It’s not all crazy fun and games here at the Virtual Hot Tub. No sir. Sometimes, I like to exercise my intellectual side, provide warm nourishment for my creativity. It’s a good balance to the exciting rock’n’roll existence I lead most days.
So here I present a Haiku I wrote a while back, on a course, which is appropriate for this time of year. Enjoy.
Autumn
Leaves fall from the trees
The children return to school
The nights grow darker
The Gallery Coffee Shop, Hawarden
There is a small piece of the Mediterranean, like a little Greek island, to be found in North Wales. I’ll take you there in this edition of Food Quest.
In the village of Hawarden in Flintshire, right there on the Highway, you will find the Gallery Coffee Shop. It’s open daily offering refreshments exactly as you would expect – tea and coffee, breakfasts and lunches in a cosy environment. Once a month, however, the Gallery transforms into a Greek taverna, with all the food and vibrant atmosphere that entails.
I have been to the Greek night at the Gallery on a few occasions. Each time has provided excellent Greek cuisine with the right summer holiday vibe, helped by the music and dancing!
The premises are not licensed, so you will need to take along your alcohol if you wish. That wasn’t a problem for me, as I could easily pick up a few bottles of Mythos from Tesco. Hunt around and you’ll find retsina – Tesco no longer stock it so Lidl is your best bet.
Greek music welcomed us in to the Gallery, and we were soon seated. There wasn’t long to wait before the hors d’oeuvres were served. This began in traditional style with some pitta bread, olives and various dips such as tzatziki and garlic. These were shared enthusiastically amongst our group.
Next up were several meze dishes. On my last visit, this included dolmades (stuffed vine leaves); feta sagnaki, Greek salad and calamari. I’m no fan of squid – on other visits a different option had been offered. However the food was both well prepared and delicious.
The main course has also varied on different visits, with usually a couple of options to choose from. On this last visit I chose chicken with ouzo and cream; this was served with potatoes and vegetables. Again the meal was excellent; combined with the atmosphere I could have been in a Greek taverna enjoying a pleasant holiday evening.
After the food, the fun really gets under way – with table balancing from owner Spiros and plenty of music to dance to! The Gallery really manage to capture the fun of a night in Greece and everyone was happy to let their hair down.
The Gallery Coffee Shop manages to create an enjoyable and authentic Greek night that will liven up anyone’s weekend.
Please be aware though that they are very busy and often booked up months in advance – book your Greek night soon!
Yiammas!
Food Quest Test
The Gallery Coffee Shop, 10 The Highway, Hawarden CH5 3DH
01244 533446
I can’t find a website for The Gallery, there is a listing on Facebook if you search.
Gather round, courageous ones. It’s time for more horror movie reviews at the Virtual Hot Tub!
Dead Snow (2009)
Great film. A group of Norwegian students decide to take a break in a remote cabin up in the mountains. Surrounded by snow, their initial fun and games turn nasty when a group of Nazi zombies awaken and begin to terrorise them. Mayhem, blood and gore is the result.
I love this film. Dead Snow is obviously inspired (and is a homage to) numerous other similar movies. There are jumpy parts, gruesome parts – it ticks all the boxes. Some of the humour is a little too much sometimes, but there’s enough great content to excuse any ideas that were a little too silly. 
Besides, what’s not to like? Nazi zombies? Is that not the ultimate bunch of evil bad guys ever? A very cool movie, it still worked on a second viewing and highly recommended. Norway also looks beautiful, I’d love to go there.
9/10
Night Watch (2004)
Many years ago, a truce was called between the warring factions of good and evil. Now the forces of good police the day, while the forces of darkness hold control over the night. In this world we meet the Night Watch, who are entrusted with keeping the vampires of the forces of darkness in line.
This Russian movie promised a lot, and indeed it looks spectacular. There are several scenes that definitely impress. However it’s more spectacle than substance, and I was left disengaged by the last half hour. There’s undoubtedly vast imagination at work here, so perhaps repeated viewings or more familiarity with the source material would aid my appreciation.
On the whole, it’s more dark fantasy than horror. I was hoping for more.
6/10
The Thing (1982)
I’m not going to preach on about this film, let’s just say it’s pure genius. John Carpenter’s The Thing is an excellent film – not just an excellent horror (or sci-fi) film, but an excellent film outright.
An isolated team of American scientists in the Antarctic are infiltrated by a shape changing creature from outer space. As the mystery unfolds, the team have no idea who has been taken over by the thing and who is still human. The tension mounts as the men’s suspicion of each other increases. 
Great special effects (no CGI here) and believable performances (Kurt Russell as Mac) help, but it’s Carpenter’s ability to squeeze every ounce of unease, mistrust and anxiety out of the cast that makes it work. A classic.
10/10
Paranormal Activity (2007)
When I first saw this film, the initial twenty minutes or so didn’t impress me. It was like watching a feature length version of Most Haunted. Not that there’s anything wrong with Most Haunted (great show), I just don’t want to watch a dramatised version of vaguely strange happenings when I can watch the TV show any time. Plus, Paranormal Activity was another from the “found footage” genre, and while Blair Witch was OK I wasn’t a huge fan.
Where this film works though, is in tapping into a very primal fear – the fear of what goes on when we’re asleep. There are some very scary moments where the viewer can’t help but wonder if anything strange occurs when they’re sleeping. Sure, the hokum is ladled on mercilessly (frightened psychics, demonic possession) but there are genuinely hair-raising sequences that are really creepy.
The film works best when it’s low key, and plays on our fear of what goes bump in the night. Definitely worth a watch, just don’t expect to be convinced that the “found footage” is real…
8/10
Platinum Al's Virtual Hot Tub 