Despite my name coming first in the blog title Jen maintains some pretty strict rules. I am not allowed to blog about my other passions (fixies, the Barbican and interactive theatre (or how bad jeggings are)). Still, every now and then food and the other stuff converges and provides me with an excuse to break the rules.
Sutra was a modern dance performance at Sadler's Wells which aimed to explore the "philosophy and faith behind the Shaolin tradition, its relationship with Kung-Fu and its position within a contemporary context". The set was 21 wooden boxes, akin to open coffins, designed by Antony Gormley which are pushed and pulled around the stage. The Shaolin Monks were led and interacted with a classical modern dancer. Pretentious much? Just like I love.
Except I didn't. I mean I enjoyed each independent component; Antony Gormley's set was challenging and adaptive, the modern dance elements well choreographed, the Shaolin stuff was what you dreamed of as a little boy, the music was authentically erie, there was a small Shaolin kid for some cheap laughs. But all together, all at once? Not so much. I like Star Wars as well. Why didn't they throw the Death Star in there for good measure?
And for the food analogy. I love asparagus, caviar, chorizo, oysters, bread and steak but see no need to have them all together in one dish. It would be an overlapping mess. I have to admit, however, that I was the only one in the audience who wasn't in rapture to it. The audience lapped it up and Jen was thoroughly channelling her Chinese side and loved it.
And to 69 Colebrooke Row. You have probably already been and you definitely already know it is good. But the reason it is good relates to why I didn't really enjoy Sutra all that much. 69 Colebrooke Row works because they use good individual components and craft them together to make some seriously good cocktails. They don't just throw everything together simply because it is good in its own right. The result is that each element doesn't overlap unnecessarily but complements each other. My Somerset Sour (a cider based sour) and El Presidente (aged rum and grenadine) cocktails were fantastic and well priced.
As an aside one thing I find interesting about 69 Colebrooke Row is how close it plays to not working. Put to one side the cocktails which are great. Also ignore the uniforms (which I really like), its spot on branding and the attentive service and have a look at the interior. Hard. Imagine it with the lights up. It is a fairly cheap and basic effort. You are not sitting on luxurious sink into them leather banquettes but seats of the more cheap and cheerful variety. And it is in Angel, near Upper Street. Still the drinks and the experience power past such small details. A great place and one I may visit more on a cocktail jaunt now the East Rooms are rubble.
Price - £not sure about Sutra as it was Jen's choice but 69 Colebrooke Row was about £40 to £50 for a few solid slugs of alcohol
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I like the link you made to get the dance in there. You are right too - too much of too many good things at once can be pretty bad. They (being the critics and people i know wot went) said much the same thing about the Sylvie Guillem, Robert Lepage and Russell Maliphant show a year or two back.
ReplyDeleteI have, however, been hearing very good things about Colebrooke Row so I am glad to have that confirmed. I guess if the cocktails are right, and it's comfortable, than the decor isn't so important. Better that, then the other way round.
I liked 69 Colebrooke Row a lot but totes agree about the seats! The toilets are awful too, but whatever with drinks that good.
ReplyDeleteGrubworm/ Surizzle - the drinks definitely are good and are also interesting and with a real quirk factor.
ReplyDeleteJen's been more times than me (as it is near her work) as says they rotate the menu fairly often which impresses me even more.