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There seems to be a certain fun factor coming through London lately. PBnJ cocktails and OTT restaurants, disco vibes and chintz. Certainly makes winter less bleak. This week really feels like the official start of the festive season too, so we’ve included some picks for early holiday cheer. Have great weeks all.
xx Taryn and Team UJ xx
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 | |  | | | At Sloane | | Hotel-A-Thon | | The boom | | | It’s been the year of hotel openings for London. The big ones, like The Peninsula, 1 Mayfair, and The OWO may have received most of the hype, but there are a few other names to note: At Sloane is a partnership with Jean-Louis Costes (from Hôtel Costes, of course), The Cadogan Estate and interior designer François-Joseph Graf, and has 30 rooms, a lobby bar, and a French restaurant; Broadwick Soho, a new 57-room hotel, headed up by architect/designer Martin Brudnizki, has a sultry Italian restaurant called Dear Jackie, a bar called Bar Jackie, and a rooftop bar called Flute; and lastly, The Newman will be an 81-room hotel opening this winter on, yes, Newman Street in Fitzrovia, with a brasserie, bar, and wellness floor.
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|  | |  | | | Coupette | | | Mini Cocktails | | Perfect pours | | | Spotted at Atelier Coupette: mini cocktails. Meaning, try more, pay less – both in price and aftermath.
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|  | |  | | | Ixchel | | Around Town | | To note | | The New
Ixchel is a new South East Mexican restaurant and tequila bar with a tapas-style menu and an extensive artisanal tequila and mezcal collection. Further out, The Waterman’s Arms is a new pub on a peaceful stretch of the Thames with whole fish cooked over coals, sharing chops and steaks, and a rotating specials board, with an ex-Ducksoup (we love) chef at the helm.
2024 Openings
Old west London haunt, Julie’s, is reopening next year; we’ll be there for the martini trolley. Also on a trolley tip: Simpson’s in the Strand is reopening with The Savoy and Jeremy King behind it; we’re wondering if they’ll be bringing back their table-side carving trolley… TBC.
News and Events
Soho’s Kapara, a modern Tel Aviv restaurant tucked just off Greek Street, is launching a combined brunch and lunch menu, available seven days a week, which sounds modern. This Thursday, well-know Spanish chefs and good friends José Pizarro and Daní Garcia are joining forces to cook a combined 10-course dinner (three tapas, a main, and a dessert from each chef) at BiBo Shoreditch; book here. Socca is launching ‘Socca Seasons’, where they’ll partner with guest chefs to serve one-off seasonal menus; the first is a four-course dinner on 20 November with Café Cecilia’s Max Rocha celebrating truffles, tickets here. The NoMad are also doing a truffle and Barolo pairing on the 30 November; book here.
Festive and Charity
Firmdale are hosting a cheese dinner 21 November at their Dorset Square property, and for one more Thanksgiving pick, The Standard are hosting Thanksgiving with Friends on 23 November at Double Standard, with a set menu and a UK vs US pop quiz hosted by NY-born and London-based comedian, Janine Harouni, which sounds fun. Lastly, something for a good cause: Jackson Boxer is teaming up with Ukrainian bistro Mriya for a seven-course UK/Ukrainian dinner to raise money to buy Christmas presents for children with disabilities; tickets are £150, email to book.
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|  | | | Porolithos | | Follow the Sun | | Greece | | | Did you know it’s still in the mid-20s in Greece? It could just be the perfect time to head to Rhodes, which claims to have around 300 days a year of sunshine. Not everything is still open, but this atmospheric hotel in the old town, Porolithos, is. Prices, of course, are more reasonable around now, too.
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|  | |  | | | Scents | | Mini bottles | | | Finding the right scent is not easy. It can also be an expensive mistake, which is why, lately, we’ve been buying smaller bottles to try before we really buy. Three mini collections to note include Vyrao’s Six Pack (£45, pre-order for dispatch on 20 Nov); Acqua Di Parma’s 10-bottle Selection Set (£29), and Byredo’s 6-scent Discovery Set (£42).
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|  | |  | | | Arkestra | | Global Restaurant News | | Round up | | Istanbul’s Arkestra, a year-old restaurant and listening bar, and The Bodrum EDITION’s signature restaurant, Kitchen, were both recently awarded a Michelin star.
In other EDITION news, The Barcelona EDITION has partnered with well-known restaurants and bars including Gente Rara, Salmon Guru, and Angelita Madrid for three days of takeovers (27-29 November), and The Singapore EDITION is now in preview mode; their restaurant FYSH is by multi-award winning ‘fish whisperer’ chef, Josh Niland.
And for something a little hokey, Dolly Parton has launched her latest hotel, the HeartSong Lodge & Resort in Tennessee with Smokey Mountain s‘mores and more. May not be one for us, but her heart is always in the right place. Dollywood!
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|  | | | Fortnum and Mason | | | Advent Pick | | Fa la la la la | | | It’s that time! And if we could pick one advent calendar, it’d be this musical wooden one by Fortnum’s. Behind each door is a festive carol, and it comes unfilled, so you can place what you actually want to gift inside – and use it year after year, too.
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|  | |  | | | Northumberland Defender Hire | | Off-Roading | | Defender trips | | | Wild With Consent, a company that locates and grants access to remote camping sites across the UK, have partnered with East Anglia 350 to create three new road trip routes. Each ranges from two to five nights, and takes in different terrain including nature reserves, monastic sites, seaside towns, and rolling hills. You can also hire a Defender for 4 x 4 fun (note that they all seem to be manual transmissions), with a range roof tent that you can sleep in, too.
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|  | |  | | | The Monday Program | | Kith | | | The Monday Program is the name of Kith’s 11AM CET Monday releases of their collaborations with brands and other special products. We loved this recent denim shirt with Otakara NYC.
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| | |  | | | Goldmine Lodge | | Onefinestay | | Rockies | | | Onefinestay now have properties in US ski locations including Aspen, Vail & Beaver Creek, Steamboat, Breckenridge and Telluride in Colorado, Park City in Utah, and Jackson Hole in Wyoming. And with hotel prices the way they have been lately, these serviced villas, especially if you’re with friends, seem like a smart choice. Some are ski-in/ski-out, and most have toys like hot tubs, pianos and pool tables.
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|  | | | Festive Picks | | We’re starting early this year. These are just for fun!
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