Best ways to celebrate International Women's Day – including free mirror installation

Celebrate the women in your life! (Picture: Laurence Howe)

Welcome back to The Slice – our exclusive guide to what’s on in London,where we bring you trusted reviews,sneak previews,and amazing deals and discounts.

Things are warming up at The Slice (and with the weather forecast). And as today marks Holi,the Hindu festival of colours,we’re celebrating the way food brings people together. We try Cinnamon Bazaar’s generous Holi menu and let you know about the to-die-for Duck Nilgiri Korma.

We’re also celebrating the special women in our lives for International Women’s Day – from the cousins,to the work besties and aunties.

You can head down to KERB for their IWD special,and indulge in a beautiful selection of different cuisines,be inspired at Cavita’s IWD lunch or write a special message at Borough Yards’ free interactive mirror wall installation.

See you next week!

Welcome to the Slice

The Slice is your weekly guide to what’s happening in London,so if you’re looking for restaurant reviews, drinks deals or just a great new exhibition to visit on a rainy Saturday in the capital,we’ve got you covered.Click here for this week’s edit of the best things to do in town.The Slice newsletter also a brand new look! We'll still be in your inbox every week,bringing you all the very best things to eat,drink and do in the capital. So if you want get the next edition before anyone else,sign up here!If you want to do it all on the cheap,you can also find our latest batch of exclusive hand-picked offers in partnership with Time Out here.

Things to do this week in London

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend,here are 8 of the best activities,dining,and drinking spots in the capital.

1. Celebrate Holi at Cinnamon Bazaar with a special,vibrant menu

View this post on InstagramA post shared by Cinnamon Bazaar (@cinnamonbazaar_official)By Patrycja ZarasA dining experience has never felt closer to a carefully choreographed dance than Cinnamon Bazaar’sHoli menu. Chef Vivek Singh has put together a beautifully balanced menu inspired by bustling Indian bazaars and home cooking.

We begin boldly with a refined take on street food classics Samosa Chaat and Hakka aubergine stir-fry. The aubergine is meltingly soft with a delicious crunch of peanuts,while layers of spice add depth without tipping the balance.Once the initial spice settles,Morasabadi Dal Chaat with tamarind sorbet offers a gentle reset. The sweet and sour lentils are creamy and comforting,while the cool sharpness of the sorbet cuts through. But it is the Duck Nilgiri Korma with turmeric and lemon rice that ultimately steals the show – exceptionally tender and coated in a coconut and poppy seed sauce,silky and comforting. It’s the one that’s really stayed with me.

To finish,choose between rose and almond kulfi or a Rasamalai tres leches cake,two very different but equally satisfying endings. The kulfi is delicately fragrant,lifted by dried fruit jellies for sweetness,while the tres leches is fuller and more indulgent. With generous food that feels like a return to something familiar,it’s hard to imagine a better way to celebrate this vibrant and colourful festival.Four courses for £35pp,including a cocktail (minimum of two people). Richmond and Covent Garden. Book here.

2. Munch on modern Cantonese food at new opening Cafe Kowloon

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‘You might not be inclined to order the beef tendons,but you should’ (Picture: Supplied)

By Jessica Aureli

If you learn one thing from this review,let it be this: overordering at Cafe Kowloon is fine; not saving room for dessert is not. Because if,like us,you leave without having had the Ovaltine mousse with milk ice cream,you will feel the regret keenly.

That agony aside,there’s a lot to enjoy at this modern Cantonese kitchen set in a cavernous-yet-cosy room under a railway arch at London Fields. Prawn toast features bread from neighbouring E5 Bakehouse,and this old favourite is taken up a notch with crispy prawn heads and lightly pickled fennel (don’t sleep on either). You might not be inclined to order the beef tendons,but you should: their noodle-like quality is uniquely compelling. And the steamed duck egg with yauh ja gwai – basically a deep-fried dough stick – was the ultimate in comfort food with its silky texture,subtle flavour,and absolutely banging black vinaigrette.

Snacks from £3,shared plates from £8. 392-393 Mentmore Terrace,London Fields,E8 3PH. Book here.

3. Celebrate International Women’s Day in the capital

There’s loads to do (Picture: Supplied)

KERB Francis Road’s IWD Market

Best for: trying a fushion of flavours

KERB is shining a light on talented female traders for another year,this time at KERB Francis Road in Leyton. Munch on uber crispy karaage by mother-and-daughter duo Banzai Kitchen,and try a Middle Eastern-inspired menu by Syrian entrepreneur and refugee Hind Danoun. KERB are clearly on a mission to showcase flavours that will never bore you. We’re sold! When you’ve got no more room left,take a stroll down Francis Road itself and have a look at inspiring women-owned permanent businesses,like bookshop-café Phlox Books. 

KERB,Francis Road,Leyton.

Cavita‘s IWD lunch

Best for: Supporting an amazing cause

Five trailblazing international female chefs – Adriana Cavita,Maria Bradford,Ayesha Kalaji,Keshia Sakarah,and Sabrina Gidda – are coming together for a one-off lunch. Look forward to dishes like Caribbean snapper ceviche,Indian Spiced chickpea & potato chaat and more. There will be a live Q&A too,where the chefs will share their journeys,cultural influences,and insights into building careers in the UK. Profits will support Refuge,helping women and children affected by domestic abuse. 

