The Cumberland Hotel Opens Jimi Hendrix Suite
Londonist, September 22, 2010 4:30 PM
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the death of 60s rock legend, Jimi Hendrix, The Cumberland hotel near March Arch has turned the room where the guitarist was last interviewed into a suite paying tribute to him and seemingly all things groovy ...
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The Cumberland Hotel Opens Jimi Hendrix Suite
Preview: New Beijing: Young Painting from China @ Sesame Gallery
Londonist, September 22, 2010 12:15 PM
Chen Hongzhu and Liu Guanguang are but two representatives of a young and ambitious camp of contemporary Chinese artists. Both in their mid-twenties, Chen and Liu’s China is one exposed to choices and influences that earlier generations couldn’t have imagined. Products of the state’s one-child policy, these ‘only children’ artists offer a fascinating look at a youth culture and an edgy (if cuddily) take on coming of age in a changing nation.
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Preview: New Beijing: Young Painting from China @ Sesame Gallery
New Restaurant Review: Chai Corner in Croydon
Londonist, 21 September 12.30PM
As highlighted in our recently London Entrepreneurs interview, Neelofar Khan is a busy woman. Adding to her Chilli Chutney portfolio of Halal Lahori restos, she’s now opened a new eatery in the basement of the iconic Allders department store in Croydon.
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New Restaurant Review: Chai Corner in Croydon
Giant robots, giant teapots … giant everything and lots and lots of dancers (not necessarily giant but many were on stilts)! The Mayor’s Thames Festival was a blast this year. Believe it or not, I’d never gone before but will definitely keep this colourful river fest in mind in the years to come.
As London’s largest free outdoor arts festival, the 2010 Thames Festival – set at Southbank and stretching across Black Friars Bridge – offered a brilliant opportunity for folks to share in some end of summer entertainment along a celebrated stretch of one of the world’s most famous rivers. For me, the highlight of the event was a grand and booming fireworks display at the end of the spirited (and rather Latin-tinged) parade. It was spectacular and grabbed everyone’s attention and awe with its dazzling array of colour.
There were plenty of food vendors on hand for this year’s festival. However, there were also long queues, crowds and the overwhelming uncertainty of choosing from food stalls that you might not be familiar with. I’m rambling round London as a fancy free bachelor these days but if I’d been at this or a similar large scale event with children, I probably would have been keen to seek out some grub that was a bit more accessible and kid-friendly. One great example of what I’m talking about is Pizza Hut‘s Kids Eat Free: for every adult main course or adult lunchtime buffet purchased, an accompanying child can choose from either a FREE two course kids meal which includes a drink or a FREE kids lunchtime buffet including pizza, pasta and salad. And Pizza Hut’s KEF promotion isn’t just a summer sensation. Kids Eat Free has been extended until the 9th of January 2011. Find more details about the offer at http://bit.ly/a1DhgJ.
Sponsored Post
Competition: Learn How to Pull a Perfect Pint with Stella Artois
Qype does London, September 20th 2010
Stella Artois will be holding its fourteenth annual World Draught Masters Global Finals to find the world’s best ‘Créateur de Beaute’ at the Cuckoo Club in Mayfair. Inspired by more than 600 years of brewing tradition, budding bartenders from across the globe will compete to demonstrate their beer pouring prowess in the quest to be crowned Stella Artois World Draught Master 2010.
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Competition: Learn How to Pull a Perfect Pint with Stella Artois
Preview: Malaysia Night Festival @ Trafalgar Square
Londonist, September 20, 2010 2:30 PM
photo by su-lin
This Friday the 24th there will be a free ‘Malaysia Night’ festival at Trafalgar Square. Actually, as the event will start as early as 3pm, it’ll be just as much a Malaysia afternoon and early evening. Nit picky semantics aside, the Southeast Asian foodie party promises to be an authentic Pasar Malam with a one-off opportunity to sample food from 20 different Malaysian restaurants.
