From bottomless pancake stacks and unique wellness experiences to must-try menus and restaurants worth sneaking out of work early for, discover the best things to try in London this month and beyond
1 Try Electronic Music Meditation at Hotel Café Royal
Calling all wellness worshippers. Ideal for a more unusual way to de-stress, Akasha Holistic Wellbeing at Hotel Café Royal has partnered with Belinda Matwali to exclusively launch Electronic Music Meditation in the heart of London. Matwali joins Akasha’s expert specialists and will bring a wealth of knowledge, wellness practices and expertise to the spa programme.
Guests and Akasha members will be able to book a monthly Electronic Music Meditation class or a one-on-one session with Belinda Matwali, beginning from this February. The monthly meditation classes will be held on the third Friday of every month.
A practice founded and created by Matwali herself, the session is an active meditation consisting of 4 sections. The first section begins with cathartic shaking or movement to hypnotic techno or electro music, then breathing or kriyas to house music, the tempo then moves to ambient and shifts into more gentle pranayama or humming or spatial awareness exercises, followed by laying down for guided meditation with functional music that has isochronic tones to enhance theta brainwaves.
The key benefits of this form of meditation include the ability to focus on the exercise of meditation and truly relax, concentrate on the present, increase patience and tolerance, and help manage stress or stressful situations. See you on the mat…
When: Available from February 2023
How: Find out more and make a booking via hotelcaferoyal.com
Where: 10 Air St, London W1B 4DY
2 Let love blossom in Mayfair with Stunning McQueens Flower Installations
If you’re a sucker for an Instagram opportunity, cameras this way please. Mayfair, the city’s most charming neighbourhood, is celebrating the season of love with beauty and flair by marking the streets with two incredible floral installations from McQueens. Feel love-struck by Cupid under the colossal wings display, or beneath the giant blossoming heart, available to marvel at (or take photos with) until 20th February.
McQueens has created the perfect setting for a Palentine’s or Valentine’s selfie with partners, besties, and furry friends alike. The displays on Mount Street and North Audley Street are made from around 1,800 intricate silk flowers in total, which are sustainably produced and designed for longevity and reuse for future floristry. The Cupid wings span an impressive 180cm by 210cm, whilst the heart blooms at approximately 160cm by 200cm.
How: Find out more via mayfairldn.com.
Where: Mount Street and North Audley Street, Mayfair, London.
3 Try a non-alcoholic tipple at Churchill Bar & Terrace
You’ve finished work on Friday – where do you beeline? The answer is Stereo, London’s hottest new late-night drinks and dining venue in Covent Garden. Inspired by the vibrant late-night cultures of New York and London, complete with undertones of Parisian chic, Stereo by Experimental Group serves as an electric venue to visit this weekend.
With Chef-Restaurateur Andrew Clarke (Acme Fire Cult, and formerly of Brunswick House, St Leonards, Pilot Light Campaign) at the helm, foodies can devour American classics with a French influence to those dining in the restaurant, as well as lighter snacks available throughout the entire venue until late.
Cheeseburgers, fried chicken sandwiches, Stereo hot wings, nachos, macaroni cheese and shrimp cocktail, sitting alongside ‘steak & eggs’, Halibut T-Bone, lobster pie and 1kg ‘Highland’ Porterhouse steaks are a few examples from the menus. A ‘Rockstar supplement’ of caviar or truffle can be added to all dishes.
Accompanying the food is an extensive drinks menu featuring London heroes, SouthBermondsey microbrewery Partizan and Thames Distillers (creating Stereo house vodka and gin blends), as well as the likes of Biercraft and The Lakes Distillery, alongside an exceptional cocktail menu. Live music, luscious plates and lip-smacking drinks – see you on the other side of closing time.
Where: 35 The Piazza, London WC2E 8BE, United Kingdom
How: Find out more and make a booking via stereocoventgarden.com
4 Try a non-alcoholic tipple at Churchill Bar & Terrace
Proving that tee total doesn’t mean totally boring, Churchill Bar & Terrace in Marylebone have recently launched three new non-alcoholic drinks – the Bitter Soul, Winter Mood and SensatiON. Ideal for anyone seeking a healthier drink sans alcohol, these delicious flavour combinations offer an enticing alternative, proving ultimate flavour without the alcohol units.
Not only do the drinks excel in flavour and visuals, but the new non-alcoholic varieties are sustainably focused too – the expert bar team carefully considered ingredients and garnishes, focusing on seasonality and waste reduction.
With innovation and resourcefulness key aspects of their creations, many of the ingredients are used across the sustainable cocktail list created last year, and have been recomposed in new flavour combinations. Garnishes are carefully considered, surplus kitchen produce becoming the final touch of the alcohol free sips.
