Far From The Braying Sloanes - Super Supper at The Sands End

If there is one thing that our beautiful borough is not short of, it's pubs.

From The Durell to The Duke on the Green, SW6 boasts a vast array of establishments all vying to provide the local twenty-something masses with their weekly fix of gin and slim.

But there's one pub in the area that holds a very special place in my heart.

Some plump for the Sloaney Pony (White Horse), others have fallen for The Phene, but the pub that gets the number one spot on my list is The Sands End. Every time.

Nestled in the quiet side-streets off the bustling Wandsworth Bridge Road and big sister to The Brown Cow on the Fulham Road, The Sands End is bit off the beaten track. But despite its elusive location, it's always busy; full of savvy SW6ers in the know about what this hidden gem has to offer.

When I say busy, I don't mean The White Horse busy. There's no need to get the commuting elbows out to get to the bar. Far from the braying Sloanes and the "Tobes, can you grab a Doombar for Giles, mate?" barks across the beer pumps, it's busy in the best kind of way. Enough people to gauge its popularity, without feeling like a sardine tin.

Plus, it gets right what so many other pubs in the area fail to. The food.

The food at The Sands End is absolutely fantastic.

On a recent visit, I went along with my boyfriend to sample the delights of the updated menu, and chef Olly certainly did not disappoint.

The pollock sashimi starter is an updated version of a longstanding favourite. Light and full of fresh, crisp flavours, the pollock is caught in Cornwall each morning and plated up to the masses after Olly has worked his magic on it the very same day.

Another newbie to the starter selection is the crab and scallop raviolo. A delicious parcel of perfectly cooked pasta, filled with meaty fish and covered in a creamy and rich sauce, which was devoured very happily.

Chuffed with how well we'd ordered our starters, our appetites had been truly whetted for the main course.

James went for what I can only describe as every man's dream meal: beef rib in a barbecue glaze, served with macaroni cheese and coleslaw. The meat fell off the bone, and the sticky sweet barbecue sauce was fantastic alongside the macaroni cheese. I know this, because I demanded more than one mouthful. Obviously. This dish really wouldn't have looked out of place at a far pricier Hawksmoor-style establishment.

Convinced by our excellent waiter, Fred, I opted for another new addition to the menu - risotto with hake. Without wanting to go all Gregg Wallace on you, this really was the most amazingly balanced plate of food I think I have ever eaten. The flavours were amazing.

We rounded off our dinners with a delicious, but totally unnecessary chocolate mousse. (What blogger worth their salt would be so unthinking as to not try the puddings?!)

Not only is The Sands End superb in the food it produces, it's also very reasonably priced for what they serve. Starters range from around £6 - £9, and mains start at about £15. Granted, the beef rib is £20, but you'd pay £30 for it elsewhere.

You don't even have to go the whole hog and have a massive meal either. Pop along for a pint and a bar snack! Their Scotch eggs are to die for, and their sausage rolls are pretty darn good, too.

Thanks to the team at The Sands End that made our evening so memorable. We'll no doubt be back again soon!


The Sands End
135-137 Stephendale Road
London
SW6 2PR
020 7731 7823
enquiries@thesandsend.co.uk

Valentine’s Day, the SW6 way

Cardboard cut-out hearts loom over the ready meal aisle in every supermarket, Paperchase has turned pink overnight, and boyfriends everywhere (well, at least in my flat) are complaining about the 'racket' that is the 14th February set dinner sharing menu, which has replaced the normal selection in all our favourite restaurants.

It can only mean one thing. Valentine’s Day is almost upon us, and SW6 is about to be divided into its two traditional camps for this time of year: Smug Couples and Singletons.

If romance makes you run for the hills, the good folk of London’s bubbliest borough have got a wide range of ideas to make sure you spend the day in style.

Single and ready to mingle? Why not try…

Honk it you're horny this Valentine's Day at Honky Tonk

This year join the singles party on 14th February at Honky Tonk Chelsea & Honky Tonk Clapham and Honky If You're Horny!

Each table will have a very special cupids horn on it and when you see a certain someone who catches your eye, give it a good squeeze and let them know that they could be your valentine's this year!

