Wed 17 December, 2014 HOLIDAY ISSUE: 2014 And here it is, our holiday bumper issue – and we’ve covered the essentials. A Christmas Day feast, tinsel-strewn party spots and some NYE picks. Escaping London for the holidays? Off-peak Ibiza is peaking and the Eurostar is the new gateway to the Alps. Plus, we have a couple of stocking-filler ideas and a new restaurant that is fuelling our 2015 excitement. Happy holidays. See you in 2015! Oh, and if you need us for anything over the holidays please email info@urbanjunkies.com. Ho Ho Ho! XMAS DAY PICK: CHILTERN FIREHOUSE We know, we know, Chiltern overkill. But for those spending the 25th in the capital, we think this is just the spot. A beautiful setting, combined with Nuno Mendes in charge of the menu and Vermouth spritzers, means you can expect a pitch perfect lunch. Plus, being Christmas day and all, we hear bookings are a go. Chiltern Firehouse. Christmas set menu for £125. 1 Chiltern Street, Marylebone, W1U 7PA STOCKING FILLER: Electric cinema gift cards There’s nothing like the gift of R&R in a stocking. Our pick: Electric Cinema Shoreditch. Beauty and grooming upstairs; films, cocktails, food and cashmere blankets downstairs. And relax! Electric Cinema. Gift cards from £30. NYE PICK: BREAKFAST CAN WAIT Plans still pending for NYE? Buy a ticket for the Breakfast Can Wait takeover at the Ace. Taking over the entire hotel, spread your wings between Miranda (the basement bar) and the ground floor cocktail lounge, then get down on the newly added dance floor up in the penthouse. And in between all that, there’ll be a party on every floor, as well as pop ups and secret bars throughout. While you’re there, book a room (special rates are available) and start 2015 over brunch and a Bloody Mary in Hoi Polloi. Breakfast Can Wait at the Ace Hotel Shoreditch, 100 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JQ. From £25 DRINK: Old Faithfuls I At this time of year, we can’t get enough of Dean Street Townhouse. Log fires, candles and hearty meals: this spot has the festive season sorted. For a cosy wine bar, Sager + Wilde may have been in the limelight for 2014 but we’re still also faithful to The 10 Cases. Aside from its boutique but varied wine selection (it only stocks 10 cases of each wine at any time) and try-before-you-buy system (thanks to the range of enomatic tasting machines), the cosy atmosphere (10 tables), central location (Covent Garden) and tasting boards (charcuterie, cheeses, pâtés and terrines) nails it for us. Dean Street Townhouse. 69 - 71 Dean Street, W1D 3SE The 10 Cases, 16 Endell Street, WC2H 9BD The Blitz Party New Year's Eve Special SPONSORED LISTING Pile into the 1940s air raid shelter for the biggest Blitz Party yet. Whether you're a victory curled good time girl or a moustachioed RAF hero, mingle over a gin fizz and dance under searchlights.The wartime bunker will feature a tremendous dance hall, multiple party rooms and live bands over various stages. Recapture an era that made history and bring in the New Year with a bang. Great Suffolk Street Arches, SE1 0NS. £40. For further information and to buy tickets click here FOLLOW US! Facebook | Twitter | Instagram See what we've been snapping this week on Instagram! PARTY: OLD FAITHFULS II Forget lounge bars and sceney watering holes. ‘Tis the season and we’re advocating a knees-up tinsel-strewn party – and no one throws tinsel better than the theatre crowd. Head to the The Arts Theatre Club for a fun atmosphere and cocktails in teapots before heading up the road to the Phoenix Artist Club for impromptu sing-a-longs, West End renditions and all that jazz. The Arts Theatre Club, 50 Frith Street, W1D 4SQ. Access to non members can be made by pre-booking or reservation until 11pm. The Phoenix Artist Club, 1 Phoenix Street, WC2H 8BU. Access to non members can be made by producing a West End theatre ticket - and if there's room - you're in! TOP 5 NYE Eastenders comes to Ruby's It’s a boozed up dinner dance at Casa Negra Dress to impress at Great Aunt Wilhelmina’s place, The Zetter Townhouse A good old New Year’s rave at Fabric NYE takes to the street (market) at Hackney Kerb Clubhouse Want more NYE picks? Click here to our calendar. NYE INTERNATIONAL PICK: IBIZA From Tulum to Ibiza. This year, our international pick is off-peak Ibiza. Pikes is having a NYE party, Lio is going to Pacha, and DC10’s New Year’s Day parties are legendary. The sun’s still out, and we can’t think of anything better than a long rosé-fuelled lunch, bundled up on the beach between fiestas. Can Lluc is offering 25% off rooms (get one of their villas) from now until 31 March. Click here for more information and details on how to book. STOCKING FILLERS II: Go Tropical Pineapple lamps, flamingo snapbacks and heels. Why? Why not? INTERNATIONAL II: EUROSTAR TO GENEVA All aboard. The Eurostar now goes direct to Geneva. Six hours, alpine scenery and no baggage allowance (heads up to skiers and snowboarders). Later, EasyJet. Eurostar. Return fares from from £116 Swing into 2015 with Gin & Jazz SPONSORED LISTING Now for Gin & Jazz, a theatrical tribute to classic cocktails and Golden Age Jazz overlooking London’s iconic Hyde Park Corner. Kicking off the New Year's Eve celebrations will be The Shirt Tail Stompers, one of London's top vintage jazz bands. £100 per person, including a table at Gin & Jazz, welcome cocktail upon arrival, a feast of sharing platters and Champagne at midnight. Starts at 9pm, countdown from 11.45pm, carriages at 1am. Click here for a sample menu. To book, please contact thearchbar@ihg.com or call +44 (0)20 7318 8767 and quote Urban Junkies. More at www.ginandjazz.com/new-years-eve.html. ON OUR RADAR: Blacklock Blacklock, a subterranean chop house, is set to open in Soho this January. The brainchild of Gordon Ker (previously of Hawksmoor), details are still hush, but what we do know, we already love: hot, juicy chops grilled over charcoal and served straight from vintage Blacklock irons, a monthly changing drinks menu and boutique wine – on tap. Oh, and we hear there’ll be a roaming cocktail trolley. Blacklock, 25 Great Windmill Street, W1D 7LH. Opens January by CS 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. 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