What To Do This Weekend 05.04.19

SHOP A NEW POP-UP HERE: Rails at Harrods

Founded in 2008 by Los Angeles native Jeff Abrams, Rails creates an intersection in fashion by blending the casual comfort of Southern California with a sleek sophistication that transcends each season, whatever the weather. The LA brand is showcasing its ‘Spring 19’ women’s collection in a custom pop-up space at Harrods Fashion Lab until April 8th. The collection features feminine dresses, playful sets, linen jumpsuits and Rails’ signature cashmere-like shirting. The brand has built a loyal following of customers, influencers and celebrities including Gisele Bundchen, Beyoncé, Kate Moss, Kendall Jenner, Alessandra Ambrosio, Leonardo DiCaprio and Matthew McConaughey.

87-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, SW1X 7XL; until 8th April

Visit RailsClothing.com
 

TAKE YOUR DOG HERE: Savage Garden

Rooftop bar and restaurant Savage Garden is launching a special dog brunch on the first Sunday of every month. The inaugural event will take place this Sunday. British-made pet accessories brand Hiro + Wolf will provide goodie bags for furry friends and will showcase their hand-made products at the event. Each dog will also be treated to a specially made ‘pupcake’ baked with dog-friendly ingredients to nibble on while their owners enjoy a cocktail or two. Humans will have a variety of unusual brunch dishes to choose from: think panko chicken cutlet with bacon and radish salad, cranberry, capers, siracha mayo and a sunny-side fried egg; or bourbon-glazed beef short rib served with charred sourdough and poached eggs.

7 Pepys Street, City, EC3N 4AF; 7th April

Visit SavageGarden.co.uk
 

WATCH THE BOAT RACE HERE: Bistro Vadouvan

This Sunday, the team at picturesque Putney riverside restaurant Bistro Vadouvan will be celebrating this year’s Oxford vs Cambridge Boat Race with a new bottomless brunch. From 11am, the team will welcome racegoers to its riverside terrace where the kitchen will be serving dishes including BBQ sea bream with black garlic; Middle Eastern shakshuka; and sage and yoghurt-marinated tandoori poussin; alongside desserts including a spiced fig sticky toffee pudding. To toast the occasion, the team will be popping the corks and pouring unlimited prosecco. Situated on Putney Wharf, Bistro Vadouvan’s terrace will provide front-row seats to the longstanding sporting rivalry.

30 Brewhouse Lane, Putney Wharf, Putney, SW15 2JX; 7th April

Visit BistroVadouvan.co.uk
 

FIND YOUR NEW FAVOURITE TIPPLE HERE: Cocktails In The City

For the 2019 edition of Cocktails In The City, the venue has changed to The Vaults at Waterloo where guests will experience the capital's finest bars in pop-up form. A two-day celebration, the event gives cocktail lovers the chance to get shoulder-to shoulder with some of the world's leading bartenders and enjoy exclusive new drinks from 25 of the city’s finest bars, as they compete to be crowned the best. The Vaults will be transformed into a warren of secret speakeasies, exclusive Mayfair establishments, infamous party haunts and botanical bars bursting with flora and fauna. New for 2019, guests can enjoy a multitude of new experiences including an international negroni lounge, tasting rooms, whisky blending and sensory cocktail adventures.

Leake Street, Waterloo, SE1 7NN; 4th-6th April

Visit CocktailsInTheCity.com
 

WATCH THIS: Sweet Charity

Josie Rourke returns to the work of Cy Coleman with the Broadway classic Sweet Charity. With choreography from the world-renowned Wayne McGregor, Rourke reunites with Anne-Marie Duff as Charity, and Arthur Darvill makes his Donmar debut as Oscar, for her farewell production as Donmar artistic director. New York, 1967. Charity Hope Valentine is a dance hall hostess who "runs her heart like a hotel – you've got men checking in and out all the time." At the raw end of a long line of users and losers, she meets Oscar, a mild-mannered tax accountant, and Charity Hope Valentine once again puts her faith into love.

Donmar Warehouse, 41 Earlham Street, Covent Garden, WC2H 9LX; 6th April-8th June

Visit DonmarWarehouse.com
 

PRETEND YOU’RE IN SRI LANKA HERE: Dalloway Terrace

The arrival of spring means it’s time for Dalloway Terrace to sport a new outfit. The Bloomsbury restaurant has been transformed into a tropical paradise adorned with the unique flora of Sri Lanka. Taking inspiration from The Bloomsbury Set’s Leonard Woolf’s novel The Village in the Jungle, the space is resplendent in silk foliage stems, tropical ferns and palms, and bright bursts of fuchsia provided by orchids and passion flower. Guests will be able to enjoy the floral installation with a tipple from a new list of botanical cocktails inspired by the flavours of Sri Lanka: highlights include a ‘Tropical Negroni’, a delicious twist on a classic made with Mór Pineapple gin, Belsazar Dry, cinnamon tincture, pink grapefruit and kumquat shrub. Sri Lankan small plates and a themed afternoon tea will also be available to order.

