My London Guide

5 Most Romantic Restaurants in London

London Guide — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 18:10:45 +0000

Updated from original posted 13 Feb 2019.

Wondering where to take your beloved for Valentine’s Day? We have scoured our list of restaurants in London and found the most romantic restaurants in London.

These have been chosen for their ambience, setting, great food and atmosphere. Do book early to make sure you get a good table and if you are planning a special occassion like an engagement or anniversary, do let them know before hand. Most restaurants are very good at organising special suprises for you.

1. Clos Maggiore Covent Garden

This cosy French restaurant in Covent Garden has often been cited as the most romantic restaurant in London. Styled like an upmarket country hotel in Provence, it certainly transports you. The famed back dining room has a skylight that is decorated with fairy lights, white flowers and a real fireplace. They try very hard to make the dining room cosy and romantic.

Clos Maggiore serves fine-dining French food which has been highly recommended by foodies. You would think that being in Covent Garden, the touristy part of town, that it would be pricey and sub standard but the reality is to the contrary.

2. Galvin At Windows Hilton Park Lane, Mayfair

Galvin at Windows is a gorgeous and often overlooked restaurant being in a hotel. If you can overlook that fact, you will be amazed at this place. I always tip this as my favourite place to eat in London if you want to impress someone. Not only do they serve fabulous food, the location can’t be beaten.

Galvin At Windows is on the 28th floor of the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane with a dining room that has panoramic views of London. The best tables are the ones overlooking Hyde Park but make sure you book early to get one of those. Our favourite table is the one that has the best view by the window that seats six.

They serve modern European cuisine that is extremely well done. The service is superb too (Fred Siriex was the general manager here for many years). There is a bar next door that has similarly fab views, great for a pre dinner cocktail.

3. Hakkasan on Bruton Street, Mayfair

There are several Hakkasan restaurants in London. I am referring to the newer one in Mayfair, on Bruton Street near Berkeley Square and not the original one where you have to walk around bins on back streets to get to.

This one is more intimate but has the same dark interior, highly stylised bar and a bit of chinoiserie and the clientele is usually made up of the ladies who shop on Bond Street or the hedgies who inhabit the area.

I quite like the decor and widely set tables but object very strongly to the Indian incense that they insist on burning at the entrance.

As with all Hakkasans, they serve beautifully presented, elevated Chinese food, delivered by fabulous front of house albeit by slightly over zealous waiters. It is romantically dark in there so you can canoodle in your banquette seats without annoying your neighbours. It is a little bit pricier than an average Chinese restaurant but you do dine in style. Make sure you get there earlier to have one of their award winning cocktails at the bar.

4. Locanda Locatelli at the Churchill Hyatt in Portman Square W1

This is probably not that romantic being in a hotel but some of the tables are. Let them know that you don’t want a table in the middle of the room. What is more romantic than deliciously sensual food and this restaurant does that really well. Giorgio Locatelli is probably one of the best Italian chefs in London now and his restaurant does offer amazing Italian food made with the best produce available. All served with charming Italian waiters too. Your date will really enjoy this dining experience.

5. Momo Heddon Street, Off Regent Street, London

Momo is one of old favourites in London being one of the best Moroccan restaurants in London. The Moroccan themed decor of low tables and dim lights creates an exotic and sensual space. Top dishes are the slow cooked tagines and the starters which are perfect for 2 people sharing. After the meal, you can adjourn to the basement bar for some of their special cocktails and

Kite Flying Festival Hampstead London

London Guide — Wed, 17 Aug 2022 17:24:07 +0000

Good Chance Theatre are hosting a kite flying festival to mark the one year anniversary of the fall of Afghanistan.

On 2oth August, Fly With Me kite flying festival will take place in 15 cities and towns across the UK and Europe, including Brighton, Bradford, Dover, Folkestone, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Northamptonshire, Scunthorpe, Sheffield, and Berlin, Calais, Paris and Copenhagen in Europe. Each city will host kite-making workshops and a mass kite flying exhibit that everyone can join in for free.

The festival calls on the UK Government to treat all people seeking asylum fairly and equally, including those from Afghanistan

In London, head to Parliament Hill, Hampstead, NW1, from 12.30.

