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Are any of you out there? Are you reading this from Dubai/Madrid/New York? On the off-chance that the dreaded Ash Cloud (although its twitter page is very amusing – and apologetic) hasn’t stranded all of our subscribers abroad, we’ve got a cracking weekend lined up. Get your shopping in with Peter Jensen, ditch the Marathon and opt for Nike’s board game-esque Grid, take in the sights from a rooftop garden and connect with your inner Avatar at the Tree of Souls. But most importantly, get home safe; we’re on standby to help haul any intrepid swimmers out of the sea. Bon voyage!
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TONIGHT
Fondue Thursdays
We're feeling a little 80's revival in the air (watch out for the very tongue-in-cheek Thatcherite club 'Maggie's' coming soon), so we’re up for this new Thursday night regular, complete with classic 'choons (Rick Astley - legend - 'nuff said), cocktails like Sex on the Beach at an all night long £4.50, and plenty of cheese, Rubiks cube challenges, and quizzes. Plus they have a great garden and terrace for all of your 80's power-smoking needs.
5pm-2am, Lost Society, 697 Wandsworth Road, SW8 3JF, Free.
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GET FIT NOW
Free Kickboxing Trial Class at Epic Gym For Our Subs
Haven’t taken us up on a free class at Epic Gym’s penthouse Kickboxing Studio yet? There’s nothing sexy about muffin tops and flabby arms now that the layers are hitting the floor, so tone up, take out your aggression, and get fit at this slick penthouse apartment at the top of Westbourne Studios. There are kickboxing and boxfit classes at all levels with amazing views of the surrounding London skyline. You can even pop into the fully licensed bar downstairs for a post-workout tipple.
Fancy a go? Your first session is free when you quote UJ.
Epic Gym, The Penthouse, 402 Westbourne Studios, 242 Acklam Road, W10 5JJ.
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| FRIDAY |
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TREE OF SOULS
Celebrate Avatar’s DVD Release
Fans of the fantastic alien world of Avatar will love this pop-up Pandora-inspired installation. Taking place this weekend at Hyde Park, a fibre-optic ‘Tree of Souls’ will magically appear in Speaker’s Corner glowing different colours and moving to music as you interact with it. And whilst you can’t plug your tail into its roots like the Na’vi, you can connect your iPods and phones to the tree and upload digital messages to an inbuilt screen.
24th-26th April, Speakers Corner, Park Lane, Hyde Park, W1K 1QB. |
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| SATURDAY |
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SHOP
Peter Jensen Sample Sale
The Danish designer with the bunny logo is back with another sample sale weekender at his studio – we’re getting in the queue early on the vague chance there’s a rabbit-print swimsuit going spare. Otherwise, look forward to quirky separates for him and her, and deliciously discounted prices.
Sale starts on Friday from 6-9pm, and continues throughout Saturday from 12pm-4pm, and Sunday 12pm-4pm.
18-24 Shacklewell Lane, E8 2EZ.
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THE GRID
Nike’s Running Game Hits The Streets
It seems like a cruel twist of fate that’s stuck the London Marathon in the same weekend as this cool new running game by sports-maestros Nike, so you’ll need to do some extra stretching to limber up. The GRID turns all of London into a giant gaming board divided into forty postcode areas and involving you running from one phone box to another collecting points from phone boxes along the way. Are you tough enough? We’ll be waving from the balcony in support.
Game begins Friday 23rd April, 8pm.
Register at www.nikegrid.com/nike-grid/ |
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| SUNDAY |
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RESERVED
This week’s hottest foodie destination
The Mall Tavern
Notting Hill Gate gastropub that's a cut above the rest.
71-73 Palace Gardens Terrace, W8 4RU – 020 7229 3374
Location
Possibly the best in Notting Hill Gate. Just tucked away enough not to be descended on by puffa-ed up Italians wanting to know the way to ‘Portobello mercato’.
Vibe
Wasted for many years on its previous owners who didn’t realise what a gem they had, luckily the Perritt brothers (also behind The Regent and The Stag) and the immensely likeable and experienced chef Jesse Dunford Wood have got their hands on the place and, though it’s still early days, the combination is already looking very promising.
Flavours
It wouldn’t be a gastropub if the emphasis wasn’t on British but this is no run-of-the-mill menu; there are small plates (from £3) of moreish cauliflower fritters with curried mayonnaise and Welsh lamb scrumpets, with mains (from £9) running from cow pie through to a thoroughly modern ploughmans. For the full experience you can hire the chef’s table in the heart of the tavern’s kitchen.
Décor
Despite an excess of gastropub-green paint, the place has a welcoming charm, embellished by a scattering of royal wedding and coronation china and a pair of eccentric caricatures painted by Jesse’s artist father in the upstairs private dining room. And not to be overlooked is the suntrap of a garden out the back.
Upshot
Chef Jesse’s days at HIX Soho, Balthazar in New York and Charlie Trotter’s have paid off. Not only is the food especially good but Jesse knows how to run a place and is hands on with it, regularly checking to make sure everyone is happy. You might not be able to swing a cat in London without hitting a gastropub but this one might just be a keeper.
www.themalltavern.com |
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Weekend guide by MaM Restaurant Review by SL. |
(c) 2009 Urban Junkies. All rights reserved.
Reproductions of any portion of this website only with our express permission. Urban Junkies is a free daily mailer. All listings and features are editorial: We do not receive any payment from venues, artists or promoters. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of information listed but we cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions.
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