SHOP
A Bathing Ape Pop-Up Pirate Store

One of UJ’s favourite labels has landed in London with its first-ever Pirate Pop-Up outside of New York or Japan, and we couldn't be more excited. Especially as the store is offering up hard to find archive items at reduced prices – think up to 50% off – a serious event considering the brand has never discounted anything during its 8 year UK tenure. There’ll also be exclusive piratey merchandise (with new items released in limited numbers in store each day), and ‘Booty Bags’ the contents of which are secret but guaranteed to be worth at least twice the asking price. Treasure ahoy.

Dray Walk Gallery, Dray Walk, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL

BOOK-AHEAD
Coachella

The line-up has finally been revealed and it’s another good’un for the Californian festival. Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire and Kanye West headline over three days, with the stage (and tents) set for the likes of Empire of the Sun, Duran Duran, Lauryn Hill, Cee Lo Green, Brandon Flowers, The Chemical Brothers and Robyn. Ticket booking opens tomorrow at 10am PST – meaning we’ll be awake and readying ourselves way before those pesky locals across the pond.

$269, April 15th-17th

AUDIO SUSHI PODCAST
Kickin' Off The New Year!

Britney’s back! Just kidding, though her latest single’s flirtation with dubstep and the genre's apparent mainstreamisation has informed some of Audio Sushi’s new UJ playlist. But don’t let the chilled out intro fool you as it moves from Nero and a cracking Adele/Jay-Z/Biggie mash-up that had the entire office jumping, through to a little classic Daft Punk, some Rihanna and Drake gone trance, and Lupe Fiasco’s Show Goes On. Enjoy. 

Click Through to listen..

COMPETITION
: SPONSORED LISTING
Win one of 5 pairs of tickets to Clybourne Park

The latest West End transfer from the Royal Court (following Enron and Jerusalem, landmark theatrical events of 2010) and winner of the 2010 Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Play, this devastating satire explores the ever contentious themes of race and property ownership from two time periods - 1959 and 2009 - leaving the audience asking whether the issues festering beneath the floorboards are actually the same despite the 50 year time difference. Hailed as ‘Shockingly Entertaining’ and ‘Appallingly funny’, we have five pairs of tickets to give away to UJ subscribers. To be in with a chance of winning, simply tell us why you need a trip to the theatre.

Wyndham's Theatre from 28 January 2011 for a limited season.

RESERVED
This week’s hottest foodie destination

Brawn
New Hackney natural wine bar and bistro

49 Columbia Road, E2 7RG - 020 7729 5692 www.brawn.co

Location
A welcome vision on a chilly January evening, this simply furnished corner site glows like a beacon of low-key cosiness, its modest bar and laid back atmosphere drawing you in.

Vibe
You’ll love it, everyone told me, when Brawn opened at the end of November, and the twittersphere became alive with descriptions of silky smooth ‘zander boudin’ and ‘exceptionally meaty andouilette’, one food critic even coining the term ‘Brawnographic’. Run by Ed Wilson (exec chef) and Oli Barker (manager) from Terroirs, with Owen Kenworthy (formerly also Terroirs, plus the Wolseley and Galvin) in the kitchen, the place comes from the sharey, carey, less is more stable that is so hot right now. So in the midst of Michelin madness felt like the perfect time to be going somewhere that was the antithesis.

Flavours
Spurred on by all the promising tweetage, I was feeling optimistic as we nibbled on little slices of salami and parmesan with our first sips of Verdicchio. And then, disaster: no andouillette or boudins of any description. Instead, highlights we tasted were silky slices of prosciutto, clams in an incredible Manzanilla liquor and chanterelles on toast with warm duck egg. Less fabulous were the red mullet with fennel and the rhubarb crumble we finished with.

Décor
With its white washed brickwork, local artworks on the walls and formica tables, the former Victorian warehouse is sort of groovy Amsterdam cafe meets sixth form common room. This is a good thing. And a semi-open kitchen at the back warms the place up nicely.

Upshot
I like Brawn. I like the prices, I like its casual vibe and I liked our waitress with the cute French accent who looked like she should be in an iPod advert. But I left feeling like I should have liked it more. The only solution, I think, is to return for more natural wines and charcuterie, and for breakfast on Sundays when the flower market is in full swing. That should do it.