clerkenwell, clubs, london, music, nightlife

Things to do in North East London when you’re dead – Clerkenwell/Farringdon

Where those of a liberal mainstream media bent run amok, this is serious media luvviesville. Stroll down St John’s Street and you’ll catch soundbites about an article some guy has written about how MPs should do peyote and go to council estates to win the hearts and minds of their voters or a review that he is doing on Tajikistani trip hop, which is going to be “bigger than Roy Orbison” in 2008.

Meanwhile cute little brunettes will be knocking back cocktails on Clerkenwell Road exchanging stories about the Webcast they’ve just done for Russ Abbott and how they were snorting coke off Jeremy Beadle’s withered hand over the weekend.

We heart Farringdon/Clerkenwell for dinner. They do it all and do it well, we will name a couple of our favourites.

Turnmills/Fabric – two institutions of North London that attract some of the biggest and best names in music. Punters come from all over the country to dance all night with a crowd containing blue-haired Europeans, pilled-up plumbers and all that is in-between. On the right night, this place has the full spectrum of modern Londoners all with one shared goal – to lose the fucking plot on the dance floor. Be prepared to get lost in sound, lost in space and lost (literally).

Dollar Grills and Martinis – this place just does everything right, whether you are sitting upstairs in the faux-diner environment or having cocktails in the suave surroundings downstairs, you will be happy with the offering.

Potemkin – for those of you on which the name of this restaurant is not lost, you’ll appreciate how central Potemkin is to Russia and why it is a great name for a Russian Restaurant and Vodka Bar. As a Russophile, this place is right up my street, although even if its not up yours, there is enough vodka here to keep the population of Cornwall dribblingly drunk for 10 years.

Gutshot – whilst we could list all the samey, samey gastropubs that fill up this area (and to be fair they are nice enough) that isn’t really the aim here. Gutshot is pretty unique to this area (well it was when it was illegal), in that it’s a poker club. You need to go and sign up to be able to play, but once you’ve done that you’re free to swim amongst the card sharks. Having had the benefit of playing some hands there with a guy who looked older and wiser than Mr Miyagi and a kid who looked like he had been up for two weeks straight playing online poker, I can really recommend the experience. Just don’t end up trading in your girlfriend/boyfriend or something (unless they are worth less than the minimum £10 buy in of course!).

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