TONIGHT
Chilly Gonzales

Following last year’s Ivory Tower album and with an eye to his forthcoming release, The Unspeakable Chilly Gonzales, the Canadian genre-blurrer is taking on Camden’s Koko for what should be a stormer of a show. Accompanied by two pianists and two drummers, and joined in the line-up by Cocknbullkid and Jarvis Cocker, who knows what we’ll end up with tonight. But then, that’s part of the musical maverick’s charm, right? Expect something exceptional – entertaining, hysterical, smart and toe-tappingly, head-bouncingly, grin-inducingly awesome – and we’ll see you down there for sure.

Koko, 1a Camden High Street, NW1 7JE.

MORGANS HOTEL OFFER
SPONSORED LISTING
Double the Pleasure

You know what they say: two heads are better than one. And now you can bed down in Miami with the partner of your choice at a very intelligent rate. Morgans Hotel Group are offering visitors to their South Beach properties (Mondrian, Shore Club and UJ fave Delano) 10% off the best available rate at the time of booking, a complimentary double room upgrade upon arrival and two complimentary cocktails per day. And, for every Swedish Massage you purchase, you get one free. It takes two, baby, but nobody’s saying you have to share that extra rub down. That’s just smart thinking.

Valid until Sept 30, 2011
Click here to view the offer.

HEAD’S UP
St Pancras Renaissance Grand Opening

It’s been welcoming pre-emptive guests for a good month now, but this Thursday finally sees the Gothic masterpiece that is the St Pancras Renaissance hotel declare itself officially ready, willing and able to satisfy all-comers. 5 years and £200m spent refurbishing will do that, we guess. As too will the swarm of fleurs-de-lis and grand pomp and extravagance proffered within. Precisely 138 years (a nice round number, no?) since Midland Grand Hotel first opened, guests booked in at the hotel on the 5th will receive complimentary invitations to the Grand Opening Party. And with rooms and suites ranging from £225 to £10k per night, we should hope so.

St Pancras Renaissance, Euston Road, NW1 2AR.

EXCLUSIVE UJ OFFER
Riding House Café- Now Open Sunday

As you could probably tell from our recent breakfast feature, we really like interesting takes on breakfast and brunch. That’s why this Sunday we’re putting our money on Riding House Cafè, the new venture from Garrison and Village East co-founders Adam White and Clive Watson. We’ll be galloping into town bright and early(-ish) to try out their first ever brunch offerings which include more unusual menu options like eggs hussard, chorizo hash browns, and cured sea trout with crème fraiche. We also like the sound of a PB& J smoothie (after a similarly themed dessert at Spuntino we’re sensing a trend…), as well as the simple avocado on toast. Want to try it yourself? Book Sunday brunch / lunch quoting ‘Pony Club’ and receive a free Bloody Mary or Bellini, exclusively for UJ readers.

34 Great Titchfield Street, London, W1W 7PQ.
Brunch menu from 9am to 12pm, lunch from midday 0207 927 0840.

BECK’S FUSION
SPONSORED LISTING
Beck’s Fusion Summer Guestlist

To celebrate the launch of this summer’s limited edition orange zest-infused Beck’s Fusion, the iconic beer chaps are teaming up with 32 of the most anticipated music and art events across London and Manchester to create the Beck’s Fusion Summer Guestlist. Here in the Big Smoke, they’re hooking up with everything that’s hot, from Stag & Dagger to the Aubin Gallery, XOYO to the Idea Generation Gallery. For details of how to gain access to all of this summer’s Beck’s Fusion events, check out their interactive Facebook Page. And we’ll also be flagging our pick of the events over the coming weeks here on UJ, so keep your eyes peeled!

TRENDCASTING: UJ & SONY’S VAIO VISIONARY

After last week’s column, ‘Freemarket’, our Trendcaster is taking a break from scouring the streets for bargain treats, and instead putting her feet up in the city’s plushest bedroom suites in ‘Sleep’, as she checks out some of the exciting developments going on in London’s hotel scene. From beds with in-built self-massaging systems to the soon-to-launch- Japanese pods in the West End, room service has never been so tempting...  Click here to read the feature.

SHOP
Colette Secret Island

In typical Colette fashion, the Parisian emporium of awesome’s newest compilation album is eclectic, a little obscure, entirely addictive and we want it now dammit. Featuring everything from modern surf rock to Japanese electro and folktronica to soul, Colette Secret Island includes tracks from the likes of Breath Owl Breath, Erol Alkan, Toro Y Moi, Serge Gainsbourg and La Femme to produce the summer album to soundtrack your modern Pacific getaway. Desert Island Discs done right, as it were. And it’s available for pre-order now.

LAST CHANCE
Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella

If you didn’t make the Sadler’s Christmas run and you still didn’t catch any of its second instalment at the New Wimbledon, then this really is your last chance. Translated from distant fairytale-land to mid-Blitz WW2, Prince Charming is now an equally charming RAF pilot while Cinders is given a somewhat larger slice of emancipated power (which isn’t too hard when you consider her passive original); Lez Brotherston’s set is fabulous; Paul Groothius’s soundscape is absorbing; and then of course there’s Bourne’s dynamic, delightfully reimagined choreography that really hits the nail on the head. Catch it now – before it turns back into a pumpkin at midnight. Well, Saturday really, but you get the point.

Ends Sat, May 7.
New Wimbledon Theatre, 93 The Broadway,
SW19 1QG.

RESERVED
This week’s hottest foodie destination

St John Hotel
Nose-to-tail eating makes its way West

1 Leicester Street, London WC2H 7BL.
0203 301 8069

www.stjohnhotellondon.com

Location
The address says Leicester Street; but the door’s on Lisle Street. Yes, St John’s Fergus Henderson, the gaffer of English grub, has opened a hotel, restaurant and bar in the heart of Chinatown. Some might know the site as Manzi’s ‘famous seafood restaurant’ opposite the Swiss Centre (as was), but the rest of you who’ve just blown into town will know it by its neighbour, the spiffy new W Hotel.

Vibe
Ardent, offal-eyeing fanboys of Henderson’s ‘nose to tail’ cooking are out in force at lunch. A cooler, prettier crowd rolls in later, post-theatre or for a boozy midnight feast. Food – proper food! – is served until 2am. The idea of the hotel is to eat some, drink some, have a hoot, book a room, drink some more, then conk out.

Flavours
Those who know the mothership or its Spitalfields scion, St John Bread and Wine, will recognise some dishes that head chef Tom Harris (latterly of the latter) has brought up west with him – snails and bacon or lemon sorbet and vodka for example. ’Barley, Carrots & Curd‘ (£8) is prettier than it sounds: a tumble of radishes, onions and scrubbed carrots resembling Peter Rabbit’s supper. While a handsome, gently flavoured pike and leek pie for two (£34) is the antithesis of the mimsy sharing plates currently doing the rounds (and for that we sing its praises to the stars). New here are the buttery, spiced and fruited ‘breakfast buns’ and, still on a bun tip, the ‘little bun moments’ (chocolate, anchovy or prune) to be had in the first floor bar all afternoon..

Décor
Architect-turned-chef Henderson dishes out tough love in design form. The dining room’s cramped; the chairs are hard and wooden; and the walls are plain and white. The minimally furnished bar with its blue lino floor and brick leather sofas veritably pops with colour by comparison. The bar is hard to love – more staffroom chic than schoolroom chic – but we’re willing to try.

Upshot
Wallet-walloping bar bills are mitigated by beautiful food. Come occasionally and do the works (supper, bar, bed) or come a lot and just do buns.