As the eternally wise Oscar Wilde once said “Murder is always a mistake – one should never do anything one cannot talk about after dinner.” and on my recent jolly to London we found that Murder...was most certainly something to be discussed before, during and after Dinner preferably with a cocktail in ones hand.
To add a certain Crime Noir drama to the occasion I guess I should say that I started my days venture in black and white on a cold and misty morning standing wordlessly upon the platforms edge at Northampton; with a packed lunch in my satchel and hands clutching at a telegram I received telling me I needed to meet a mystery character under the clock tower at the west entrance of Kings Cross station at 12' o clock prompt or ill never see fluffy again... Truth is I was tucked up with a white chocolate Mocca from our friendly neighborhood Starbucks, a great priced Ticket for the day that included zones 1-6 travel card bought in advance for £38 from the London NorthWestern Railway website, my camera, my book and a great soundtrack playing in my ears.
I was lucky enough to have bought a great ticket that allowed me flexi travel through the whole day so I was able to arrive at 9am and get the 9.05 train to London Euston. We made great time and I rolled into London Euston just after 10.20. I was blessed with a wonderful day so bearing in mind I needed to meet my friend and not a shadowy contact at 11.30 by the swing at Kings Cross; I decided to walk from station to station as its only a 10 minute walk , London pace.
It felt great to be back in my natural habitat and the native Londoner in me oozed back into my bones. I started to wander and found myself going slightly off the path with my camera and I remembered how much I missed the hustle bustle and moodiness of my homeland.
As my tummy grumbled and time moved on I made my way back into Kings Cross station, and as a Ravenclaw, I was naturally drawn into the
Platform 9 3/4! A Harry Potter one stop shop that was brimming with nifty little trinkets from the magical world and it was a great way to spend the time I needed whilst waiting. Armed with souvenirs, a croissant a good book I settled in at Giraffe with the biggest cup of tea I have had in a long time. Prime people watching position secured, I awaited my travelling companion!
Companion then in tow we jumped on the underground over to the central line heading over to Bethnal Green in Zone 2, where our destination would be. A few line jumps later we emerged into the busy high street where we made our way to Pedley Street Station for the
Furnicular Productions extravanganza ' Murder Express'. A short 12 minute walk through the park , or indeed an uber if your time strapped (which may have very well been our case after a second trip to Platform 9 3/4!) took us nicely to the specially made Pedley Street Station and straight into the immersive experience.
After a short Covid induction, a vape and a shifty of the 1920's oozing out the door we made our way in to the platform and immediately ordered cocktails whilst the performance sucked us in. Actors in full character were winding amongst us, schmoozing with platform guests and helping to set the scene from the very beginning. I have to say the great collection of cocktails available was perfect. I'm a huge Whisky cocktail lover so to see so many options was perfect. We opted for the Apple Sour and a Gin concoction and was overjoyed to see two large glasses make their way over to us.
The performance immediately started with the characters starting to weave the threads of suspicion through story and loading us into the train behind us. I was totally amazed at the idea behind this venture. A carriage with six large tables awaited us and along the side of each table was an immersive screen that served as our window en-route to Murdér!
Two fresh cocktails were ordered to see in the performance start and once again the actors seated themselves with guests and slipped clues aplenty as well as some hilarious improv that led nicely in to the first course. A truly sublime menu prepared for us by MasterChef extraordinaire
Louisa Ellis!
Decadent, filling and luxurious. The menu was perfectly paired with the surroundings and performance and we not only travelled on a train without moving we went on a culinary taste-bud journey and in a ecstatic fashion. I wanted my next course before it even arrived, excited to see what awaited me and the presentation in which Louisa would deliver was pure excitement and paired with the adventure wonderfully.
The performance, and meal, lasted just under 3 hours and as we had the matinee performance, more then 3 cocktails and a belly full of lavishness we emerged back into daylight so happily sated. I don't want to post too much about the performance to avoid spoilers and a 'Mousetrap' bargain I feel was made but needless to say my investigative prowess...wasn't what I thought it was.
This is a truly memorable experience and I'm filling up my diary with people I need to take here. If you want to attend an event that has 1000% taken care of your experience then this is for you. If you take a matinee performance you can then delight in the wonderful bars along Bethnal Green High street before catching your train home which is exactly what we did. WE felt that the plethora of giant cocktails already consumed just wasn't enough so made our way to the
Sun Tavern and spent a long time in there putting the world to rights with a refined personalized selection of cocktails and nibbles that melted into the rustic modern feel of the inn:
A truly excellent day with a trip into my old city and a wonderous start to the New Years eating diary. You MUST try!
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