Cosmic Pineapple

Anyone who knows me knows I am probably the least cosmic person in Ibiza. I mean, I do confess to reading my star signs every now and again and I like a good pair of galaxy leggings for yoga, but as far as hippy dippy trippy spiritual type activities, well… I prefer give them a wide berth. Just not my thing. But as they say, you can’t knock it until you try it, and after two weeks of persuasion, the cosmic peeps at Pikes managed to talk me into visiting the very special Thursday day-to-night event Cosmic Pineapple. It was for charity after all – it would be rude not to! I have to admit, despite my strong resistance to all cosmic activitiy, they had me from the artwork. I may not consider myself cosmic but I do love a good pineapple, flamingo and palm tree in any kind of illustration, advertisement or décor. I’m also a huge fan of Josh Wink, who was part of the epic DJ line-up alongside  Tiefschwarz, Craig Richards, Mirko Loko, Ryan O Gorman, Cici and some other amazing musical talent, so I figured if the cosmic action all got too much for me, I could simply retreat to what was dubbed the ‘Space Rave’.

The event is a slow-burner, starting at 4pm with an opening ceremony and then casually leading you through the rest of the afternoon and evening with a series of workshops, talks, films, markets, classes, rituals and more, right up until the rave cave kicks off at 10pm, turning the party into a typical Pikes style fiesta. Having already checked out the photos and the reviews of the previous weeks (Cosmic Pineapple runs for four consecutive weeks on Thursdays), I convinced my mind to remain open, donned my best cosmic leggings (spaced out cat faces emblazoned all over the legs) and headed into the hills of San Antonio. Hitting the Once Upon A Time Market stalls on the hot pink tennis court was the craftiest way to ease a non-cosmic like myself into the proceedings – after all, is there anyone in the world who does not like market shopping? In my opinion, you can never have too many feathers, too many pairs of sunglasses or too much glitter and this was the place to stock up on all of the above. Customised hats and headpieces (hello next year’s Burning Man wardrobe), amazing quirky false eyelashes, festival-style sparkly face embellishments, crocheted swimsuits, handmade jewellery, crystals, oils… If this was cosmic retail therapy, then I was already a convert.

I was assured that beyond the tennis court and in the Rockovery area of Pikes was where the real cosmic action was taking place, so I braced myself and went in for the opening ceremony with Carli Susu, the girl who is dubbed Ibiza’s very own ‘white witch’, bedecked in feathers as we sipped welcome drinks, joined the circle, found a partner, locked on to each others’ energy and chanted ‘Har Haray Hari Waheguru’ – which I’m told is a Kundalini chant for creativity. There were bells, there was drumming, there was fire, there was more chanting for the fire element… and there were lots of smiles. Lots of happy, warm, friendly people, all happy to be there, happy to be connecting and happy to be taking part. The thing about happiness is, it’s kind of infectious. Even if you are a non-cosmic like myself, you can’t help but be swept away with everyone else’s enthusiasm. And being happy then opens you up to new experiences. For example… Reiki. I always thought it was just people who thought they had superpowers holding their hands out at you, Spiderman style minus the webs, but on this occasion, I have to say I really felt some kind of… dare I say… energy? And crystal healing – where previously I thought they were just a bunch of pretty rocks, this time I felt drawn to certain colours and discovered what that meant and what they could do to me. I had my Tarot cards read – and now I only wish I had recorded the experience, so I could analyse it more. I’ll just have to go back tomorrow night and do it all again!

Once I’d had my fill of happy hippy dippy trippy stuff I made my way to the pool where REAL LIVE MERMAIDS (also known as the MinxFX Mermaids) were making jaws drop left, right and centre as Ali Schwarz provided the awesome pre-sunset soundtrack. If you ever need to mesmerise a group of small children, simply bring them to the Pikes pool on a Cosmic Pineapple Thursday, where you can most definitely prove that magic exists. When I grow up, I want to be a mermaid! Up on the rooftop, a panel of some of the most awesome electronic music artists – including Josh Wink, Matthew Bushwacka, Acid Mondays and Ali Schwarz – had assembled to give a talk on taking a more conscious approach to dance music that had the audience enthralled. I even overheard one guest say it was one of the most interesting panels they’d ever been to, far more fascinating than the annual IMS. Perhaps approaching music from a conscious viewpoint rather than a business perspective is the way forward…

