New women only restaurant - KC'z coming soon to Soho

We went along to KC'z restaurant on Friday for a tasting evening. This was a preview of the type of food that will be on offer and also a chance to check out this new women only space.

KC'z at Sofakingcool in evening set up

KC'z @ sofakingcool is a women only members restaurant. The membership enables the venue to restrict who can enter, however it is currently free to become a member.

KC'z restaurant can be found on Frith Street in Soho. Down some stairs, you turn into a bright room that is welcoming, clean, fresh and just a little bit classy.

Due to its restaurant status there is table service only which is rather pleasant and takes away the age old and hated tradition of queuing for a drink at a crowded bar.
The food we got to taste was nothing short of exquisite and included cinnamon duck, tuna fishcakes, steak and a chickpea curry. The flavours were rich, and seasoned to perfection.

 

The venue will be open Mon-Sun from 5pm. Fridays are over 21s and Saturdays are over 25s. The main menu is available until 10pm after which the menu switches to a more tapas/snack style menu until close. There is a DJ box to ensure quality tunes whilst you eat.

 

KC'z can seat 78 plus there are some lovely booths that are ideal for reserving for group bookings. There is also a little cinema room where you can relax with a few friends and catch a movie in an intimate setting.

 

This venue has it all; central location, class, good food, good service, music and much more.

 

The drinks will be standard Soho prices, so think £7.50 for a cocktail. There will be drinks specials during the evening.

 

Open Mon-Sat 5pm to midnight

KC'z are currently looking for a female chef and sous chef, so if you, or someone you know is looking for a position put them in touch!

KC'z officially opens on 1 February - we recommend that you book your table today!

To become a free member of KC'z, go to their website and complete the membership application form

 

L Fest: The Lesbian Music, Arts & Comedy Festival

Venue: Uttoxeter Race Course (new bigger, better venue for 2013)
Date: Friday 19th - Sunday 22nd July

L-Fest, the brain child of Cindy Edwards, is everything you could want out of a Lesbian Festival and more. An annual event that draws together women from all over the country offering excellent value for money, it is not to be missed.

What's On*
It's a full action-packed weekend with a wonderfully varied schedule: 

• Live Music stage (this year you can see BETTY of L Word Theme tine fame) + The hottest DJs from around the country including some of your favourite London nights
• Workshops on every topic you can think of (yoga, drama, singing, writing)
• Authors - performance poets and novelists read their work ( Clare Summerskill, Jackie Kay and VG Lee)
• Comedy - roars of laughter from the Big Top Stage
• Cinema - with special screenings of lesbian themed movies including Jill Bennett's Second Shot
• Activities and games - from rock climbing to rounders
• The retreat (massages, pampering & relaxation)
• Free camping for ticket holders, or upgrade to a Yurt, campervan or caravan

There is also a family areas, market stalls and the L Fest Solo Club for singles to  make new friends. Literally something for everyone.

*the full schedule for 2013 is listed on a separate blog post here: http://planetlondonfeatures.blogspot.com/2013/04/l-fest-2013-line-up-released.html 

L Fest is also an amazing success due to the hard work of the team behind the Festival. A happy crew of volunteers make sure everything that needs to happen beforehand and during the Festival Dates does so to ensure a top notch time for L Festers. 
 

The L Fest Team have worked very hard to find an accessible and multi-purpose venue that will fit everything that L Fest is renowned for offering and more - there is capacity at this new venue for 19,000 (L Fest 2012 entertained 1,000 women). Meet the team as they introduce the change of Venue to us:
Map of the site:

How to get involved

Weekend Tickets are available from £99 here. Camping is free but for an additional charge there are 76 electric hook up pitches. Day tickets will be available from £50. Children (under 16) and dogs are free!

By Katie

Femmes, Come out of your Shell with Pink Lobster Dating

Ever feel like you're invisible as a lesbian? If you identify as a femme/lipstick lesbian, you may feel doubly invisible - both within and outside of the lesbian community. And this can make it very hard to meet a love interest, especially a fellow femme. 

There can be a heck of a lot of espionage and signal-reading involved to work out if the object of your attention is a) gay b) single c) likes other femmes and d) seems attracted to you in any way. It's exhausting. Don't you wish there was an easier way to meet femmes, without having to come out repeatedly at social events and possess the romantic subtlety of a sledge hammer?

Well, now there is. As of February there will be a whole new world of opportunity to meet the one (or one of many) femmes for you, when Pink Lobster Dating launches it's 'Lipstick Lesbian Catch'. As the ONLY dating network in the UK specifically for lipstick lesbians, this obviously removes a whole layer of time and effort searching for femmes within a much wider net (no internet or lobster pun intended - ok, just a bit). 

The site allows the level of information and privacy that the user chooses - not enforcing a 'one size fits all' model - which reflects the fact that femmes are as diverse as the lesbian community as a whole. There are special safety features to ensure only genuine users and the site also features a community area where users can access professional advice, guidance and information in the form of videos, blogs and webinars. You can access the site now (in its pre-launch phase) at www.PinkLobsterDating.co.uk and win lovely things. Further details can also be found on FB.com/PinkLobsterDating.

Pink Lobster Dating will be holding an exclusive launch night on Saturday 9th February at the Shadow Lounge (5 Brewer Street, London W1F 0RF), featuring performances from Bashema, Joan ov Arc, The L Project and Nicolette Street from 18.00-22:00, followed by a club night until 03.00.

Tickets cost £11.50 and can be purchased via the Pink Lobster Dating website, Facebook or simply scan the QR code on the poster. All profits will go to support Diversity Role Models and Stonewall.

Join us to celebrate lesbian diversity, support two fantastic charities and launch the Lobster. Invisible no more.

Hannah Cooper, blogging in partnership with Pink Lobster Dating, is writer of the Femme Meets Femme blog on femme identity.