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Preview: Malaysia Night Festival @ Trafalgar Square
London’s Best Chips: Golden Fish Restaurant
Londonist, September 17, 2010 12:22 PM
It’s an “& chips” kind of menu at Golden Fish Restaurant, located round the corner from Exmouth Market: two Spam fritters and chips (£3), jumbo saveloy and chips (£2.80) etc. On our recent visit, we went for a more than ample serving of haddock … and chips (£5.50), very much enjoying our meal and the sombre decades past ambiance of this chippiest of chippy joints.
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London’s Best Chips: Golden Fish Restaurant
Chefspective: Nacho del Campo, Head Chef at Camino
Londonist, September 17, 2010 12:00 PM
Originally from the Basque Country as Head Chef at Camino, Nacho del Campo now has the duty of heralding and preparing dishes from throughout Spain. With a new site opening in Canary Wharf and Camino’s sherry bar, Pepito, receiving accolades in the press, we suspect he’s doing a bueno job as a London ambassador of Spanish yumminess. But enough with our suspicions! Here are a few thoughts from the man himself.
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Chefspective: Nacho del Campo, Head Chef at Camino
Sponsored Post: Sud de France Festival Starts Today
Londonist, September 17, 2010 10:05 AM
The celebration kicks off this morning with a fantastic, one-day, southern French food and wine market in Cavendish Square from 10am to 6pm. The event is free and gives market-goers a unique chance to sample some of Languedoc-Roussillon’s most authentic food products and taste a selection of the region’s extensive range of wines, in a fun and informal atmosphere. There’s a seafood bar serving oysters and mussels accompanied by sparkling Limoux wines, wine and olive oil tasting sessions as well as.
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Sponsored Post: Sud de France Festival Starts Today
Review: Quetzalcoatl: Photographs by Manuel Alvarez Bravo at Diemar/Noble
Londonist, September 16, 2010 12:30 PM
Considered by many to be the master of contemporary Mexican photography, Bravo’s images suggest a post-revolutionary nation of failed colonial grandeur and triumphant pragmatic peasantry chugging – and at times teetering – along through an uncertain century with indigenous pride and singular beauty.
Quetzalcoatl runs until the 6th of November at Diemar/Noble …
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Review: Quetzalcoatl: Photographs by Manuel Alvarez Bravo at Diemar/Noble
Interview with The Baron: DOTS – World’s First Graffiti-Funded Movie, Burning Candy and the World
Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art, September 2010
“Truth is reached through dispute” or so says secret identity filmmaker, The Baron, who has commenced work on a documentary about one of London’s most infamous and prolific graffiti crews – Burning Candy. The idea behind the film – entitled “DOTS” – is to take each individual Burning Candy artist to “visit the places and cultures that most inspire their artistic style, in order to discover how they can take their own work further”. Think of it as an East London “throw up” on a global scale. And as with many a graffiti collaboration, The Baron reckons there’ll a healthy dose of chaos and plenty of dispute to keep things real along the way. Already in the can, so to speak, is the journey taken by Cyclops to Mumbai. It’s engaging to watch as the thirty-something street artist negotiates the streets in search of sign painters with whom to paint alongside and – if The Baron can pull it off – promises a compelling movie of an almost epic scale. As avid as he is cranky about working with Burning Candy, The Baron was keen if cryptic during a recent convo about his film, the artists involved and the unique “graffiti-funded” model he’s adopted to pay for this (mis)adventure in art.
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Interview with The Baron: DOTS – World’s First Graffiti-Funded Movie, Burning Candy and the World
Competition: Celebrate Oktoberfest at Belgo Masterclass for Free
Londonist, September 15, 2010 12:30 PM
Belgo, the renowned Moules, Frites and Beer restaurant, is offering Londonist readers a chance to win a free “Wednesday Night Pilgrimage” for two next month to celebrate Oktoberfest. Three Belgo restaurants (Belgo Centraal in Covent Garden, Belgo Noord in Chalk Farm and Belgo Kingsway) will be putting on Beer & Food pairing masterclasses – hosted by Belgo’s very own habit-wearing “Master of Beer”.