Cinema Paradiso were out in the garden screening my favourite ever film, The Lost Boys (previous weeks were classics Purple Rain and The Labyrinth), and even though I have seen it around 300 times in my lifetime, it didn’t stop me from pulling up a pew for a while and quoting every single word coming out of either Corey’s mouth, much to the dismay of my neighbours. Last of all was the dancing. With guest star drag artist performers BayBJane and Kalypso Bang looking fabulous, cosmic fluoro face paint creating awesome effects under the neon lighting and a soundtrack by the aforementioned DJs, who needs Burning Man? Ibiza has its very own little cosmic community coming together right here at Pikes… and though I may not be a fully-fledged card carrying member of the tribe, I have to admit my mind is a little less closed to alternative therapies and all that hippy dippy trippy stuff than it was before I arrived.

Tomorrow night is the final instalment of Cosmic Pineapple at Pikes at Ibiza Rocks House, celebrating the Autumn Equinox and the element of air. There’s more cosmic activations and healings, a candlelight yoga session, more tennis court market action, a Cosmic Pineapple Cocktail and as always, the DJ line-up will be kept a secret up until the last minute, but if the last three weeks are anything to go by, you can guarantee it will be a showstopper. Entry is free, however a donation to charity is recommended on entry, with this week’s charities being the Save Fabric London fund and the David Lynch Foundation. Sparkle leggings at the ready! Photography by Phrank for Cosmic Pineapple

Meatopia – Warning! NSFV

I couldn’t believe it when I first saw the invitation to the Meatopia event at Pikes at Ibiza Rocks House. I had to stop and wonder if someone was playing a joke on me. Because in this day and age of veganism, macrobiotic diets, conscious cooking and health awareness, the good old fashioned slab of meat gets a little too overlooked for my liking. And this invitation showed a picture of a giant, marbled steak that made my mouth water before I’d even read the words.

Whoa, vegans! Didn’t I ask you not to read ahead? I can almost hear your backlash as I type. Now please note before I go any further, I respect your choices to be vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, whatever-atarian. I really do. And so I hope, even if you disagree with my choices, you can still respect that they are indeed my own. Now seriously guys… look away. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. So as I was saying, there was this invitation. MEATOPIA Eat meat Sleep Repeat

It was like my carnivorous dream come true. Anyone who knows me will know I am partial to a little bit of… oh, ok A LOT of meat in my diet. I’m the kind of person who has to stop at the McDonald’s drive thru on the way home after having dinner at a vegetarian’s house for my meat fix. I simply do not understand the point of ordering a curry, stir-fry or noodle dish if it does not have meat in eat. I do not believe that tofu or Portobello mushrooms can substitute in any way for a steak. I think pizza is weird if it doesn’t have ham or pepperoni on it. Even simple pasta dishes have got to at least have some bacon in them or I feel totally unsatisfied afterwards. (By the way, vegans, if you’re still reading – please, no judgement. I told you to look away!) Recently, I felt completely depleted of energy and I just couldn’t understand why. I went to see my lovely Chinese Herbal Medicine doctor and she promptly prescribed 10 days of eating red meat to get me back to good health! It’s not me, it’s my blood type. Apparently. Though I don’t feel like I should have to justify it in any way. I really do need to eat meat every day, or I get edgy, tired and pretty darn hungry. (Though I must admit I am open to meat-free Mondays since Paul and Stella make such a valid argument for saving the planet. Probably best if it’s said Mondays are spend hungover and dying in bed without consuming much more than a slice of toast then.)

