Pop Up
ASOS is going IRL in London this month and just in time for party season. The online retailer is opening the ASOS Pop-Up, its first-ever in-person shop, in Fitzrovia and it’s gonna be filled with an A/W edit featuring some of the biggest brands on the platform, including ASOS Design, ASOS Edition, Topshop, Nike, New Balance and more. The free events, including a Luxegen styling session, skincare 101 with The Ordinary and New Balance running club, are all fully booked but there’ll be space for walk-ins for Charlotte Tilbury and Drybar beauty treatments. Plus there’ll be DJs spinning at the store and a whole load of freebies on offer, so if you’re an ASOS obsessive, you won’t wanna miss it.
DALLOWAY TERRACE
Dalloway Terrace has been transformed into a glamorous wonderland this winter, inspired by the home of Perrier-Jouët Champagne, with deep red foliage, berries, fairy lights and sheepskin blankets. Toast to the festive season with a champagne cocktail and dishes like Black Angus beef tartare with Melba toast, grilled tiger prawns with smoked garlic butter & samphire, and wild mushroom & Sharpham spelt risotto with truffle & parmesan crisps.
MALTBY STREET MARKET FESTIVE FRIDAYS
It’s Friday, you’ve just left work in SE1 and you realise you’ve completely forgotten to get into the Christmas spirit. There’s only one thing to do – head to Maltby Street’s seasonal night market. The cobblestone streets are decked (think trees, wreaths and LOTS of fairy lights), the street food stalls have rolled out the festive specials, gifts abound and there’s live music, so it’s sure to have you feeling merry. Warm yourself by a barrel of mulled wine and treat yourself to dinner at one of the restaurants in the arches that are staying open late just for the occasion.
Market Halls Victoria’s roof terrace is back open for summer, with more seating (enough for 220 people) and a retractable roof, so you can still get up there whatever the weather. The bars on the roof are serving up summer spritzes and frozen cocktails, and you can feast on food from the market’s resident traders like Jude’s Thai, DF Tacos, Gopal’s Corner, Black Bear Burger and Eggslut.
RUBEN'S REUBENS AT BRIXTON VILLAGE
After a summer residency at Robin Gill’s Brentford-based bakery and grill Rye By The Water, Ruben Danway of Ruben’s Reubens is teaming up with Gill for a winter pop-up in Brixton Village. Ruben has been making his reubens since the start of Covid when he would smoke meats in his parents’ garden in Brixton during lockdown. The sandwich business was inspired by his Polish-Jewish background and has already picked up a large and loyal following through a series of pop-ups. This latest residency, which will run Weds – Sun throughout the winter, will feature his reuben and salt beef sarnies alongside the likes of latke buns, hot honey burnt ends, smoked white wings, kung pao-strami cauliflower, and house lamb sausage. Word on the street is that guest chefs will be passing through the pop-up too….
SNOWBIRD
Seabird, the rooftop restaurant at the top of The Hoxton, Southwark, is becoming Snowbird this winter, complete with Mediterranean sharing plates, Grey Goose cocktails and those epic city views. The interior will be decked out with dried alpine flowers, an illuminated arch and the largest collection of iconic Slim Aarons winter photography prints currently on display in London. The menu will feature dishes like baked oysters with chorizo & lemon; smoked oxtail croquettes with aioli; dressed Brixham crab with sea urchin; hot seafood platter of oysters, mussels, scallops & tiger prawns; Basque stew with hake, mussels, saffron potatoes & roasted fennel; and baked lobster & crab pumpkin pie with caviar. Pair that with a sharing fountain of blood orange & fig spritz, fizzy dirty martinis, and a round of Arctic Espressos – mini espresso martinis served in ice shot glasses.
Peckham’s become a bit of a rooftop terrace hub lately, but anyone after some al fresco dinner and drinks might be hard-pressed to find it at the usual suspects, which are typically rammed. So, if you don’t mind being closer to the ground, the terrace at Peckham Arches has you covered – literally. The canopied space is heated, so you can enjoy fresh tank beer from Bird House Brewery and tacos from Angele whatever the weather.
