Out and About: Mexican @ Lupita's and Raleigh Ritchie @ Heaven

We needed food and we needed food quick. I'd only ever seen Mexican restaurant Lupita on Commercial Road on drives to East London so was quite keen to try it when we saw one near Charing Cross station. Unfortunately, the nachos were pretty standard and my Atun a la plancha (tuna) tacos, were less than satisfying...tough and tasteless. Our Ludwika Paleta vodka cocktail went some way to repairing the damage though by the look on my face in the above picture!

From there we wandered over to Heaven nightclub. I spent much of my early twenties in this nightclub so it was all very nostalgic!

Always time for some posing of course!

This glittery torso has been here for at least 7 years! Silky khaki trousers were picked up at the #VCSWAPSHOP the other week, soo comfy. Body from Primark and yes I know my bra is showing..

First up were The Iyes, Brighton based Electro pop band, lead singer Melis defo has strong baby Banks vibes about her.

Quick wander round...

What a beaut!

And then for the main event, the reason we were all there.

I know him as Jacob Anderson, that's how we met on both our first feature film Adulthood, all those years ago, I didn't even know he could sing back then! slowly but surely jacob, nope Raleigh has been building his singing career (in between more films and a sting on Game of Thrones) and having dropped a few great EP's, it was amazing to support and see him live finally.

Sorry the pics are so far away! Angst ridden lyrics about growing up and painful relationships, raw soulful vocals and big pounding drum beats; Raleigh has soo much energy, jumping and bouncing all over the stage and it really gets the audience going. He seemed genuinely overwhelmed at the support form the audience, which was generally young but very racially mixed. Nice little special guest from Little Simz, who joined him for their collab 'Cuckoo'. A brilliant gig from someone I think we'll as be seeing much more of.

Eat: Death by Burrito @ The Candlemaker

When we found The Candlemaker pub nestled on Battersea high street, it felt a bit like stumbling on a cool Shoreditch bar...but this is South London so the vibe was a little more chilled and a little less contrived. The staff were still pierced and tattooed but really friendly and helpful and while most of the clientele were in there twenties there were a few patrons you could tell had just popped into their local for a few drinks.

I'm a big fan of Mexican food so was very excited to try Death By Burrito from the Rebel Dining Society, who having previously had a pop up at Catch bar in Shoreditch, now have a permanent home at The Candlemaker for their contemporary Mexican street food. Maybe they nicked their staff too? But first drinks!

We saw the frozen Margarita machine and were going to go for those but our friendly barman suggested some of The Candlemaker's home-made bottled cocktails which were the same price (£6.50) so we went for those instead.

We went for Oh my Pie! - Cinnamon vodka, Disaronno, apple, lemon and cane sugar but our fave was the Whiskey Shed - Jack Daniels honey, pineapple, lemon and honey. Yum!

Now the food. Being Good Friday both Kirsty and I went for fish; the Baja fish burrito for me and the tequila and beer battered Death by Burrito burger with lime and chilli mayo for Kirsty. The fish burger was served on deliciously soft, sweet brioche bun and the fish burrito had a nice spicy kick.

We also had fries which came with chipotle ketchup; the smoky sweet flavour was a nice touch.

My friend Portia joined us a bit later on and went for the chilli and Agave glazed chicken wings. (She forgot it was Good Friday which means fish and then felt terrible LOL)

On Sundays, DBB do bigger dishes like baby back ribs, flat iron chicken and stuffed aubergine served with sweet potato mash, spicy slaw and salsa. On Monday's The Candlemaker have a quiz night and I also spotted various board games dotted about, including my absolute favourite Articulate.

There is some nice art referring to the proximity of the old candle making factory from which the pub gets its name, a knight in shining armour and softly lit outdoor areas that would be lovely to relax in during warmer weather.

Shanika Says: The Candlemaker has a wonderfully chilled vibe and later on they were playing some on point hip hop, both old and new. I'll be back to sip home-made cocktails outside when we get some proper sun!

Crazy Homies / Lucky 7

Date night this week was at Crazy Homies a Mexican restaurant in Westbourne Park that had been recommended to me. I love Mexican food and the rave reviews had me verrrry excited...

 

 

I appreciated the crowded shabby chic vibe they were going for in the tiny narrow restaurant, lots of Mexican skulls, tequila bottles and pictures adorning the walls. Unfortunately, when we first arrived we were freezing because they kept the door open and then we were boiling when they eventually closed it.

 

 



With the wide range of tequila on sale, I had to try a cocktail, opting for a 'Paloma', tequila, grapefruit soda and fresh lime but it was sooo strong that I couldn't even finish it if I'm honest.
We then waited for an HOUR for our food to come, and it seemed that people who came after us got served before we did. Luckily our Burros were to die for when they finally turned up.
Warm 10" flour tortilla filled with black beans, Jack cheese & salsa, topped with guacamole, sour cream & coriander, served with finely shredded Cos lettuce on the side, there were lots of filling choices; I went for Mahi Mahi fish and the boy had surf&turf; shrimp and beef Carnitas.

Unhappy with the service and long wait time, we decided not to stick around for dessert...luckily Crazy Homies is right next door to Lucky 7 an East Coast American diner that I've been to for big breakfasts and lunch before. And we really got stuck in..

Pecan pie. A sundae with toffee, vanilla and banana ice cream, cream, strawberries and chocolate sauce. Yeah, I was happy with that.