Don’t be be fooled by the mendacious media-driven fiction of overnight success, in reality it’s usually the tip of an iceberg disguising the years of persistent and dedicated hard work lingering below the surface. So, this location of one of Paul A Young’s two chocolate paradises, may have seemed to appear out of nowhere three and a half years ago, but myself (and eleven other lucky Qypers - if you include Kate, Mr Young’s adorable PR-savvy sidekick) last night shared an insight into all the arduous labour behind it: the years working as a pastry chef, including a period with Marco Pierre-White; the time laboriously spent studying the retail business plying his trade for some well-known supermarkets (leaving his kitchen utensils down for a period) and then the search for the first location for what continues to be a remarkably successful enterprise, without making the compromises many other purveyors of the brown stuff succumb to.

(A connoisseur and raconteur)

Paul - we’re on first name terms now, you know - is the most adept, witty and genial host. The informative, educational prelude was light-hearted but packed with useful facts: from the insight into the growing and cultivating of cocoa beans, to the origins of the chocolate as we now consume it and the shattering of some common myths.

(The gatecrasher)

Anyway, I’ve managed to hold off on the envy-inducing stuff for long enough. Then the fun really started. Different varieties of chocolate, from some of the world’s top producers like Valrhona, Michel Cluizel and Amedei, began to be passed around the room. We were treated to a range and array of different levels of cocoa content and discussed our palate-challenging conclusions with complete abandon. Let’s leave it there, so not to spoil your fun when you get finally get this opportunity too, but suffice to say that when, just to finish us all off, we were allowed a choice from his selection of uniquely bespoke and multi-award winning luxurious creations, it led to a chorus of deeply satisfied groans that you would normally only associate with the type of movies viewed in Jacqui Smith’s household (allegedly). If you haven’t sampled the trademark sea-salted caramel, your life is incomplete.

(Truly divine chocolates)

Oh what a night. It is now 6.30am the next morning, I have that lingering sleep-deprived sense that something rather amazing happened last night and I wouldn’t feel safe getting in my car and driving (If I had a car that is). In fact, I haven’t felt this ecstatic since I was in a warehouse at Santa Pod in 1989 wearing a rather tasteless outfit. So, if you missed out we can give you three solutions that may ameliorate your heartbreak: -

1. If you can muster up 8-12 homiez, there are regular Discovering Fine Chocolate events that happily stray to include whiskey, wine and cheese. Yes, cheese and chocolate go together like Robson and Jerome ( Err, a million times better than that actually - Qype Ed).

(Some of the finest….)

2. You could always nip down to Camden Passage or the The Royal Exchange, buy up a bucketload and try and stage it at home yourself. But do you really need me to tell you it wouldn’t be anywhere near as good? No, you don’t.

(A certain Mr. Hinchcliffe eventually lost control)

3. Keep your eyes firmly on this Qype group. We announce all our events well in advance and if you miss out the only person you can blame is yourselves. And the government.

Eamon

(Please note - all photos are kindly courtesy of ©emmajanerichards.com. Any unauthorised use will be mercilessly dealt with)

Fancy something just a little bit different? What about an eclectic women’s night where Soho chic meets Shoreditch kitsch.

It’s not about making money, it’s about making an entrance.

According to the Mannequin innovators Marta Aguiar and Jo Wallace, “it’s about making a beautiful thing by taking a glam buzz, and knitting it together with indie-disco and dirty electro. It’s about making Soho chic shake hands with Shoreditch kitsch and play nicely.”

They have exclusive use of a killer space at The East Room Shoreditch Members Club, where contemporary glamour meets retro kitsch. It is a large bar and dance area which opens out onto a stunning roof terrace. It is a bit like you were watching Cribs and fell into your TV, but less painful.

If this wasn’t incentive enough, to celebrate the launch night they will be offering free Malaysian finger food, courtesy of 54 Restaurant early in the night.

DATE AND TIME: Saturday 11th July, 8pm - 3am
EVENT LOCATION: The East Room, Shoreditch Members Club, 2a Tabernacle Street, London EC2A 4LU between Old Street/Moorgate tubes
PRICE: £8 in advance, available @ www.mannequin-social.com
£10 on the night. Men welcome as guests.

It’s the end of the month already? How did that happen? I’ve been all over the place this month, but luckily I’ve found some really great places. Here are my top place this month.

• I’m loving the outdoor stadium in Wuhlhiede, Berlin
• And having a great time at Lucky Voice.
• The Old Curiosity Shop in Hay was lovely.
• As was the Hay Castle Bookshop. A bookshop! In a castle!
• Istanbul Meze was excellent.