More details here: www.goodchance.org.uk/flywithme

Lego X Yinka Ilori Laundrette of Dreams

London Guide — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 07:52:26 +0000

Lego laundrette of dreams Credit: Lego.com

Fun thing to do in London during half term

Lego and award winning British-Nigerian artist, Yinka Ilori, have joined forces to create the Laundrette of Dreams in Bethnal Green.

This is a colourful, fun play space that is designed as a space where children can play, create and let their imagination run wild. Creative play is one way that can help build confidence and resilience in children.

Children can build things with Lego, play hopscotch, contribute to the mural wall and more.

The Laundrette of Dreams is part of Lego Group’s wider Rebuild The World campaign. To build this space, they used over 200,000 bricks. The project celebrates the creativity and optimism of children.

Book your free tickets here: www.lego.com/rebuild-the-world

Lego’s Laundrette of Dreams
133- 135 Bethnal GreenRoad
London
E2 7DG

Pic of the Day London

London Guide — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 14:27:03 +0000

Mounted Police in Covent Garden

Mounted police in Covent Garden on Neal Street. They are such a tourist magnet so it’s impossible to take a picture without a crowd of people taking selfies with them.

New year resolutions for 2020

London Guide — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 17:04:36 +0000

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Sed vel justo euismod, euismod sem ultrices, facilisis mi. Maecenas imperdiet mauris id metus ullamcorper, nec sagittis lorem placerat. Mauris vel ullamcorper magna. Sed elementum quis arcu ut euismod. Etiam et vestibulum elit, vel sollicitudin odio. Aenean condimentum, quam ac dictum pellentesque, libero nibh ultrices neque, et interdum odio dolor eu turpis. Donec convallis vel mi eu cursus. Donec tristique mauris eget lectus pretium, eu bibendum dolor rhoncus. Vestibulum finibus, est eu imperdiet gravida, arcu orci tincidunt mauris, nec pellentesque risus enim eu lorem. Vestibulum at metus vulputate, tristique ex ut, vestibulum massa. Morbi et lacus nulla.

Better stretching for better fitness

London Guide — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 17:03:31 +0000

How to prepare for hot yoga

London Guide — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 17:02:39 +0000

Review- Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

London Guide — Sat, 14 Jul 2018 09:10:28 +0000

London’s West End has so many theatres and I am in awe of the talent that comes together to put together these pieces of art on the London stage. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is one of those gems that has to be on everyone must see list. It is a great piece of entertainment, thought provoking and moving.

This play was first staged at the National Theatre’s Cottesloe Theatre in 2012 and transferred to the West End. so far, the show has won 7 Olivier awards including Best New Play).

This play came about because of a simple passing comment by author Mark Heddon to his friend Simon Stephens. He wasn’t commissioned to do this as Mark thought it would be impossible to adapt the book for theatre. Simon did manage to adapt it and he did it really successfully. With the rest of the production team, they have created a great piece of theatre.

Directed by Marianne Elliott (who won many awards for War Horse), it deals with the tricky subject of projecting a teenager’s mind. Simon had her in mind as the director as hs has extraordinary imagination. She has created a well-balanced portrayal that is sensitive and touching when the subject could have been so easily mangled.

The story is about Christopher a 15-year-old boy who lives with his father, played by Sion Daniel Young in this production. The play starts being narrated by Siobhan his teacher as she reads from a book by Christopher. She has turned his book into a play and the story starts off with him discovering the body of his neighbour’s dog, killed by a pitchfork and he decides to investigate. In his unique way, he uses his own style of logic to follow the clues. In the process, he discovers a few secrets that have been hidden from him.

As the story unfolds, you get hints of his behavioral quirks and what this suggests about Christopher. At no time is there any mention that he is not just an ordinary young teen. Sion performance was powerful, he made it really believable with the tics, mannerisms, facial expressions and hand gestures.

The story weaves around the tragedy of a family’s struggles to cope with a child of special needs, even if he is a maths genius. He is obviously lacking in many social skills that most people take for granted like making small talk and dealing with crowds in a public place. His parents, played by Nicolas Tennant and Mary Stockley, try to show that they love him but are unable to demonstrate that as Christopher doesn’t like to be touched.

Christopher has many difficulties functioning in normal daily life, like the scene where he had to walk to the train station which should have been a straight road but the way his mind works, it only makes sense to take a very convoluted route. When he is agitated and panics from sensory overload, he deals with this by reciting either prime numbers of by multiplying 2s. The music amps up and the video sequences with endless numbers projected gets the audience involved and lets them share that experience in Christopher’s head.

