What To Do This Weekend 11.05.23
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CELEBRATE EUROVISION:
Arcade
This weekend, diners at Arcade in the West End can channel their inner Graham Norton as the venue screens the Eurovision Song Contest final live from Liverpool on Saturday. Hosted by drag performer Karla Bear, guests are invited to keep score and rank each performance, with whoever gets closes to the actual result winning a £100 Arcade gift card. Drinks will flow throughout the night, with sharing cocktails, beer towers and shots all on offer. In residency at Arcade for a summer pop-up, Palm Greens will be on hand with its signature kale caesar (dark leafy greens, quinoa and butter beans with a cashew caesar dressing), green goddess noodles and Mexican tostada, alongside Arcade’s myriad other permanent food stalls.
103-105 New Oxford Street, West End, WC1A 1DB; 13th May
Visit ArcadeFoodHall.com
PAUL FUENTES
SPRUCE UP YOUR HOME:
Affordable Art Fair
Affordable Art Fair returns to Hampstead Heath this weekend, showcasing the best in contemporary art at prices ranging from £50 to £7,500. The event offers the chance to snap up a big name, with works by Damien Hirst and Quentin Blake for sale alongside pieces from a host of exciting emerging artists. This year’s edition will feature thought-provoking installations from David Bellingham titled Everyone Play Together, as well as curated collections including Art Fit for a King marking King Charles III’s coronation. There’s also a new art consultancy service to help collectors, investors and interior designers find the right artwork. Visitors can enjoy a range of bars, cafés and food trucks, with music, art and drinks until 9pm, and a family hour on the weekend.
Lower Fairground Site, Hampstead Heath, NW3 1TH; 11th-14th May
Visit AffordableArtFair.com
TRY A NEW CLASS:
Fortnum & Mason Food & Drink Studio
Fortnum & Mason has announced the first season of events in its new Food & Drink Studio. On the recently refurbished third floor of the Piccadilly flagship store, there’ll be chef’s tables and supper clubs taking place, as well as masterclasses and workshops from experts, illuminating conversations with industry leaders, and book launches and podcast recordings. This Friday, the space is hosting a supper club with Lara Lee. The chef and cookbook author will prepare an intimate dinner of extraordinary food from her new book and host a discussion at the studio.
181 Piccadilly, St James's, W1A 1ER
Visit FortnumAndMason.com
ENJOY THE SUN:
JOIA Rooftop
JOIA Rooftop is a stylish new 74-cover open-air bar and terrace on the 16th floor of art’otel London Battersea Power Station. With panoramic views of London’s skyline, a selection of playful cocktails and an al fresco menu from acclaimed Portuguese chef Henrique Sá Pessoa, the space takes its inspiration from Lisbon’s vibrant rooftop culture. Guests can enjoy seasonal cocktails including the Aventurina, a gin-based cocktail with mint, cucumber and lime, and the Pimenta, made with tequila, agave and chilli. The food menu features a mixture of snacks, petiscos and tapas designed for sharing, with signature dishes such as octopus salad with red pepper, potato and smoked paprika, and tuna tartare with avocado and sea lettuce.
16th Floor, 1 Electric Boulevard, Nine Elms, SW11 8BJ
Visit JOIABattersea.co.uk
Lucy Richards
BOOK AHEAD:
QIPCO King George Weekend
Less formal than Royal Ascot, but a key fixture in the global racing calendar, the QIPCO King George Weekend is a quintessentially English event. Focusing on fashion, food and sport, it is ideal for groups and celebrations. Alongside DJ Yasmin Evans, SheerLuxe will be there on Saturday 29th July to host the SheerLuxe Green Carpet on the lawns surrounding the Bandstand – where racegoers will be invited to create a short video clip showing off their outfits. Even better, SL readers can take £5 OFF a Queen Anne Enclosure ticket for either the Friday or Saturday of the QIPCO King George Weekend using the code ‘SL5OFF’. The offer applies to up to four tickets per person and must be booked before midnight on 27th July.
Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7JX; 28th-29th July
Visit Ascot.com
FOR A LOVELY LUNCH:
The Ivy Asia
The Chelsea outpost of The Ivy Asia is now serving a well-priced express lunch menu – ideal for anyone looking to start the weekend early. Available Monday-Friday, 11.30am-4.30pm, it costs £20 per person and includes dishes such as avocado, cucumber and asparagus roll, mushroom gyoza and robatayaki sea bass. The meal ends with soft-serve ice-cream with mango sauce and coconut.
201-203 King's Road, Chelsea, SW3 5ED
Visit TheIvyAsia.com
HAVE A DRINK:
These Days
These Days has opened an aperitivo bar in the middle of Bermondsey Beer Mile, serving spritzes, classic aperitifs and bar snacks. Led by Oli Man, previously of The Culpeper, the drinks list features a couple of signature spritzes – the Venetian and the Sundowner – as well as classic aperitivi from the negroni sbagliato to americano. There’s a concise bar snack menu, using produce from the neighbours on the Beer Mile. Look out too for bread and oil from St John Bakery, cheeses from Neal’s Yard Dairy, as well as charcuterie, olives and crisps. Taking over an old archway, the bar is spread across one floor with additional outdoor seating for the summer.
100 Druid Street, Bermondsey, SE1 2AN
Visit TheseDaysDrinks.com
GET OUTSIDE:
Alice + Olivia Secret Garden
US fashion brand Alice + Olivia by Stacey Bendet has taken over the terrace at Harvey Nichols Knightsbridge to create the Alice + Olivia Secret Garden. Customers can enjoy flower-infused cocktails and mocktails by Grey Goose Essences and pressed flower treats inspired by A+O’s spring collection, which features cropped blazers in chic colours with matching shorts, chiffon blouses, embellished tops, floral dresses, wide-leg denim trousers and more.
109-125 Knightsbridge, Knightsbridge, SW1X 7RJ; until the end of May
Visit HarveyNichols.com
GET OUT OF TOWN:
Updown Farmhouse
Fancy a night away? This Friday, Brutto’s Russell Norman will join Updown’s head chef Oli Brown for a Venetian-inspired feast at the beautiful 17th-century farmhouse just outside Deal. Guests will enjoy a pre-dinner Q&A with Russell alongside a selection of cicchetti such as caprese skewers and squid fritti in carta paglia and an Italian aperitif. Following the talk, diners will tuck into a menu of mackerel tartare with dill, cucumber, carta di musica and horseradish, followed by Venetian pea and mint risotto. Secondi will include poached halibut with orange, fine herbs and pink peppercorns, and vin santo with pistachio cantucci for dessert.
Betteshanger, Deal, Kent, CT14 0EF; 12th May
Visit UpdownFarmhouse.com
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