London Ice Sculpting Festival 2013

It wasn't just the ice that was frozen, I was chilled to the bone from the moment I arrived at The London Ice Sculpting Festival 2013 until I left! It's as if they planned the weather to add to the authenticity. Brrrrr!

Celebrating it's 5th year, the free family art event takes place in and around the towering backdrop of Canary Wharf, a large part of which was located on a small island called Wood Wharf that you had to queue up to set foot on and leave, but more about that later...

time to reveal some art!

Truth is, they looked a million times better in real life, though hopefully you can appreciate the beautiful way in which sections of them were lit up. 
Over 20 ice sculptors took part in the three day event that started on Friday and ran through the weekend. They came from all over the world including the US, Latvia and Spain to show off their sawing skills (Edward may not have been there but the crowd still got to witness the excitement of snow.) Some more than others...

 The Snow Pit was just for kids. Naturally this made me grumpy, but alas, happiness came in the form of sweet stuff. You know when you go to market stalls and there's always a French Patisserie? Well I always think they're overrated, the creations look amazing but the taste is often disappointing. Not here though. The cake stand was spectacular.

One of the main reasons I wanted to come to the London Ice Sculpting Festival was to try out some ice sculpting for myself. These masterclasses where you could sculpt a penguin or polar bear had to be booked in advance, mine was supposed to be at 5.40pm...but as fate would have it, I never made it there as I couldn't get back on the island. That queuing thing I mentioned, I left the island to warm up, came back and after 15 minutes was still attempting to get back on : (

Still, there was also the ice grafitti wall which was stationed back in central Canary Wharf. You still had to queue but it was a much shorter wait.

Each participant was given a tool to engrave into the wall of ice.

It would have been more addictive if there wasn't the stress of knowing you only had two minutes each. I call that stingy but hey, it meant more people had a go.

There was also ice chess, but I'm more of a Draughts kind of girl so I left that to the pros.

 At nightfall there was a light show, but by that point I was such an iceblock myself, I headed indoors to thaw where I stumbled across this very handsome snowman who was guarding the children's craft area.

Back at the Jubilee Line tube station I was amazed to discover a cinema screen, literally a huge projection at the far end of the station, which you can only access when you've passed the ticket barriers. Most people will head straight down the escalator, but those who follow the sights and sounds are in for a treat.
I watched two brilliant short films from the London Transport archives, including a charming look behind the Lost Property Office in Baker Street. Notably that someone actually left a tortoise on a bus and managed to get it back!

I love free days out in London like this. If you look for them, there's always fun activities going on, waiting to be discovered that you don't need any money to enjoy. 
I aim to report back on some more of these adventures in the capital soon!

Review: Byron Burgers arrives in Greenwich

'I'll have a gherkin with that..'

I have long thought that the humble burger is the most aesthetically beautiful of foods. The alluring rounded bap top, bulging filling of fresh green lettuce, shiny red slice of tomato and a juicy brown burger is just so tempting...and that's coming from a vegetarian! I have a burger obsession. Maybe it stems from the fact my favourite book as a child was Alexander McCall Smith's The Perfect Hamburger.

(I'm proud of this photo!)

When I heard Byron Burgers was coming to Greenwich I was intrigued as many a meat loving friend has told me how good their burgers are...trouble is, if I'm out and about with a burger eating pal I need to know that I won't go hungry too. Ever since Gourmet Burger stopped making their giant portabello mushroom, things have got tricky, their attempt at falafel is truly dreadful, so would Byron fare any better for the non-meat eaters?

Food for friends

The restaurant itself overlooks the River Thames, on the brand spanking new pier. A contentious issue amongst many Greenwich folk. We used to have a beautiful, simple, traditional pier and now it looks more like a fairground. To be fair though I have always thought central Greenwich lacks in places to eat. The fact they have squeezed in several new chain eateries is actually quite impressive.

Airport runway?

There are two floors at Byron. I opted for upstairs and the best seat in the house; the one that overlooks the centre of the pier, out to the Thames and directly facing the towering lights of Canary Wharf. By night is was spectacular, by day it's going to be the most popular seat in Greenwich,with ample opportunity to people watch.

The Perfect Veggie Burger?

Hopefully this shot puts it into perspective, you can see all the boats arriving - infact it's the first thing travellers see when they disembark from the boat. I was sitting there thinking wow, Byron have the primest location; their burger joint is the first thing you lay eyes on when you get off the boat - the best publicity ever... no need to write a blog post about it!

Sign shortage

And yet there was no signage outside facing the pier...maybe it's coming later? 
(The chap standing in the window upstairs is where I was sitting.)

Slice of life (the plant variety)

Ok, back to the burger! I was promised a chargrilled portabello mushroom, with goats cheese, red peppers, spinach and tomato and was very pleased it turned up in one of their signature squidgy buns.

Thrice bitten

Having watched the video on their website that afternoon I was determined to eat the burger properly - after all their slogan is 'proper burgers'

Burger eating the posh way

But alas, I was defeated, After three bites I couldn't do it and proceeded to eat with a knife and fork! 

Salted by not shaken

I didn't regret my decision. It made my side dish of courgette fries taste better. I could appreciate the individual flavours more like noticing the garlic mayonnaise which previously had been masked by the heavy layer of goats cheese. All in all the veggie burger was alright. I did feel their was way too much cheese - goats cheese is so overpowering you could barely notice the mushroom which is insignificant in comparison. The fries were a nice concept but were drowning in salt - I think they should stick with the KP Salt & Shake crisp theory and let you season them yourself. The other sides sounded appealing too, I'd be well up for coming back and sampling the macaroni cheese.

The Byron Bill

The bill arrived with a badge and a sweet, perfect to eradicate the aforementioned garlic mayo.

Washroom wonderful

The loos were very impressive; the square sinks and mosaic tiles had a holiday charm about them. Though the yellow & blue colour scheme is a bit bizarre, it's very seaside like even though the establishment is on a river.

So, to round up. Byron Burgers opens to the public today at midday (I managed to test it out the night before!).  Although the building itself is a little clinical (I'm not sure about the wooden panelling and the staircases feel nothing like an eaterie), it has an outstanding location. There is also a roof garden - and there's not alot of those around in this area. The opening has been delayed by two weeks since work on the Cutty Sark is behind. The pedestrian access to the area is still restricted and their neighbours aren't yet functioning but come summer, I'm sure it will be heaving with locals and tourists alike. 

I can't comment on the meat, but I live in hope that one day burger joints will realise that veggies don't just eat veg, as nice as the mushroom was, we'd much rather have a filling soya burger for a more authentic experience. But hey ho, the concept is about the all-American hamburger and in that respect, Byron seem to be doing the right thing.

 Byron Burgers, East Pavilion, Greenwich Promenade, London, SE10 9HT
Open 3rd April 2012, midday to late seven days a week.