to enjoy the humour and the informality of the event to really connect with the players and of course with the music.
Tonight they go to the Amersham Arms in New Cross, I love that a pub that has a weekly student night called "Whip It" is playing host to The Night Shift. There are stil three more gigs to go, so get your tickets! You won't regret it, even though I'm not a student anymore, it's still a bargain.
Classical music in Pubs, it's a thing. Oh, and if you like The Night Shift, you should check out The Works. If you still need convincing watch the trailer below. If after that you're not convinced, you should go and get yourself checked.
In terms of the classical music concert genre, The Night Shift has to be one of the most innovative events on the scene. I'm not saying that I know a lot about the scene but I do know that you don't get a lot of classical music performed in pubs or if you do, it's unlikely to be played by totes profesh musician types who are used to playing such prestigious venues as The Royal Festival Hall and Glyndebourne.
The Orchestra of the Age of Englightenment or, the OAE for short, has the motto "not all orchestras are the same" and I would venture that this orchestra stands above most others. The OAE has many things to make it stand out from other orchestras and it's worth finding out why. The Night Shift is a great example of what makes the OAE unique and the most recent Night Shift last night was no exception.
The idea of the Night Shift is late night performances that that don't have the often formal etiquette of the classical concert hall. They are presented by erudite characters who act as the voice of the audience in asking questions and providing insight. Before and after the main event (which tends to be comparatively shorter than other concerts) there are often support acts and DJs to promote the casual atmosphere. Previous events brought a new vibe to the Southbank Centre and other venues have included The Roundhouse and Village Underground and my personal favourite, Wilton's Music Hall.
So it was that last September, the Night Shift took this informal approach to classical music one step further with a scaled down orchestra (scaled right down to a trio!) playing to an audience of just 200 in a pub. The success of the event sparked an idea, to take the event on a pub tour. However, as with many arts organisations funding was a struggle and so they took to the effective initiative of crowd funding through an organisation called We Did This. Watch the video to see how it works.
WeDidThis: art for everyone, funded by everyone from WeDidThis on Vimeo.
In a nutshell it's a nifty form of arts fundraising where you donate to projects and your donation sees you get a reward. That is as long as the project reaches its funding target. It's quite an interesting scheme and it was thanks to this funding scheme and donations from OAE Friends and supporters that The Night Shift were able to tour the pubs of London Town.
The first of five pub tour gigs took place last night at The George Tavern on Commercial Road, conveniently just around the corner from my flat. It is a great pub and a fantastic venue with a great reputation for performances in the East End. It was a great night. A cosy, candlelit pub the perfect setting for some Purcell and what lovely Purcell it was. I used to hate Purcell but this evening had me converted thanks to three players in a pub with some really interesting snippets about the composer and the music from the players. It was a great evening that certainly exceeded my expectations. A particular highlight was singing some excellent drinking songs, you don't get THAT at any classical concert I've been to. There certainly was a real intimacy to the gig and the audience seemed to enjoy the humour and the informality of the event to really connect with the players and of course with the music.
Tonight they go to the Amersham Arms in New Cross, I love that a pub that has a weekly student night called "Whip It" is playing host to The Night Shift. There are stil three more gigs to go, so get your tickets! You won't regret it, even though I'm not a student anymore, it's still a bargain.
Classical music in Pubs, it's a thing. Oh, and if you like The Night Shift, you should check out The Works. If you still need convincing watch the trailer below. If after that you're not convinced, you should go and get yourself checked.
The Night Shift Pub Tour Trailer from OAE on Vimeo.
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