90's London

[Sweetasstevia]

I've lived in London for nearly 25 years now but rarely get into the centre these days (I last worked in town in 2008.) I'm always stunned how much things have changed and have been feeling very nostalgic lately for the London of my uni years and youth: 1990 - 2000.
For starters I miss how Covent Garden used to be with the mechanical toy museum and Neal street East around the corner. I miss burgers at Ed's Diner and Jonny Rockets. I miss seeing arty films at the ICA, the montepulicano lounge club and whirligig, the mad market in South Kensington and how Camden used to be before it got all posh!
What things do you miss?

Don't know what Sofra is, but had a few lentil-driven lunches at the Hare Krishna place on Soho Square. I'm sure they're still around, but bet their base has moved.

Has anyone mentioned The Church behind Kings Cross????

Londonite from '94 to '01 and had an absolute ball!

Loved Gordon's, Up the Creek in Greenwich (saw Al Murray there loads), Dive Bar, Spitalfields Market for sugar rush overload (almond croissants) on a Sunday to counteract the latest hangover, then Columbia Road for flowers to make the flat look semi decent.

Loved my years there - Roof Gardens in Kensington anyone? Shepherds Market - there was a karaoke bar there in '96 and loads of great pubs, and a fab Italian.

Remember a treasure hunt once that culminated in Soho with some interesting treasure to source!!

Shelleys near Dover Street, followed by Dover Street Wine Bar

Bet none of you knew The Wibbly Wobbly though!!! The Mayflower in Rotherhithe too :-)

Great noodle bar in Greenwich, and a Chinese with an order-all-you-can-eat menu - yum!!!!!

So many drinking holes!!!

I saw David Bowie in the dover street wine bar.

Love Gordons. Cant wait to take my DD's there

I used to go to Heaven with a male gay friend (I was a fag hag ) - don't remember the metal detectors...fantastic just to go and dance and be silly etc with no attention/hassle from blokes.
Anyway Toyah Wilcox played a (comeback!?!) gig there and one of my straight male flatmates was a massive fan (she did a tour of the UK and he followed her round) - he persuaded us - his flatmates- to go with him ...me, 3 straight blokes and one of their girlfriends. They were insisting we had to pretend we didn't know each other and I went in with the girlfriend, and they went in as male couples - otherwise we would look too 'straight' and might not get in
I went along with it too...only later thought of all the times I'd turned up with a bloke (gay friend) and got in no problems
(although tbf gay friend was sooooooo camp - could pull off false eyelashes better than I could ...)
All nostalgic - if I went clubbing now they'd think it was 'grab a granny' night

Wasn't the basement club under the church in Brixton called Bah Humbug?

Beyond I have a confession - we took our then 4 year old for a weeks holiday in London during the Olympics and took him to Gordon's

This thread is making me so nostalgic, the Stockpot, Bagleys, whirly Gig, Feel so sad now. Anyone go to the Venue in New Cross in the early 90s? How about that restaurant in a crypt in Brixton, what the hell was that called? I miss my 90s London days, I was young and everything was brilliant

artfooldodger was the Church the place that Aussies went to get pissed on a Sunday? Didn't go, but I remember the tales of general debauchery. There was also a lairy bar round there called Backpackers - worked in a bar at the time and the manager used to take us there after hours. Was a bit grim, lots of pissheads and having your bum pinched

Lady X posted, that was it, Bah Humbug! How about the Dogstar in Brixton, I met my ex there, happy days

Must go to bed now but have loved reading all these memories

HeyLuciani yes that's the one - I had a Kiwi boyfriend at one point and friends from Aus, Zimbabwe, South Africa, etc so a natural place to go for drinks on a Sunday.

Remember a club in New Cross too, but couldn't remember the name of it for the life of me!!! And Heaven too - got chatted up there by several girls!!!

And the Roadhouse in Covent Garden - met a boyfriend there who was rather lovely

I thought it was Bug Bar Lady? I spent a fair bit of time at Dogstar.

