Merry Quizmas! The Quarterly Pub Quz at the MAC

Manic is one word to describe the first 'Quarterly Quiz' at the MAC. Fun is another. As you walk in you are greeted by the sight of a roaring fire being projected on to a screen that occupies most of the reception desk - an electric guitar, pedals and amp are there too. Also there are fairy lights, a small table, a chair, a pint of Guinness and local comedian Paul Currie. It's at this point you feel under dressed. Starting at the floor he is wearing a pair of perfect white cuban heels and a Ron Burgundy style suit (only in blue). He has teamed all this with shoulder length hair and a wonderful beard. Standing at least 6 feet tall, he is, quite literally, a feast for the eyes.

The Quarterly Quiz happens every 3 months (hence quarterly) and is £5 for a team of 5. It started about 8:30pm on Sunday night, finishing about 3 hours later (for a full nights entertainment it was certainly value for money). As the Quiz started, Paul revealed that he had a different prop for each round.  He had a snow hat and goggles for the Geography round (as he made wind noises into the mic and quoted Captain Scott) and a visor and sunglasses for the film round - oh and a rubber hand on a ten foot pole for the "draw a horse" round. Yes thats right, there was a draw a horse round and the results were quite surprising, in a good way. Our team won this round with help from our friends over at The Skeleton Blog, as the rubber hand of fate picked our flying horse to be the best.

Guitar Intros

The other rounds consisted of film, Geography, culture, general knowledge, picture rounds, guitar intros and sport.  The picture round, rather ingeniously, consisted of pictures of various bar staff behind their respective bars and you had to guess what bar it was. Extra points if you knew the bar person's name.  The usual "guess the intro" round was replaced by the intros being played on an electric guitar.  It's always great to bring a bit of live music in when possible and this was a fun round.

Currie also conducted the sports round in a "spide" accent the whole way through, like. Because who loves sport more than spide.

Wall of Horse

We didn't win the overall quiz, but the awarding of the prizes was no less frenzied than the previous 3 hours. The first place winners were disqualified from winning prizes because they had sneaked more than 5 onto their team.  The second place winners were also exempt from winning prizes because they were made up of MAC staff. So the 3rd place winners won the 1st place prize and 4th place won the second place prize. Stop me if any of this is making sense...

The prizes consisted of jotters, Lowry prints and colouring in books, tickets to shows at the MAC and vouchers for meals at the MAC restaurant.

The winning Horse

All in all it was a brilliant evening. I was designated driver so ne'er a drop passed my lips all evening and even stone cold sober it was a brilliant time.  We'll be back in 3 months, you should probably get a team together and do the same.

Theatre at the Cinema! Frankenstein at the QFT

Recently Cinema has been in decline, so they say. So the cinemas are trying all manner of new ways to get us back into their darkened little rooms. 3D, digital projections, £3 Tuesdays (Or £3 Mondays at the QFT) better food, comfier seats the list goes on...  The recent trend of showing live events in cinemas for me however, is the most intriguing and sustainable.  I think this is a brilliant use of cinemas.  They are, after all, Public auditoriums and should be used as such.  The act of watching an event with fellow spectators always makes it better, grander and a lot more fun.

So this past Sunday as treat to my dad (it was father’s day after all) we took him to see a showing of the stage version of Frankenstein at the QFT. 

The QFT (Queens Film Theatre) is a marvellous place to while away a couple of hours. Situated to beside Queens University, right in the hub of the Botanic area is the film theatre for the film department of Queens and a great place to catch indie films and cult classics. The recent refurbishment, the beer garden and the addition of the Jameson’s bar have all been greatly received.  You can catch all the movies here that you don’t get in the multiplexes.  We recently went to see Iron Sky here and as usual the cinema was full to the brim. Also be sure to have a cup of their coffee, which I highly recommend!  On Mondays all films are £3 as well, so there are bargains to be had.

The play was originally performed in the National Theatre in London (this was a pre-recorded version). Directed by Danny Boyle (who rather topically is directing London's opening ceremony for the Olympics 2012) and starring the UK and US versions of Sherlock Holmes: Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Millar as Dr Frankenstein and 'the monster'. Each night this play was performed, Cumberbatch and Millar switched roles, and the earlier showing at the QFT that day was the alternate version to the one we saw. We saw the version with Cumberbatch as Frankenstein and Millar as the Monster. Tickets for this show were £10 a pop - dear for a film, cheap for a play - and seeing as this nestled somewhere comfortably between the two, I thought this was a perfectly acceptable price.  The screen was full; I saw 2 empty seats in the whole place. As we sat down on our really comfy seats with a cup of coffee we were first treated to a “DVD extra” in the format of some interviews with the stars, writer and director of the film as well as some footage of rehearsals.  This was a nice touch and it really whet our appetite for the next 2 hours.