Ahead of the Netflix doc on Robbie Williams, the streaming giant is opening a pop-up shop dedicated to the singer in Covent Garden. The series is being released to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Robbie’s solo career and is promising a behind-the-scenes look at his rise to fame, and you’ll get a first glimpse at the pop-up. As well as being able to watch the first episode of the series before it airs, you’ll also be able to see even more never-before-seen archival footage from Robbie’s life, score some limited-edition merch and snap a selfie or two at the photo ops.
Founded by Nicole Compen, raye the store is a concept grocery store that showcases products across food, drink and wellness that all have a clear purpose and strong design. The latest edition of the pop-up shop in Covent Garden features health-conscious products from a whole host of innovative brands, 80% of which are vegan and 90% of which are from the UK, including JUX Food, Lovegrass Ethiopia, Left & Ripe, Mirror Margarita, Fermenti, BRISCO, Sixways, Indi and more. The store will also be hosting a range of events, including vinyasa yoga, candle making, gut health workshops and tasting sessions.
MADAME PIGG AT ISLINGTON ARTS CLUB
We were sad to see Madame Pigg, one of our fave roast spots, close in Dalston and we’ve had to make do with the odd supper club here and there since then. Until now that is because Madame Pigg is coming back for seven whole weeks, taking over the Islington Arts Club on the weekends. The menu for Saturdays will change but you can expect dishes like porchetta buns, deep fried prawn baps and proper chips, and on Sundays, the famous Madame Pigg roasts will be front and centre, with the likes of roast beef with horseradish and Yorkshire pud, porchetta with red apple sauce and whole chicken with bread sauce on offer.
CHOOSE LOVE STORE
Choose Love, the charity pop-up shop that raises much-needed funds to help refugees and displaced people around the world, is back for 2023 and just in time from Christmas so you can buy gifts with purpose. The Choose Love Shop will be stocked with essential supplies and life-saving interventions for refugees and displaced people around the world – everything from a warm coat to emergency housing. Shoppers will be able to buy these winter essentials which will then be sent out to those in need in either your name or the name of someone you love. Last year, the pop-up was able to raise £1.2 million in funds to support Choose Love’s humanitarian work. As always, the Choose Love Shop will also run a series of in-store events and workshops up until Christmas. Visitors will get the chance to catch film screenings, live music performances and craft sessions from the likes of Pioneer, Resident Advisor and Asylum Speakers.
ANYA HINDMARCH AT HOLBORN DINING ROOM'S PIE ROOM
As part of the Rosewood’s tenth birthday celebrations, Holborn Dining Room’s Pie Room windows and pie boxes will be covered in Anya Hindmarch signature eyes motif, and as well as picking up a tasty takeaway treat from Head Pie Maker Nokx Majozi, you’ll also be able to buy a limited-edition Anya Hindmarch ‘Pie with Eyes’ keyring. From midday on 9th October, you could bag one of 50 free pies, and throughout the week, the team will be hiding golden tickets inside some of the pies, with prizes like an overnight stay at the Rosewood and a private dining experience at the Pie Room. During the weekend of the takeover, Anya Hindmarch will also be popping up in the hotel’s lobby with pieces from her Labelled collection and a personalisation station so you can add a bespoke touch to the leather goods.
NEXT DAY SOLAR | LONDON'S FIRST SOLAR-POWERED POP-UP SHOP
Renewable energy company Next Day Solar has opened London’s first solar-powered pop-up shop in Covent Garden. The store has two solar panels installed outside to provide on-site electricity generation and the interior has made use of recycled materials wherever possible to keep it sustainable. Inside you can shop from a range of solar products, including solar-powered toys, garden lights, charging power boxes and portable solar panels, and there’s also a space where you can find out more info on renewable energy and the benefits of using solar power.