ANYWAY. I digress. Meatopia. It was everything I had ever dreamed of and more. A bespoke barbecue in the fairytale back gardens of Pikes – my favourite place IN THE WORLD (also the first place I ever stayed in Ibiza, many moons ago). Multi-award winning chef Richard H Turner – whose barbecue I had drooled over (not literally) at last year’s Groucho party but didn’t get to sample – was planning to prepare five different types of meat. There were a bunch of side dishes listed on the menu too, but I couldn’t get past the giant lettering that just said: M E A T. Oh – and the soundtrack was going to be provided by one of my favourite artists, Bushwacka! and it was going to be all about old school hip hop and breaks. Seriously. It was like someone had cyber stalked me, found all of my favourite things (minus my cat) and put them into one room. I counted down the days. I deliberated about whether to starve myself all day in preparation, or to graze and slowly stretch my stomach for the feast that lay ahead. The event started at 8pm and at 7.30pm I was getting edgy and antsy. We had to hit the road. I had to be the first person in front of this custom made barbecue I’d been dreaming about. So my friend – le’s call him Mr B – and I zipped up the highway, probably breaking a few speeding laws in anticipation… and then there we were. Pikes at Ibiza Rocks House.

As we stepped through the garden and were greeted with a (very British, and also very delicious) cocktail, my nostrils flared up like a hunting dog. There were spices in the air. There was juicy, crispy skin crackling. Thick, delicious meaty juices were flowing…. And then I saw her. The mother of all barbecues. A big brick structure built right into the ground, with carefully selected wood burning at ground level, oh-so-slowly smoking and cooking the payes chicken, rib eye beef, pork belly ribs and more meaty deliciousness above. And there HE was. The king. Richard H Turner, who had been slaving away over the hot barbecue since 10am that very morning in a quest to deliver the tenderest of meats, the most succulent of sausages and the most flavour-filled filets to his followers. The medieval style apron gave him an air of authority. He wielded his tongs and knives like an artist. It was magical to watch, and tantalising to smell. I was finding it really hard to be polite and make small talk. All I wanted to do was get stuck in!

When the time came, I was not disappointed. Every last mouthful was a savoury sensation. Clinched rib eye of beef. Spit roast lamb. Slow grilled pork belly ribs. Grilled quail with chorizo. jerk chicken and mushrooms – and let me just make a point here, in a little vegetable’s defence, that every single diner on my table was in agreement that those mushrooms were the finest tasting mushrooms we had ever eaten, even as good as the meat accompanying it! While some might presume all that meat was too heavy for a meal, the carefully thought out side dishes served as the perfect light palate cleansers – ranging from a baked beetroot salad, the best Caesar I have ever tasted and an amazing green chilli slaw to escarole with anchovy cream and homemade baked beans. I was in heaven. And of course, a lovely drop of vino tinto didn’t go astray to wash it all down. One of the finest feasts of my Ibiza lifetime, to say the very least. Of course, I know it’s not for everyone. I’m sure the organisers know it’s not for everyone. The event is called Meatopia after all! It’s not about discrimination to those who don’t eat meat… it’s about catering specifically to those (like me!) who do. If you don’t eat meat (why are you still reading?), don’t book a table. If you do, then I cannot recommend this highly enough. There are four more events this season… and I will be reserving my place by the barbeque for all of them!

Meet the chef – Ferial K

Ferial K is one such chef, showcasing her North African inspired cuisine concept with her guest chef residency every Saturday at the iconic Pikes at Ibiza Rocks House. Upon biting into Ferial K’s delicious cuisine, you’ll instantly realise it’s full of passion and creativity. Having crossed the globe during her travels, she has amassed the very best spices, flavours, colours, textures and cooking styles known to gastronomy and has the ability to wow anyone who’s lucky enough to be a guest at her dinner table this summer.

Tell us a little about your experience? I haven’t always been a ‘chef’, but I’ve always loved to cook. Even when I was doing another job, I was always been the first one to cook for my friends, even 20 to 30 people, and I was never afraid of this. I love to travel, and from living in Africa and backpacking for pleasure I totally fell in love with local markets because of the colours, the food, the smells, the spices – it all inspires me and I am so curious. I completed some cooking courses, and I worked some internships, but the best cooking course I ever did was stay in the homes of local people where my hosts were cooking, so I could learn their style and their flavours. I’ve never been to school, but I’m self-taught from all over the world. Is it true you were a guest at Freddie Mercury’s famous birthday bash at Pikes? It was the best party ever! Oh la la, it was fantastic! By luck, we were invited, and there were around 200 guests at Pikes, and at the end of the party my friend and I were invited to stay for a drink so I got to meet Freddie away from all the crowds. He was so sweet and friendly, and as I was a teenager at the time, this was a big deal. What’s the story behind being invited back to guest chef so many years later? I was cooking a dinner for some guests and [owner] Dawn Hindle had been invited. After the dinner, she asked me to call her the next day, and she proposed I do Cous Cous Club at the restaurant at Pikes at Ibiza Rocks House.