As the play starts off we see the size and grandeur of The National Theatre, the rotating stage and a pulsing skin tent.  The monster is born and he writhes around the stage for about 10 minutes, trying to stand - he held the audience's attention effortlessly. At this point I realised what a brilliant actor Benedict Cumberbatch truly is, (and throughout the night, this wasn’t the last time I thought this) with a lesser talent this would’ve been quite tiresome. One of the main differences with this stage play to other versions of Frankenstein I’ve seen is that the monster talks, this works brilliantly and makes the monster feel like more of a character - a man scorned by society - rather than a pawn for the action to unfold around.  It made me realise that I’m not truly sure of the original story of Frankenstein as penned by Mary Shelley. This in part may be due to the various different re-enactments that we've seen on screen.

The rotating stage was used to great effect and to ensure smooth transitions between scenes, a massive lighting rig overhead (basically consisting of several hundred lightbulbs dangling from the ceiling) buzzed and faded in and out when the monster was being born, this also helped add atmosphere throughout the play.  A few set pieces were welcome also, such as the huge train that came in along the train tracks in the floor, and the massive windows and rooms inside the grand house in Geneva. Jonny Lee Miller was also excellent as Doctor Frankenstein, a man torn between what science can do and what is perceived as “the right thing”. In the “DVD extra” we saw at the start, Millar and Cumberbatch both stated that as rehearsals and shows progressed they could feel certain parts of the character they played in the monster, manifesting themselves when they played Frankenstein. Watching this play it was easy to imagine the two reversing roles, as the central two characters they were very much in this together.

I really enjoyed this trip to the QFT and will be looking out for more live events at the cinema.  Being part of a crowd, laughing and gasping at the same time definitely adds to and enhances the experience of watching a show. This is one experience I’d been keen to repeat!

QFT has a season of shows from The National Theatre coming up, including an adaptation of the amazing book “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”.


Check their website for regular updates.

By Chris Caldwell

Taste of Dublin 2012 - Delicious and filling!

PastieBap headed to Dublin for the weekend to attend Taste of Dublin (a foodie fest). Visitors to the Belfast Taste and Music Fest which has been held in Botanic Gardens for the last few years will be familiar with the set up:  local restaurateurs set up tents and sell tapas size dishes of their best and newest creations to willing punters for the in-house currency of florins. 

Day 1 - Thursday

It was dry as we arrived in Dublin after a swift two hour journey from Belfast, but then the rain came and as we all know in Ireland - when it rains, it pours! As we began queuing to get into Taste of Dublin we soon discovered that a bit of rain certainly doesn't put the people of Dublin off a day out and some good food.



As close as PastieBap could get to Jamie Oliver!

As we arrived on the Thursday we are greeted by probably the world’s most famous (and certainly the richest) chef, Jamie Oliver. We then watched as he performed a cooking demonstration (shoulder of lamb) for the crowd before we headed off for our first gourmet experience.

Becks Vier Masterclass

We tasted 4 beers and 2 ciders and accompanying foods that went with each as our hilarious Belgian beer master took us on a voyage of discovery.



Our Belgain Beer Master

One doesn't usually associate beer being paired with foods, the way wine is. But here he showed us how different foods can definitely be enhanced with certain beers. How a sweet food can enhance an amber ale and how a pear cider can help soften a strong cheese. For being such good pupils we all got a free pint of Becks Vier as well.



Some of the food and drink they served us at the Masterclass





Upwards of 20 restaurants were represented at the food fest which was situated in Iveagh Gardens, St Stephen’s Green in Dublin and it was hard to decide where to eat first. My dad bought some Beef Peng Curry from the Taste of Thailand stall, which was delicious. I sampled Chang (A Thai beer), followed by ciders, cheese, yogurt, sausage and prosecco. We eventually wound up in the Volvo tent, where it was nice and dry, doing some Virtual graffiti!



Virtual Graffiti

Kanchi Dine in the Dark

Next up we were booked in for Kanchi 'Dine in the Dark' where you are served by visually impaired waiters, in a pitch black room and with your vision impaired your taste buds are able to fully waken up.  This was excellent, we had 3 courses and a glass of wine. Each course was a dish with 4 tastes and as we sat there in the dark we tried to pick out all 4. Afterwards in the cold light of day, the Chef revealed all to us. We got most of them right! This gives you a real insight, although brief, on how your life would be affected if something were to happen to your sight. A challenging but brilliant experience, and the food was second to none.

