I'm honestly not sure how to begin describing an event that was probably one of the strangest but most brilliant I've experienced. It started with a seven course set menu and ended with a man standing on a table playing a saxophone along to house beats in the middle of a bar. Sounds fun, doesn't it? This pop-up street food event was created by 'Mad Chef' - the resident chef at Bar Bloc on Bath Street. For the first time, he decided to create a New York inspired evening of street food, music and fun! The event was hosted by Mini Bar, a tiny, club-like venue that squeezed around thirty people in for this incredible event. The first two courses came as one, consisting of Smoked Corn Chowder and Mad Falafel - fried falafel balls fused with coconut and peanut butter. The chowder, which I didn't expect to like, was salty, smokey and filled with chunks of soft potato and pancetta. The falafel balls were a huge hit with everyone, containing whole peanuts - no processed peanut butter here! Served in street-food style cardboard trays, the food tasted and felt authentic, even the salad garnish was delicious! The next course we ended up waiting quite a while for, but the atmosphere of the place was fantastic and a big screen in the bar was linked to a camera in the kitchen which showed a massive set of decks in the middle of the kitchen, with Mad Chef bouncing around trying to get everything done. When the next course did come out, it was worth the wait, thought not for the faint-hearted! It was the 'Park Slope Patty' - a beef patty with salted caramel, habanero puree, caramelised onions, American cheese and the usual relish. I think it was pretty brave he decided to serve such a spicy burger as so many people just don't do chilli, and this was pretty hot! The great thing was, though the habanero puree was hot, the other elements of the burger helped tone it down and the sweetness of the salted caramel & onions complimented the spice perfectly. Next up, the Vendor Dog, which was one of my favourite courses but also by far the messiest! A little hot dog in a mini brioche bun with fried chilli onions and classic ketchup & mustard. So much flavour in such a little bun! The final savoury course was the Cuban Pork Taco - pulled pork on a tortilla with wedges of fresh orange, lime and a dollop of sour cream. The pork was succulent and delicious and the zesty freshness of the citrus fruit was inspired! The desserts were soon whizzing their way round the room, starting with mini strawberry meringues and home made honeycomb. The honeycomb was fantastic and the meringues were certainly not mini! They were quickly followed by the final course - 'Hubba Bubba' bubblegum ice cream with popping candy. It really did taste like hubba bubba and the little flecks of popping candy added crunch and a bit of fun! By this point it was 11.45pm and I was fit to burst, but the night was far from over! The Mad Chef himself came out to say hello and thank us - using as many profanities as humanely possible - and to let us know that soon, a live saxophone player would be standing on a table in the middle of the room, playing along to the dance beats still coming from the decks in the kitchen. Well, that's one way to end an evening! Just after midnight, with the sound of saxophones and swearing lingering in our ears, we piled out of Mini Bar and headed home. Mad Chef did a fantastic job creating an inspired and delicious menu, all the while mixing tunes and keeping his guests entertained. I can't wait for the next one! read more

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You wouldn't expect a night with the self proclaimed 'Mad Chef' to be normal now would you? And far from normal this night was. Initially I was confused as to the reason why he decided to call this little pop up venture "Audio Beef" but it all became very apparent when I stepped foot into Mini Bar. If you were after a quiet candle lit meal and a relaxing chilled out soundtrack to enjoy your 7 course feast well, you may have been a tad disappointed. Instead, Mad Chef and his posse managed to create a club vibe within the tiny Mini Bar. Not content with serving up some 30/40 people with 7 courses of punked up New York style street food, Mr Chef decides to blare out LIVE 90s style Chicago house & disco tunes all night with actual decks set out in the KITCHEN. Accompanied also by a LIVE sax player who got jiggy on the table tops at the end of the night, which made for one the most exhilarating dinners I've ever had. Its fair to say the man's multitasking skillz are other worldly. The dj-ing was spot as the chefs cooked away. All this was relayed out to the punters over a live feed on a big tv screen in the main bar. Its fair to say Mad Chef and his posse were having a right good time dancing about, playing cool retro tunes and, somehow, incredibly, dishing out some top notch grub. So I think I've set the rather interesting scene by now. In order to get into the groove it was probably best to grab a few drinks and go with the flow. At first, I must admit, I was a little unsure, but, as everyone started to relax and get into the spirit of things, it turned out to be one hell of a fun night. Right, onto the food! The menu consisted of 7 small plates, almost tapas style so you could get a flavour for everything without, I guess, getting totally stuffed. The menu was kinda New York / Americana inspired but with some pretty major and inventive twists. Take for example the wonderful corn chowder, but infused with some smokey pancetta, or the falafel with peanut butter and coconut, or Hubba Bubba ice cream with popping candy. My favourite dish of the night however had to be the Park Slope Patty burger with salted caramel and habanero puree. The burger packed an almighty chilli kick but was somehow balanced with an amazing sweetness. Its fair to say everything tasted wonderful and, with the last desert not getting dished up until 23:30 I'm glad I wasn't completely stuffed and bloated by the end of the night. It really was the perfect amount of food all served up by the wonderfully charming and friendly staff of the Mini Bar. If you want to try something totally unique, in terms of food and surroundings then this is the night for you. Mad Chef tells us that street food is all about soul, partying, getting to meet and mingle with new people and the man has a darn good point! This was a fun packed night that will definitely live in my memory for a long long time. A resounding 5 stars to you Mad Chef and your most excellent 'Beef Audio' night! read more

