“Tek ya licks” was the official theme for Friday night’s Cocktail and Comedy Show, and from the moment the jokes started flying, it was clear the audience was about to take their licks—the funny kind.

Jason drew heavily from his everyday life as an entrepreneur, touching on the universal struggle of self-employment, especially in January… the month that somehow has 34 days. The crowd felt every joke because, honestly, we’ve all been there—counting days, counting dollars, and wondering how payday still ain’t reach yet.

One of his standout moments was referencing Lil Rick’s birthday song, hilariously describing an elder who heard it, felt young again, and suddenly started to “wuk up”. Jason didn’t just tell the story—he demonstrated it, and the audience was in stitches. His set was energetic, relatable, and downright stellar, keeping the crowd fully engaged from start to finish.

While the next artiste got ready, MC Biko stepped in seamlessly, delivering jokes of his own. He joked about “some ladies—also known as baddies—does like bad men.” In good fun, he explained that these women enjoy adventure and living on the edge, and if you plan to deal with a “baddie,” you better be prepared to roll with the punches… including the occasional appearance of an ex-boyfriend. The laughter flowed easily—Biko did his job well.

In clean but cutting humor, Simon shared that as you get older, peace becomes the main requirement—especially when choosing a partner. He joked that women love when men do chores, because it makes them “open up everything even more” (wink, wink), sending the audience into another wave of laughter.

One of the night’s biggest reactions came when Simon asked a guest: “If you had to save your mother or your girlfriend, who would you choose?”

Without hesitation, the guest shouted: “My girlfriend!”

Simon fired right back: “So you don’t like your mother? Well now I have to call mine and tell her how much I love her.”

Overall, the show gets a solid 10/10.

I left with abs from laughing—and that’s no exaggeration.

The Sour Note: Bean and Bagel’s Service

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the service at Bean and Bagel.

• Despite sitting right next to the bar, waitresses repeatedly passed us without taking our order. We eventually had to flag someone down.
• Drinks were brought, but no one returned to take a food order.
• When we finally got a waitress to pay attention, we were told “chaa sorry, the kitchen is closed”—because the staff member who initially served us (who was also the manager on duty) never checked back in.

• We asked if we could at least order fish cakes, but were told no—only pumpkin fritters were available.
• To add insult to injury, while another waitress brought drinks, empty glasses from previous rounds were never cleared.

As a personal chef, I fully understand that kitchens have cutoff times. However, this was a show, not a standard dinner service. A little grace and flexibility should have been extended to patrons attending an event.

Overall verdict:

The comedy show? Excellent.

The service? Bean and Bagel—do better next time!!