A Duck Confit and Smoked salmon and Mackeral

The San Miguel bar was open where you could watch the European football and sample some of Spain’s most famous dishes – tapas (starter size portions of any dish).  There was a barbecue master class for when (if) the weather gets better (more about that later) and of course live entertainment - with live bands such as the upbeat Spring Break, and Smash Hits playing throughout the four days. This wouldn’t truely be an Irish festival without a little bit of drink and with West Coast cooler, O’Briens wine, Rekorderlig cider and the aforementioned San Miguel and Becks beer on hand, the crowd's thirst was certainly quenched.

We finished the day off with a wine tasting class run by O'Briens wines, where we tried a presecco, a white and 2 reds as the owner of the wine company, who had flown from Italy, talked us through each one. 

I have to say that the organisation of this whole event was excellent. We were given free ponchos on the way in, so that even though it rained it wouldn't stop us. Numbers looked high and everyone seemed to be having a great time.

We were lucky enough to attend the food fest on the Friday also, with a couple of tickets won from a competition run by Hi-Life (thanks), who also had a stall on hand for anyone wanting to pick up the foodie’s favourite two for one dining card.

Day 2 -Friday

As we arrived for day 2 perhaps a little bleary eyed, thanks to the Becks Vier the day before, we notice something different than the previous day:  the sun had come out! We  went to the 12pm-4pm session and wondered what we had left to do,  because we had done so much on the Thursday. We needn't have worried as there was still plenty to do. 


We watched (and tasted) the chefs at the Knorr stand prepare asparagus risotto and chicken, rice and peas before leaving with a wee sample of their new stock pots to attempt it ourselves at home. We sampled the new Tropicana range, with orange and lime proving to be the favourite. We had free samples of cheese, orange and ginger Crabbies ale,  Spanish wines, cured sausages, pizza, beers, chicken and yoghurt!

Derry Clarke and Kevin Dundon

Our highlight of the day was watching Ireland's own top chefs Derry Clarke and Kevin Dundon taking us through a BBQ master class.  You could tell that these guys are friends and enjoy working together because the craic was mighty at this demo.  They jibed, joked and poked fun at each other for the full hour.  The whole time giving endless genuinely great tips on how to BBQ properly, the correct use of smoking, the best types of BBQ and of course cooking some food! They produced barbecued salmon,  cabbage and bacon and flambe banana. The taste of each was simple but beautiful.

As this finished we managed to nip over and catch the last half hour of Super Chef Jean Christophe Novelli's demo were he was making all kinds of delicious fish dishes. He was on fine form as well, even joking when someones phone went off  "I think that is my mother checking that I arrived safely in Ireland". 

Chef Jean Christophe Novelli reaches for the Herbs

 I'm starting to think that the typical view of Chef's as hot heads is a total myth. He brought a friend of his on stage, an Irish Chef who's name I didn't catch and he gave an impassioned speech about how Ireland needs to re-capture it's food heritage and outlined steps he was taking to help ensure this.  A great speech that was  rightfully greeted with a round of applause and I hope that in future years we'll be seeing more Irish food stalls at festivals such as this.

Massive Parmesian cheese wheel

After assessing how many florins we had left we stopped off for a cone of steak and chips (yes really) and the most amazing Parmesian risotto I've ever seen or tasted.  It's prepared in the traditional way and then put into the most massive Parmesian cheese wheel where the cheese melts into the risotto. It's  then scooped off and served.

As we all travelled home in the  car with perhaps a little more weight than when we arrived, we agreed that it was a great way to spend a day or two and we couldn’t wait  to return next year. After seeing the popularity of this years’s Taste of Dublin we look forward to August when the Belfast Taste and Music fest returns to Botanic Gardens and tasting some more local fayre.

Pigstock '12

                    

The sun is shining, the beers are flowing and Pigstock 2012 is finally here! It's the official start of the summer and a chance to catch some of Northern Ireland's finest bands whilst getting drunk in a field, then crashing out in a cramped, freezing tent. 

