TUESDAY 3 AUGUST, 2010

The Only Way Is Out, Ba-by
Make the most of the wild with outdoor sushi, takeaway dim sum & the best hampers on Earth

London has it’s fair share of outdoor spots. And for sure nothing breaks the daily grind quite like a leisurely lunch in the wild with friends (preferably attractive ones: you’re on show here, remember). But fancy an al fresco nibble and all too often you find yourself with yet another slither of a Pret or a disappointingly greasy local Chinese. And just try getting a table out in the fresh, balmy air without at least 24 hours notice… Oh how those waiters laugh.

So, solutions:

First up is to actually sit at a, you know, table. Head down to the Southbank and later this month Yo! Sushi are extending their carousel concept beyond the usual four walls. Bundle that with their occasional cheap ‘Blue Mondays’ and bang! Affordable, fun, fresh air. Sorted.

Stretching outdoor excursions a little further, the next step is Now. A new concept from Ping Pong out East, it’s all sexy little hexagons filled with noodles, salads and dim sum for your takeaway pleasure (finally meaning that those ‘little steamed parcels of deliciousness’ now come in, y’know, parcels).

And then there’s the DIY option. Of course, being the chic bunch that we are, it’s a case of DIY, yes, but not as you know it. Pizza East is rocking an unfeasibly cute yellow-gingham hamper of deli delights. The Nobu bento boxes are, well, Nobu. And then there are those fabulous, lim-ed Basso & Brooke’s Globetrotter-esque Dining Sets.

Click here to see the rest of our chic hamper selection.
 

Info
Yo! Sushi, County Hall, Belvedere Road, SE1 7GP

Now, 22-23 Liverpool Street, EC2M 7PD

Desigual Kiss Tour Photos

Kiss kiss, bang bang – Desigual’s Kiss Tour hit London last Wednesday for a night of snogs, songs, stickers and sangria as the great and the good of London turned up to exchange their tickets for t–shirts (with handy tie–tags for that slippery mark) against a stunning backdrop of Tower Bridge and the Thames. Wet kisses were helped along with water hoses whilst hopefuls scribbled why they should be snogged on picket–style signs, Guilty Pleasures played while their dance troupe "Hot Gusset" stripped down to their tiger-print pants on stage followed by DJ sets from Moshi Moshi, and heart–shaped stress balls and balloons kept love (literally) in the air. We’re happy to report that even the notoriously reserved Brits embraced the Mediterranean spirit and got their kiss on. MWA! xxx

Check out the photos…

LOSE YOURSELF – underneath Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square's Pop-Up Maze 11am-8pm. Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5BY. Free.

SEE – Polly Morgan's dark mythical creatures via expert taxidermy in Psychopomps 10am-6pm. Haunch of Venison, W1S 3ET. Free

WATCH – lots of people explain their eye-opening bold-faced lies. Fib. 6pm or 8pm. Square 2, National Theatre, South Bank, SE1 9PX. Pay what you like.

TASTE – the delicious food in the long-awaited Shaka Zulu. Booking strongly advised. Opens tomorrow, 12pm. Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AH.