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Thursday:
head straight to the Stag and Dagger. Friday: struggle through
work, then on to typography, fan-fluttering nudity and un-stoned
ponies. Saturday: choral beatboxing and mythic post-mullets.
Sunday: love, camper vans, reggae, and maybe build a conservatory
extension for kicks. There. Weekend sorted.
This weekend's guide is brought to you in association with
Last
Stop, a photographic exhibition of the Routemaster Bus
by Ralf Obergfell. Capturing images during the bus' last
eighteen months of service, it pays tribute to its place
as a London icon. With Boris' proposed ban of the bendy,
we might be seeing more of these old fellas around town.
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FRI HOXTON PONY •
SAT MYTH •
SUN ROMEO AND JULIET • |
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SATURDAY |
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SUNDAY |
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To celebrate the Sony DAB Rising
Star Awards, fashion designer Jean-Pierre
Braganza has created two handbags from the
shell of a Sony radio, customised with a
black studs for an edgy, punky look. To
win one of these limited edition bags, tell
us what the strangest thing is in your
handbag by 5pm on Friday 16th.
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EAT |
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The
Botanist
If you can see past the Sloanes,
Sloane Square is one of London's nicest spots:
a leafy hub of urban life that is the gateway
to Chelsea and all the overpriced silliness
it holds. I'd advise any tourist, or Londoner,
to go for a glass of wine and a good bit of
people-watching.
But for years the increasingly sorry Oriel
has been the only real option as a meeting place.
The Chelsea Brasserie opened as part of the
Sloane Square Hotel about a year ago but it
has a strangely adventurous menu that doesn't
really sit with its location and leaves the
clientele looking slightly disoriented.
The newly opened Botanist (named after naturalist
Sir Hans Sloane), on the other hand, fits the
bill perfectly. I'm not sure I'd call it a gastropub,
although that's how Tom and Ed Martin have made
their names with other establishments like The
Gun and Empress of India.
The interior is expensively glossy and there
are good hearty dishes like crab linguine and
chateaubriand on offer but there's also a delicious
breakfast menu - kippers with poached egg on
toast or blueberry pancakes - and even a take-away
service offering coffee and croissants to go
for those with their sights set on the Kings
Road.
And there are some spiffing tipples too. Hurrah!
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Saki
One of my favourite sushi places, this Smithfields
pitstop has a nice balance of contemporary sleekness
and Japanese authenticity. At ground level there's
a bar and deli where you can stock up on wasabi
peas, freshly-made noodles and miso soup, while
downstairs there's an exceptional sushi restaurant.
The chef here, Yoshitaka Onozaki, clearly knows
what he's doing, serving up the freshest raw
fish/rice/tempura combinations, and to prove
the point further he's caught onto the gourmet
vegetarian wave that's currently lapping at
London's restaurant shores.
Taking inspiration from the ancient 'shojin
kaiseki' approach to the cooking and preparing
of food, Onozaki focuses on seasonal vegetables,
fruit, beans, shoots, leaves and so forth. So,
for instance, you might start with sashimi of
abalone shitake mushrooms (that resemble abalone
fish), move on to a nimono (casserole) of young
bamboo shoots, jade aubergine and grilled plum
and then tempura of sesame tofu, grilled lotus
root and a miso soup with marinated myoga flower
buds.
This is seasonal vegetarian fine-dining at
its best - I may even forgo the fish for once.
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Hours: |
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Mon-Fri 12-2.30pm & 6-11pm / Sat 6pm-11pm |
Place: |
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4 West Smithfield, EC1A 9JX |
Cost: |
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£40 |
Web: |
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saki-food.com |
Book: |
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020 7489 7033 |
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