Never miss out on our pick of the best things things to see and places to go. From new restaurant and bar reviews to must-visit culture in the UK and beyond. |
Sky-high dining, a gin discovery tour and women who get it done | Step up your dinner game at the newest high-rise restaurants — then book tickets for some delightfully boozy and feminist events |
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| Decimo | Gigi Hadid visited during London Fashion Week; Mark Ronson DJed at the launch party; there’s a red pill-shaped lift to ferry you straight to the entrance. Put simply: Decimo is seriously glitzy. On the 10th floor of The Standard hotel in Kings Cross, it’s a feast for the eyes – with bold red furniture, giant cacti, macramé details and views of the London skyline.
The menu is a mix of Spanish and Mexican – the showstopper, if you’re feeling flush, is an oozy tortilla topped with caviar, but don’t miss the beautiful plate of crab dotted with jalapeño jelly. The Standard, 10 Argyle St, WC1H
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| Forza Wine | While Franks is closed for winter, Peckham has a new rooftop bar to check out. The team behind nearby Italian restaurant Forza Win have launched Forza Wine (see what they did there?) and it should be top of your hit list in south London.
Grab a stool at the communal high tables inside while working your way through the menu – food is snacky, so order multiple dishes if you’re hungry. Truthfully, this is our favourite way to eat: picking over plates of cauliflower fritti, salami and fontina toasties with a spiced plum negroni or natural wine in hand. Floor 5, 133 Rye Lane, SE15
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| Allegra | There’s a new restaurant gunning for the ‘best terrace in London’ title. The ‘sky garden’ at Allegra, on the seventh floor of The Stratford hotel, is enormous, with a fairy-lit pergola, full-size trees and panoramic city views. Inside, the palette of soft greys, stone floor and stained oak furniture lends a Scandi feel (albeit on a massive budget; it was designed by the team behind Noma).
Food-wise, ex-Chiltern Firehouse head chef Patrick Powell has conjured up a menu of modern European dishes that are innovative and properly tasty, including a crab tart topped with a ridiculously indulgent brown butter hollandaise. The Stratford, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, 20 International Way, E20
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| 14 Hills | If indoor forest is more your vibe, make a beeline for 14 Hills, which opens on Fenchurch Street next Monday. The ceiling is covered with a canopy of evergreen plants, while shrubs and wooden pergolas add to the outdoor vibe, alongside sage green sofas and rattan chairs.
On the 14th floor, it’s got great views of Tower Bridge and the Shard, and it’s an all-day affair: come for brunch (hello, black truffle omelette), pop in for a pork belly and mustard bap from the deli at lunch, or prop up the glossy onyx bar till the early hours with a champagne cocktail. Floor 14, 120 Fenchurch St, EC3M
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| Seabird | It’s no surprise that one of London’s coolest new restaurants is perched on top one of the city’s coolest new hotels. Seabird at The Hoxton Southwark is all slick urban jungle on the inside, panoramic, riverside views on the outside – and the menu is equally transporting.
Our recommendations? Start with a selection of oysters, don’t skip the otherworldly Devonshire crab buñuelos with saffron aioli, and finish with a serving of fluffy, moreish manchego cheesecake. And for drinks? Go for The Toucan Do It; tequila, mango, cinnamon and aji pepper served in a ceramic bird. 40 Blackfriars Rd, London SE1 8PB
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| Warm your cockles with wonderful gin-spired activities this winter |
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| | The most wonderful time of the year is nearly upon us, and your favourite tipple is getting a festive twist. From 13-17 November, Hayman’s ‘Ginema’ returns for its fourth year, where you can watch cinematic classics like Dirty Dancing and When Harry Met Sally while sipping on a themed cocktail.
On 14 November, Fentimans will open the doors to the city’s most magical (and Instagrammable) installation: a life-size pink gingerbread house at Skylight rooftop bar in Wapping, where you can sip hot ginger cocktails and pick sweet treats from the walls (until 25 January 2020). And over in Soho, Wright Brothers have launched a cosy new terrace in partnership with Sipsmith, with all the food, festive cocktails and twinkly lights you could wish for a wintertime date. Cheers!
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| Call your girlfriends: three fabulously feminist events are coming your way this month |
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| FYI, we may make revenue on affiliate links contained in this email. | Image credits: Tim Charles © The Stylist Group Ltd |
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