New Kid on the Block

In addition to the rumours that have been circulating about a Sainsbury’s Local opening opposite Freshco, there has been some very sad news recently that one of the most loved family owned shops on Wandsworth Bridge Road is closing down, citing ‘tough times’ as the reason. The future is looking pretty bleak for the villagey stretch of SW6 suburbia which is home to so many independent and individual quirky shops and restaurants. 

Normally adopting a happy go lucky- isn’t Fulham Fab- attitude on the blog, I’m sorry to start this post so negatively. I really want to remind local Sands End residents that if we don’t support the independent businesses in the area, they will soon be overtaken by corporate owned, mass producing chains. Wandsworth Bridge Road will begin to resemble some of the less salubrious South London suburbs and not keep the quirky SW6 character and community that we all love. 

                              

Anyway rant over, last week I visited the latest opening on Wandsworth Bridge Road; the very cool and contemporary ‘ThaiPhoon’. Launched by a charming couple, Max and Pye, this Thai restaurant is part of a new generation of Asian dining. Gone is the cat strangling pan piped soundtrack, the bladder bursting water feature and the fogged up fish tank- Max and Pye have kept it simple, combining exotic Asian colours and prints with minimalist warehouse chic furniture. 

                                 

Max is fully aware of the overpricing that is so prevalent in Fulham and has put together a competitively priced and creative menu- with dishes that range from a ‘Hangover Remedy’ to the particularly popular ‘Lamb Shank Massamun’ choosing one dish is virtually impossible. We ordered the ‘Lost in Thaiphoon’ for three people to start and enjoyed a selection of mixed starters, favouring the pork dim sum and chicken satay. To follow we had a Pad Thai, Chilli Basil Kaprow with prawns and a chicken Hangover Remedy, all of which we ‘plattered’ (adding the option of the Thaipoon platter supplement for the extra greedy). 

                                  

The delicious food was the perfect combination of spicy and sweet, the thai flavours were warming and satisfying and we felt very full, fat and happy. Max and Pye have done a great job with the decor, service, menu and branding of this place- it’s unique yet authentic and fun yet delicious. Our bill was by no means eye watering and we even were tempted by the mini supermarket at the back with the ‘make it at home’ curry paste and sauces. Thaiphoon do takeaways but sadly don’t deliver- it really is a fantastic addition to the area and I hope that they find success with their new venture.

                                    

Boxing the bulge at Sands End Ladies ABC

We're always on the look out for new ways to keep fit, healthy and to manage the bulge in Fulham and Chelsea, but I don't think I've had a workout yet like the one I got last weekend at the Sands End Ladies ABC.

Set up by local ladies Jennifer Hunter and Staica Read and sponsored by the Mayor of London's FREESPORT programme, this free class takes place every Saturday from 2 to 3:30pm at the Hurlingham and Chelsea School, Peterborough Road. The session starts with a quick overview of the basic boxing moves: jabs, punches, hooks, parries and blocks. The emphasis is on correct technique as well as building awareness around posture, footwork and keeping your guard. Boxing is much more complex than it looks are there are lots of nuances that will make sure you get maximum power, and avoid hurting yourself! We then paired up to practice simple routines, all non-contact, before hitting the punch bags, weights and a pretty gruelling floor routines of squats, crunches and stretches. The coaches are incredibly supportive and encouraging, making sure we were all pushing ourselves as hard as we could but that the session remained light hearted and fun. There's lots of laughter and joking around, and a pretty awesome soundtrack, but you definitely feel the burn!

Boxing is not the exercise that springs to mind for must of us girls when we're considering our fitness options, but it provides a really full on workout for your whole body, and helps build awareness, coordination, agility and some properly hard biceps and abs. The sessions are non-contact (no black eyes here!) and everyone there was incredibly friendly and encouraging, and a whole mix of ages and abilities. Just remember to do a thorough warm-down before going to bed that evening - my arms were still aching 48 hours afterwards!

