What To Do This Weekend 26.09.20
INDULGE YOUR TASTEBUDS AT: Box Park Street Food Brunch, Shoreditch
Whether you’ve a hankering for a jerk-spiced roti wrap or a fragrant South Asian curry, Box Park’s new Street Food Brunch promises to hit all the right flavour notes. Launching this Sunday at the popular Shoreditch venue in partnership with Hennessy, the ‘Black Card Brunch’ series offers cocktails on the terrace, dancefloor-derived beats – and, of course, a smorgasbord of lip-smacking street food. From 11am to 1pm, diners can tuck into dishes created by favourite traders like burger buffs Salt Shed, masters of Caribbean spice Rudi’s, and vegan steam bun specialists Eat Chay. Guest DJ G.W Harrison provide this week’s soundtrack, with ongoing weekly sets and live performances from a roster of artists. Tickets start from £20 per person, which gets diners two plates and a signature serving of Cava Sangria or a choice of beer, cider, wine or spirit. If you’re brunching with friends, grab group tickets at £40 for four plates and a jug, or £80 for four plates and a bottle of Champagne or Hennessy. Oh, and dress to impress.
Bethnal Green Rd, Hackney, E1 6GY
Visit Boxpark.co.uk
ENJOY A SPOT OF GODDESS WORSHIP WITH: Tantra: Enlightenment to Revolution
When we hear ‘tantra’, many of us will think of sex and intimate pleasure. While there’s nothing wrong with this association, the word carries infinitely more meaning. A philosophy rooted in medieval India, Tantra is linked to schools of revolutionary thought stretching from the sixth century through to the socio-political emancipation of the 1960s. Now, a new exhibition at the British Museum explores Tantra’s role as a radical force that transformed Hinduism and Buddhism, and shaped the cultural landscape of India. With a focus on divine feminine energy and goddess worship, Tantra continues to influence contemporary feminist thought, and can be explored here through fascinating sculptures, paintings, prints and ritual objects. Running from 25th September, adult tickets cost £15.
Great Russell St, Bloomsbury, WC1B 3DG
Visit BritishMuseum.org
BLOCK OUT YOUR DIARY FOR: Bubala’s First Birthday
Book ahead for a sumptuous vegetarian tasting menu at Spitalfields’ Middle Eastern restaurant, Bubala, which is celebrating its first birthday with an all-star chef line-up. Each Sunday throughout October, local chefs and culinary heroes will serve their own spin on Bubala’s signature dishes. Confirmed are Andy Oliver and Mark Dobbie, head chefs at heritage-style Thai restaurant Som Saa, and Nirmal Save, executive chef of Gunpowder. Kicking off proceedings on Sunday 4th October is Farokh Talati, head chef at East London favourite St John, who’ll be putting a Parsi spin on Bubala’s divine combination of halloumi with black seed honey – served ‘Farokh style’. Sittings are at 12.30pm and 3.30pm, with each menu priced at £40 per person, for nine sharing plates between two. Pull up a pew and wear your best elasticated trousers.
65 Commercial St, Spitalfields, E1 6BD
WATCH OPERA FROM YOUR ARMCHAIR WITH: Barrie Kosky’s Carmen
A touch more passionate than your average screen-time session, this film of Barrie Kosky's electrifying 2018 take on Bizet’s opera Carmen is yours to stream for the very reasonable price tag of £3. Visionary director Kosky explores Carmen's ever-changing nature through contrasting costumes and spellbinding choreography in this tour de force production. Curl up in your cosiest PJs and prepare to be transported to the hot streets of Seville by mezzo-soprano Anna Goryachova and her fellow cast members. Available to watch now, you’ll need to sign up and create a ROH Stream account first.
Watch it here
BE TRANSPORTED BY: Frank Herbert’s Dune
The sweeping, sand-blown trailer for Denis Villeneuve’s new movie Dune has put the world in a tailspin, but have you read the 1965 sci-fi tome that the movie is based on? One of the landmarks of literary science fiction, Frank Herbert’s novel lands the reader in the arid desert world of Arrakis, where battles rage over the precious resource of ‘spice’, a miracle drug that can increase a person's life-span and makes interstellar travel possible. The sprawling narrative has long posed major challenges for big screen adaptation, and to say that Denis Villeneuve’s version is awaited with baited breath is an understatement. Before we hit the multiplex, we’ll be immersing ourselves in this stunning 50th Anniversary edition of the novel.