What is the inspiration behind the cuisine concept? Cous cous is an iconic food where I am from, and I am proud to create this food coming from my North African origins. I get to play with my creativity and I always love to experiment in my cooking. I play with texture, taste and smell so I created this menu – it was originally for fun, but after certain people had sampled the food, I was asked to expand and return to the concept. Any special flavours or tastes that standout? Because I’ve always been curious about food and going to markets, being creative is so important to me. If a vegetable is talking to me, I will create something very interesting. You see, I am an artist – I draw with my food, I draw the texture and the taste because it is all an inspiration. You’ll experience the freshest vegetables served in a variety of ways, fragrant spices, the freshest herbs, different adaptions using coconut and sweet flavours like vanilla. It’s my imagination and it is my art.

How do you describe your style in the kitchen? First of all, I draw my food. I do creation by drawing, you will see this on my menus [The Cous Cous Club menu in showcases illustrations of the dishes by Ferial]. I’m a pleasant and passionate chef. It is all about professionalism, smiling and a positive attitude. Also, silence in the kitchen with no shouting, unless we receive or speak an order. I must give a special mention to the team at Pikes, it’s been a pleasure to work with them, everyone is always smiling and very talented. What is your signature dish? I don’t have a signature dish. I try to know my clients so well and understand what they want and cook according to this. I create an amazing menu that my clients will love – this is my signature. A menu that always fits them and that they will enjoy.

What do you love about working and living in Ibiza? Obviously because it is paradise. Yes we fall in love with the island, but more, we fall in love with the atmosphere and energy. This is why I’ve been here such a long time. I am so happy that my family brought me here when I was little because to grow up here, and now to work and live here, is a big, big privilege. I am also a private chef, so I work on yachts, in villas, and at big events. I love this because I get to meet such amazing people, and characters. Particularly, I have a group of clients who have supported me since the beginning, who have grown with me and supported my creativity as an artist and are always there when I create something new. This is so special for me. What is your favourite place to eat in Ibiza? Can Balafia! It is simple but always so amazing. I’ve been coming to this place for so many years. Everything is fresh from the garden, and the meat always perfectly cooked. It’s simple and Spanish, and this is why I love it. But of course… the island is full of places; it’s hard to choose just one!

Ibiza goes to the movies

I love movies. I love movie stars (note: different to actors, though I also love them), I love cinematography, I love soundtracks, I love scores, I love movie posters, I love cleverly written scripts, I love surround sound, I love the big screen, I love red velveteen chairs with cup holders for your oversized Coca Cola, I love oversized Coca Cola, I love previews, I love reading the credits as they roll… It’s just magical. I’d often thought if I didn’t live in Ibiza and write a blog, perhaps I’d live in Hollywood and work (like everyone else) in the movies – but then one day I went to Hollywood and didn’t find the real thing quite as magical as a silver screen experience, so I came back to my life as a mild mannered anonymous blogger and continued to pine about the lack of cinematic experiences in my life on the white isle.

You see, when I first moved to the island, movies were only screened in Spanish. Very occasionally there’d be a film shown in VO at the multiplex in town, but it would always be some old arthouse movie I had already seen years before, so the magic just wasn’t quite the same. The very first thing I did when I took a holiday to NYC in 2013, after living in Ibiza for seven years, was go to the cinema in Time Square (in case you’re wondering – I saw Frozen and have subsequently watched the DVD about once a week ever since. It was that special). I flew to Barcelona to go to a midnight screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on the opening day last December. Just to give you an idea of how much I love the movies. Anyway! Back to Ibiza, I was thrilled a few years ago when a company called Lime in the Coconut (rebranded this year as Cinema Paradiso Ibiza) started screening films in an open-air cinema setting in the magical setting of Dalt Vila. My hood. And then the year after that, Amante started hosting open-air cinema nights, and then during the winter just gone by, the retro-esque (it’s just authentically old, it wasn’t styled by a hipster) Cine Regio in San Antonio started screening movies in English twice a week. I was in heaven. (Note: Yes I know I could watch movies in Spanish if I wanted to, but the magic gets a little lost in translation, and the mismatched lip-syncing drives me crazy.)

