Theater and Food & Drink go hand in hand - Mishkin's and Gaby's Deli

When enjoying a Theater trip it's always an excellent opportunity to find interesting eating places.

Before the era of mobile internet and smartphones (how quickly I became dependent on mine!) I had fun researching food guides, then extensive internet research before I left for the trip... bringing along lots of lists and map directions. These days I rely on a Google search, Yelp or Tripadvisor during the trip, researching where to go the night before, breakfast places, lunch places, dinner, late night places for after theater... many places end up on my 'to try' lists, many remain on that list as one can only eat so many meals a day.

I love the top X lists in the Time Out guides... they are hit or miss with me but at the very least they give me inspiration on where to go and to avoid the big food chains.
Yelp and Tripadvisor are great as well, they allow for filtering on things like budget and type of food, and generally I'd take personal recommendations over professional ones... as tastes differ, these also are hit or miss, but it's mostly fun trying to find the little gems.

For me, on any trip, be it my theater trips, business trips or other, I'm always on the lookout for hidden gems, local recommendations, small mom&pop places, little dives of places that you'd think twice of going into if you had not read or heard about them, or would walk straight passed, never even noticing they were there. I visit the big chains every now and then, go for the big names or fancy places if the mood swings that way, but the occasional find of a hidden gem is what sticks with me, they will make me go back and discovering one of them gone on a return trip makes me a little sad.

A few places worth visiting when in London (UK):

Mishkin's

close to the Duchess Theater and Theatre Royal Drury Lane
25 Catherine St, London WC2B 5JS
Monday to Saturday: Noon – 11.30pm
Sunday & Bank Holidays: Noon – 10.30pm

Kitchen: Jewish deli type

Price range: ££

I'm not Jewish, but I like to try out different cultural kitchens. I loved Mishkin's for it's Chopped Chicken Liver and Pickled Herring and Beets Tartar. I loved the ambiance, and, big plus, has decent kitchen hours.

***

excerpt restaurant website: 

The boundaries in Mishkin's origins are as ambiguous as the menu's influences. Mishkin's is not Kosher (and neither, incidentally, is Katz's Deli in New York - perhaps the most famous Jewish restaurant in the world) and the dishes are based very loosely on the sort of Jewish comfort food we all love eating. Where possible we have used amazing local producers and where appropriate we have lightened recipes, refined traditional stodginess and, most of all, been playful.

*** 

excerpt from Jay Rayner's Observer restaurant review: 

"You don't have to be Jewish to like Mishkin's, but it probably helps. It gives you the right to kvetch about all the things that aren't as you think they should be. Though, of course, you need to be the right kind of Jew, which is to say only Jew-ish. Mishkin's, the latest venture from the sassy team behind Polpo and Spuntino among others, bills itself as a "kind of Jewish deli with cocktails". Given that my brethren are famous non-drinkers – I am such a bad Jew – this is a little like setting up a lingerie concession in a nunnery. Actually, it's nothing like that, but you get my point. If you're searching for something echt, to satisfy the frummers, you've come to the wrong place. This is a Jewish deli by way of New York, as imagined by a bunch of non-Jews. Kosher it ain't."

***

Gaby's Deli

Next door to Wyndham's Theater
30 Charing Cross Road
London WC2H 0DB Covent Garden, StrandMonday-Saturday 9.00-midnight
Sunday 11.00 am-10.00pm
Kitchen: MiddleEastern
Price range: ££

One of my favorite post play places... Gaby's is in the heart of West End, right next door to the Wyndhams, few doors from the Garrick and down the alley from the Noel Coward, their Falafal is famous, plenty of other good stuff on the menu. 

Good food for very reasonable prices. This place is visited by actors as well so you might get lucky.

Its storefront is tiny, don't blink or you'll have passed it. It's not fancy, but it's a gem!




Gaby's has had to struggle to survive, their landlord wanted to sell the place, no doubt so some chain store or restaurant could move in, there was a big media offensive so far it worked, Gaby's is still there, hopefully for many years to come!

