Perfil de absinthecity

I recently visited the Bernie Grant Centre to see a performance of The Riots, a site-specific response to the recent unrest in London. I wasn’t sure what to expect having not walked past before (despite living 15 minutes away) and was really impressed.

this is a modern and well-designed medium-sized arts/theatre space with a good bar and well-tended gardens. It feels like a bit of an oasis in the craziness of Tottenham High Road, and I hope that they’ll put on more shows that will attract more interest from outside the area soon.

This restaurant really is a bit of a jewel in Tottenham’s crown, and I really enjoyed my recent visit: I’d popped in having heard rave reviews, and it was a good place to stop off after seeing a play at the nearby Bernie Grant Centre.

Very much a traditional Italian, there are quite a lot of meat-heavy and fish dishes I couldn’t try, but luckily for vegetarians they also do (very good) wood-fired pizza. Fundamentally they get all the basics right, so you get really decent and tasty mozzarella, super-fresh veg etc.

The atmosphere is warm, inviting and friendly, and the decor again is very much the sort of thing you might expect to find actually in Italy. There is also an ever-changing ‘gallery’ of art works, which customers can buy if any pictures take their fancy – be careful not to over-do the chianti and come out with a £500 bill and a painting under your arm when you go!

This place has just had a really big make-over and is quite different from the rather non-descript, slightly shabby place it used to be. This pub was technically my “local” for three years, but I have only started going since they did the place up – it’s just a lot more comfortable and inviting now. When I lived in the area I only visited twice: once to hide from the rain and once because a lazy friend insisted on going to the nearest pub – now it’s somewhere I’d consider choosing over other local establishments if I’m in the area.

There is a quiz night on Thursdays which is a lot of fun, albeit with a rather shouty quizmaster. Clientele is mainly students from nearby London met, but with a smattering of more ‘mature’ Norf London dwellers. Reasonable enough selection of wines and beers if a tad pricey.

I discovered Pain du Jour while wondering the lovely restaurant-filled streets around my office and dispairing of the lack of wallet-friendly food. A bit of a local legend, it’s a great place to grab a panini, baguette or other bit of lunch fare much like what you’ll find in the vicinity but a lot cheaper. Decent place but a little more choice for veggies would be even better!

Like another reviewer here I was nervous about going along to The Runway as I’d seen mixed write-ups, but I was really pleasantly surprised by my experience there. The stylists seemed really laid back (which is a big plus for a shy person like me who hates being fussed over in any way) and did not appear flustered when i rang from the station saying I would be 10 minutes late.

I was expecting a bit of a ‘no frills’ salon having come in on a great offer for highlights and a cut for less than £70. It wasn’t uber chi-chi, but it was clean, roomy and functional with a separate hair-washing area with some of the comfiest back-wash basins I’ve ever experienced! I had turned up with a bad neck and was expecting the usual torture, but the wash was unusually comfortable.

The cut and styling I had was great, with some extra tips thrown in but no pressure to buy products – I have paid a lot more for styles I’ve been far less happy with. My stylist, Clyde, was also fab – very down to earth and friendly. I’d recommend this place to customers of either sex who want good value and a stress free service.

I wanted to like this place, I really, really did. So I’ll start my review with what was positive about my visit. The haircut I walked away with was ultimately a good one: I had arrived on what could quite fairly be called a ‘bad hair day’, and came out with a nice new do. And in many ways, that’s all I want to take away from the experience. I’d gone on a Wahanda deal, which made the cut exceptionally good value, and I quite like the quirky premises.
However, the customer service I received was quite wide of the mark and surprised me a great deal. I don’t think the staff intended to be rude, but fundamentally this is the only time I’ve EVER been made to feel ashamed of my hair in a salon (and I’ve rocked up at salons in some fairly unkempt states in the past, curly hair does that to you if you don’t have two hours a day to ‘tame’ it) and I just don’t think this is excusable. I was already feeling embarrassed about the state my hair was in when I walked in, and normally, what happens next is that the hairdresser puts you at your ease. That’s the professional thing to do IMHO.
What I actually got was wincing ‘yuck’ expressions from my stylist as she pulled on my hair (we can see you in the mirror you know). I was then asked ‘do I brush it?’ and I did not need to be told that there was probably not much they could do for me. I went to the sinks feeling like a lost cause! Most of all though, I definitely did not need the assistant asking me cheerily “So! Do you like your frizz?” What sort of a daft question is that?
After all that, they actually did an amazing job as I knew they would – believe it or not even horrible hair like mine responds well to being properly treated, and I won’t fault the treatments – so why put me on the back foot from the start? I can honestly say this is the first time in about 20 years I have felt insecure about my hair, even if it is sorted for now.

Good destination for beauty treatments, hair dos and so on, One New Change is a pleasure to visit – unlike some of the more frenzied shopping malls out there. I found it to be a great place to do xmas shopping, as being slightly out of the way it is far less crowded than the West End, but most of what you’ll find here is on the pricier side.
Best for: last minute haircuts and styling (blow dry bar at Hershesons is great) when you want to look good for the evening as the salons book up less quickly than the more central haunts – even though 1NC is only 10 mins by tube from the heart of the West End in Tottenham Court Road.

Love this place! Although it’s Stamford Hill really, not Stokey! Give my stomping-ground its due, it doesn’t half need it ;)

Also – good pop quiz.

Dropped in here recently during a trip to ‘happening’ Dalston when I was surprised to discover there are still precious few places to eat around the station. I wasn’t disappointed, as Stone Cave turned out to be a quirky and fun place to eat with friendly staff whose sense of fun came across very quickly! Decent mezze, good choice of food for veggies and a relaxed atmosphere. Will probably return next time I’m hungry in Dalston!