The Star of Kings Cross – #Starfest
The 9th of June 2016 saw my cousin and I head along to The Electric Star Group’s #starfest. What is #starfest you may ask? #starfest was created to allow press, bloggers and friends to visit The Star of Kings Cross, The Jackdaw and Star, The Star of Bethnal Green and The Star of Hackney Downs, all in one night. I seriously hope this event becomes a regular event open to members of the public, because it was a great idea and a lot of fun.
At 6:00 we arrived at The Star of King’s Cross and were welcomed by the The Electric Star Group and owner Rob Star. We had a few pints and got to learn about Rob and how he came to be the owner of four traditional family friendly pubs throughout London. The Star of Kings Cross is a lovely homely style pub. Food is served daily by ‘Yeah! Burger’ and this is actually another thing that makes this chain of pubs so unique. Where else in London can you visit pubs which has ‘street food’ businesses based in their kitchens? You’ll find comedy nights, drinks offers, party spaces for hire, DJs, live music and a weekly quiz night in this pub.
After everyone finished our drinks, we headed to the coach and split up into teams to take part in round 1 of the #starfest quiz while we made our way to The Jackdaw and Star. Here we enjoyed some more drinks and food from Sugarshack cooked by Andi Oliver (BBC’s Nenah and Andi dish it up and Food Glorious Food ITV) and Kelly Miles (General manager of the Roebuck and the Birdcage). This food was so good! My only complaint was that there wasn’t more of it as I could have happily stayed and eaten here until my stomach burst. It did give us a taste of the menu so I do look forward to heading down and having a proper meal soon. TV presenter Miquita Oliver was also eating dinner here and apparently she’s not the only celebrity to pop into any of the different star pubs. Exciting stuff!
Back on the coach, round 2 of the #starfest quiz began while we continued on our pub craw to the The Star of Hackney Downs. This had to be my favourite pub of the evening. The interior designed like a Victorian Circus complete with a carousel horse is gorgeous. Here, Gin Journey’s very own Leon Dallaway gave us a masterclass in Silent Pool Gin and we got to enjoy some G&T’s before making our way to our final destination.
Round 3 of the #starfest quiz on the bus saw us two Aussies not doing the best but at least we didn’t come last. Our final stop was The Star of Bethnal Green, the birthplace of the Star pubs where we partook in some karaoke and more drinks. This was a great ending to the night and must be one of the most popular pubs as the place was packed.
As I already said, I hope Rob opens #starfest to others as I’m positive people would pay money for a pubcrawl to four great venues throughout London. Especially if food, comedy, alcohol and a quiz is involved. If not, make sure you head down to one of the four Star pubs for a great night and keep an eye out for The Leyton Star opening soon. I know I will be.
Reporter: Tegan LeBon ¦ @Toogs1
The Star of Kings
126 York Way
London N1 OAX
Website: starofkings.co.uk
Twitter: @Starofkings
Instagram: @starofkings