***

Vanessa Thorpe, The Observer, sunday 11 December 2011

Stars unite to save the falafels that fueled theatreland

A Small independent cafe in London's West End, frequented by actors since 1965, is facing closure. Now it has become the subject of an A-list campaign to save it - and a focus for growing discontent over the homogenisation of the high street.

Gaby Elyahou outside Gaby's Deli in the West End. 

Photograph: Alex Lentati/Evening Standard

From first-night parties to snacks grabbed on the way to rehearsal, one small cafe has served the actors, dancers and musicians of London's theatreland for nearly five decades with reliable congeniality. Hit shows have come and gone, stars risen and fallen, but the falafels at Gaby's Deli have remained a crowd-pleaser. Until this Christmas, however, when the future suddenly looked bleak for the West End institution, as a planning application was passed for its redevelopment as a chain restaurant.

The Charing Cross Road deli appeared to be facing the prospect of "going dark" for good, until its theatrical neighbours stepped in to attempt a rescue, transforming it overnight – panto-style – into the hottest fringe venue in town.

This weekend many of the country's best-known performers and writers, including Simon Callow, Vanessa Redgrave, Miriam Margolyes, musician Alex James from Blur and director Mike Leigh, are queuing up for the chance to support the deli by appearing in a series of impromptu cabaret nights.

This campaign to save a popular, independent business comes as retail adviser and TV presenter Mary Portas prepares to release her report on the decline of high streets this week. The report is expected to criticise the impact of chain stores and franchise food outlets in creating "clone towns" in the UK, and while Gaby's has an unusually high amount of celebrity support, its backers believe that the battle to restrain the influence of franchises has a nationwide relevance.

On Thursday evening, Henry Goodman, the West End and Broadway star of shows such as Duet for One, Fiddler on the Roof and The Producers, entertained a packed house of diners with a satirical song written especially for the occasion by Alistair Beaton, author of political dramasFeelgood and A Very Social Secretary. "At Gaby's we love life and food and we love the theatre," Goodman told the crowd, emphasising the appeal of the cuisine in a lyric adapted from All Things Bright and Beautiful ("each tasty chickpea salad, the chilli sauce that kills") and decrying the advance of franchise food in the West End.

"I didn't expect anything," said the owner, 71-year-old Gaby Elyahou, this weekend. "I don't know what these actors are going to do each night. They just decided, and it breaks my heart to see all these people who say they will have nowhere to go if we close." 

Callow, who has eaten at the deli since it opened, said it is "everything a West End snackeria should be – tasty, individual, fast, fun". For Leigh, too, Gaby's is "one of the great institutions of the West End". "To allow it to be destroyed would be deeply irresponsible," he added.

Gascoyne Holdings, landlord of the building where Elyahou has sold salad, salt beef, soup and falafels since 1965, is still hoping to sell to a corporate buyer, but the growing, starry campaign to save Gaby's isspreading fast across Facebook, with around 3,000 supporters, and has become a broader protest against the demise of independent restaurants and shops. "They have offered me three months to go, and that is not much after nearly 50 years. I have been a good tenant, too," said Elyahou, who makes the bold claim that it was he who introduced falafels to London.

"What has upset me is that small businesses have no power to keep going. These big landlords know they could get you out tomorrow, yet if you go to Paris you see small shops and cafes of different kinds. As a result, these bistro chains have no chance there. But if I walk from Oxford Circus to my deli what do I see? Only big shops and chains all selling the same thing."

Elyahou was born near Baghdad, but moved to Israel as a teenager. "I have only bad memories of Iraq. Every Jewish child of my age has bad memories of that time. I didn't go to school, as they did not want Jews. As a young child I didn't understand, but I could see the fear in my brothers' and sisters' faces."

After living on a kibbutz and serving in the Israeli army, Elyahou arrived in England and set up his business. He married his wife, Levana, two years later and they had three children. "It has been fantastic working in London," he said. "I have never missed one day of work because I enjoy it. I enjoy the people. We had some hard times at the beginning, but slowly, slowly, people came around if you were friendly. I don't really know all the celebrities who come here. I don't recognise them because they want to be normal and sit in a corner. Vanessa Redgrave, Peter O'Toole and Ursula Andress used to like it here a lot, though. When Charlie Chaplin used to come in, I didn't realise at first because he was so old."

