Hidden London | East London Liquor Company

Blogging sends you on some odd assignments.

I say 'sends you' - no one sends you; instead, out of the blue arrives an email offering some sort of trip, visit, and/or possible adventure.

I say 'odd', but I really mean interesting, different, not the usual thing you'd choose to do or even get the opportunity to do.

Last year, I partied on a Paris rooftop, cooked breakfast for the guys at Glenrothes, mixed my own whisky with Glenfiddich, ran the River Wharfe to the Valley of Desolation, and swapped the Northern Line for a week's commute along the golden sandy bay of Playa de La Concha.

Not bad really, when all's said and done.

I've also stayed a bit closer to home, a trip to the East London Liquor Company, for example.

After following Mat for a 'behind the  scenes' shoot for Natural Selection London the day before, we were both back on the same stretch of canal to visit the East London Liquor Company as part of Virgin Experience Days.

Being a one room distillery, the tour was short, but still damn interesting for a geek like me. It was then on to the best part of any alcohol tour, the tasting.

Gin, gin, and more gin. What a way to spend a Friday afternoon!

Unlike some of the other trips, this one is open to everyone. Check out Virgin Experience Days or pay them a visit yourself.

Here's to more trips, travel, and adventure in 2015!

Looking for more to do in London? Check out more in the Hidden London series.

Images: My Instagram.

Hidden London | Discount Suit Company

London always does well in any 'World's Best Bar' competition. There are so many, that some bloggers have forged a career purely from covering bars in the city alone.

It's an envious job, but not one I relish. As with most things, once you scratch the surface of a seemingly simple subject (drinking), the complexity underneath is bewildering.

Besides, what makes a good bar? What makes a good cocktail?

I've been to many which offer one, but not the other. And, even when I've found one that ticks both boxes, I've no doubt that not everyone would agree with my opinion.

I'd find it hard for anyone to argue with the Discount Suit Company though.

I can't take credit for this find. It was my girlfriend who took me there and at first, I thought either she or Google Maps had lost the plot.

A very short walk from the bar laden streets of Liverpool Street, lies a complex warren of roads lined with cheap clothes shops and market stalls - all closed after 6.00pm. It's not a place you want to linger and not many people do, using it instead as a cut-through towards the bright lights of Spitalfields or the City.

But, she wasn't wrong (rarely is, to be honest - I should have known better!).

This is where the bar is.

Through a dark doorway and down an even darker flight of stairs, the low ceiling-ed basement bar of Discount Suit Company is hidden behind a thick black curtain. It's a cosy place, with a wall of yellow wall lights and tables of tiny candles dancing in jars.

So while the location may be dubious, the atmosphere gets a big tick. The drinks, however, get an even bigger one. The bar staff know what they're doing, mixing up perfect cocktails from a short, but well defined list.

I actually don't recall what we had. It was a while ago that I last visited - dragging Mat from Buckets and Spades along to have a look on one of our London blogging outings, sponsored by a beer company. Work that one out!

Regardless, I remember none of the drinks negatively and nothing negative about the whole experience. Even when full on a Friday (so perhaps not that 'hidden' after all), the bar service is lightning quick. Just what you want after a hard days blogging.

Pictures: Discount Suit Company and Jaxx Nelson on Instagram.

More Hidden London: Barbican Centre Conservatory and Soho Whisky Club.

Hidden London | The Barbican Centre Conservatory

At Christmas, as the office workers down tools and head back to the Home Counties, London is handed over to the tourists.

They line every inch of pavement; they queue 50 deep for every attraction; they stick to the beaten track religiously, only disappearing to dive underground and travel a single stop on tube.

You can't begrudge tourists though.

I'm the same when I go abroad. Clueless and wholly reliant on the same guidebooks as everyone else, queuing my way around Barcelona and searching out overpriced calamari along with the rest of the English hordes.

It's a shame. They (and I) miss so much that's hidden only minutes away and would be just as busy as the London Dungeon, were it not for a lack of advertising.

