Time to get that dopamine up! (Picture: Getty Images)
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.
Spring is finally here and it sure does feel like it. Birds are chirping,evenings are lighter,and the pub gardens are dusting off their patios ready to welcome in those of you ready for your next pint.
And there are plenty of ways to get out and experience spring this week,like making the most of the free art in Croydon,courtesy of The National Gallery. Find out all about that below.
It’s also the perfect weather to get your body moving,look cool doing so,and get a much-needed dopamine hit. Lace up on for at least one of these mood-boosting events,like the Run The Borough x Paperboy Paris x New Balance run,where you can take to the streets and get rewarded with a Standard coffee or Paperboy iced tea.
Or skip straight to dinner and get stuck into delicious,fiery curries at our new favourite disco-themed Indian restaurant. Our resident food writer Courtney Pochin will tell you exactly what you should order.
Plus: If you fancy a break from London,there’s still time to enter to win a gorgeous spring escape to the countryside,complete with nature spa experience,handcrafted cocktails and Scandi-style breakfast. Enter here.
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From the latest Walkers flavours to the secret McDonald's menu,Metro Food has it all
Skewers from £5.50,curry from £17. 16 All Saints Rd,Notting Hill,W11 1HH. Book here.
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By Lola Christina Alao
From smoking meats in his parents Brixton garden during lockdown aged just 19,to multiple pop-ups across London,and now a Liverpool Street residency,Ruben Dawnay has big plans. Firestarter is a live-fire kitchen perfect for proper feasts. Snacks on the menu have flavours that aren’t afraid to make themselves known – Greece meets Japan in a daring fusion: thick spoonfuls of whipped taramasalata,pickled ginger and wasabi crunch. And burrata gets an Italian kick with salty and – just the right amount of spicy – ‘Nduja. Now onto the grill trays (and building your own grill tray is just as fun as it sounds),you’re instantly dropped off in flame-grilled meat heaven,where you can choose between Picanha steak,Half Poussin,Lamb Merguez Sausage or Pork Belly. And if you thought Caesar salad had already had its day you’d be wrong; it’s the clear star out of all the sides. Ruben’s last day at Firestarter is 25 April,so catch it while you can. But if his next venture is anything like the rest of his portfolio,it’s bound to start some fire.
Snacks from £5. Grill tray: meat from £10,veg from £8,sides from £4,sauces,£3.94 Middlesex Street,Liverpool Street,E1 7EZ (Entrance through The Star by Liverpool Street). Book here.
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Best for: great energy
Get ready to hit the streets with Run The Borough,Paperboy Paris and The Standard. Across three dates,you’ll be running through some of the most creative neighbourhoods in London. Each run will start and finish in King’s Cross – and at the finish line,continue that dopamine spike with a Standard coffee or Paperboy iced tea. There will be limited New Balance Kits available too,and a brunch at Double Standard x Paperboy Paris can be booked separately!
Dates: 10 May,31 May,7 June. Sign up here.
Best for: trying something new
There are so many different ways to feel good,and even getting yourself moving will get your dopamine levels up. If you live or work in Kensington (or you just fancy passing by),there’s plenty happening for their wellness week. From a free high-intensity boxing-inspired session at BoxcleverLDN,to challenging yourself to a Lululemon X Urban Greens 5k run,we guarantee you’re bound to feel incredible by the end of the week.
Find out more.
Best for: feeling like you’re abroad
There are five Brindisa Tapas locations in London,but the terrace in the Battersea branch is located in the perfect spot for maximum sunshine and it’s buzzy with friendly,quick service. You’re in the right place for all the classics: croquetas,olives,and an impressive selection of seafood. But the tortilla,with generous thin layers of potato and a moreish alioli steals my heart. There are bigger plates on the menu too,like the Pollo Con Hinojo succulent chicken with a wild garlic sauce. My biggest mistake is not leaving room for dessert. The chocolate & orange tart and churros are on my list for next time.
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A post shared by temper Restaurants (@temperrestaurant)
By Andrew Gaudion
The spring menu has arrived at Temper,welcoming meat lovers to the season with a smoke-kissed embrace. At their Soho space,pull up a seat at the bar for some‘caveman TV’and watch chefs master the open flames. Whether it’s a quick porterhouse flashing in the pan or the low and slow oak and birch-smoked pork belly on the top shelf,there’s process to witness here.
