Who fancies a dessert?

Good day to you my fine blog followers, "where you been?" i hear you cry, well busy is the answer, busy going to pool, busy going to the beach, busy going for nice meals, busy going for nice rides on my bike and busy eating lobster (more about all that in another post).

The Oceanic is still going well although the past week has gone a bit quieter on the Old Kalamaki road more 18-30's and eastern europeans than couples and families from the UK but July and August aren't really my months, i'm very lucky in having May, June, Sept and Oct as busy months where other bars have only July and Aug as their main season so i can't grumble.

The Kev's Unique cocktail range is growing with the addition of the "Comfortably Numb", Cherry Bakewell, Black forrest Gateaux and Lemon Cheesecake. These cocktails you will only find in Oceanic as i'm the only one sad enough to work on new cocktails LOL. I can't go in to to much detail with regards ingredients as its "TOP SECRET" like Colonel Sanders Kentucky Fried Chicken, well in fact its nothing like Kentucky Fried Chicken as thats a greasy coating with dried up chicken under it, dropped in a box to soak through the bottom and leave a horrible stain on your jeans when eating it at 4am in the morning on a bench by cardiff city hall, my cocktails are the opposite, lovely tasting alcohol based delights that slide down your neck then hit the neural centre of your brain to make you giggly and light headed, which can also lead to sitting on a bench by cardiff city hall at 4am, anywhooooo here are some pics of the new lovelys i've come up with.

THE LEMON CHEESECAKE

THE BLACK FORREST GATEAUX

I didn't bother taking a pic of the other 2 cocktails as they look pretty boring it would be like putting a Cheeky Girl next to Angelina Jolie, pointless! HAHA!

"A change is as good as a rest!"

Well what can i say "I'm Pooped!" Its been an amazing May, best start to a season i've ever had even when i was at Tropicana, Capacity bar most nights even when it rained, lovely company, great customers and fun chilled out nights, you would never think there was a credit crunch. My bar always does well in May and gets quieter in june but at the moment there is no let up so i feel very lucky to be having such a good start.

Well i thought it was time for a change as i don't get any rest LOL. On sunday i decided to re-design the bar and put a bar outside and build a cocktail prep area inside, started at 8am, finsihed at 6.10pm and opened at 7pm, worked non stop through the day and i think now the bar is better than ever. Would like to thank my best mate Dez for helping to build the inside cocktail prep area in the afternoon. So here is a picture Gallery of Before and After.

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

COCKTAIL PREP AREA THROUGH CENTRE OF BAR

OUTSIDE BAR BEFORE

OUTSIDE BAR AFTER

FULL VIEW OUTSIDE BEFORE

FULL OUTSIDE VIEW AFTER

ONE OF MANY CAPACITY NIGHTS AT BAR 02/06/09 OUTSIDE VIEW

02/06/09 INSIDE VIEW

Well there you go folks thats the picture tour and you can see whats waiting for you, still the only true Chill Out bar in Kalamaki with no tv's, no gimmicks and no hassle, you just sit back relax and watch me run around like a headless chicken haha but i wouldn't have it any other way, I LOVE IT!

Places to visit while on Zakynthos PART 1.

I've been around a few of my favourite places today taking pictures for you to see some places i highly recommend visiting if you have a car or bike while on the island.

This is a little taverna on a ridge between Kalamaki and the peak of Mount Skopos, you can walk to it via the end of Kalamaki beach or there is a road which you can access from Argassi or main road from Kalamaki to Town.

Up a hill at the back of Argassi you will find Target Restaurant, this is a lovely restaurant with a great greek night and excellent service with friendly staff with the most beautiful view over Argassi and Zakynthos town.

On to Zakynthos town and you have the main port road (pic 1) with plenty of cafe's and restaurants my favourite along the port road is The Village Inn. Then at the end of the port road you have Solomos Square (pic 2) where you can sit outside a cafe and watch the world go by, Base is a great place to relax with a ice cold coffee (frappe), then maybe if you wanted to eat away from the traffic of the port road try St. Markou Square (pic 3) with 4 restaurants to choose from all good.

And my first tour of the island for you wouldn't be complete without a trip to Bocali up above and behind Zakynthos town, this is a must even if its a taxi journey for the day or night, i'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Well thats my first guide done and will post more as i do my seasonal tour of the island. Hope your as lucky as me and get to visit some of the places i've shown.

"Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day"

Well well well, i would never have thought that my season was going to have such a amazing start. The weathers been fantastic, the nights have been warm and my white bits are now looking as white as wee Mac Willy Mcwhite the whitest man on the isle of wight.

Just have to clear some rumours up as i've been hearing who and what was said about me on the island. No i'm not Brad Pitts identical twin he's slightly taller, no i wasn't vocals for milli vanilli, no i didn't body double for Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator, and i was always going to come back to my bar. If i was not going to open Oceanic again you will here it through here first not through people i never talk to LOL. I know who the people are who started the rumours and supposedly my reason for not coming back was because my job was to good to give up in the UK, god yeah i love smelling like a bucket of kentucky fried chicken and walking round with flour all over me, what was i thinking of, giving that up to come back to a sun drenched island where i own a bar, i must be crazy haha!

Well since the 4th night its been a full house every night which is 40 seats with 40 bums on them which i thank my lovely customers for, now this i know won't continue as it can't and i never take anything for granted, after being here 9 years now i know it can all change within 1 change over day so i find myself very lucky that i've been so busy and live life in my bar one day at a time as i always have as you never know whats around the corner but i'm pleased its gone past anything i was expecting.

