It’s the last weekend before indoor hospitality and arts & culture venues can re-open so it’s the last time you have to socialise outside (obvs al fresco fun will continue throughout the summer but it’s nice to have options isn’t it?) Explore an AR art trail, drink on the bougiest terrace in town, get your chops around a mega fried chicken collab and check out what else is happening this weekend.
1. Augmented Gallery Art Trail
While the galleries are still closed, you can still get your art fix by checking out classic and contemporary paintings on the streets of the West End. The Augmented Gallery is a new interactive art trail that uses QR codes and AR tech to display these masterpieces in 3D. There are twenty frames containing the QR codes across the West End, from the National Gallery to Fortnum & Mason, with pieces from Van Gogh, Titian, Artemisia Gentileschi, Tracey Emin and portraits of Sir Ian McKellen, Malala Yousafazi and Nile Rodgers on show.
Sat 15th & Sun 16th May 2021
West End, London
artoflondon.co.uk
2. Chick ‘n’ Sours x Hot 4 U Strawberry Chicken Parm
Clucking hell this is one heck of a collaboration. Yep feast your eyes on the Hot 4 U Strawberry Chicken Parm, a signature fried Chick ‘n’ Sours chicken thigh loaded with Hot 4 U’s strawberry sofrito, slices of mortadella, hot sauce from Kold Sauce, aioli and pickles. It’s absolutely banging.
Sat 15th & Sun 16th May 2021
1A Earlham Street, London, WC2H 9LL
390 Kingsland Road, London, E8 4AA
chicknsours.co.uk
3. Gordos at Dalston Roof Park
You can get high in Dalston this summer as Dalston Roof Park is open for the season. The bars are pouring natty wines and 40FT beers, and local pizzeria Gordos is taking care of the food with Neapolitan style pies – after climbing all those stairs to get to the top, you defo deserve a slice or three. And remember it’s walk-ins only
Sat 15th & Sun 16th May 2021
18-22 Ashwin St, London E8 3DL
@gordosdalston
4. Travel Photographer of the Year Exhibition
Whizz around the world without leaving King’s Cross at the Travel Photographer of the Year exhibition. The free display in Coal Drops Yard features the winning images from the 2020 entrants, ranging from intimate animal portraits to reportage of life under siege in Syria, and you can check it out anytime of day or night.
Sat 15th & Sun 16th May 2021
Stable St, London N1C 4DQ
tpoty.com
5. Rent Clothes from Selfridges
Selfridges Rental gives you the chance to shop a curated selection of new season designer picks across womenswear, menswear and accessories. The pieces are available to rent for 4, 8, 10 and 20 day periods, and better still, prices start from just 20 quid. The Rental edit features a wide selection of brands, from well-known names (think Ganni, Victoria Beckham and Simone Rocha) to contemporary fashion icons.
Sat 15th & Sun 16th May 2021
selfridgesrental.com
6. The Solas Terrace at The Savoy
or the first time in its history, the iconic hotel has opened a pop-up in its courtyard entrance and they haven’t done things by halves. The beautiful Solas Terrace, in collab with Bowmore Whisky, was designed by Meredith O’Shaughnessy. It features a huge five-metre chandelier installation dripping with crystals, decanters and stoppers, and a slate & granite Bowmore bar, and the drinks list features whisky cocktails served in the finest crystal glassware as well as rare Bowmore whiskies and a long list of bubbles. There’s also a seafood bar serving up oysters, Bowmore oyster luges, lobster rolls, blue shrimp ceviche, gravadlax and seafood chowder.
Sat 15th & Sun 16th May 2021
Strand, London, WC2R 0EZ
thesavoylondon.com
7. A Better Feeling Pop-Up at Selfridges
A Better Feeling, the brand founded by Xander Ghost that’s best known for its eyewear, has made its retail debut with a pop-up in Selfridges. The installation, designed in collaboration with artist Richard Hughes, is based on the idea of a contemporary relic and a place where elements are in flux. It features large sculpted rocks made from recycled polystyrene and natural resins, with A Better Feeling products – both eyewear and the brand’s new wax candles – embedded into them.
Sat 15th & Sun 16th May 2021
400 Oxford St, London W1A 1AB
abetterfeeling.com
8. John Javier at Fin and Flounder
John Javier (@sexpesto on the ‘gram) is cooking up a seafood storm at Hackney’s Fin and Flounder, including prawn burgers and the hipster/genius creation of salmon & seabass tartar served in a bag of Torres truffle crisps. It’s his last weekend cooking there so hurry on down.
Sat 15th & Sun 16th May 2021
77 Broadway Market, London, E8 4PH
@finandflounder
9. Drink at The Jellied Eel
First they popped up inside Walthamstow pie & mash shop L Manze, then they went permanent, and then the pandemic happened and they had to close. But now The Jellied Eel is back, popping up this time at Wood Street Studios – they’ll be doing the pints and the cocktails with street food coming courtesy of The Lacy Nook. This is your last weekend to get down there so make it count.
Sat 15th & Sun 16th May 2021
1 Barrett Road, London, E17 3FU
thejelliedeel.com
10. Eat at Cafe Biltmore
Cafe Biltmore, one of Jason Atherton’s restaurants inside luxury Mayfair hotel The Biltmore has expanded its foliage-adorned terrace, which is also fully covered and well stocked with hot water bottles should you get chilly. The menu includes spring dishes like Dorset crab on toast, salad of English peas & broad beans with pecorino, grilled Dover sole with citrus hollandaise, and summer pudding with clotted cream, alongside classics like wood-fired pizzas, ribeye with dripping chips & bearnaise and buttermilk fried chicken sandwich. It may be the hotel’s more casual and relaxed spot but this is still Mayfair so you can expect refined cooking, elegant presentation and slick service.
Sat 15th & Sun 16th May 2021
44 Grosvenor Square, London W1K 2HP
cafebiltmore.com