Available here
CHANNEL YOUR INNER SLEUTH WITH: Enola Holmes
Stranger Things favourite Millie Bobby Brown stars in Warner Bros’ Sherlock sister spin-off, which sees lead character Enola Holmes out-sleuth her detective sibling as she attempts to track down her missing mother. Raised by a suffragette activist matriarch (Helena Bonham Carter), Enola is a feminist heroine who wants to revolutionise a world that would prefer her to keep quiet. Along the way, she meets a young runaway Lord (Louis Partridge) whose vote is essential in passing the Reform Act in the House of Lords, a major hurdle in the fight for women’s suffrage. Wise-cracking, big-hearted and progressive, this Conan Doyle pastiche has been compared by critics to Fleabag, and lands on Netflix this week.
Available on Netflix.com
DETOX (AND RETOX) AT: Gaucho’s Wellbeing Brunch
This season at Gaucho, brunch is getting a makeover. The Argentinian steakhouse has launched a series of pop-up events with playful themes ranging from disco to Halloween. Opening on a wholesome note, The Wellbeing Brunch will be served this Saturday at the inviting Sloane Avenue site, and comes accompanied by chilled Ibiza lounge beats and a complimentary CBD-infused cocktail. Between courses, diners can enjoy mini beauty treatments ranging from manis to massages from Le Salon’s therapists, or sample TRIP’s range of CBD oils and products from a pop-up bar. Whether you want to continue the health drive with your order is up to you. Gaucho’s signature brunch dishes include smashed avocado with a poached egg on rye toast, and the oh-so-tempting choripan sandwich with chorizo, chimichurri, mayo and crispy onions. Brunch tickets start from £52.50.
89 Sloane Ave, Chelsea, SW3 3DX
Visit GauchoRestaurants.com
GET YOUR CULTURE FIX HERE: The MOST Specialest Relationship
Who better to guide us through this strange and troubling time than Turner Prize-winning artist, Grayson Perry? New work on display in London's Victoria Miro gallery by Perry, include ceramics, a tapestry and a large-scale print, all of which are inspired by a three-part documentary Grayson Perry’s Big American Roadtrip, available to watch now on Channel 4. The series, in which the artist travelled across the US on a custom-built motorbike he designed especially for the journey, explores some of the biggest cultural and political fault-lines in the country. Works respond to the programme’s themes and conversations as Perry spent time with different communities, from African-American businesspeople in Atlanta, to farmers in Wisconsin, to understand how Americans today view issues of identity, race, money and class – and what might be done to overcome the divisions in their country (and in our own).
16 Wharf Rd, Hoxton, N1 7RW
Visit Victoria-Miro.com
PLAN AN AUTUMN STAYCATION WITH: Rathfinny Wine Tours
Picking and tasting grapes in the lush grounds of a vineyard is surely one of the most idyllic ways to ring in harvest season, and this autumn, Rathfinny Wine Estate in Sussex is inviting guests to do just that. Warm your cockles with an open-fire meal made with fresh and seasonal produce, before hitting the south-facing slopes to brush up on your wine knowledge with a 90-minute grape-picking tour on the process of making Rathfinny Sussex Sparkling wine. Short-break packages includes dinner, bed and breakfast, a tour and tasting. Alternatively, you can just book in for lunch (£22 for 2 courses, £25 for three) or dinner (£32 for two courses, £35 for three). Dishes include lemon sole cooked over last year's vines and wood roasted local game with pinot noir grapes.
Visit RathfinnyEstate.com
BE IMMERSED IN A THEATRICAL WORLD HERE: The Murdér Express
Train travel may be trickier than usual this year, but hopping aboard The Murdér Express from Funicular’s shadowy Pedley Street Station promises to be a sheer joy. This immersive theatre and dining experience is set aboard a train decked out with grand period furnishings, transporting ticket holders back to the 19th century as they journey from London to the fictional town of Murdér in France. A delicious menu designed by Masterchef finalist Louisa Ellis is served throughout. Along the way, diners meet a host of vivid, odd-ball characters, from music hall star Tilley Vera to local antique dealer Cliff. Temperature checks, Persex screens and distanced seating are in place for safety, Returning early October, this is one to book in for now. Tickets start from £65.
Book here
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