Brilliance on a Budget

There's a fiver in my pocket what am I gonna do? I should save. We should all save. There are a lot of things we should do that we don't: go to church, say our prayers, tip the waiter. The list goes on. Perhaps I'll save it to spend next week.

What am I doing with a fiver in my pocket I hear you ask? I planned to budget £30 for a brilliant night out and that is what I had spare. Now I hear you asking, how did you do that? (Following the 'Ooh' of amazement.)

I am a firm believer that you can go anywhere in the world and as long as you are with friends you are guaranteed a great night. Two friends had just turned twenty so naturally we were going to celebrate Kingston style, on a budget of course. Did I mention we're students?

7.15pm We started the trip at Knight's Park SU bar where the drinks are cheap and so is the service. Seriously, the woman was not being paid enough and the lemon in my coke was distressingly sharp. Not phased by this, we chatted and did standard 'guy watching' from afar.

7.58pm We made the short walk to the Rotunda which houses a range of restaurants. We settled on Frankie and Benny's New York and Italian restaurant.

The dark, sexy atmosphere sets a great mood, accompanied with the smooth swing sounds of Sinatra and Martin, which are often interrupted by Cliff Richard's: “Congratulations” whenever it is someone's birthday (which can be up to four times a night on the weekends.) Classic sing-a-long.

10.05pm Feeling good and so is the pocket. I haven't slyly gone for a light pasta or salad dish to deprive myself of what I really yearn for and the pocket isn't too light either.


I have the New York Chicken. The plate was full and so was my stomach by the end of it: barbecue chicken, onion rings, herb potatoes, bacon and corn on the cob. Too nice for words. This was followed by some sickeningly sweet chocolate cheesecake made by someone's Mama. I know I didn't have to have dessert. We brought along a chocolate birthday cake for friends, but for the purpose of research...

After an evening of good food and silly conversation, the night follows. We head out the door and fall into Oceana around the corner. (Metaphorically!)

At Oceana, we make some hit moves in the R and B room downstairs. It's a bit small, and could do with maximizing the dance floor because the tunes are 'jumpin'' and just keep rolling into one great song after another. You go to sit down and then your favourite song comes on and it becomes your duty to dance to it in some sort of salute to the DJ. No wait. This one's my favourite! The process begins again.

2.37am Now that is what you call mission accomplished. I had enough spare to get a bus or taxi home with friends or to ring someone if necessary. This time we all walked home.

My advice is to go early to a restaurant because if you don't book a table, you may not end up eating until at least 10pm!

Let's do the maths:

SU
Double Archers and Lemonade
£1.50

Coke
60p

Frankie and Benny's
New York Chicken
£10.95

Mama's Chocolate Cheesecake and Ice Cream
£ 3.95

Oceana
Entry
£4.00

VK Apple
£2.00

Water
£1.50

Total: £24.50

Read the feature for advice and important information on how you can keep yourself safe on a night out. Just click here or on 'Safety' in the navigation bar.