Power ballads and lover's rock at Maggie's 

Maggie's 80s club in Chelsea will be dedicating their decks to Power Ballads and Lover's Rock for Valentine's. The dress code with be appropriately themed 'denim and big hair' and to really get the party started, the first fifty lovers will get a 'love is the drug' shooter on arrival.
Then, in homage to the only calendar eve of the year when 'Smooching Selfies' are 'totes apropes' Maggie's will be running a competition to see who can tweet the best kissagram with the winner receiving a complimentary fishbowl cocktail sharer.

Valentine's Day Toga Party at BungaBunga

This year BungaBunga in Battersea will be harping back to their Roman roots, in celebration of one of history's greatest love affairs, between the infamous Cleopatra and Mark Anthony with a Traditional Toga Valentine's Party.

The dress code will be titillating toga attire, of course and the night will see guest enjoy not just a feast fit for emperors but also an array of amphitheatre worthy entertainment in the form of love song karaoke.

Fighting the festive flab? Grab a Slice of the action!

If you're anything like me, at this dreary time of year you'll be mid-way through a half-hearted January detox and an inch away from binning the 'green juice' and reaching for the nearest biscuit tin/wine bottle/fag packet (delete as appropriate).

And let’s face it; that’s totally understandable. The weather is miserable, we’re back at work, and the annual influx of not so fair weather fitness fans is making the average gym class studio feel more like a sardine tin.

Having narrowly avoided a black eye from an over-enthusiastic neighbour’s energetic ‘Superman’ leaping, it was after a packed out Body Attack class at my local gym that I set out to find a fun and fresh new way to exercise in SW6.

Like Sarah and Jess before me, I trundled off to discover the brilliant local business that is Slice: an innovative group-exercise concept housed in a beautiful, bespoke building in the heart of Parsons Green.

Tucked away round the corner from Waitrose, Slice offers an enormous range of exercise classes to suit every taste, whatever your fitness level.

Launched last year and growing all the time, Slice is a breath of fresh air when it comes to exercise classes. From your more traditional Yoga and Pilates, to Barre Conditioning (a Slice speciality) and Fighting Fit, there’s something for everyone.

Scanning the list, there was one particular option that I had to try: 80s Aerobics.

I don’t care what anybody says, I know it’s tacky and well renowned as ‘the decade that taste forgot’, but I LOVE the 80s. Leg warmers, Wham!, big hair. I love it all.

So it was with a spring in my step and my leopard print leggings in my gym bag that I headed in to meet the impossibly smiley Colby, our instructor for the evening.

The beauty of Slice is – as Colby explained to me - that, unlike other gyms, you get rewarded for going. Slice starts with the “Slice and Dice” card – which works as an Oyster card – giving you discounts as you do more classes.  You come because you want to! Plus, this month, you can sign up for 30 days unlimited classes for the bargain price of £40.

The studio that the class took place in was spacious and warehouse-y in feel. Obviously not alone in my 80s fandom, I was joined by about 15 other ladies all ready to strut their stuff to some of the decade’s cheesiest tunes and work up a sweat in the process.

Apart from a disappointing lack of leg warmers and not a Richard Simmons sweatband in sight, it was an excellent turnout.

A deceptively loud portable stereo in the corner blasted out a series of the 80s finest musical masterpieces. We jumped to Journey, lunged to Lionel and pranced to the Poynter Sisters in a fun, high energy cardio workout for half an hour, before it was time to hit the mats and channel our inner Jane Fonda with some good old fashioned floor work.

We leg lifted, squatted and there was hip thrusting that the girls in that Eric Prydz video would have been proud of; though in my case it was more Eric Pickles than Eric Prydz. (I blame the mince pies).

A frequent albeit reluctant attendee to Les Mills torture sessions like Body Combat and Body Attack, I was expecting 80s aerobics to be fairly tame in the difficulty stakes. What felt like several hundred sit-ups and crunches later, though, and I stood very much corrected. My stomach muscles ached good and proper the next day – always a sign of a proper workout.

So, if you’re on the hunt for something to freshen up your workout routine that’s fun, different and a great way to get fighting fit for 2014, head down to Parsons Green and grab a Slice of the action!

SLICE URBAN LIFESTYLE STUDIOS
11 Heathmans Road
London SW6 4TJ
PH: 020 7186 6007
Email: hello@slicefitness.co.uk