It’s been 100 years since Batman first appeared in DC Comics and to celebrate, Warner Bros. is bringing an immersive experience to London. Titled ‘Batman Unmasked’, the pop-up will feature a huge selection of costumes, props and vehicles spanning the entirety of the Caped Crusader’s cinematic history (from Michael Keaton’s Batman in 1989 to Christian Bale’s Dark Knight to Robert Pattinson’s 2022 take on the superhero). There’ll also be a ‘Joker Zone’, dedicated to the legendary villain, which will include two of Heath Ledger’s costumes from The Dark Knight (2008) and Joaquin Phoenix’s costume from Joker (2019), and over 100 comics will also be on display in a special comic book area. If you’re a Bat-fan, you won’t wanna miss this.
Rowley Leigh is getting back into the London restaurant game with Chez Rowley, which’ll be in residence at Notting Hill’s Laylow this autumn. As head chef at Kensington Place and then running Cafe Anglais (which closed in 2014), Leigh built a rep as one of the leading lights in modern British cookery, and his cooking has been much missed over the last decade. Chez Rowley will have an Italian-leaning bistro menu that showcases classic dishes and techniques, with dishes like raw bavette with cep toast & gribiche dressing; cuttlefish & clams on toast; seared mackerel with bread sauce & pickled gooseberries; and a signature dish of whole roast chicken with anchovies, black olives, onion, garlic, thyme & white wine, served with hispi cabbage & pangrattato, with the offering evolving as the seasons change.
ANGLOTHAI AT OUTCROP
A small internal courtyard garden at 180 The Strand has now been transformed into Outcrop, a new pop-up venture from Luca founders Johnny Smith and Daniel Willis, along with Tom Allott, Andrea Moccia and Sabrina Goreeba from Secret Cinema. The outdoor restaurant, bar, and arts space is also the new temporary home for one of our favourite chefs, John Chantarasak, who’s behind the stoves until the end of September, cooking up his signature brand of Thai dishes made with seasonal British ingredients. There’s an open (air) kitchen and a tented dining area filled with plants and vintage speakers (music is a big part of the experience too, with regular guest DJs throughout the summer) and some absolutely killer Thai food on show. Don’t miss the Wildfarmed flatbread with shrimp paste butter and Brixham crab; the corn with London honey butter, lime and a dusting of spicy laab seasoning; the monkfish crudo with a fish sauce caramel we’d happily have drank a gallon of;a spicy, sour soup with langoustines and mussels; the superb skate wing jungle curry enriched with pork fat; and spelt cooked in beef fat and topped with cured ox heart. The wine list has been been curated by AngloThai co-owner Desiree Chantarasak and features some superb low intervention wines, many of which are available by the glass or carafe, as well as AngloThai’s own wine, Eleonore, a Chardonnay made in partnership with Austria’s Malinga winery.
Afro-fusion street food biz Cally Munchy, run by Ebenezer Sogunro, which has been popping up at markets and at festivals across London as well as running a catering operation is taking up residence at The Africa Centre in Southwark. The regular Cally Munchy offering includes dishes like suya steak, spiced chicken, kelewele (Ghanaian seasoned plantain), and jollof ‘n’ peas and the brand’s signature Shi-Tuan chilli sauce, and these will be appearing on the Cally Munchy Lounge menu.
MY NEIGHBOURS THE DUMPLINGS AT SEED LIBRARY
Shoreditch cocktail spot Seed Library (run by Mr Lyan and one of the best bars in London), has teamed up with My Neighbours The Dumplings for a new bar snack menu, following a collab with Ruben’s Reubens earlier this year. The East London dumpling house is serving up some of its signature dim sum, including crispy prawn wontons with sweet chilli sauce, pork & makrut lime leaf potstickers, prawn har gau, crispy turnip cake with soy cured egg yolk and silken tofu with vegan XO. Seed Library’s drinks menu, currently featuring a salsa margarita and black vinegar gimlet cocktails plus low-intervention wine, craft beer and artisanal sake, will be available alongside those snacks.