Movies are finally creeping into expat Ibiza culture, and so when I was invited to attend the exclusive premiere of the new set-in-Ibiza flick called White Island, adapted from author Colin Butts’ book ‘A Bus Could Run You Over’ (adapted by the same author), I couldn’t have said RSVP’d ‘yes’ fast enough. It was a film about my favourite island, shown in my favourite place (on the pink tennis court at Pikes at Ibiza Rocks House) and set up by my favourite open air movie team (Cinema Paradiso Ibiza), which meant comfy beanbeds to replace the velveteen chairs and wine to replace my oversized Coke! Of course, like any Ibiza invitation, I was instantly set back by the dress code. WHITE. Obviously. You’d think by the nature of my job, I’d have a wardrobe full of the shade, but I have to admit, it’s just not my colour! And let’s be honest – white is a summer colour. I do have some little white shorts and some light white tops… but it’s May. It was late at night. It’s cold. And annoyingly, I couldn’t just ‘borrow’ from our fashion boutique, because it was a weekend and our office was locked! A few creative twists on the variation resulting in a look that was a cross between a toga party and a snowman meant I was finally dressed for the occasion. And so it was off to Pikes, the happiest place on earth!

We arrived to red carpet (I guess white just would have been impractical), a free-flowing bar (WAY better than an oversized coke) and free-popping popcorn, served up by the cutest chicas in vintage styled cigarette girl outfits, complete with pillbox hats. The pink tennis court was illuminated by the light of the full moon and awash with white (although of course there was ONE disrespectful – let’s call him a pop-hopper – who dressed head to toe in black), some very chic and stylish, some perhaps could have done with a stylist’s touch (remember, white does NOT hide a multitude of sins and pigtails and lace just don’t work on anyone over 40), but who am I to criticise? I looked like Olaf from Frozen! In typical Ibiza style, most of the guests were late and almost all refused to take their beanbed until the very last minute – the invite list was a veritable who’s who of Ibiza spanning about three decades, with around 40-percent of the attendees flying in from the UK for the occasion, so it seemed there was a lot of catching up to do. When Colin Butts took to the microphone to make a speech prior to the screening, there really wasn’t a dry eye in the house – it was a pretty special moment.

Then it was time. That magical minute as the production house logo comes up on the screen and the movie is about to start. I was on the edge of my beanbed in anticipation. Having never read the book, I had no idea what the film was going to be about (shame on me, yes – I’ve downloaded it for this weekend)… but as it had been shot in Ibiza, I knew quite a few people who made an appearance as an extra, which I figured would be worth looking out for if nothing else. Onto the movie itself. Beautiful production. Amazing shots of our beautiful island. Lots of fun guessing which venues had been transformed into make-believe beach bars and even more fun trying to guess if any of the characters were based on people we know. I was surprised to discover that I thought the soundtrack was fabulous (as I think often movies these days lean more towards poppy EDM but it wasn’t the case) and the actors, well, they weren’t all that bad either. Mostly unknowns. An East Ender here. A chubby Billy Zane there. A quick cameo by the back of Carl Cox’s head. A British girl faking a Spanish accent (why they didn’t hire a local girl I’ll never understand). And the aforementioned pop hopper holding a gun like it was the most unnatural thing in the world. OBVS. He’s not an OG hip hopper (nor, some would say, an actor).

