"legend has it that deep in the snowy south pole, mischievous elves can be found living each
day like it their last, following their epic escape from a life of slavery
to the evil fat cat, father christmas. those who managed to break free found guidance from the
coolest cat in all the land, the snowman, who met the sugar plum fairy and her candy cane girls on his travels. following some wild nights in the land of sweets the snowman coaxed the
elves, the sugar plum fairy and the caners to his saloon in the south, and so they reside,
leading a life of freedom and fun, at their south pole saloon. following their great escape from father christmas the elves, always up to snow-good, invite
the naughtiest guests in the land to make their way through a forest of fir trees, into an
enchanted land, complete with creative cocktails, pop-ups stalls from london street food
sensations, incredible dj line-ups and some of the most impressive, immersive productions the
city has to offer.."
with promotional material as bloody creative as that, there was no way the girls and i weren't going to have our annual "let's try and get us all in the same room as each other" festive catch-up at brixton rooftop's south pole saloon, was there? a mere few minutes' walk from the station in brixton, the rooftop offers both naughties and nicers the opportunity to get a little festive south of the river this christmas, with a spectacular winter cocktail menu - my favourite was santa's tart (bacardi, cherry syrup, lime juice, and ground cinnamon) across three main bars, four street food vendors, a stage for live bands and performances, eight candy caner cabins for a vip christmas experience, and a groovy dance floor with a 2am licence and a complete and working heater.
i hadn't heard of any of the food traders - with the exception of 'mac to the future', but i was keen to get sampling. and with the help of social app embargo, i was able to score an extra dish for freeee! (seriously, download the app, check-in, get a free dish) i started with some pulled pork and double-cooked fries from vudu food, which went down a bloody treeeeat, let me tell you. the portions of smokey pork were excellent, and the chips super crunchy, but i wasn't done. i had to use my freebie on some mac and cheese after seeing katy devouring a serve with chorizo piled on top, and my oh my, i was glad i did. i'm not biiiig on mac and cheese usually, but with that salty, spicy, delicious chorizo on the top, i was sold.
it's not often we get something fun like this on my side of the river, so it was great to be able to have a night out, and be home within half an hour. trust me, that's a treat for me! i'll definitely be back before it closes (jan 20th), maybe even to one of the six extra special dates in the calendar for shared christmas parties next month, where all the food, drink
and a fully extended entertainment programme is all included in the ticket price, taking all the hassle out of having to stand in line.. ever, really. if there's one thing i hate with a passion, it's a line. we got in nice and early to avoid them, and it seemed to have done the job. the rooftop is only opened wednesday, thursday, friday and saturdays from 6pm, so next time i'm stuck for dinner, pretty sure i'm going back for that mac...
*i was a guest of brixton rooftop's, but all thoughts are my own.
