Queens Ice and Bowl , London

London's one of those weird cities where you can think up pretty much anything. A café that only sells difficult to source cereal? Check. A café with cats in it? Yup, got one. An ice rink / bowling rink / bar and restaurant? Yeah, it just opened in Bayswater and is called Queens Ice and Bowl. Seriously, London has a permanent ice rink that's been around since the 1930s and has undergone a major revamp to include a smooth new rink, retro arcade games, air hockey, seventeen state-of-the-art bowling lanes and an eatery from pop-up professional Jimmy Garcia.

Located just two minutes away from the Queensway tube station in Bayswater, Queens Ice and bowl also features two standalone bars. As with many of the top bowling alleys in London, a waiter is constantly on hand to cater to any need that you might have (although this is known to have an deleterious effect on performance from time to time!). The food is prepared by Jimmy Garcia, the man who was crowned pop-up king' by the Sunday Times.

The resident restaurant at Queens Ice and Bowl is Jimmy's Diner. While we waited for our food to arrive we wandered throught the cocktail menu. The young team of bartenders and mixologists have done an accomplished job putting together drinks. Our Dry January and diet regiment was thoroughly derailed by the boozy milkshakes, which helped insulate us from the cold weather outside. Otherwise, there are a number of timeless British tipples as well as reimagined classics from all corners of the globe.

We made our way through a huge quanitity of food - all of it on the easy-going side of the spectrum, with a distinctly British edge. Some of our favourites deserve special mention: the Queen's Mac with chorizo was a fine example, as was the Lobster Dog, which packed the crustacean's tail into a brioche bun with avocado, rocket and truffle mayo. If you're in need of some old-fashioned sausage sustenance, the honey-mustard glazed Old Spot pork and apple Sticky Bangers are worth a shout. 

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