This Is Like Jersey: March 2014

Saturday 29 March 2014

'Mmmm Custard...' - 29.03.14

Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_art.html#Q6iLK2APCgUEjlxA.99

Took a trip to the Custard Factory in Digbeth to check out the newly installed DVDBANG, part of this month's Flat Pack Film Festival, on its penultimate day in Birmingham, then back to Brum for some shopping and frozen yoghurt!

This just might be one of my favourite parts of the city, the area has become an arts-district, as part of the 'creative quarter'. Its amalgam of street art, independent / vintage shops and pop-up events draw me in every time. It's such an inspiring place, I'm sure to be an ever more regular visitor in the years to come.

Here are some of my favourite pieces currently scattered around the 'Factory -

Art by Sepr

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I visited DVDBANG - a pop-up, private film theater where you get to chose from a variety of Asian movies - with my sister. Though these rooms, available for booking alone or in groups, are commonplace in Korea, this opportunity to experience a DVDbang in England doesn't come around too often. You pick a film, choose your drink/snacks and spend a few hours chilling out in an intimate cinema all to yourself! Add in comfortable sofas, slippers, a variety of warm blankets and these places are like a film-goer's heaven!

As we've both loved the film Antique Bakery for a couple of years, it was awesome to see it as one of DVD's available and projected onto an 8ft screen in full HD. The private viewing experience was amazing, and I fell in love with the double-sofa in the blacked-out room!

Everyone behind the DVDBANG experience was really welcoming, and we were given free beer / Korean snacks to enjoy during the film as part of the experience. Our first taste of kimchi certainly did not disappoint! We just wish this could be a permanent fixture!

The simple, no-frills mix of beer and ramyun - always a winner! Now, if only the food at our usual cinemas was this good...

Plus we finally managed to pick up some frozen yoghurt and bubble tea at the newly opened TWIST. A colourful, comfortable atmosphere with a good selection of flavours and some fitting artwork on the wall, ready for Mothers Day!

What we ordered -

First time trying Matcha Green Tea, chose to have it cold with tapioca bubbles... it was so good! Really smooth and fresh tasting, will definitely be returning soon!

Thursday 27 March 2014

22.03.14 - Coffee & Culture

“I’m a little too distant, I guess. I like to place myself outside.”

- Yves Saint Laurent

To place ourselves outside was just what we did.

Today was filled with food, culture and exploring…

Firstly: Le petit déjeuner…

Stopping off at Cafe Rouge, we ordered latte’s (Vanilla and Hazelnut) and were happy to find they didn’t advertise falsely ~~*Ahem, St*rbucks and your invisible glass cups…*~~ when they said it was quality. To eat, there was only one option… Egg’s Royale! A warm muffin topped with lashings of smoked salmon, finished off with two perfectly poached eggs and hollandaise source. Heaven on a plate!

The decor inside was also amazing – instantly fell in love with this miniature Eiffel Tower! There's something about the interiors of coffee shops that makes me really excited about designing my own home / apartment one day, with the mix of bright hanging lights and dark wooden bookcases, contrasted with statement red pieces and French novels, this decor was something I can only hope to borrow sometime in the future.

Then… Plats principaux…

Following our taste of a French cafe breakfast, we took another walk to the cinema, as the main reason for our trip was to watch the newly released French biopic, Yves Saint Laurent -

Based around the life of the now world-renowned French fashion designer, Yves Saint Laurent is a complete whirlwind of haute couture, drama and romance. Niney and Gallienne in particular are superb in their portrayals of the passionate, sometimes darkly intense relationship between Laurent and Bergé. For both my sister and I, it was the first time watching a foreign film in a UK cinema – and this certainly did not disappoint!

*Review to come?*

Finalement… The Library of Birmingham

Despite being in the city so often, we both felt that we'd never really had time to explore the vast new Library of Birmingham to its full extent. It is truly a beautiful piece of modern architecture, filled with interesting activities and bustling with people - and the views from the highest platform are breathtaking! It's always amazing to see things from a new perspective, so I hope you also enjoy these shots of the interior - the contrast between the modern, metallic escalators and the use of different shades of wood throughout the library was particularly interesting, while the sheer scale of the building makes you wonder if you could ever stop finding a new place to hide away with a book.

Views from the 9th floor -

The Shakespeare room on this floor is another must-see! Housing a number of books and collections from the period, as well as some interesting artwork...