From old school favourites to smoked-infused spins on classics,the cocktail menu has plenty for all appetites to enjoy. Bar snacks include tangy pork belly bites or chat-friendly aged-beef nachos,while tacos bring a brilliant surf-and-turf bridge to the main attraction: the grill.
Their 28-day-aged cuts of British beef are the stars,treated with the reverence they deserve,and full of flavour even before you get to the sauce options (I recommend the Korean barbecue). While a great steak may seem like the simple option,the kitchen’s operation proves it’s anything but. Temper turns high-quality cuts into a bold,impressive spectacle that celebrates the art of the fire.
Bar snacks from £7,tacos from £9,steaks from £11.50 per 100g. Soho and City. Book here.
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To celebrate its new breakfast menu,Grain is giving away a free bagel to its first 50 customers on 17 April. From a Mediterranean Riviera bagel to a vegetarian Morning Mezze bagel packed with goodness! Just download Grain’s app on your phone and sign up to the loyalty scheme to redeem.
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More bargains incoming: Honi Poke is opening its Fitzrovia store with an exclusive new menu and £1 bowls today. You’ll also be able to get 50% off new menu items like katsu chicken & miso salmon hot bowls. The new location gives you more flexibility,as the first Honi Poke shop to offer size options. £1 bowls will be available from 11am to 9:30pm.
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Good things come in tiny packages in Shoreditch this weekend. To celebrate the launch of new Mini Moons,our frozen faves Little Moons have teamed up with renowned miniaturists The Tiny Art Show to create an adorable shrunken London terrace pop-up,complete with itty-bitty furniture and pocket-sized mochi parlour. Reach inside for your samples of the teeny treats.
£2 pizzas are back on the menu at Spring Street Pizza as it turns one. On 29 April,get ready for a lunchtime pizza party with £2 slices by Michelin-starred Chef Tom Kemble and the team,plus big tunes. Available 12-3pm. RSVP here!
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Rum Kitchen makes its London comeback next week – and this time they’re in Camden. Cheers to the opening with 50% off their bold Caribbean dishes,while you vibe to feel-good reggae,hip hop and dancehall,18-22 April.
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KOKUM in East Dulwich will soon be sharing some of their secrets that make the food so good with a new series of cooking classes. You’ll get to explore the punchy flavours of India with a whole range of classes: like the Curry from Scratch class and the Naan Stop class. At the end,sit down with the other guests and enjoy the dishes you’ve created together. Find out more.
Forget spending a fortune on art,catch a free outdoor art exhibition in the borough of Croydon. World famous paintings by Van Gogh and more will be scattered around the town,parks and gardens until 5 July. Find out more about The National Gallery: Art On Your Doorstep here.
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This sounds almost too good to be true,but we promise it’s not. We’re letting you in on a secret. On Friday,you can win tickets to Sziget Festival,Europe’s biggest festival. How? Head to King’s Cross outside Central Saint Martins/UAL and look out for someone dressed in purple holding a banner reading ‘Fallow me to…’,then say the secret phrase ‘Island of Freedom’. Ten tickets are up for grabs on 17 April from 1pm.
‘Time,here,is elastic,fragile,and devastatingly cruel’ (Picture: Manuel Harlan)
By Brooke Ivey Johnson
There is a line early in Romeo and Juliet that Robert Icke chooses to underline: ‘In a minute there are many days.’ It becomes the quiet thesis of this urgent,emotionally lucid revival,now playing at the Harold Pinter Theatre,starring Sadie Sink and Noah Jupe. Time,and devastatingly cruel. Sink,known for her role in Stranger Things,and Jupe,known for his critically acclaimed turn in Oscar-winning Hamnet,prove that this is more than stunt casting,even if Shakespeare purists were quick to grumble otherwise when they were first announced as the young lovers. What is most striking about his Romeo and Juliet is its emotional accessibility. This is a production that understands that the tragedy only works if you believe,wholeheartedly,in the reckless sincerity of young love. To watch the audience — many of whom might more readily identify as fans of Stranger Things than of Shakespeare — sit rapt,laughing,weeping,blushing,and generally utterly absorbed,is to understand exactly what this show achieves.
Harold Pinter Theatre. Tickets from £20.50. Until 20 June. Book here.
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