My evening starts on a warm Autumn evening at a friends house she and her friends are preparing a delicious authentic Indian curry (a great way to start any night out) which included two different types of lamb curry, dhal and chapattis. Whilst they are preparing I drink couple of spiced rum and ginger ales to get the evening started and blow away some of the cobwebs from the previous night’s excesses. It was absolutely delicious the lamb fell off the bone, just the right amount of spice, plenty of sauce to mop up using the garlicky chapattis – top notch. I got a couple more rum and gingers in me and I was ready for the night!

We head out to Phillies in Hae Bong Cheon – one of my favourite haunts – I greet the always friendly bar staff and owner they invite people in like old friends, quality. I order my first white Russian just to coat the stomach and get things rolling properly watch my mates play some fooze ball and chat to the owner for a bit discussing the upcoming night of soccer and placing our bet on the game of choice. A number of drinks later and I have met some more of the regulars, Phillies whilst lacking the frills of some bars more than makes up for it with a friendly atmosphere which makes to feel like someone’s lounge. The regulars are always friendly and willing to have a chat and tell some stories or talk about good places to eat. I end up racing one of the guys to see who could down a beer first I lost spectacularly we shook hands and he proceeded to buy a round of ‘hand grenades’. Let me explain that I have no idea what this is except to explain that it involves a pint glass with two shot glasses placed in it side by side so they do not fall to the bottom, suspended above what I believe was beer; one shot was definitely tequila I know this because you drink that first to allow the other shot glass to fall and then you down the resulting concoction. Things begin to get a little hazy after this and a few of my old friends come and go from the bar heading off to different destinations and coming back – or not as the case maybe. I was informed by one that I was “drinking like a rock star”. Anyway long story short I do not remember going home but I was asked the next day by a shopkeeper down the road from Phillie if I got home ok I said “fine why?” he said “you came in here last night looked around and said where is my home?”

Interesting.