Tickets,£80 (including five courses and a welcome drink). 8 March,12:30pm – 4:00pm. Cavita,56-60 Wigmore Street. Book here.

Borough Yards’ free interactive mirror wall installation

Best for: Showing love

Who said you had to spend money to celebrate being a woman? From 5-8 March,Londoners are invited to write a message to a woman who shaped their life. It could be a mum,cousin,best friend or even a chosen family member. The mirrored installation will become a beautiful mural of tributes in London Bridge. There’s a special treat for the first 50 people who take part,who will be able to pick up complimentary goodies from After School Cookie Club and Santa Nata.

5-8 March. Borough Yards,Stoney Street. Just turn up.

Experience more for International Women's Day

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A post shared by AllBright (@allbright)

From discussions discussions on everything from women’s wealth and financial empowerment to confidence,you’re bound to learn something AllBright’s sixth Step Forward Summit. Look forward to talks by Jill Scott MBE and more. 6 March. Book here. 

Female relationships,womanhood,and togetherness are just some of the themes on show at Affordable Art Fair’s IWD exhibition. See works by 22 contemporary women artists. 4-8 March. Book here.

4. Indulge in rich Italian food at The Italian Greyhound’s brunch

The atmosphere of the restaurant strikes a balance between chic Marylebone polish (Picture: Supplied)

Brunch at The Italian Greyhound feels like a love letter to Italian indulgence,inspired by the ritual of ‘scarpetta’ – mopping up the last spoonfuls of sauce with bread. The cicchetti are rich and flavour packed,perfect for sharing and grazing over long conversation. Generous plates arrive designed for the table,perfect for a leisurely weekend. 

We try the Courgette pesto cavatelli with smoked Burrata,with a creamy,soft taste balanced with the tangy,smoky pesto,encasing al dente cavatelli shells. Then the Tagliatelle,lamb ragu pangrattato,boasting rich,meaty flavours married with masterfully prepared pasta. These are accompanied by ‘Frolic’,a beautiful sparkling wine exclusive to the restaurant and a perfectly refreshing springtime sip. The atmosphere of the restaurant strikes a balance between chic Marylebone polish and warm Italian hospitality – an experience you’ll want to soak up every last drop of.

The Scarpetta brunch launches 7 March and is available every every Saturday with guests receiving complimentary focaccia and extra sauce when ordering selected dishes.

Pasta from £14. 62 Seymour Street,Marylebone,W1H 5BN. Book here.

5. Combine food and literature at Chuku’s book swap and brunch event

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A post shared by Chuku's Nigerian Tapas 🇳🇬 (@chukusldn)

Chuku’s book swap and brunch event is back for World Book Day. The literary brunch experience follows its sold out previous event,where you can expect three sharing plates and three drinks for £40 per person (40% off usual price) and an Afrobeats DJ. 8 March. Book here. 

6. Look forward to new opening Bánh Bánh Brixton from the same team behind Lai Rai in Peckham

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A post shared by bánh bánh (@banhbanh.london)

Say hello to Bánh Bánh Brixton,a new Vietnamese spot opening this month. It’s by Joseph Losper and Tomio Shota,the team behind Lai Rai in Peckham. Look forward to a menu centered around cơm nhà (‘home rice’) and nostalgic staples found in home kitchens across Vietnam. 

7. Indulge in rich South Asian flavours at the Albers x Firangi collab

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A post shared by Albers (@albers.london)

Albers and Firangi are coming together for the ultimate two week residency. From 3-14th March,get dishes like Ghee-Podi Flatbread with Pickled Wild Garlic,and Masala Scotch Egg with Black Olive Caramel and Thecha. Any fans of South Asian flavours won’t want to miss this. Book here.

8. See The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry at Theatre Royal,Haymarket

By John Nathan

★★★★

Strangers turn into companions (Picture: Tristram Kenton)

Based on the bestselling novel by Rachel Joyce,who also wrote the show’s script,this uplifting musical stars Mark Addy as Harold,whose monotonous life with wife Maureen (Jenna Russell) is interrupted by a letter from Queenie. Harold hasn’t seen her since they worked for a brewery,where he was a rep and she was in accounts.

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Ever since starring in The Full Monty nearly 30 years ago,Addy has been a go-to everyman. With no charge of underwear and nothing but moccasins on his feet,his Harold embodies the best of benign British eccentricity. It is a journey accompanied by an impressively gentle score by folk singer-songwriter Passenger as blisters,bad weather and the unwanted attention of Instagram fans force Harold to reassess his life. Director Kary Rudd keeps the vibe from saying the tiresomely full blooded anthem territory occupied by many a musical. This one runs deeper and quieter like a life-enhancing hymn to the difficulty of being alive. Well done,Harold. 

Theatre Royal,Haymarket. Tickets from £35. Until 18 April. Book here. 

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