I’m not a film critic by any means, so I’m not going to spoil the film for anyone who hasn’t seen it, but I’ll just say it’s yet another Ibiza movie that I’d prefer my mother didn’t see as it shows the darker, seedier side of the island that – while admittedly it does exist – tends to present the island in a bad light to those who don’t know and love it as we do. It sometimes makes me a bit sad that there doesn’t seem to be any movie or TV show about Ibiza that captures the true essence of the island, that magic so many of us feel (whether you live here or not) – and then other times, I’m kind of happy, because I think, if the rest of the world only KNEW how special it was, we’d be overrun! There’s a wonderful line at the end of the film spoken by the protagonist that sums up how I feel about movies and about Ibiza. “Everybody’s got to find their thing, the thing that makes them come alive for all the right reasons.” Hmmm. Ibiza in the movies. Who needs Hollywood? Maybe that’s my destiny, right there… Photography by James Alexander Chapman for Pikes at Ibiza Rocks House

Sundays are saved!

Anyone who knows me, or has read my blog over the years, will know that I was once a We Love girl. And I don’t just mean I was a fan of the party and went every week. I mean, I lived it! My first ever job in Ibiza was working on the beach in summer – walking up and down Playa d’en Bossa, up and down, up and down again, and AGAIN – handing out flyers for the now legendary party. The golden years. The time when I was oh-so-skinny and super-duper tanned (walking up and down the beach will do that to you). In the years that followed, I did a little bit of everything. I did more flyering. I manufactured and sold t-shirts and other merchandise. I did video interviews with all the very best DJs in the world. And my guilty pleasure – I was the guest list girl. I spent many, many years of my life working with amazing people who went on to become my Ibiza family, and so it was with a heavy heart that I called it quits in 2014 (the roles of Miss W and door girl just aren’t as easy to combine in my old age). And even though I gained myself two extra days off on the weekends, I felt at a loss for what to do on Sundays. So this week, I am so happy, so excited, so beyond ridiculously overjoyed at the news that my beloved Ibiza family (who also moved onto pastures new in 2014) – Mark and Sarah Broadbent and Andrew Livesey – are hosting a new venture in my all-time favourite venue, Ibiza Rocks House at Pikes Hotel every… you guessed it… Sunday! Hallelujah – Sundays have been saved!

I’d like to point out here that this is NOT, I repeat, NOT We Love Mark II*. It’s not like Space at Pikes. It’s an entirely different ballgame – in fact, it’s the polar opposite! The party is aptly named Pikes on Sundays and there’s no frills and fanciness about it (although I must say, it has some pretty fancypants artwork – I wonder if they’ll print me a poster?). It’s a free party that is all about good people (the island’s very BEST people!), great music and good vibes – poolside, over a Bloody Mary and a Sunday Roast… what’s not to love? You can guarantee anyone who’s anyone, and anyone who’s heard of anyone, will be around that pool at this party this summer. You’d be mad NOT to. When it comes to music, as you’d expect, this crew have impeccable taste. Calling on their ‘friends and family’ (a pretty big roster if the last 15 years are anything to go by) to drop in behind the decks, Pikes on Sundays have plenty of musical treats in store between now and the closing on October 11 (keep your eyes on their cool blog for regular updates). There’s my favourite, the wonderful Mr Doris, doing his infamous After Dark sessions bi-weekly (with some super special guests of his own joining in), and there’s also the lovely Lottie, Mark Barrott (International Feel), Phat Phil Cooper, Neil Diablo, Amp & Deck, Kitt Proudfoot, Jon Woodall and Ruairi Dunne – just to name a few. And trust me, if you haven’t heard the names before, it’s worth checking out. Remember when no one had heard of James Zabiela many moons ago?

All the action kicks starts at 2pm, by the pool, with Mark and Andrew playing everything from West Coast Rock to Balearic Beats, through African rhythms, post pop and everything in between, before the guests take over and day to turns to night, the musical tempo picks up, and before you know it, you’re on the Pikes fluoro pink tennis court and it’s 6am*… no wait. That hasn’t happened yet. But with 24 weeks of Sundays stretched out before us, you can guarantee it will!

*Fans of We Love, don’t despair. The party is still happening this year, in the new Wednesday night slot at Sankeys Ibiza.

**Disclaimer: Pikes on Sundays reckon they’ll call it a night at 2am. Any suggestions otherwise are pure fabrications by the author.