Bowling, Burritos and Bird Cages

It was the SIL's birthday earlier in the week and we celebrated last night at various London locales, starting with hers and the Bro's place for drinks and ending somewhat later at The Roxy in Borough, where they were screening The Muppets with the sound off, which meant it almost looked as though Kermit was singing about how he wanted to get dirty on Christina Aguilera's behalf.

Kermit vs Kermit

Before that, though, we went bowling, and the Surrey Quays lanes were insanely busy. Then again, other than the cinema and bingo, there isn't much else to do in the area on a Saturday night. We played girls against boys, although as there were more girls than guys, it was slightly unfair. All of us played better when we were bowling on behalf of another girl who was supposed to turn up but didn't. While we waited for our taxis, we exploited the endless fun to be found in the arcade.

Things to do in SE16 when you're 27

We then headed up to Brick Lane for dinner at Loco Mojito for some Tex-Mex food and plenty of margs. I'm not the biggest fan of margaritas but these weren't particularly authentic, which meant they were pretty sweet and drinkable. The food was fine, but nothing special. I've had tastier Mexican food at Wahaca. In my chicken burrito, the chicken was shredded so finely it almost tasted like chicken paste and wasn't especially flavoursome, and the beans were kidney beans rather than refried beans. The ambiance was good, though, and we all had fun.

Loco Mojitos: the other cocktail pitchers were crazier than the mojitos, to be honest

After dinner, we went to Ninetyeight bar, tucked away down a discreet, unsigned staircase off Curtain Road, for some more cocktails. Oddly, they were closing at 11, so we only had time for one drink. My mixed berry mojito was delicious: strong, but fruity. The quirky décor of the bar—one part southern US plantation house, one part crazy aunt's attic—and the intriguing "lickable candles" mentioned on the website made us make plans for a return visit. As it was, we just had time to play a little piano in the conservatory, surrounded by birdcages, Lego bricks and Spider-Man toys, before it was time to move on. As it was a cold Saturday night in Shoreditch and as we hadn't booked anywhere else, the other bars on my list, such as Callooh Callay, were all full, which was how a few of us ended up back at the Roxy.

Quirky fun at Ninetyeight in Shoreditch

Loco Mojito. 192 Brick Lane, London, E1 6SA (Tube: Shoreditch High Street Overground). Website.
Ninetyeight. 98 Curtain Road, London, EC2A 3AF (Tube: Shoreditch High Street Overground or Old Street). Website.