Where: The Churchill Bar & Terrace, 30 Portman Square London W1H7BH
How: Find out more and make a booking via thechurchillbar.co.uk
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5 Get decked out in female-led tailoring at The Deck’s new Savile Row store
Relocating from number 19 to 32 (one of the largest shopfronts on the esteemed tailoring street), this move constitutes the rapid rise of success for the female-led tailoring brand. Founded in 2019 by Daisy Knatchbull, The Deck was built on a desire to stitch the sensibilities of the world’s most successful women via a suited silhouette.
Rejecting the convention that technically-perfect tailoring was reserved solely for the male gender, Knatchbull launched her made-to-measure brand with an array of classic canvases to build upon: from single breasted velvet suits and relaxed boyfriend jackets to contemporary safari styles and evening tuxedos. Bound by the utmost precision and quality, The Deck’s designs and company values (around conscious and mindful purchasing) have since acquired a loyal community of customers – including Lauren Hutton, Adjoa Andoh and Melanie C. “Decked Out” women are those who understand the endurance of a good suit and enhance its style through their own story.
Across a generous 2,000 square feet, clients of the community – both old and new – are promised an enhanced in-store experience for full custom women’s tailoring, with more than 7000 cloths to choose from, as well as a fine selection of linings, buttons and monogramming for each proposed suit. A bespoke shirt service is also on offer in the space.
Where: 32 Savile Row, London, W1S 3PT
How: Find out more via thedecklondon.com
6 Experience Pulp Foodie Fiction at The Refinery City Point with Taste Film
This March, experience Quentin Tarantino’s cult movie masterpiece, Pulp Fiction, through a new lens with an immersive eat what you see event at The Refinery City Point (Moorgate) in partnership with Taste Film. Sure to be tastier than a “Royale with Cheese”, screenings take place on Friday 17th & Saturday 18th March, with two showings per day.
Begin with a Hawaiian cheeseburger with fries, linked to the “real tasty” Big Kahuna burgers discussed by hitmen Jules and Vincent. Wash it down with a boozy bourbon Martin & Lewis milkshake – it may not be worth five dollars, but it’s pretty f**king good – before knocking back an exhilarating “Adrenalin” vodka Red Bull shot in homage to that notorious scene with Mia.
With Butch’s wife Fabienne noting that “any time of day is a good time for pie”, the menu is packed full of sweet treats, including a blueberry cheesecake; a homemade cinnamon pop tart; and Aunt Jemima pancakes with maple syrup.
Wallet: Tickets are priced at £75pp and go on sale on 16th February at 9am.
How: Find out more and make a booking via tastefilm.co.uk/tickets
When: Friday 17th & Saturday 18th March. Two screenings will take place on each date at the following times: Afternoon Screening: 1pm-4:45pm | Evening Screening: 6:30pm-10:15pm
Where: The Refinery City Point by Drake & Morgan, 1 Ropemaker St, London EC2Y 9HT
7 Treat Yourself to Bottomless Deep Dish Pancakes at Riding House Cafe for Pancake Day 2023
This pancake day Riding House Cafe’s (Bloomsbury, Fitzrovia and Rail House Victoria) will pull out all the stops by bringing back their much-loved bottomless pancake offering returning for one-day only. Guests can indulge in a bottomless feast of the fluffy deep dish pancakes, available in three different varieties, for which the all-day restaurants are renowned, for just £18 per head.
On offer will be three different types of seriously indulgent and generously topped pancakes; the Bacon pancakes with crisp and smoked streaky Dingley Dell bacon with maple syrup, pimped up with blueberries & sour cream especially for the occasion; the Wild Berry Pancakes with succulent berries, berry compote & clotted cream; or the Caribbean pancakes with toasted marshmallows, coconut clotted cream, white chocolate & banana-infused maple syrup; all of which will be available all day and on a bottomless basis for the duration of the table’s turn time.
When: 21st February 2023. Bottomless pancakes will be available all day from Riding House Bloomsbury, Riding House Fitzrovia and Rail House Victoria.
Wallet: £18.00 a head. Whole tables must take part. Time limits on tables apply.
Where: Riding House Bloomsbury, 1, Brunswick Centre, Bernard St, London WC1N 1AF, Riding House Fitzrovia, 43-51 Great Titchfield Street, London W1W 7PQ, Rail House Victoria, 8 Sir Simon Milton Sq, London SW1E 5DJ
8 Sooth sore muscles with a visit to Hyperice’s pop-up at Harrods
Whether you’re an athlete or a gym bunny in general, you’ll love this recently-opened pop-up. Global high-performance wellness brand, Hyperice, has launched its first pop-up shop at luxury department store, Harrods.
Located on the Harrods menswear level, the Hyperice pop-up store, the first of its kind in the UK, solidifies the brands category leadership and ultra-premium product quality status. Simultaneously, Harrods expands their wellness offering allowing customers to test out and purchase high-quality, wellness technology tools, which consist of percussion, vibration, dynamic air compression, heat, and ice compression therapy products.