So PastieBap headed out to Killinchy on Friday 1st June with a few friends, a few tents and a lot of alcohol, and arrived relatively safely (a minor sick stop had to be made as a few of us were nursing hangovers) at around 3.50pm. Campsite opened at 4pm, so we had to wait a little while before the gates were opened and then once we got parked up and gathered our things, we had another 10 minute wait until they finally released us into the campsite itself. We were amongst the first there so secured a primo spot all to ourselves and built a little cul-de-sac of tents. 

The atmosphere was electric as we slapped on the sun cream and started drinking and the campsite quickly filled up with tents and the sound of soundcheck. The main arena opened about 7pm and we went for a dander to see were we'd be spending the next 38 hours or so. The main arena consisted of three stages: The Gem Saloon, The Engine Room and the Main Stage; five vans selling food: pizza, thai food, crepes, burgers and an ice cream van, and a stall selling tie-dye goods and face painting. There was also a bar, tons of portaloos, a bmx ramp, an empty board for art and a stand selling limited edition tshirts and posters (only 25 of each design). On the Friday night, bands started at 7.50pm and Jamie Nelsh, Colly Strings, More Than Conquerors, Jogging and Fighting With Wire all played on the main stage. The real party however, was in the campsite where everyone seemed to congregate and many campers stayed awake all night. 

We were a bit disappointed that there was no midnight cinema in the campsite this year, as personally this has always been somewhat of a highlight for me and usually unites all the campers in a sense of nostalgia (they usually play cult classics such as The Goonies) and helps to reduce the amount of mischief created around the campsite. Also it has to be noted that there was no pig at Pigstock this year which was a massive, massive disappointment as the delicious suckling pig is definitely something that everyone looks forward to. There were a few angry campers after we discovered this and they need to get this sorted for next year's festival!

The next morning everyone got up quite early and got breakfast at the cornish pasty van which was cheap (£2 for a sausage roll and a drink) and absolutely delicious. Soon after the drinking began again and the main arena opened at 12pm, with the first band starting at 1pm in the Gem Saloon. The first band we made it to see was Gacy's Threads in The Engine Room. Now, I don't claim to know a lot about metal, but I do know a good band when I see one, and Gacy's Threads were excellent.

For being one of the first bands playing on the Saturday, they had a great turn out and really gave it their all. I for one was thoroughly impressed. Other bands playing in The Engine Room throughout the day were Annapurna, Fragments (who also sounded good), Hornets, Gascan Ruckus, The Rupture Dogs and Lafaro. The Gem Saloon had a relatively poor turnout all day, with a few exceptions and Chris Campbell, Team Horse, Ryan Vall, Tieranniesaur, Kowalski, Rarely Seen Above Ground and Not Squares all played on this stage. On the main stage was In Elegance, Eatenbybears, Farriers, Run Away Go, Silhouette, In Case of Fire, Pocket Billiards, Squarehead, Mmoths and Mojo Fury.

Highlights of the day included Silhouette and Pocket Billiards, both of which played to good crowds. Pocket Billiards especially, they really stole the show and had everyone on their feet dancing whereas most of the other crowds just sat and watched the bands perform on the main stage. Another highlight was the Ramprage ramp which featured BMX, skateboard and in-line skate tricks all day along with a DJ and competitions and prizes.

The weather on the Saturday was changeable to say the least with sun one minute and wind and rain the next, but for the most part the weather was dry and relatively warm, if a little cloudy. There was also local artist group Firsty! on hand to brighten up the afternoon and they painted murals live all day long. As the weather changed the crowds dwindled and the campsite livened up, with the usual drunken antics that we all expect to see at a festival.

By this stage the portaloos were a no-go area and they really were some of the worst I've ever seen(or smelt) - the less said about that though, the better.

By the time Mojo Fury came around, they had a relatively good crowd (probably the largest of the day), but compared to previous years the place was empty. The crowd really went for it though as the rain lashed down and the darkness set in and as the party raged on in the campsite it was a good end to the weekend.

To summarise, Pigstock '12 was a festival worth going to, the weather was pretty good considering, the bands gave it stacks and the atmosphere was good considering there weren't as many people as usual. Money's tight I guess, and people aren't splashing out on festivals, especially local ones. Tips for next year: bring back the pig and the midnight cinema for sure!

By Laura Caldwell

Five Things To Do In Northern Ireland this Summer

Whether it's one of those rare sunny summer days, or a typical rainy day off, there's something for everyone in our list of five things to do in our fair province this summer!