I haven’t had to give anyone just one star this month which makes me happy. Although if you want to take me for coffee, best not to take me to a supermarket coffee shop.

Got any exciting places you think I should check out in July? Tell me in the comments!

Flickr image from Steve Parker’s photostream.

Last week, I found myself drinking cocktails at two in the morning at London’s premier karaoke bar, Lucky Voice. I was meant to go home early, but that “quick drink after work” never really works out like that, does it?

Cocktails were drunk, songs were sung, and luckily for you events were planned! That’s right, after belting out a few tunes (I do an excellent Foreigner rendition), we decided to join forces to create the most exciting Qype event since the Summer party. Which wasn’t very long ago, I’ll admit.

The event will take place at the Upper Street branch of Lucky Voice on July 14th from 6pm. We’ve got space for 20 Qypers in two rooms booked from 7 so there’s just enough time for a couple of drinks to lose your inhibitions before we get singing. Of course, the first round is on Qype. That way when we video you making fools of yourself, you won’t get all shy.

Want to join us? Make sure you join the Ninja Event group, and we’ll give you more information there! You can also drop me a line through Qype to say hi. And bribes might work too (I like shiny things). If you can’t make the 14th or fancy getting in a little bit of practise, Lucky Voice have a nifty little thing called Lucky Voice Home which means you can sing along from your laptop. Lunchtime suddenly sound heaps more fun.

As I am currently getting through three pair of pants a day - solely due to the heat, thank you - I thought I would write about it. The heat that is. Not my pants. It wouldn’t be England if the masses weren’t grumbling: too hot, too cold, snow on the road, leaves on the line, bat out of hell etc.

So, what can you do? In reality, not that much but I have more to write so indulge me as I stretch this out a bit. One benefit is that one of my allotted household chores is laundry, and isn’t it fun how quickly everything dries? Or am I sad? When my slave-driver of a missus does let me leave the house, common sense says find somewhere shady with a breeze. (Which reminds me, at Hard Rock’s Hyde Park festival over the weekend, I witnessed throngs of imbeciles were sheltering from the thunderstorms under the tallest trees possible in a mass display of Simpsonian logic). Getting back to the point, Camden Passage in Islington is like a middle-class wind tunnel, full of fancy stores and bars and where Macondo is a perfect stop for an evening coffee, cake or stronger beverage.

Not sure if ice cream works or not - the experts say tea (though that research could’ve been funded by PG Tips - but it is a worthwhile experiment, and the best I’ve yet to find in London is the authentic gelato of Scoop, which is as refreshing as a witty German. You could also do far worse than dine amongst the shrubbery of the rooftop grill in Conran’s neat The Boundary over in Shoreditch.

And just to close, do you really think how much sweat-drenched sleep you didn’t get last night? You’re right, we don’t.

Eamon

Congratulatons to sickboyedd (that’s him on the right… kind of) for winning our post-party review competition.

Edd’s review of our summer party (tagged with all important ‘partyondude’) has netted him a space at a sake tasting evening, and a dinner for two at the fabulous Tsuru Japanese Restaurant.

Thankfully, Edd is self-confessed Japan buff, and has just started to learn Japanese so should have no problem with navigating the menu.

Keep an eye out here for more events and competitions, there’s always something going on.

I like doing active things. I especially like doing them with like minded people. It’s even cooler when you find women who want to join in as well, as I’m used to being one of the few women at a ride, or climbing wall. That’s why I created a group called Extremegirls, so ladies can come together over a shared love of all things active.

There’s a lesser known indoor skate park at what used to be the Cricketers’ Pub on the Oval, run by a very relaxed jovial guy called Alasdair. You can find his group on Facebook too. We arrived not quite knowing what to expect; after all… how the heck does a skate park in a pub ACTUALLY work? Well fear not, it does. And it’s very good for beginner/intermediate skaters that want to learn (Paul, Alasdair and Sam who manage the place teach as well for a tenner. Result!)

I felt at crunch busting prices like that, It’d be rude not to go. They have three half pipes in varying sizes, plus a pool table and tea and coffee for whoever gets that afternoon energy dip. There has also been talk of them organising surf expeditions, which we’re planning for at tthe end of July. Join us on extremegirls@ googlemail dot com

As the time fast approaches for our temporary absence from London I can’t help but start prematurely missing home. Born and bred Londoner we’ve only had short if frequent spells apart.  I’ve taken it all fro granted allowing, on the whole the rest of the world to come to me.  Now it’s time for me to return the favour and pay a visit back.