Pay a visit to see Hyperice’s full product range, including the most recent innovative launches from September 2022, within their heat therapy category, Venom Go and Venom 2, using patented HyperHeat™ technology for the fastest, most consistent and even distribution of heat to relieve sore, stiff muscles and promote optimum wellness. Other products include Hyperice’s award winning Hypervolt line (percussion massage guns), Vyper (vibrating foam rollers), Hypersphere (vibrating spheres), Normatec (dynamic air compression boots) and Hyperice (ice compression).
Designed for all – from the most elite athletes, leagues and teams to consumers everywhere looking to unlock the best version of themselves, this new pop-up is a must-try for anyone in the area.
How: Find out more via hyperice.com
Where: Harrods (Menswear Level), 87–135 Brompton Road London, SW1
9 Head to Shoreditch for a taste of Mexico at Zapote
Zapote, a contemporary Mexican restaurant and bar, is opening its doors (and menus) in Shoreditch on Tuesday 14th February. Bringing new life to a storied site at 70 Leonard Street, Zapote is the first restaurant from chef Yahir Gonzalez and hospitality veteran Tony Geary.
Named for the Mexican fruit whose bright orange flesh influences the restaurant’s vibrant colour palette, Zapote takes over the site which for sixteen years was home to seminal Iberian restaurant Eyre Brothers and more recently, live-fire specialists St Leonard’s.
Totally refurbished to Yahir and Tony’s own design, Zapote has an open charcoal grill on which many dishes will be cooked, creating a dramatic focal-point for the 65-seat dining room. Hailing from the city of Aguascalientes, known as el corazón – the heart – of Mexico, Yahir Gonzalez has created a menu that is both innovative and traditional.
Menu highlights include Wild mushroom quesadilla, endive, tomatillo salsa (£6), Beef tartar taco, roasted bone marrow (£7), Coal-roasted sweet potato, chipotle mayo (£9), Grey mullet recado rojo, grilled corn, smoked cod roe (£16) and Seabass aguachile, fennel, dill and cucumber (£16) – to name just a handful.
Tortillas will be made in-house using native Mexican corn varieties. Mexican chillis, spices and other dried goods will be imported only quarterly, to balance Yahir’s desire to cook with the best and most authentic ingredients with Zapote’s commitment to sustainability.
When: Opening on Tuesday 14th February, Zapote will be open for lunch (12pm-2.30pm) and dinner (5.30pm-10pm) Tuesday to Saturday. The bar will be open from 12pm-11pm.
Where: 70 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4QX
How: Find out more and make a booking via zapote.co.uk
10 Pamper yourself with Beauty at Bangs at Pavement on Orford Road
Did someone say ‘ Me Time?’ Walthamstow Bangs has announced an exciting partnership with Pavement – and it’s ideal for a speedy pamper session. The sustainable and gender-neutral salon will now have a Brow and Lash bar in the newly opened concept store Pavement on Orford Road, Both conveniently located right in the heart of Walthamstow.
Treatments on offer include, Eyebrow and Eyelash tinting (£28), Eyebrow Waxing (£13), Brow Lamination (£45), Classic Eyelash Extensions (£75) Eyelash tinting (£18) and incredible Russian Volume Lash extensions (£100) which use ultra-fine lashes offering much more volume than a classic extension.
When: The bar will be open Thursday (11am-6pm), Friday (10am-7pm), Saturday (10am-5pm) and Sunday (11am-5pm).
How: The full list of treatments can be viewed and bookings made on the Bangs website.
Where: 21 Orford Rd, London E17 9NL
11 Join Ekstedt at The Yard for a duo of exciting gourmet events
On 21st February, Ekstedt at The Yard will partner with the iconic Royal Tokaji winery in celebration of Furmint February. Playing their part in this month-long Hungarian wine celebration, the evening will marry Scandinavian cooking with the finest Hungarian wines, for a diverse culinary event. The five-course menu complete with sherry pairings is priced at £155 per person and will comprise some of Niklas’ signature dishes from his restaurant in Stockholm alongside premium wines from Royal Tokaji’s beautiful winery.
Next up, one for the serious foodies. Ekstedt at The Yard, will also be hosting an exclusive eight course dinner in partnership with Nikita Pathakji winner of MasterChef the professionals (season 15) and Junior Sous Chef at Michelin-starred restaurant W8, on Thursday 23rd February. Nikita has also been classically trained in some of London’s most premium restaurants including; Lanesborough Hotel, Claude Bosi at Bibendum and Core By Clare Smyth.
Nikitia will be cooking alongside Therese Andersson, Sous Chef at Ekstedt at the Yard, to create a bespoke menu priced at £135 (extra £115 with a wine pairing). Highlights will include; Wood oven Baked Flatbread served with Smoked Cauliflower, Winter Mushroom, Allspice Butter; Grilled Octopus, Takoyaki sauce, Japanese Mayonnaise, Furikake Doughnut and Venison Celeriac with Pear, Lapsang Souchong.
When: Tokaji Wine Event, Tuesday 21st February. MasterChef Dinner, Thursday 23rd February
Where: h3-5 Great Scotland Yard, London SW1A 2HN
How: To book either event, please visit opentable.co.uk