I'll be glad in a weeks time when the weather blinds can be rolled up and move seats from inside the bar to outside to give a bit more space. I have decided this season to move my bar to outside the building so i'm closer to the customer to give it an even more personal feel also my little legs won't have to run as far, well i am 41 this year haha!

This season i have my advertising board back up on the T-junction between original Kalamaki area and the new strip so for those of you who haven't found me yet i think it will be easy for you now as it also gives you the direction to my bar and distance LOL.

As you can see there is just little old me at the moment and if you look closely the sign to the beach says 150m but the distance to my bar is 200m which means my bar is in the sea LOL my distance is the correct one the beach is slightly further.

Its all good!

Well what can i say, been open now 11 days and had a good start even though its quiet. If it wasn't for the fact its cold at night i think the bar would be full as only 4 tables empty every night and these are outside in the open.

My bike is back from the doctors and she's purring like a cat thats found a tin of whiskers and learnt how to open the ring pull lid. So i took it apart and gave it a damn got scrub and its so bright and shinny you would think it was new.

Also due to fact the phantom menu nicker took some of my menus i've made some new ones with my new cocktails on, a customer called me "the Heston Blumenthal of the drinks world", cheeky sod i know i'm going thin on top and wear glasses but i ain't bald yet LOL a nice compliment never the less.

Got some new pictures for the bar and new lights so its all lit up like the mother ship from close encounters of the third kind "BEE, BOO, BEE, BOO, BOO" LOL. You can't miss my bar now on the old road its the second spaceship on your right as you come from the main strip.

Also i've become a bit of a tit, sorry i meant Alan Titmarsh although some people may think the first description LOL i decided to plant some seed but think i may have got it wrong, 12 packets in one flower box, well the seeds were so small didn't look much, hate gardening anyway so can't wait to see them grow, then die off so i don't have to look after them haha.

Right time for shower and connect up new sign lights. byyyeee!

" Here comes the summer! "

Well i've arrived, i've opened and its going good for the first week.

So i arrived at 6am on mon 4th to a fanfare of dogs barking and cockrels crowing, the resort of Kalamaki was asleep with only local cats prowling the streets after the heavy night before. So no time like the present i threw my bags in and set to work on opening my bar, started 7am and bar was ready by 9pm that same night, shame i had no stock LOL. So i decided to open tuesday and have had a better than expected start for the first 4 nights so lets hope it continues on my 5th night. As thought there had been rumours started over here that i'd done a runner or that i wasn't coming back but i find this all very strange as i don't talk to anyone over here during winter and the winters must be dull on Zakynthos for people to be talking about me as my life is as exciting and fast paced as a snail race, but if it keeps them happy then carry on i say.

Good news - my bike started first time, i didn't owe anyone any extra cash, the tornado didn't damage my bar and my water pump didn't need a kick to get it started.

Bad news - My mint is still the same size as last year, one of my rechargable candles won't charge, i stubbed my big toe on a empty gas bottle and someone had broke in and stole my menus (obviously wanting my secret recipes for my unique cocktails) but apart from that its all good.

BEFORE.

AFTER.

My bike is poorly sick so i have had to take it to the bike doctors where its having a full medical and having a punctured tyre made better, awww poor bikey, there there nice mister greek man will make you well again LOL.

My first day out and about relaxing today and boy did i need it, nice sun lounger, ice cold pool, chilled peach ice tea and hot sunshine, today i used the pool at the Meandros Hotel and if this pool was at the location of the Crystal Beach Hotel it would be number one on my list but the Crystal Beach is still the best in resort.

ME AT THE POOL.

ME RELAXING AT MY APARTMENT.

ME AFTER HAVING TO WALK CAUSE BIKE IS POORLY SICK.

Well thats it for my first update from Zakynthos but will keep you informed with all the news and my life on this lovely island. Having my first sunday roast tonight at my friends Veronica and Dereks restaurant "The Lighthouse". Now before anyone starts going off on one saying your in Greece why you eating english food these are the reasons:-

1/ Its the only english meal i eat all week

2/ I'm out here for 6 months not 1 or 2 weeks

3/ I always cook my own food so its nice for a treat

4/ Its bloody good LOL the best sunday roast anywhere i've worked abroad but of course not as good as my mums, no ones is.

A Lighthouse sunday roast.

So long and thanks for all the fish!

For those of you that have ever read or watched Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy the heading for this post is what the Dolphins said when they decided to leave earth before its destruction.

Yes my friends and foe its time for me to leave this wonderful rain drenched land and head for, well, a rain drenched land, BUGGER! Its been raining on Zakynthos but as soon as i get there with my jolly manner and dodgy smile the sun will put his hat on hip hip hip hooray! My bar is calling me and people are having bets to see if i've done a runner or not from the island, unfortunately for the gossips on the island i'm on my way back, so how silly will they look LOL.
This bloody credit crunch has stopped me getting my decking and 2 new sofas but hopefully by june the millions will be in and i can upgrade a few things, my yacht needs a new jacuzzi, oh well i'll have to fart in the bath instead to make the bubbles haha.

There are a few things i have to do when i get there at 6am Mon, get my bike started, pay my taxes, pay my beer supplies, pay my accountant, pay my landlord, pay for music licence, pay my electric bill and clean up the bar and get it ready by 7pm, WOW think i'll stay home, not much to do as you can see, OH MY GOD!
But i will be open, i may not be alive come tuesday but i would have opened LOL

So i shall bid ye all fairywell thy lovely oldy worldy folk and see thee in more clement climes in thy country of thee gods.

Touche Turtle, AWAY!