Unlucky we had the same stamping ground, the dept store in Brixton was Bon Marche wasn't it? I had forgotten about The Crypt and Mass. Remember Plan B?

I kept meeting this really cocky northerner in The Brixtonian, he claimed he was an artist. Me and my mates called him 'Leeds' as that's where he came from. He once had an American friend with him and they wanted to take me and my sister to Paris. It turned out to be Damian Hirst

I was just thinking how funny it is that we all go to bed about the same time we used to go out (or move on). I'm also now drinking weird vodka (sloe - delicious!) in honour of nights when I was livelier, and a Londoner :)

Wibbley Wobbly & Mayflower, dodger - yes, in the late nineties, when I was working at Canada Square. I recall getting so utterly shedded on the Mayflower, it didn't occur to me to ring a taxi and walked home to Tooting.

I'm quite sure the reason Londoners are thinner is because of all the walking they do! And, blimey, the dancing for hours & hours & hours!
Maybe it's not surprising I have chronic fatigue syndrome? Wore meself out.

Marc Almond used to bank at the same place as me, Soho Square Barclays. I absolutely adored him, but used to keep a worshipful distance.

What was the big club in Victoria that closed down? Saw loads of brilliant acts there, and they had all-dayers on Saturdays that were really cheap.

Only big club in Victoria I can think of was SW1 club Garlic - v popular when i was at school

theQuibbler (way back up post) - yes that's the place, upstairs, opposite Astoria. Though I think the last time I went there was about 97. After a night out and straight on to Notting hill carnival. And then to Amsterdam the next day. Not sure how I can remember all this - it's a bit of a telling thread isn't it?!

There was also a roper grimy place called the Gun Club down a side street near there, think that block's been knocked down for the cross rail station now. Sad really.

poper = proper

Gah! You know what I mean...

Oh this is amazing - my era too - oh I loved the Dive Bar - happy nights! Piccadilly cafe too, anyone remember two clubs, one was Ormonds near Jermyn St, and the other was a great little jazz club called Prohibition - oh it was such an exciting time full of hope & endless possibilities!!

I had my Hen night in Bah Humbug!

Full circle?

The department store in Brixton was/is Morleys, no?

I've not been to Brixton for years. I hated it. Although it did have a good Barnardos shop. Apparently it's beyond posh now; I wonder if the incense man is still outside the tube?

So no other fellow clubbers went to Trade? I cannot be the only woman on MN who went there surely?

And the Powerhaus? I notice a few Club Dog fans on here. Used to love it there, the highlight of my week.

I used to get taken to the Spinning Wheel way out in the boondocks of Ealing. The Irish dance night was good fun and worth the interminable journey. Mare street was a whole other world- used to socialise with some student nurses from Hackney who had chosen an elective placement in the AIDS unit I worked at. Used to play pool in the hall then head over to Kingsland Rd for Turkish food. I have forgotten the name of this amazing Vietnamese place we all went to- sat on the floor on cushions in a back room behind a plastic strip curtain and ate Pho and prawns the size of my head.

Yes it's Morleys. Brixton is much improved shopping-wise and Brixton Village (in the old covered market) is fabulous for eating/drinking. It is more upmarket in lots of ways, but it's still Brixton, IYSWIM!

artfool I know the wibblywobbly! Boat nr Canada water? Had a fun night there a few years ago. Still there i think! As are Freud's cocktail bar and the Sofra chain (bit more expensive these days!).

So no other fellow clubbers went to Trade? I cannot be the only woman on MN who went there surely?

I was dragged in there one night kicking and screaming! It was awful! Sorry not my music at all, we stayed about 5 minutes and couldn't wait to get out! We went somewhere playing some nice sexy soulful house!

Does anyone recall a club under the arches of Waterloo station, called the fire station perhaps. It was a blur but I know I went there. I also went to heaven , lots of beards and false eyelashes - on the same face.
Someone up thread mentioned the prince Charles cinema, I too went there to see True Romance! it was great, cheap independent films.