The minimalist stage is set like the pages from a grid notebook. Throughout the play, great use of videos is projected to make translate Christophers thoughts for the audience. The very physical choregraphy by the Frantic Assembly made the play dynamic and engaging.

The last scene ends with an answered question asked by Christopher, “I can do anything, can’t I”. It leaves to the audience to make their own conclusions.

This show would be great for audiences of all ages. It appeals for a whole family. I think everyone who watches this will take something personal from this. It leaves you with something to think about. Make sure you stay a few more minutes after the curtain call. You don’t want to miss that part.

Q&A with the cast of The Curious Incident

I like to peer behind the curtain and uncover the secrets behind the magic. The performance we were was followed by a Q&A with the cast. This is quite insightful if you are a theatre geek like me and here are some of their answers:

This cast is very new, only 4 weeks into this production and yet the performance is so polished. As if they have been working together for much longer.
The most common question that people wanted to ask was about how they dealt with
We learn that the cast have a 40 minute physical rehearsal and warm up before each performance. This shows as each of the very physical scenes are so smoothly executed.
Sion spent a lot of time at a special school to understand teenagers who are on the autistic spectrum.
They get many letters of gratitude from the audience for portraying what is to a lot of people their reality of living with a child on the Autism spectrum. The majority feel that it is a story that needs to be told and has been told well.

You can watch a trailer here:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Simon Stephens, based on the novel by Mark Haddon. Directed by Marianne Elliott. Sets and costumes by Bunny Christie; lighting, Paule Constable; video, Finn Ross; musical score Adrian Sutton. This play is simultaneously being staged on Broadway and on tour around the UK.

Tickets are on sale until February 2016. You can book directly with the National Theatre of Gielgud Theatre with no booking fee. There are 100 tickets at £15 for every performance. If you wanted to catch a performance with a Q&A which they do monthly, find the next date on http://www.curiousonstage.com.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Gielgud Theatre

Shaftesbury Ave,

London W1D 6AR

MyLondonGuide was a guest of the National Theatre

Banksy’s homage to Jean Michel Basquiat with 2 new pieces at the Barbican Centre

London Guide — Sun, 15 Oct 2017 13:14:49 +0000

These new pieces by Banksy sprung up recently. They were done in homage to Jean Michel Basquiat’s new exhibition at the Barbican Centre.

The Basquiat Exhibition at the Barbican

This is the first large-scale exhibition in the UK for Basquiat (1960-1988). The show will bring together over 100 pieces from museums and private collections. It will be a collection of films, photography and archive material that captures his creativity and spirit.

Basquiat: Boom for Real opens at the Barbican Centre unitl January 2018.

Banksy’s piece below is his “collaboration” with Basquiat. It bears a likeness to Basquiat’s 1982 work, Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump. Featuring a boy being searched by police.

Basquiat Exhibition Barbican Centre

Major new Basquiat show opens at the Barbican – a place that is normally very keen to clean any graffiti from its walls.

A post shared by Banksy (@banksy) on Sep 17, 2017 at 5:10am PDT

London Mezcal Week 11- 17 Sept

London Guide — Tue, 05 Sep 2017 13:10:09 +0000

London Mezcal week is coming up! 11th-17th September in Hackney.

It will be celebrating Mezcal, Mexican culture, art and food, ending with a two day tasting festival and Mexico Independence Day.

Lots of events across the week:

Monday A Mezcal Pairing Dinner with Edson Diaz Fuentes, at his restaurant Santo Remedio
Tuesday Mezcal sampler with Mezcal Master Jon Anders at Santo restaurant
Wednesday Panel Discussion “The Future of Mezcal” and Blind Tasting at The Bloomsbury Club Bar
Wednesday Coffee, Chocolate & Mezcal tasting at Wahaca, Charlotte Street
Thursday Bartenders Brunch at Café Pacifico
Friday El Grito! At Pop Brixton
Friday Independence day party at Club Makossa
Saturday Tasting Festival at Unit 5 Gallery & Yard
Sunday Tasting Festival at Unit 5 Gallery & Yard

Get more in formation at www.londonmezcalweek.com