LA WEEKEND GUIDE TAKEOVER With Coachella kicking off this Friday and IMS on the 16th, we're in an LA state of mind. So, if you're Cali-bound to get in on the music action, we reckon it's the perfect time to tag on a few days of hang time in one of the city's hottest hoods. Downtown LA is having a major renaissance - it's home to Ace's latest offering, plus the art and foodie scene has gone nuts. For all that, and more, we've put together a West Coast takeover for this Weekend Guide… read on for your LA lowdown (and follow us on Instagram for our Coachella snaps). Staying in town this weekend? We've got you covered with London picks, too. This Weekend’s London Picks • FRI Rotorino • SAT Pineapple Jam • SUN 1235 Doughnuts STAY Los Angeles If you're Downtown-bound and looking elsewhere from The Ace, head to hip new Koreatown opening, The Line - think a cool-and-colourful industrial space with pool deck, lounge bar, takeout service and Feliz restaurant courtesy of chef Roi Choi. In Beverly Hills, we've got a soft spot for The Peninsula. It's discrete (celeb central but not in a pap' way), old school (all plush furnishings, florals and monogrammed pillows in your room) and has the most amazing rooftop pool. Finally, if you're hitting up the beach at Venice, there's the Viceroy Santa Monica for classic coastal plushness. Or check out the lesser known Manhattan Beach, which we hear is on the rise. FRIDAY London EAT: ROTORINO DRINK: CARTIZZE Dalston's dining scene is growing up, with Dock Kitchen mastermind Stevie Parle opening Rotorino. In the tradition of an osteria, Rotorino focuses on simple Southern Italian cooking, executed with fresh British ingredients: expect dishes like pistachio casarecce, sea bream carpaccio, and pig's head terrine. A walk-in wine bar (in the capable hands of Street Vin founder Ruth Spivey) boasts an extensive wine list with a strong Italian offering. And, unlike the usual E8 eateries, there's not a plastic cup or neon sign in sight… instead, the space features a large communal table, geometric tiling and cherry wood ceilings. For a touch of old school glamour, head to Mayfair (where else?) for the newly opened Cartizze. A cocktail and aperitivo bar with a hidden entrance off Lancashire Court, Cartizze boasts a cocktail list developed by Richard Woods (crowned Bombay Sapphire's 'World's Most Imaginative Bartender' this year): think an Olive Oil Gin Fizz or a Truffled Liquorice Sour, served in vintage glassware. Should hunger strike, Orkney isle scallops, San Daniele ham-wrapped figs, and truffle honey and rocket are on the menu. 5pm-1am Prices vary 434 Kingsland Road, E8 4AA 5pm-11pm Cocktails from £12 4 Lancashire Court, New Bond Street, W1S 1EY EAT Los Angeles Where to start? LA is foodie heaven and often ahead of the trend curve (think 'Chinois', the food truck revolution and all that healthy stuff). So tap into it! To get you started, for breakfast, we're loving former food truck EggSlut's first bricks and mortar place Downtown at Grand Central Market (more on the market below). If you're feeling virtuous, head to Café Gratitude or Moon Juice like the locals. Lunch: Gjelina is solely responsible for the gentrification of Abbot Kinney (near Venice). It remains one of the hardest places to get a reservation but you can usually walk in during lunch for ridiculously good salads, veggie small plates and oysters. Dinner? Just around the corner from the Downtown Ace, new restaurant (and former pop-up) Alma is getting plaudits all over the place for its nightly changing taster menus inspired by ingredients grown in its flower garden. Ludo Lefebvre's French mash up Trois Mec, located under an old neon pizza sign, is another hot ticket (literally–rather than reservations, tickets are sold daily at 8am for the restaurant's 26 seats …get in quick). SATURDAY London PARTY: LOVE BRUNCH PARTY: PINEAPPLE JAM AT CANAVAN'S PECKHAM POOL CLUB The sun's out, it's Saturday… it must be time for a Love Brunch party. London's original brunch soirée is