There have been a few bumper guides over the past few weeks but this weekend guide might just be the biggest to date.
It covers two of the hottest openings, a recently revisited old favourite and an exhibition which the paper’s editor, Dylan Jones, absolutely adored. There’s also refreshed drinking dens entering a new era, a brunch that’ll transport its guests out of the city, and the capitals largest flea market.
Plenty more besides too, with ballet and jazz also on the cards. This, in short, is absolutely everything to eat, drink, see and do in London this weekend.
The hot table: Roe
The team behind Fallow and Fowl opened their third site this week in Canary Wharf. Whilst the tower block of hyper-luxury flats above deploys a ghastly faux-brutalism, the ground floor restaurant looks a stunner. Bang-on-trend flatbreads with snail vindaloo and mint yoghurt, maitake mushroom “Cornish pasty” with walnut ketchup, and a banana parfait with peanut and toasted vanilla (that apparently took them a year to perfect) all feature on the creative, seasonal menu.
5 Park Drive, E14 9GG, roerestaurant.co.uk
The old favourite: The Prince Regent
Since 2016, The Prince Regent has been quietly serving some seriously delicious, seriously interesting food. Tucked away on the Paddington Basin, this unsung hero of a restaurant has, without too much fanfare, stayed the course these past eight years, with a seafood heavy menu of pleasing classics delivered with warmth in a setting that couldn’t get more wholesome if it tried.
55-57 N Wharf Road, W2 1LA, londonshellco.com
The new drinking den: July
Food writer Solynka Dumas and husband Julian Oschmann are the couple behind this wine bar, and fresh from her successful new restaurant Sune and new book, Honey Spencer has consulted on the opening. Spencer’s taste in wine is grown up, inquisitive and natural (naturally); enjoy a taste of it at July.
10 Charlotte Street, W1T 2LT, july.london
The new(ish) drinking den: Nipperkin
Niju is the new restaurant from the Creative Restaurant Group (behind hits including Humo and Sumi) and sushi master Endo Kazutoshi. It’s offering what it calls an “informal yet decadent” menu, and below ground the Nipperkin bar has also recently reopened, following a new menu launch. Dubbed ”FuturePast”, the new drinks list focuses on foraged UK ingredients, preservation of ingredients and even supporting communities. Head of bars at CRG, Angelos Bafas, has been working with Kazutoshi to develop the menu and Nipperkin has always been a stellar bar. Now it’s even better; here’s to chapter two.
20 Berkeley Street, W1J 8EE, nijulondon.com/nipperkin
The party brunch: Hakkasan, Lost in Shanghai
Hakkasan reimagined the glamour of the Shanghai nightclub scene with thumping DJs, glowing lights and darkened rooms. But this is brunch. A new kind of weekend brunch which seems built as a little escape from London reality; forget the mizzle and the throngs of shoppers, picture yourself in a nightclub in China, down a bottle of rose (included in the price) and stuff yourself with dim sum.
April 27, tickets from £128, 8 Hanway Place, W1T 1HD, sevenrooms.com
The culture fix: Birmingham Royal Ballet
The Birmingham Royal Ballet is coming down to London for just one weekend at the Sadler’s Wells for a classic retelling of Sleeping Beauty. If you don’t know the plot… you do, but what’ll be new is the vigour the company brings to the ballet created by Sir Peter Wright, who has already enjoyed enormous success with his versions of Swan Lake and the Nutcracker. A beautiful and affordable introduction to ballet.
April 24 - 27, tickets from £15, Sadler’s Wells, Rosebery Avenue, EC1R 4TN, sadlerswells.com
The market: Giant London Flea
This weekend comes the largest indoor flea market of the year, a treasure trove with more than 100 sellers flogging their wares in a huge covered space. Expect to hunt for vintage furniture, records, watches, jewellery and more, and get your haggling hat on. Bring a little cash, just in case, and remember Cornerstone and Silo are both a short walk away for lunch.
April 28, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, E20, queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk
The must-see exhibition: The Biba Story, 1964-1975
Fancy a story which begins in fashion and ends in vichyssoise? Biba is just that; a famed, beloved shop in South Kensington in the mid-sixties which transitioned to becoming the world's first ever “lifestyle” brand. The show is a masterclass in good curation, with the Standard’s editor-in-chief Dylan Jones noting after his visit “I've just been to the best exhibition you'll see in London this week”.
83 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3XF, fashiontextilemuseum.org
The gig: Brick Lane Jazz Festival
Across Brick Lane, this weekend’s Jazz Festival brings together a host of the most exciting names of the genre, taking over some of the unlikeliest venues, for a series of one-off gigs and parties. Secret Night Gang, Tara Lily, DoomCannon, Kikimiki and plenty more besides will be heading to the likes of 93 Feet East, Rich Mix and Village Underground for the three-day takeover.
April 26 - 28, venues across Brick Lane, bricklanejazzfestival.com
The ticket to book now (for later): Lucky & Joy X Tamil Prince
East London restaurant Lucky & Joy is set to host a fab new collab with the acclaimed Tamil Prince over the early May bank holiday, so it’s time to nab a ticket now. The menu is set to combine the Chinese influence of L&J founder Ellen Parr with the Indian flavours of Prince Durairaj of Tamil Prince over a whopping ten courses. Which, at £45 a ticket, sounds like startlingly good value. Don’t miss out.
