Fondue at Androuet, Spitalfields

One of life's basic pleasures is cheese. Forget long walks on the beach, the smell of freshly cut grass and all those other cliches, just give me a plate of cheese and I'm a happy lady. It can come in any form but when it's melted down for my convenience and I can dunk stuff in it, well, there isn't much better than that.

Explore: Cointreau Prive by Dita von Teese

On Friday night myself and two of my best girlfriends got dolled up to hit the pop-up bar Cointreau Prive in Piccadilly, London.

Open for just 3 weeks, the bar has been designed and curated by burlesque legend Dita Von Teese. Inspired by her favourite cocktail bars in LA and Paris, she has handpicked the expert bar staff to make signature and unique cocktails and make the whole experience feel intimate and a world away from the tourist traps literally right outside the door.

As suggested by the name, the drinks were all based around the Cointreau liqueur and I had the signature Cointreau Teese which was the yummiest apple concoction that tasted like pureed sweets in the most fabulous taaaaaaaaaaall black martini glass (made so large so people wouldn't steal them I'm sure!). My girls Ms O and Ms W had the Cointreau Rose with raspberries and rose wine which was sweet but not as fresh and still very tasty. For such a place the drinks weren't hideously priced, but saying that we could only really afford 2 each!

The room was underground and decorated in reds lamps and low tables with an impressive chandelier in the main section. One of Dita's own elaborate corsets decorated in feathers and crystals sat in a corner, and plush velvet sofas were available for the lucky ones that were there long enough to wait for someone else to move (like us!). 

The atmosphere was calm but fun. As entry is only guaranteed if you'd book online it assures that it doesn't get overly packed and uncomfortable. The queue for the bar wasn't horrific, and you didn't have to fight for a space to perch with your drink. The DJ was fantastic, playing a mix of classic motown, modern indie dance tunes and an immense remix of Howlin' For You by The Black Keys. Sadly we had to leave to get the last tube home at about 12.30am, but the night was still in full swing with people still arriving and moving towards the dancefloor. We even saw Paloma Faith looking more stylish then I could bear!

It was a perfectly executed experience. Cointreau Prive runs until December 17th, but bookings are filling up fast so make sure you grab your chance to go as soon as possible!

Music: Yann Tiersen - Roundhouse, 20/10/11

Yann Tiersen isn't really a household name (not in England anyway), so I always introduce him with the same question:

Me: "Have you seen 'Amelie'?"
You: "Yes/No."

Me: "He did the music for that."

This is indeed how I came across his music. The soundtrack for Amelie if you haven't seen it (although there's no excuse if you haven't!) is beautifully French. Full of accordion and piano gorgeousness, it's perfect at telling the beautiful story of quirky Amelie and her search for love.

However, there was basically no point in listening to all of that for this performance. Yann and his band knocked subdued out of the water, and totally shocked me with a frantic and fast-paced performance. The music went on an electronic twist with quite dark and deep undertones; the energy raged between manic to excitable. I'm making it sound like they were jumping around the stage, smashing their instruments and spitting at the crowd; they weren't and it wasn't a rock gig, it was inherently avant-garde til the end, and that's what made me stand, pretty much open-mouthed for the majority. Tapping unknowingly to beats where I could keep up, I was caught in a trance!

Yann Tiersen on stage

The highlight of the evening was Yann's violin solo. Simply AMAZING. I absolutely adore going to see a band or musician and they play a variety of instruments themselves, not relying on a band (Patrick Wolf does this, and The Cooper Temple Clause were the kings of instrument swapping). I do believe that the better the musician overall, the better the music, and Yann Tiersen totally proves that theory.

Yann Tiersen with his band

As a friend said to me: 'I was expecting more accordions." But despite that, I was surprisingly impressed and entranced by this incarnation of Yann, and I'd expect to see something completely different next time too.