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Competition: Celebrate Oktoberfest at Belgo Masterclass for Free
Preview: Jun Tanaka and Mark Jankel’s Street Kitchen
Londonist, September 14, 2010 11:52 AM
Jun Tanaka, Executive Chef at Pearl Restaurant, and Mark Jankel, chef and founder of The Food Initiative, have hired an airstream, kitted it out with a kitchen and are hitting the streets in October to serve on-the-go gourmet meals during the London Restaurant Festival. All produce and beverages will be sourced directly from sustainable and organic UK farms and producers and Jun and Mark will be in the airstream everyday.
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Preview: Jun Tanaka and Mark Jankel’s Street Kitchen
Some Dublin Notes
Qype Community, September 13th 2010
I spent a fantastic weekend bumbling around Dublin. Only regret was I had to catch a very early Sunday morning flight to get back to London for work. I could definitely spend lots more time strolling along the River Liffey and well beyond in search of the perfect Guinness. Here are a few highs (and lows) from my far too short trip.
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Some Dublin Notes
World’s First Graffiti-Funded Movie, DOTS: Interview with Filmmaker, The Baron
Juxtapoz, Thursday, 09 September 2010 12:12
What do you get when you take nine of London’s most prolific graffiti artists to far flung destinations across the globe to connect with their inspirations and collaborate with the locals? A damn good reason for a movie … or at least that’s the hope of the mysterious filmmaker known as The Baron.
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World’s First Graffiti-Funded Movie, DOTS: Interview with Filmmaker, The Baron
New Restaurant Review: Pho Soho
Londonist, September 9, 2010 4:59 PM
We’ve been fans of the original St John Street location of “Vietnamese street food restaurant” Pho since it opened, have been impressed to see the eatery grow to now have multiple locations (four in London and a fairly recent addition in Brighton) and have heard the grumblings from a few sources about service and such at their Great Titchfield Street spot. So, we were more than curious to see how the fifth and latest addition to the Pho portfolio was doing.
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New Restaurant Review: Pho Soho
Armagnac and Curry: Hey, Why Not?
Qype does London, September 9th 2010
Of course, pairing food with liquor is a bit bizarre – and for the most part doesn’t seem to work – but there were a few highlights to the coupling of this Frenchy booze (not to be confused with Cognac!) with up market Indian nosh. Besides, setting a bottle of something potent in the middle of the table during any mingle session is often a grand idea. Dubbed “When Armagnac met Moghul … Artisan & Traditional”, the tasting was a hoot. By the end of the meal, my table of six had been given muskateer names by one particularly jolly table mate who insisted on lots and lots of “all for one, one for all” sword (… er butter knife) rattling.
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Armagnac and Curry: Hey, Why Not?
New Restaurant Review: Barrio Central
Londonist, September 8, 2010 3:00 PM
Soho’s got a new “Latin cantina and cocktail lounge” that Londonist recently visited and found to be way better than we had anticipated. Sister bar to Barrio North on Essex Road, Barrio Central serves massive portions of rather yummy dishes as well as top notch cocktails. We were actually quite impressed with a few dishes and sincerely wished we’d been able to sample more than just a couple of cocktails (alas, our Monday night visit found us too fearful of a groggy Tuesday morning to dabble much in the drinky poohs).
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New Restaurant Review: Barrio Central
New Restaurant Review: Tom’s Kitchen at Somerset House
Londonist, September 7, 2010 3:56 PM
A dining space that sets a high standard for understated elegance and a more than decent menu with a few particularly yummy items make this well appointed eatery with the big name chef behind it (see our interview with Tom Aikens here) an easy one to recommend. A visit here probably won’t amount to the greatest meal of your life but we believe most savvy London diners would leave Tom’s Kitchen more than satisfied with their experience.
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New Restaurant Review: Tom’s Kitchen at Somerset House
Sponsored Post: Sud de France Festival, Make Your Summer Last a Little Longer!
Londonist, September 7, 2010 11:18 AM
From the 17th to the 30th of September, the Sud de France Festival will bring the French Mediterranean lifestyle to Britain, with many shops and restaurants around town and throughout the country displaying special Sud de France food and wine features. Fun events will be organised not only to tease your taste buds with wonderful flavours but also to try out the Sud de France lifestyle where outdoor living in a casual yet elegant atmosphere is the way.
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Sponsored Post: Sud de France Festival, Make Your Summer Last a Little Longer!