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I didn't know what to expect from the taco and techno night prior to going, and felt a bit dubious of this unusual combo .... However, from the moment we arrived the environment was very relaxed and welcoming. I ended up having a fantastic night, eating my way through the 6 courses which included a cocktail, 3 taco dishes, a mini burger and a dessert ... As well as dancing my ass off to the throbbing beats by DJ's who played their decks in the kitchen - with a sax player - as the chef cooked the food ..... which showed up on a huge screen in the eating area from the live cam. Really loved this eating/dancing experience with a difference. Overall, the Staff couldn't have been friendlier or more accommodating .... Well recommended!!! Xx read more

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This was one of the funnest (but super strange) experiences I've had in a while! I didn't know what to expect (or see or taste) even though Briony had shared a bit of her experience from the first Mad Chef event. It was literally MAD. While at Bloc+, a whole lotta techno music was being played, lots of fun lights from the disco ball and glowy sticks everywhere and bubbles! BUBBLES! It was such a fun atmosphere! I couldn't help but just dance at my seat and play with the bubbles like a 10 year old. The Mad Chef himself was so coohl. He'd come in and out of the kitchen to DJ and then back in to prepare the food (this whole process being projected on the huge screen at Bloc+). So weird but awesome! It's such a unique experience! Imagine being in a techno club, people dancing and drinking everywhere, with bubbles and glow sticks flying around and then the chef who djs and cooks performs music and chef skills for you. It's so ... weird haha The ma(d)gharita and tacos were awesome too! My favourite taco had chocolate in it, which was a pleasant surprise. It was super delicious! The ma(d)gharita was a favourite of the night. Sweet, a wee bit salty and refreshing! I wasn't a big fan of the dessert but maybe it's because it was a wee bit too sweet for me. Other than that, loved everything! I think the next time there's a Mad Chef event, PLEASE make some time to attend! It's a whole new experience of its own! So glad I had the opportunity to go. :) read more

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Well this is a rather long overdue review!! This was by far one of the strangest but also most awesome eating experiences of my life, and it was totally unexpected as well so bonus points for that. I was a bit gutted when I didn't originally get a spot for this event through Yelp, so when Briony C alerted Twitter to the fact there was a free spot a mere 3 hours before the event, I was all over it! (Despite already having had my dinner, because I am a piggy.) To begin with, we were a bit confused about how everything was going to work as there didn't seem to be enough seats for everyone, but we soon got this sorted out and awaited the glorious creations that were to come. There was clubby music on and the lighting was slightly dimmed as Mr Mad Chef was going for a New York theme, which I totally dug. Sadly (as always) I was driving so couldn't get fully stuck into the cocktails, but had a try of one (the midori one!) and it was delish! There was a TV screen so we could see into the kitchen, where they had decks set up which was really fun to watch! The food was, as with anything Danny makes, absolutely incredible! My favourite dish was probably the sunshine tacos, but the bubblegum ice cream with popping candy and the meringues with honeycomb were an absolute triumph as well! I couldn't eat all of my habañero burger because habañeros, in fact it was nearly bye bye Debs after one bite, but I could tell that it was seriously delicious! Everyone had a great time trying everything, and I'm so impressed that we all managed so many courses. The Mad Chef himself came out at the end to thank everyone and you could really see how much the whole thing meant to him - he may be mad (in the best way) but he is definitely passionate about what he does and it's so nice to see that. They also had a live saxophone player who played for us standing on a table, where he was also joined by the aforementioned chef for a bit - definitely the most bizarre ending to a foodie night ever! We all left in a bit of a food coma and a bit bewildered, but very very happy. Anyone who gets to go along to future Audio Beef nights is in for a treat!!! read more