16-22 Great Russell Street, Fitzrovia, WC1B 3NN

Visit DallowayTerrace.com
 

TRY A NEW EVENING CONCEPT HERE: Ekte

This Friday, Ekte at Bloomberg Arcade will be turning its daytime café into an evening speakeasy accompanied by a live DJ from 5-9pm. The DJ will begin with lounge-style music and turn it up later into the evening. There is no charge for entry, and between 5-7pm house cocktails including a ‘Nordic Spritz’ (Aperol, cider, fresh mint and orange) and ‘Ekte Cooler’ (Beefeater gin, prosecco and lavender) will be just £5. Guests celebrating the weekend with a bottle of champagne will be treated to complimentary ‘snitter’ (Nordic small bites). The café’s full menu, which includes the likes of pan-fried Cornish squid with smoked seaweed and lemon aioli and fennel salad, will also be available throughout the evening.

2-8 Bloomberg Arcade, Bank, EC4N 8AR; 5th April

Visit EkteLondon.com
 

SHOP A NEW COLLECTION HERE: The Shop at Bluebird

‘Between Us’, a fashion celebration of African design, inspiration and collaboration, has launched at The Shop at Bluebird. Open for six weeks, the store welcomes the versatile and effervescent spirits of Africa to its London flagship with the first multi-brand pop-up since opening in Covent Garden in May 2018. The collection features over 20 designers, from womenswear and accessories to interiors and lifestyle, curated by the founder and executive director of Lagos Fashion Week Omoyemi Akerele and Cape Town-based brand consultants Tammy Tinker Pudel and Katrina Macpherson.

Carriage Hall, 29 Floral Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 9DP; from 2nd April

Visit TheShopAtBluebird.com
 

GET £1 LOBSTER HERE: Avobar

Avobar, the casual superfood restaurant in Covent Garden, has created a new bright green burger. The ‘Avo Bun Lobster’ is a carb-free creation with an indulgent seafood twist which launches at the restaurant this Friday. The dish will feature lobster chunks and passionfruit and mango tabasco mayo, all encased between two avocado halves. To celebrate the launch, Avobar will be serve the dish for £1 to the first 100 people who order the gluten-free showstopper on Friday 5th April. Each burger will be served with celeriac slaw and watercress salad. The team recommend pairing it with a ‘Bellini Sunshine’ cocktail, made with prosecco, peach and mango, to highlight the fresh flavours.

23-24 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 8ND; 5th April

Visit Avobar.co.uk
 

TRY A FRESH POP-UP HERE: KityCow

Hush Mayfair is playing host to a Nepalese pop-up until the end of April. KityCow is the brainchild of Joe Allen and Aaron Thomas. The duo appeared on this year’s series of Million Pound Menu as XXVl but failed to gain investment from judges Jamie Barber and Atul Kochar. Persisting with their mission, the pair invited them to try their Indo-Nepalese cuisine for a second time and an impressed Barber offered them the chance to showcase KityCow on the first floor of Hush. The pop-up looks across the cherry blossom-filled courtyard of Lancashire Court and serves modern takes on traditional Nepalese dishes, such as pani puri; nimki crackers and coriander yoghurt; and momo dumplings topped with truffle. Make sure to order a Nepalese negroni to start and the cold rice pudding with pistachio ice-cream to finish.

8 Lancashire Court, Brook Street, Mayfair, W1S 1EY; until 30th April

Visit KityCow.co.uk
 

BE A VIP HERE: Bernadi’s

Bernardi’s is a refined but casual Italian restaurant and cocktail bar in Marylebone, sourcing beautiful Italian and British produce and pairing it with seasonal, creative and familiar cooking. The restaurant is open daily for lunch, dinner, weekend brunch and Italian Sunday roasts. This month, the restaurant is offering SheerLuxe VIPs 30% off the a la carte menu, plus a free glass of fizz. Not an SL VIP? Sign up using the link below.

62 Seymour Street, Marylebone, W1H 5BN; offer valid until 30th April 

Visit SheerLuxeVIP.com 
 

RAID MILLIE MACKINTOSH’S WARDROBE HERE: Patatam

Second-hand clothing website Patatam has launched an auction of clothes donated by lifestyle and fashion entrepreneur Millie Mackintosh. The auction will run until 21st April and features 30 pieces of clothing gifted from Millie. Shoppers will be able to bid on one-of-a-kind looks from her designer wardrobe which includes a range of items such as dresses from Rixo and designs from Millie Mackintosh Fashion. All proceeds raised from the auction will go to CoppaFeel! a breast cancer charity which aims to raise awareness of the disease among young people. A noble cause.

Visit Patatam.co.uk