The classes are totally free, and it's a fun way to get a really thorough workout in a really friendly group. Take a mate and check it out - you've got nothing to lose!

Sands End Ladies ABC
Sports Hall, Hurlingham and Chelsea School
Peterborough Road
SW6 3ED
Saturday 2-3:30pm. Classes FREE
http://sandsendabc.org.uk/about/

Holistic Happiness: a different take on massage therapy

Most of us dread a visit to the dentist. In fact, some of the last words that come to mind are words like “happiness” and “holistic well-being”. Yet, there’s a dental practice on the Wandsworth Bridge Road which offers exactly that. Karma Dental has been around for the past 20 years, but more recently has branched out to offer holistic well-being treatments too. And we reckon they’re on to a winner.

Ellie Blair is a massage therapist who places the emphasis on therapy. She is a passionate advocate of holistic medicine who firmly believes all her treatments should benefit mind and spirit as well as your body. Having studied various alternative therapies for the past 20 years, progressing from Reiki through to massage therapy and specialised Ayurvedic treatments more recently, Ellie has a keen sense of spirituality that manifest itself in a warm enthusiasm for her work and her patients. Not being a particularly ‘spiritual’ person myself (those that know me would say that’s probably an understatement), I didn’t find Ellie at all “hippy” and all you need to derive maximum benefit is to keep an open mind as the massages do vary slightly from the traditional model. For example, the full body treatment is less focussed on removing knots and more on deriving a holistic balance so the pressure may not be what you are used to. All treatments are started with a 10-15 minute consultation so that Ellie can tailor the procedure to you and make sure she can best meet your expectations.

In a sweet little treatment room on the top floor of Karma’s Wandsworth Bridge Road practice, Sarah and I sampled a full body massage as well as an Ayurvedic leg and foot massage known as Kansa Vatki. Both were incredibly relaxing and for those of you who take an interest, Ellie has both a fascinating story and a vast amount of knowledge about the different treatment philosophies she practices. During my Ayurvedic treatment, she explained why she performs much of the procedure with a small metal dome moulded from copper, zinc and lead. Copper is known for its joint healing properties, and is often used to treat arthritis, where as zinc is beneficial for circulation and tin aids digestion. She also showed me how the nerve endings in your feet essentially provide a map for the rest of your body, and that by stimulating different parts of my soles she was able to treat different areas of my body. After my treatment I certainly felt that my whole body had been affected, and that 5 minutes of head massage at the end definitely ensures full head-to-tea benefits. Ellie says her childhood friends always used to comment on what warm hands she had - they were obviously made that way for a purpose!

Ellie is currently planning her memoirs, so I won’t spoil too much of her life story, suffice to say her outlook to life is pretty inspirational. She believes in constant and positive change and growth, and in her 40s took the incredibly brave step of packing up her flat in London and moving alone to the mountains of New Mexico to work with some of the tribal leaders , and she stayed for 12 years. She still trains to broaden her repertoire of alternative therapies (next up is an Indian abdominal massage treatment) and recently has started writing for UK-wide magazine Kindred Spirit. As she grows older she still believes the best of life remains in store for her, which is an attitude I find very impressive especially when I think of how many friends I have in their twenties who already think it’s too late for a career change/new boyfriend/to move abroad.

If you’d like to sample some of Ellie’s holistic magic for yourself, we’ve teamed up with Karma Wellbeing to offer SouthWestSix readers 50% off a Swedish Massage treatment (usually £50) at their Wandsworth Bridge Road treatment rooms. All you need to do is contact them at wellbeing@karmadentalcare.co.uk and quote ‘SouthWestSix’ when you make your booking. The offer is valid until March 20^th 2012 and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

We’d love it if you’d let us know how you found it by leaving a message in the Comments box!

Karma Dental Care

144 Wandsworth Bridge Road

London SW6 4UH

http://www.karmadentalcare.co.uk/

www.karmawell-being.co.uk