The Conservatory, at the Barbican Centre, is one such place.

Live in London? Been to London? Ever heard of it? No? Thought not.

As the name suggests, it's a giant conservatory sat on top of the Barbican Centre. Heated to a tropical temperature and full of plants to match, it's a miniature Kew Gardens perched high above London's main financial centre.

'Fascinating' doesn't do the place justice. Imagine a 1960s urban jungle, crawling with vines, creepers, and possibly some meat-eating flowers - a set for a post-apocalyptic movie, where global warming takes hold, and no-one can be bothered with the gardening.

And just like a post-apocalyptic city, it's a place that doesn't attract the tourists. No queue. No gift shop. No real door, that I could find, having to sneak in via a fire exit that someone had propped open with a chair.

The only really crowded part of the whole experience was the pond, where tens of the fattest fish I've ever seen, wrestled each other for food and space. I knew carp could get big, but this is ridiculous. Again, shades of the nuclear aftermath creeping back in.

Next time you visit London or are thinking of doing something touristy, if you live here already, the Conservatory in the Barbican Centre should be high on your list.

Pictures: My Instagram.

Like this? Check out more from the Hidden London series, including VauxWall and Soho Whisky Club.

Hidden London | Soho Whisky Club

It's a total understatement, but there's a lot hidden in London. Well, I say hidden; what I really mean is, there are a plenty of places I don't know about, but other people probably do.

Regardless, I thought that from time-to-time, I'd share the odd place that I've stumbled across on the blog. First up was VauxWall, now it's the turn of Soho Whisky Club.

A members club, though? Yes, it's not really my thing and probably not other people's either, but this club is a bit different - as you've probably guessed, it focuses purely on whisky.

I was invited to Soho Whisky Club a couple of weeks ago for a Christmas tasting of Glenfiddich, with their charismatic UK ambassador Mark Thomson. Fortunately, this time he was just delivering a tasting, not a karaoke microphone in sight.

Through an unassuming door on Old Compton Street, up a narrow flight of wooden stairs, you can't fail to be bowled over by the seemingly endless bottles of whisky lining the walls of this place. The decor is fairly minimal - a sturdy set of tables and chairs is all you really need for tasting whisky.

If you're a member (or a guest) you can buy whisky by the glass (from the 400 bottles) and, if you're that way inclined, you can buy cigars to smoke on the terrace. They also run tastings and the membership form mentions coffee, tea, and free wifi - win, win, win!

Overlooking a busy street in Soho, it's surprising how quiet it seems to be in the club. Passing five or six bottles (or seven) around the table, time flies. Before you know it, it's late, your head's spinning (a little), it's time to head out, find some dinner, and contemplate that membership application form and find a proposer.

Like whisky? Read about my trip to the home of Glenfiddich on Foodepedia.

Hidden London | VauxWall, London

We all get stuck in our routines, even those of us who live in a city like London. It's especially true when it comes to exercise. The same circuit, the same weights, the same reps are all easy ruts to fall into, yet very difficult to climb back out of.

I first considered going climbing instead of the gym while training for Tough Mudder. I was running and gym-ing almost every day, growing increasingly bored and finding myself stuck at a certain level - the old exercise plateau.

Fortunately for me, at about the same time, VauxWall opened all of ten minutes down the road.

Built within a couple of the archways beneath Vauxhall railway station, VauxWall is a bouldering centre - basically, climbing without ropes, with a large crash mat to fall on, should you need it. I haven't so far...luckily.

It's good fun, very tiring, and a great workout for your arms, legs, and even your lungs. It is a little daunting, seeing people hanging from blocks no bigger than a penny, but even in the short time I've been going, I've improved and moved up from the basic blocks to the (ever-so-slightly) smaller ones.



In the New Year I'll be making a regular weekly visit to VauxWall. I'm not going to grow the necessary hand calluses without it!

Liked this piece? Check out my review of Tough Mudder, London South!

p.s. All images taken from the VauxWall website gallery (and do not feature me).