Elyahou hopes that the fashion for chain restaurants will fade. He has seen it happen before with Wimpy burger bars and Golden Egg cafe chains. "What I sell will always stay in fashion," he said. "If I could carry on the tradition around here, that would be good." 

This week Gaby's will host a performance by the master juggler and comedian Mat Ricardo, and the new year will see a reading from Callow and a specially commissioned short play by novelist Roma Tearne.

Skylight - London june 2014

by David Hare, performed at Wyndham's Theater, june 2014, cast Bill Nighy, Carey Mulligan and Matthew Beard

To keep it in Social Media terms 

OMG!

I had been looking forward to seeing this play very much.... the play itself was something I was on the lookout for if opportunity arose, but after casting was announced in february, including mr Bill Nighy I knew I'd pull out all stops to be in London sometime during it's run.

Of course timing was terrible, I'd just arranged for a London trip in May to coincide with the RAW wine fair  which was May 18-19 this year,  and Skylight was to open previews on June 6th.

It took some arranging and fixing to make this extra trip happening... work and private stuff aligned eventually, ticket narrowly secured and boy was it worth it!

Previews started June 6th, I got to see the June 11th Preview, the play already looked solid with one more week of previews to go. The house was packed, still in previews and already they had to sell some standing room only tickets.

The play was brilliant, penned in 1995 it could have been written this year, so much did it reflect society of today. I've never seen a production of this play before, so I don't know if it's usually like this, but there was a lot of humor instilled, especially by mr Nighy in Tom Sergeant's character. That man is bloody brilliant, he could have played this part on body language alone, and still got his points across.

Bill Nighy and Carey Mulligan

kudos to the set designer Bob Crowley

Carey Mulligan and Matthew Beard

Yes, I know he uses the same style, mimicry if you will, in his work a lot, but it works, it works on screen and it definitely works on stage.

The entire cast (of three) performed admirably, Nighy and Mulligan were believable as the odd couple... lovers who have practically nothing in common.

Mulligan's Kyra was at times too preaching, too full of her own righteousness and an over the top do-good teacher out to help those less fortunate while suffering in silence... but it worked most of the time. Nighy's Tom was brilliant, a conservative, not listening at all to any argument from Kyra, full of his own justifications, and yet getting the sympathy of the audience most of the time. I think it's Bill Nighy's intrinsic sympathetic way, enforced by Carey Mulligan's portrayal of Kyra's often rigid self-righteousness.

Bill Nighy (Tom Sergeant) and Carey Mulligan (Kyra Hollis)
Skylight june 2014 © John Haynes 

In this play, they are actually cooking on stage, it smelled great. This scene connected to it was so good! What a great actor can do with a little lump of Parmesan cheese...

I had a FANTASTIC theater evening, and (pretty rare for me) after the play waited at stage door to have my program signed... the entire cast was great, and could not be nicer to the fans waiting outside, mr Nighy, a true gentleman was late out the door due to green-room guests, must have been tired but took all the time in the world to sign programs, have pictures taken and chat a little with the people waiting for him. 

One of the reasons I love previews is I get to see the play before the critics do, which gives me no choice but to make up my mind completely on my own observations... I generally try to do so of course, but it's hard to avoid reviews entirely.

Walked out of the theater thinking this was a true winner. For once the professional critics agreed with me.

review blurbs:

"Thrillingly revived by Stephen Daldry in a knockout production."
Charles Spencer for The Daily Telegraph

"How has it stood the test of time? Remarkably well is the answer to judge from this splendid revival..."
Paul Taylor for The Independent

"Everything about this production is finely judged, even down to the way the passage of time is denoted through the lights going on and off in the windows of Bob Crowley's tower-block set."
Michael Billington for The Guardian

"Skylight packs real emotional punch and is often at its funniest when most angry. Nighy is a study in nimble charisma, relishing Hare’s diatribes about the charlatans who clog up the modern world, and Mulligan is admirably measured — yet erupts startlingly during the play’s most explosive moment."
Henry Hitchings for The Evening Standard

Nighy, who’s so cool he’s like a rock ’n’ roll star

"David Hare told me it had taken ten years to assemble the production, which will run at Wyndham’s Theatre from June 6 for just 11 weeks."

just because of that kind of dedication... copying this article entirely on this blog...