returning to the place that started it all: Acklam Road, (the former Supper Club site), where the very first Love Brunch bash was held. Taking over Notting Hill newcomer MODE (the club that's fast becoming our regular hangout), Love Brunch will be serving up their signature Saturday fun: ie dining, drinking and dancing. More partying? Oh, go on then. We keep hearing that Peckham is the next Shoreditch, and though the jury's still out on that one, Pineapple Jam at Canavan's Peckham Pool Club is as good a reason as any to head south of the river. Gallic import and remix master The Reflex will be on decks to launch the night, with a funk, disco, house and soul mash up, with Bizaro and Master K keeping the beats going. Grab tickets now. 12pm-5.30pm Tickets from £20 12 Acklam Road, W10 5QZ 9pm-4am Tickets from £5 188 Rye Lane, SE15 4NF DRINK Los Angeles In LA, it's all about finding a place and staying there (thanks to the transport sitch), so a garden or under-one-roof arts space is a good bet when you're feeling casual. The Bungalow in Santa Monica, on the grounds of the Fairmont Miramar, is the new garden hotspot. Decorated Baja-Cali style (Mexican blanket-wrapped couches), the fire pit is the place to sip a potent mezcal cocktail before hitting up the ping pong table. Downtown, EightyTwo is an arcade for grown-ups with a rotating collection of retro arcade and pinball machines. Come sundown, the tree-covered outdoor patio serves up cocktails and nightly DJs. In West Hollywood, the ever-transforming DBA is a one-stop venue for performance, dance and drinks, with inaugural guest curator and nightlife impresario Simon Hammerstein (of The Box) behind the hedonistic, anything-goes vibe. FOLLOW US! Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Check out our Instagram for more LA snaps! SUNDAY London EAT: GB PIZZA CO SNACK: 1235 DOUGHNUTS If you're bored of your usual slice, head to Exmouth market newcomer GB Pizza Co. for pizza with a twist. The Margate heavyweight serves up wood-fired pizza with a seasonal British slant: think a full English with poached egg or a fennel salami variety with ingredients sourced from Brixton Market. With local craft beers on tap, ice cream from Gelupo, and coffee from Climpson & Sons, GB Pizza Co is a thoroughly English affair. Plus, they're soft launching this weekend. Hands up for half price pizza. It's not hard to find a doughnut in London (Dum Dum Doughnuts, You Doughnut, Glazed & Confused), but there's a Columbia Road joint that's gone under the radar. As part of a family tradition, Brad McDonald (the chef at The Lockhart), along with his wife and two young children, sets up shop in his flat on Sundays selling 120 Beignet-style doughnuts inspired by his childhood in Yazoo, Mississippi. Cream filled coffee, lemon curd, vanilla, chocolate and salted caramel doughnuts are among the varieties on the menu – look for the yellow door and get in quick before everyone finds out. 12pm-9.30pm 50% off pizza this weekend 50 Exmouth Market, ECR1 4QE From 10am Doughnuts from £2 124 Columbia Road, E2 7RG DO Los Angeles If you choose one area to own in LA, make it Downtown. It used to be sketchy but is now just cool. Museums like the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art are thriving and the food scene is insanely good. Check out recently renovated Grand Central Market, an arcade – first built in 1917 – of over 30 of the best food vendors in the city and a brilliant place to explore, hang and people watch. And where there is good food there is good shopping. South Broadway is being lauded as LA's next big shopping stretch with Acne Studios, Aesop and Tanner Goods all recent arrivals. Time for ice cream? 'Course you do. Big Gay Ice Cream is opening its first parlour outside of NYC later this spring. Enjoy! For more LA ideas, check out www.discoverlosangeles.com and www.lovebeverlyhills.com LA TAKEOVER BY AT, WEEKEND GUIDE BY NN LIKE SHARE FORWARD PREVIOUS EDITION (c) 2014 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.