Place next to Porchetta

andy

Looks like this is going to be a meze bar called the "sugar lounge" or similar according to the license application. I think this could be setting itself up as a Petek competitor. Still no sign of a decent tapas place. When will people cotton on?

Bridget

Hi Andy,

Have you every tried Del Parc on Junction Road. It is amazing. Im not a big tapas fan but the food there is amazing, a huge menu and amazing wine. Run by 2 guys and the chef cooks in the middle of the room?

Bridget

poxy

...and over the road, Chrysos' old junk shop seems to have had an amazing transformation over the weekend. Any ideas?

Oh, and the new place on Crouch Hill, Metolino, does a decent cup of coffee.

andy

@ Bridget - never heard of it, but will try it. @ Poxy - what happened at Chrysos????

poxy

Well, unless I've got the wrong place as I zoomed past on the W7 yesterday the whole shop front has gone to be replaced by a single pane of glass and a door. The inside has been cleared and is now white. White floor, white walls, white ceiling and far too many spotlights.

I've no idea what it's going to become, I've not seen any planning notices. So, mebbe it's going to remain bog-standard retail. You don't need planning permission for new doors / windows.

wisteria53

The bus I take to work passes by Del Parc every day - has a lovely canvas umbrella in the window and I always wondered what they sold! Re Chrysos/Cindy Hardware, they had a "mother" shop in Wood Green - I heard the rug was pulled out from under this one (it was a bit dirty!) but not sure about the other. I like Petek's, hopefully new place won't be direct competitor....

tosscat

Is the Sugar Lounge just going to be another Hanoi?

poxy

The Sugar Lounge looks as grotty as hell, so far. Ah well, if it opens soon it might pick up some of Chapter One's trade as that shut for the next three weeks.

andy

Sugar Lounge looks ready to go. Walked past yesterday and it looks massive. Brave launching in the face of the worst recession in thirty years though.

Billy Bookcase

I thought it looked good.
I will report on soup of the day.

tosscat

Well I thought it looked shite. I was going to pussyfoot around, but it looks like a crappy sitting room in a shared house - the cushions? the wooden giraffes?

andy

@tc - was there a bjork poster on the wall?

rainbow_carnage

bjork? is that what the yoof of today are listening to?

my friend had a huge bjork poster on her bedroom wall, but that was 12 years ago.

unaesthetic

"a crappy sitting room in a shared house"

that's possibly my ideal restaurant decor (note lack of é)

bjork is teh hot. especially with her post-goldie saaaf-london/icelandic pixie accent

sahara_dessert

maybe bjork's now considered 'retro' n therefore funky with the yuff now?

sahara_dessert

apologies that this has stuff all to do with SL's new decor... but had the maddest experience tonight heading north up the M6 toll! Oh yes not normally a place of great festivities and mirth... but tonight what a different tale.

I went to the services on the northbound toll road (you don't need to know that it was northbound but it helps set the scene if you've ever been there).... annnnyway I was leaving the place when I saw this rather chavvy dressed man weilding a Wimpi bag waving at people across the fairly quiet open plan concourse. I did a double take when I saw his jolly little face and clinking medallion crucifixes - it was non other than David Guest in a magical world of his own.

I left the place just behind him heading to the car park where he sung merrily right next to me "I'm the kinda guy people wanna be around"... then he swayed and waved his way back to his waiting chaffeur driven car. What a jolly chap - he made me chortle all the way back north!

andy

@r_c that's exactly what i was talking about. when we (back in the day) moved into a shared student flat, the previous owners left a massive dog-eared poster of bjork on the living room wall. And we never took it down.

nat

Ahh the bjork poster. I think that highlighted the laziness of our student days given that none of us liked her but didnt take it down (although the fact that I am not even sure if we had a hoover may be more indicative).

incidentally i think david gest lives(or lived) in highgate as i saw him hanging round The Angel one night, looking completely out of place in full bling

Billy Bookcase

Soup of the day was excellent. Red lentil. Not too salty.

tosscat

Always a glowing recommendation for a soup.

princess_l

I went to Sugar Lounge for a drink on Sat night (after a birthday pizza at La P - yay). It's quite good in there albeit a tad pricey for the N postcode. Didn't sample the food but will be going back there to do so. I was struck by how strange it was to have somewhere so uber-cool so near to my house.

unaesthetic

how pricy is too pricy? the few times i've been in chapter one i've always felt a bit ripped off...

rainbow_carnage

I walked by the Sugar Lounge last night. Is it a restaurant or a bar? Or both? I was confused by the knee-high tables and sofas. That's fine for having a drink, but there ain't no way I'm gonna have a three-course meal on my lap. I do that at home, but that's because we don't have a table.

I've only been to Chapter One once since they put in the hideous decor. The prices were a rip-off for any post code. Something like £7-8 for a rum and ginger? Please. The better bars in Soho charge £6, and for that you're served by a professional bartender, not someone who needs to be told that rum is garnished with lime.

andy

Reminds me of a cocktail story. We were looking for somewhere to have an after hours drink near Tower Bridge and fell into one of those new hotels behind the mayor's building. The waiter, in heavily accented German, showed us the cocktail menu and asked us what we wanted. I asked for a Manhattan - then I clarified and asked for a [perfect](http://www.citykin.com/2009/01/otr-manhattan.html) manhattan. "Vell" he said, baffled by the request "Ve vill certainly try our best"

princess_l

£7 for a mojito but we negotiated the waitress down to £6(!)