We’ve seen the sun! The sun is here! We don’t know how long it will last, but the good news is – Spring is finally in the air. So ditch the blankets, grab some friends and head into town for some FUN.
PICK OF THE MONTH
Durban Curry Pop-Up. The Rubens at the Palace
Imagine succulent grilled prawns, delicious melt-in-your-mouth lamb rich with spice. Fluffy white rice to mix in and flour-puffed rotis piled up and ready to soak in every last drop of curry goodness.
Sounds good, right? You can experience these dishes and more at The Rubens at the Palace between Monday 17 and Friday 21 March, when South Africa’s top Chef, Kevin Joseph, will be hosting a one-time only pop-up for curry lovers. Straight from the African-Indian kitchens of Durban, Joseph has been attracting hungry visitors from all over the world to his five-star restaurant at Oyster Box – and he knows exactly what they love. The desserts are pretty tasty too.
The three course menu is priced at £29.50 per person. To book please contact The Rubens at the Palace on 020 7834 6600.
rubenshotel.com
A family day out at the Brooklyn Bowl
Kanye West loves it. Paul Simon loves it. Even Moby loves it! Since opening in 2009, New York’s fabulous Brooklyn Bowl has been drawing in all the big names to its 16-lane extravaganza and has even nabbed the title of Best Bowling Alley in NYC. Result!
But guess what? You don’t have to go all the way to New York for the experience, because there’s now a BB branch at the O2. So a quick trip on the Jubilee Line to North Greenwich and you’ll soon be enjoying a Mac ‘n’ Cheese and glass of wine while going in for a strike.
To ensure the kids get a look-in too, Brooklyn Bowl has dedicated Saturday and Sunday afternoons to ‘Family Time’ - and have placed everything from Pork Ribs and Cajun Catfish to French Bread Pizzas and Fried Chicken on the menu so you and the kids won’t go hungry.
Family bowl sessions cost £18 per lane per half hour and Sundays are £14 per lane per half hour. Lanes cater up to 10 people.
london.brooklynbowl.com
Become a Master of Chocolate!
Ever thought you could do a better job than Mr Willy Wonka? Perhaps you dreamt you might, one day, find yourself a Golden Ticket? Well, now’s your chance, people because the Hotel Corinthia, London is hosting a rather splendid Chocolate Masterclass headed by Head Pastry Chef Kimberly Lin-McCartney – who will be explaining the power of the cocoa bean, as well as teaching you how to create the perfect truffle, bon-bon and – wait for it – Easter Egg!
End the day with afternoon tea in the Lobby Lounge, enjoying some of your homemade treats. YUM.
The three-hour class, priced at £175, doesn’t take place until 11am on Saturday 5 April, but you’ll need to reserve your place.
Visit corinthia.com/ for more details.
Ping Pong goes East
It’s finally happened! Our favourite dim sum diner, Ping Pong, has opened a brand new venue in Westfield Stratford – which means it’s even easier to enjoy a crab and prawn dumpling and flowering jasmine and lily teas while purchasing some cute shoes out East. Nice.
As well as drawing in some seriously famous types (Ping Pong recently welcomed music master Pharrell Williams to its Soho branch, while One Direction’s Harry Styles has been known to pop in to the Westfield West London store), this much-loved chain also serves up a mean Char Sui bun, and the prawn toast is on ANOTHER LEVEL. Don’t even get us started on the cocktail menu (ahem, it’s all about the Wasabi and Amaretto Sour).
Keeping up with the latest trend, Ping Pong at the London Designer Outlet will also be stepping into the limelight this season by exclusively serving up the Jun Yuzu Martini – which mixes the hottest fruit of the year (yes, this is a thing) Yuzu, with green tea powder, honey and Bombay Sapphire amongst other ingredients.
pingpongdimsum.co.uk
Pizza, sweet pizza…
Ever thought of topping your pizza dough with a strawberry coulis base? Or perhaps some Amaretti-soaked biscotti? Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? Ridiculously… GENIUS!
Why hasn’t anyone thought of this before, we ask.
Well now the Mayfair Pizza Co. have launched their first ever Sweet Pizza Menu, where toppings will be based on some seriously mouth-watering traditional Italian desserts.
Examples of what's on offer include the Chocolate Calzone – a liquid chocolate, crushed hazelnut and melted marshmallow filling – and the Tiramisu Pizza, which combines chunks of banana with the afore mentioned Amaretti-soaked biscotti on a chocolate base.
Not the afters you may have envisaged, but boy does it taste good. Head over to Lancashire Court pronto.
mayfairpizzaco.com
