Czech beer at Lounge Boheme

Lounge Boheme is a little bar tucked away on the corner of Great Eastern Street.  You have to book in advance to get a seat because it’s really a small place.

Once we’d made our way down the newspaper lined staircase, we were welcomed at the bar and shown to our booth.  The furniture has a very 1950s feel about it and the drinks menus are hidden away within the covers of books, written in a foreign language.  Given that Bohemia is now in the Czech Republic I would hazard a guess and say that the books are written in Czech, but given that I went with an Irish guy and an Italian guy, none of us could confirm this.

The bar does serve Czech beer though, along with a range of cocktails, including an Apple Pie Tini and a Porcini Tini.  My Italian friend told me that porcini means mushrooms in Italian, which should have tipped me off to the fact that the cocktail contained mushroom flavoured vodka.  But for some reason it didn’t click, which was why I ordered and ended up drinking something that tasted like chocolaty cold mushroom soup with a vodka after taste.  

Bar Prague

After a lot of walking around the Tate Modern in an ill fitting pair of summer shoes, my poor feet were feeling very sore.

Fortunately for me, Bar Prague was waiting up in Shoreditch.  I'd tried to go once before, but arrived at 11.30, not knowing that it doesn't open until 12.  So I wasn't expecting such a wonderful welcome in the form of several fat old armchairs to sink into whilst I read the newspaper and drank a coffee.

This bar/cafe also has artwork on display and a selection of Czech beers (which you might well expect from a Czech place).

Club Espeng

Country: Spain
Location: check their website
Cost: free


Club Espeng is a Spanish / English language exchange that takes place once a week on Thursday evenings from 19.30. I usually have my Spanish class on Thursday evenings but since we have broken up for Easter a couple of classmates and I decided to give it a go.

When we went the event was being hosted at Juno bar on Shoreditch High Street but check theory website for the most up to date location information.  The hosts were welcoming and explained the format :  a fixed amount of time in one language and then a switch to the other language. To prevent people staying in little groups they rang a bell after 5 minutes or so and you had to chat to new people.

It was a great evening and good speaking and listening practise. The only thing that was a bit tricky to judge was the level of the people you were talking to. At one point I joined a conversation between two native Spanish speakers which was very challenging until they realised I was a bit lost and slowed the conversation down. Equally you could end up with someone with a very low level of Spanish/English which could make a conversation hard work.  Everyone was very patient and understanding though. 

I really hope I pass my Spanish exam and can go on to further study . In any case I'd definitely consider going back once I have Thursday nights free again.


Website here:
www.clubespeng.org

Global Local - Gypsy Soundclash

Countries: Balkans
Cost £8
Location: Shoreditch High Street


This was a one off event featuring the following 3 bands:


Sam and the Womp: www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXugRl9dnBM
Chancery Blame and the Gadjo Club: www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9Z4ar9OJjE
Trans-Siberian March Band


The event was held at Rich Mix and is part of Global Local events.  According to their website Global Local aim to:

- provide professional performance opportunities to talented emerging artists from a wide range of cultures and communities.

- provide professional performances of global music to hundreds of thousands of people at festivals, community events and club nights.

- showcase remarkable artists from London, in London – it’s the place to find the hottest Global music.

www.globallocal.co.uk/