1. Belfast Film Festival

Running from 31st May to the 10th June Belfast Film Festival, "showcases both local talent, and the best in new International cinema" and will feature films shown in unusual places such as on a boat on the River Lagan or in St Anne's Cathedral. Opening and closing night films include Good Vibrations directed by Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn, and Whole Lotta Sole  directed by Terry George. The Festival not only features films but also workshops and talks by the creative teams behind Good Vibrations, Whole Lotta Sole and Shadow Dancer. A highlight of the festival is sure to be Stephen Rea in Conversation, where Marie-Louie Muir will conduct a public interview with Belfast born actor Stephen Rea who has appeared in ‘Nothing Personal’, ‘V for Vendetta’, ‘Michael Collins’, ‘Interview with the Vampire’, ‘The Butcher Boy,’ ‘I Could Read the Sky’, and ‘Breakfast on Pluto.' As the festival spans all across Belfast and will show such a wide variety of films, documentaries, interviews and workshops there's sure to be something for everyone.

2. Titanic Belfast

If you haven't already, visiting the world's largest Titanic visitor's experience is a must this summer. This £90 million building is in the heart of Belfast's Titanic Quarter and celebrates all that the Titanic had to offer, whilst simultaneously mourning the loss of lives on that tragic voyage. The building features 4 90ft 'hulls' which emulate the Titanic herself and the inside of the building contains ten galleries: Boomtown Belfast, The Shipyard, The Launch, The Fit-Out, The Maiden Voyage, The Sinking, The Aftermath, Myths & Legends, Exploring the Wreck and the Ocean Exploration Centre - each of which contain a series of interactive exhibitions. There's also a gift shop where you can pick up some souveniers of your day out, a cafe and a restaurant.

For a more comprehensive overview of what Titanic Belfast has to offer have a quick look at our previous article on our personal experience: http://www.pastiebap.com/2012/05/titanic-day-out.html

3. Ulster Museum

Situated at Botanic, the Ulster Museum is fun for all the family. Recently refurbished, the museum is worth another visit even if you've been before. It's free admission so you might as well give it a try on a rainy summer day (which sounds like most of our summer to be honest) even if you don't think museums are your thing. The Ulster Museum features exhibitions on everything from the Spanish Armada to Egyptian Mummies and with the new Age of the Dinosaur exhibition it's sure to excite and intrigue. The Age of the Dinosaur exhibition is running from 18th May to 16th September and features seven life-like animatronic dinosaurs which move and roar through a Jurassic forest. A video can be seen here.

4. Go to a Homegrown Music Festival

Times are hard, you guys and money's tight, so why not forgo your usual summer holiday or festival in England or Scotland for something a bit more local. This year's main festivals are Glasgowbury and Pigstock and PastieBap is heading to both! Set in the heart of the Sperrins, Glasgowbury just gets better and better and this year Northern Irish legends Therapy? will be headlining on Saturday 21st July. Other acts include Fighting With Wire, Axis Of, Kowalski and Pocket Billiards.

Pigstock this year will run from 1st July to 3rd July and acts such as Fighting With Wire, Not Squares, Pocket Billiards, Gascan Ruckus and Mojo Fury will be rocking Killinchy all night long. According to the Pigstock website, "there will be 28 bands playing across three stages over two days, a food village and the Pigstock bar. Local artist group Firsty! will be helping to make it visually the most colourful and interesting Pigstock to date!" And let's not forget the hog, the delicious suckling pig which gives Pigstock it's name!

For more info, check out our previous post of Northern Ireland festivalling: http://www.pastiebap.com/2012/05/pigstock-glasgowbury-local-festivalling.html

5. Land of Giants

On the Titanic Slipways on 30th June, Land of Giants will have arrived. Land of Giants is the largest outdoor arts event ever held in Northern Ireland. Featuring a cast and crew of over 500 people, Land of Giants is staged by Giant Events Company and features state-of-the-art digital animation, dramatic special effects and fireworks.

According to the Land of Giants website, "the theme for the event draws inspiration from the many Giants identified in the shared and diverse history and society of Northern Ireland – Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver, the legendary Finn McCool, Harland and Wolff’s iconic Samson and Goliath, the ships the Olympic and Titanic and of course the Giant’s Causeway – as well as the vision of Northern Ireland and its population as being giant in terms of ideas, talent and heritage."

Land of Giants is an event shrouded in mystery and we're very excited to see the epic spectacle on 30th June!

Other exciting events this Summer include Belsonic, the opening of the Giants Causeway visitor's centre, Gay Pride, the Irish Open and the Olympic Torch Relay, so get out and enjoy all that Northern Ireland has to offer.

By Laura Caldwell