The best summer days lead to long summer nights. London looks and feels its brilliant best when the daytime sun stretches into a warm evening, allowing for rooftop lingering and late nights out. Or, to put it plainly, it’s a chance to go Out out.
This weekend is full of those chances. New restaurant openings and old favourites, naturally, are below alongside a big night celebrating pirate radio and UK garage, and possibly the weirdest late-night comedy show in town. There’s also a Soho drinking den, a great new play in Hammersmith and the launch of a new art exhibition (with cocktails, of course).
Summer nights don’t get much better.
The hot table: Carmel
The original Carmel in Queen’s Park is all blush pink tiles and big mirrors, soft furnishings and lazy long lunches. The newer Fitzrovia outpost takes over the old La Rampa site, just behind Oxford Street and is an altogether slicker affair. Polished and buffed, the menu gets a bit of a lift in the second site too, while dishes remain accessible. Most things are priced between £10 and £16 and sharing a small handful should be more than enough, with the large artichoke flatbread with dried peppers and tomatoes and the Levantine beef and eggs feeling like good places to start.
Market Place, W1W 8AG, carmelrestaurant.co.uk
The old favourite: Pastaio
Revisiting an old favourite is always a joy, particularly when it’s a favourite serving rich bowls of homemade pasta to make you swoon. It’s hearty, heartfelt food, this; nduja and mozzarella fried sandwiches must kick things off, before a bowl (or three) of pasta, which changes regularly enough to keep everyone coming back for more. The bright room can seat those looking for a quick meal in 20 minutes, but is comfortable enough for those more inclined to linger for longer. Stevie Parle knows how to make a restaurant, and we eagerly await his new spot, rumoured to be coming to the West End later this Summer.
19 Ganton Street, W1F 9BN, pastaio.co.uk
The drinking den: Bar Crispin
The Ham group is in a rich vein of form. Bistro Freddie and Crispin at Studio Voltaire are the two latest ventures to find success in town, but Bar Crispin (from the same team) remains a central London drinking den of particular note. Yes, there is food, but come for the wine list. The by-the-glass offering is strong but for the best value, gather four or so friends and opt for a few bottles of low-intervention wine. Not only will this strategy work out better value per person, but you’ll discover, and drink, much more.
19 Kingly Street, W1B 5PY, barcrispin.com
The gig: A History of UK Pirate Radio at Jazz Cafe
Throughout June, Camden’s Jazz Cafe is hosting a series of club nights spotlighting pirate radio and its impact on the UK’s music scene. Spanning multiple genres across various nights, from grime to dubstep and funk, this weekend’s offering is UKG (UK garage). Expect DJ Spoony and Wookie at this throwback club night which celebrates both the best of garage and its contribution to the wider UK scene, as well as the platform pirate radio gave to these once-emerging genres.
June 14, 5 Parkway, NW1 7PG, thejazzcafelondon.com
The chef residency: Chap Bistro
Angus Kitchin has set up shop in the Haggerston, E8’s vibe-forward live music pub. The residency is dubbed Chap’s Bistro, and the chap in charge has some serious chops: Kitchin is perhaps best known for his time spent heading the kitchen at FKABAM. The menu is French, but with top British produce jolting through. Carpaccio-like-melon arrives with almond and flecks of ricotta and subsequent the pig's head croquette is a crunchy, slippery, suckling delight. Take a hungry friend, order everything on the menu, and thank us later.
438 Kingsland Road, E8 4AA, @chapbistro.e8
The festival: Bloomsday at Darby’s
Irish stars Imelda May and Emma Dabiri will be joined by many more in leafy Embassy Gardens in Nine Elms this weekend, as chef Robin Gill hosts another Bloomsday spectacle at his hit restaurant Darby’s. Each year, the Irish writer James Joyce is celebrated on June 16, the day the writer’s 1922 novel Ulysses takes place. The day before, on Saturday June 15, an extravaganza of music, literature, food and drink will be free to attend, with spoken word performances, ceilidh dancing, and Guinness and whiskey aplenty.June 15, Darby’s, 3 Viaduct Gardens, SW11 7AY, darbys-london.com
The art fix: the Courtauld Lates, a summer of Art
This weekend, the Courtauld gallery relaunches its “lates” program with a first look at the stellar new show: Roger Mayne, Youth. Also hanging is the Henry Moore exhibition, and the stunning permanent collection (genuinely one of London’s finest). Guests at the late night show can delve into the evocative photographs of Mayne’s mid-century catalogue, wonderfully curated to tell the story of young people in the decades following post-war Britain. Cocktails and art talks alongside live music and masterpieces — what more could you want?
June 14, Somerset House, WC2R 0RN, courtauld.ac.uk
The culture fix: Wedding Band
This Sixties American play gets a strong showing at the Lyric in Hammersmith, in what is its first UK showing on this scale. Telling the love story of a mixed race couple in 1918, in South Carolina, the distant conflict in Europe is the backdrop for a battle for rights and race at home. Dubbed “remarkable” by the Standard’s theatre critic Nick Curtis, this must-see show is on only for a limited run.
Until June 29, Lyric Square, King Street, W6 0QL, lyric.co.uk
The comedy fix: Frankie Thompson at the Soho Theatre
Frankie Thompson is taking over. CAttS is a one woman show of Cats the musical, except, it sort of isn’t. The show is self-described as a “lip-sync ballet through distractions and obsessions,” which in today’s world of distraction and obsession sounds as timely as can be. Then there’s Frankie Thompson Collects Horrible Things, her other new show. This double billing is on for June 15, but both shows can also be booked separately. It all sounds odd and brilliant, probably why Thompson warns “if you laugh, it’s comedy, if you don’t, it’s live art”.
June 14 and 15, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE, sohotheatre.com
The ticket to book now (for later): One-Day introductory Bordeaux school
This one’s a blowout. For anyone looking to up their wine game (and we mean seriously up it) or treat their dad to perhaps the finest Father’s Day gift ever, this one's for you. Berry Bros is renowned for its events and tastings, and this special one-day crash course is set to make an oenophile out of anyone. More than a dozen of Bordeaux’s finest wines will be supped at a tasting masterclass and lunch that’ll span the region's best-known vineyards and vignerons. These highly sought-after wines can vault upwards of £300 a bottle so the tickets ain’t cheap — but for a blowout, nothing beats Bordeaux.
June 29, tickets £395, 63 Pall Mall, St. James's, SW1Y 5HZ, bbr.com
The other ticket to book now (for later): Bubala Pride Party
Bubula is turning five this June and to mark the occasion, the Middle Eastern vegetarian restaurant is hosting a range of chefs at its Soho site to collaborate on special menus. It’s already seen the likes of Lewis de Haas from Crispin and Abby Lee from Mambow and to round off the month, Diarmuid Goodwin of Sager & Wilde will co-host a charity Pride Party, with all money raised going to an LBGTQ+ charity. There’s a huge raffle on that night with prizes ranging from fully comped dinners to bumper hampers; each ticket-to-dine is equal to one raffle entry and profits will be going to The Outside Project.