(From the Daily Mail online)

BAZ BAMIGBOYE: Why Bill Nighy chose Carey Mulligan over cappuccino 

By BAZ BAMIGBOYE

PUBLISHED: 23:57 GMT, 13 February 2014 | UPDATED: 23:57 GMT, 13 February 2014

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2558966/BAZ-BAMIGBOYE-Why-Bill-Nighy-chose-Carey-Mulligan-cappuccino.html#ixzz35yNsljF3 

Carey Mulligan and Bill Nighy are to play former lovers in a West End revival of David Hare’s Skylight, directed by Stephen Daldry.

This looks set to be classy theatre at its best. The play concerns Kyra Hollis, a teacher living a thread- bare existence in North-West London, who is briefly reunited with Tom Sergeant, her much older ex, a restaurant entrepreneur. They were once united, but are now divided on just about every issue: class, politics, sex, privacy and money.

Matthew Beard, who played opposite Carey in the films When  Did You Last See  Your Father? and An Education, plays her lover’s son.

Co-stars: Carey Mulligan, pictured left, and Bill Nighy, pictured right, are set to play former lovers in a West End revival of David Hare's Skylight 

David Hare told me it had taken ten years to assemble the production, which will run at Wyndham’s Theatre from June 6 for just 11 weeks.

Nighy, who’s so cool he’s like a rock ’n’ roll star, played Tom in an earlier revival, and he and Hare have long been eager to give it another go. 

All manner of producers came after the rights and offered their own suggestions about who would play the leads. But Hare refused all overtures, arguing that it was difficult to find actors of the calibre of Michael Gambon  (the original Tom) and Nighy to be in the play. 

‘It’s too important to me to have it messed up,’ he said. He added that plenty of actresses had suggested themselves to play Kyra, but none were suitable. 

Several years ago, Nicole Kidman wanted to do a film version, but  Hare said no again, because he believes that screen versions of plays don’t work.

He got as far as discussing dates with Kate Winslet. ‘She would have been perfect,’ he said. ‘But she could only do four weeks because she wanted to be with her children.’

The playwright saw Carey play Nina in The Seagull and believed then that she would make a formidable Kyra. ‘She’s incredible on stage,’ he said, and went on to laud her powerful supporting performance on screen, opposite Oscar Isaac, in the much underrated Coen brothers’ gem Inside Llewyn Davis.

Several big-name directors were after Skylight, too. Hare said ‘one jealous director’ heard about Daldry’s involvement and hissed: ‘Tell him to check his brakes.’

Nighy, who was in London on a short break from filming The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 2 with Judi Dench and Maggie Smith in India, said that his decision to do Skylight a second time ‘is an odd thing’. 

‘I could be sitting on a film set with people bringing me cappuccinos,’ he said. ‘But this is a role that I like and a play that I love.’

He called Skylight ‘funny, accessible and romantic’, adding that he enjoyed how it delved into aspects of civic responsibility. 

That’s one of the reasons I like it, too.

Nighy labelled himself ‘reckless’ for staying away from the stage for so long. He last trod the boards in Hare’s The Vertical Hour on Broadway nine years ago, and said he’d love to do Skylight in New York, if everybody was agreeable.

It’s hard to say when a Broadway transfer could happen, because Daldry, Mulligan and Nighy have pretty full dance cards.

Carey is rehearsing Sarah Gavron’s film Suffragette with Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Marie Duff and Brendan Gleeson, with filming due to start in ten days. Then she goes directly to work on Skylight.

I’m very excited to see her play Bathsheba Everdene in Thomas Vinterberg’s film of Far From The Madding Crowd, expected to be out in the autumn. ‘I have been looking for a play to do for such a long time,’ Carey exclaimed when we met. ‘And now I have found it.’

Skylight will be her official West End stage debut, because she did The Seagull at the Royal Court and on Broadway.