In three months we’ll be packing our bags, or so the plan goes and heading East to Hong Kong- my girlfriend on secondment, me holding on to coat tails.  I’ve never ventured un that direction further than St Petersburg some 12 years ago.  The ‘East’ is near entirely unfamiliar to me, ashamedly even my chopstick skills leave little to be desired.  My girlfriend, having lived there for a total of near 5 years has given me the virtual tour via air curtousy of Google Earth, we’ve browsed apartments on the internet.  Well travelled friends have told me great things, ”it’s the most beautifully positioned city I have ever visited” and ”the nearby beached could easily be mistaken for any in Thailand”.

It all sounds truely wonderful- but I know I will miss London.  No matter where I go there’s at least a small part of me that is happy to be ‘home’.  We fit one another.  The tube drives me crazy, I’m dismissive of anywhere south of the river and I barely break my routine that plays out entirely within a four mile radius in North London.  London, so rich in cultures, nationalities and environments is a city full of possibilities and opportunities and I’ve only just begun.   I can’t imagine anywhere else will ever be ‘home’.

For a long time Stoke Newington managed to remain one of the few corners of London who’s high streets were not burden with chains.  There was Woolies and then at some point a Fresh and Wild,  arrived- but that went unnoticed or rather unresisted, the majoritively middle class comminity rather pleased to have somewhere globally virtuous to shop.  But when Tesco Metro arrived on the Dalston boarders we should’ve been alerted to our weakend defences and the ambitions of other big businesses wanting their slice of the Stoke Newington pie.  Church Street was the real focus of the locals intentions for maintained independence and so when the whisper of a Nandos arriving here was heard all hell broke loose.  Sadly the battle was lost, I think probably because of the few other chain stores that had already snuck under the radar- cultural snobbism is unlikely to cut any ice with local planning committees these days.  I get the impression now that the fight has been somewhat abandoned by the local community.  Neither Nandos or Whole Foods pose any real threat to local businesses- there were no independent organic grocers locally (one has since bullishly, perhaps a little stupidly opened up) and neither was there a chicken-centric restaurant.  But supermarkets are a different story.  Every other shop along Stoke Newington High Street is a Turkish Grocers, hard working and laden with goodies to satisfy the tastes of a culturally diverse community.  Tesco has paved the way for Sainbury’s and as they compete between themselves, they are bound to drive more than a handful of the surrounding businesses bust.  Should we fear the arrival of a Starbucks or Cafe Nero and watch all the local cafes wither and die?   Of course we can’t expect things to remain unchanged but so often changes of this type do little to improve but rather take the heart and character from a community and it’s area.

Now this kid stands out from the crowd.  You’re bound to see the odd character now and again around such a big city and London does seem to have more than it’s fair share.  But not often are they pre teen and seen in their school uniform.  I’ve seen this kid around Stokey a few times, mostly on a weekend with unicycle in tow heading for the park.  Fair enough, there’s nothing odd about that. Clissold Park is carpeted with with all sorts of people getting up to all sorts of things on a fair day. Juggling, kite flying, acrobatics.  But this I’d love to master, to acquire the skills and balance required to ride a one wheeled circus associated crowd pleaser.  My mother sent me to Circus Space when I was a kid so I could swing from the trusses and make slow progress across the uh hum, low wire.   But never did I try out the unicycle and never would I have considered it a mode of transport.

With school bag on his back, shirt untucked and at times hands in pocket, relaxed he made steady progress towards home across the park.  I was on my bike, slowly peddling enjoying the sun when I caught sight of him.  Enchanted I followed behind watching the reactions of those we passed.  Much to my surprise there was little reaction from those sitting on the benches or pushing their kids in their pushchairs.  I was disappointed that people weren’t sharing my delight at seeing someone especially someone so young, doing something a little out of the ordinary.  Perhaps they just didn’t notice, so used to seeing slighly unusual things pass them by, perhaps it’s something they see all the time.  I’m sure that this is the chosen mode of transport for this school boy on most days.

Enchanted I was but I couldn’t help think it was rather impractical.  How would you carry all your shopping?  Is there anywhere you can attach panniers to a unicycle? (A water bottle holder is a possible addition though)  And god forbid you had to go up hill or you were in a hurry.  Light and easy to store when not in use, I’ll give you that.  But conventional I am, I think I’ll stick to two rather than one wheel for getting from a to b.   But I do look forward to catching sight of the school boy unicyclist again.