pop-up – The Cultural Exposé

Somewhere you should go: the Pizza Locadeli pop-up (it’s here for a few more months)

Matilda — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 09:45:17 +0000

I went to a pizza place last autumn. So far, so normal. Except this pizza place was a pop-up from the mighty, Michelin-starred Locanda Locatelli – an Italian restaurant that’s earned a reputation for food that is superb, no one would fault you for shedding a tear after a meal. That’s why I couldn’t turn down an invite to check out this pretty pop-up in Angel which was only meant to be around until the end of December. It turns out that it’ll still be on Upper Street (in the old post office) until March, which gives you ample time to head up there for their excellent, reasonably priced pizzas and other dishes. Check out pics from my visit below – and for more details, follow Locanda Locatelli on Twitter: www.twitter.com/loclocatelli.

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Pop-up House of Crab hopes to call time on London’s love for lobster

Matilda — Fri, 13 Nov 2015 08:15:50 +0000

When I told a work buddy I was invited to check out a new crab-themed pop-up, she exactly said what I was thinking: they’re trying to sex up the poor man’s lobster. But to be completely fair, I’m quite partial to both crustaceans – and seafood, period – which is why any excuse to have more of it in my life will always be a good idea.

But in case you’ve never been sold on crab, you’ll like what they’re doing at this pop-up. Set up on Grosvenor Street in Mayfair, the cosy and classy restro is focused entirely on Salcombe crab (which I’m told is more sustainable, ethically-sourced and cheaper than the old homarus gammarus). There’s five crab rolls to choose from, with hilarious names like the Clawpedo and Crabfather, and the fillings are pretty good. The latter is brown and white crab meat with confit tomato, burata cream and crispy pancetta, which was fun to devour. But in case the crab mac and cheese (delish), crab bisque (so-so) and the crab cakes feels like an overload, there’s also an incredible pulled lamb roll on the menu. All of this was washed down with the Claw Clobber – a pretty and sweet cocktail of sherry and vermouth with an orange slice.

Curious heads can check out the pop-up until January 2016. And for more details, visit: www.houseofcrab.co.uk. Check out more pics from my recent visit below:

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What we’ve been up to… Allan Pickett at Sanderson

The Cultural Exposé — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 12:00:22 +0000

The acclaimed London chef takes over the Sanderson’s 5 star kitchen to offer experimental, gastronomical delights for the summer

The USP: Pickett’s residency is all about pretty dishes intended to pack a punch with creative flavour combos. And the Sanderson collaboration makes sense; this is fine dining that suits everything we’ve come to adore about the trendy, Philippe Starck-designed hotel – from the wonderful service to the eye-catching interiors.

The food: Starters of delicately-flavoured sea scallops and the cornish crab with pressed watermelon are gorgeous on all levels. But it’s the mains that really win. The poached and roast guinea fowl has been a diner’s favourite since the menu launched in June. This winning dish of tender gamey slices served with asparagus and leeks could’ve been a fancy Sunday roast, which is made all the better with a slathering of roast chicken gravy.

Guinea fowl with the poshest trimmings #allenpickett #sandersonLDN

A photo posted by Matilda (@mstillytilda) on Jun 25, 2015 at 1:28pm PDT

Another highlight is the eclectic combination of seared red mullet, razor clam, oxtail and onion, served with a saffron rouille sauce. Thankfully, both mains leave enough room for dessert, which you’d be a fool to pass up – especially as the lemon and raspberry sponge is as delightful as it sounds.

Budget: Post pay-day. Set aside £100 for two if you’re going for the full works (starters, sides, mains, desserts and wine or cocktails)

Good for: A midsummer’s night, fabulous mains, yummy afters and plenty of Instagram likes

For more pics, check out our Tumblr.

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Somewhere you should go… Christabel’s Edible Playground

Matilda — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 12:00:17 +0000

This whimsical night in East London is everything you want from a pop-up – gorgeous dishes, fabulous surroundings and a unique hook that’ll charm the cool hunters. The clue is in the name: the “edible playground” is Christabel’s eclectic flat, where she serves four fun courses inspired by childhood nostalgia and playtime. The aim of the game is to get hands on with your food and surroundings, from the snake and ladders feta cheese salad we’re encouraged to recklessly mash, to the quinoa and vegetables we can use to make our own “sand castles” to go with our luscious baked chicken. Between the courses we can also doodle on the tablecloth or blow bubbles, before wrapping up the night playing jenga with glittery shortbread and chomping down on chocolate legos. It’s a delightful evening which gets extra points for creativity and will have you wishing all dinner times can be like this.

The next pop-up takes place on 17^th June. It’s £40 a head and BYOB – but for more details visit www.christabels.org/upcoming-events-shop/edible-playground-wednesday-17th-june-1

Check out our TCé snapshot of our recent visit:

TCé snapshots 004: Christabel's Edible Playground from The Cultural Exposé on Vimeo.

See more pics from the evening in our gallery.

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What we’ve been up to… Beer & Buns

Matilda — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 15:09:26 +0000

Our food excursions around the capital has recently led us to Beer & Buns – a pop-up “Izakaya” in the City that’s exactly where you want to go for authentic Japanese food with whatever native craft beer floats your boat. But being something of a non-beer drinker (okay, let’s be real – I can’t stand the stuff), I was pleasantly surprised by the recommended “echigo”, a light and neutral ale that was fairly easy to drink. The steamed buns, on the other hand, truly deserved a round of applause. They’re just £3.50 each (or £6.50 for two), perfect and fluffy, filled with the loveliest choices of pork, duck, aubergine or chicken – and the latter turned out to be our favourite, served fried “karaage” style with a japanese slaw. B&B also do these deliciously messy jumbo wings (in tebasake Soy Garlic, Sweet & spicy or Korean hot flavours. But be warned – the spicy ones really do pack a punch, so approach with caution or down a Frozen Yuzu margarita to take the edge off – worked for us!

Beer & Buns is open Monday through Saturday from 5pm till late (until end July) and can be found Upstairs @ K10 on 3 Appold Street EC2A 2AF. For more information, visit www.beerandbuns.co.uk. Check out pics from our recent visit below!

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What we’ve been up to… Jimmy’s Underground Pop Up at Dvine Cellars

The Cultural Exposé — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 10:00:43 +0000

Jimmy Garcia knows a thing or two about throwing a supperclub. Hailed as a pop-up king by critics and foodies, the chef and his team whip up amazing dishes in alternative venues, like the Dvine Cellars in Clapham which hosted his latest series of unique, underground restaurants. Last month we were invited to tuck into an ethically sourced 5 course menu, featuring a remarkable trio of canapes, wild salmon ‘tartare’, pork belly, a surprise course and a rich chocolate brownie with nutella ice cream and a black pepper shortbread. Generous compliments to the chefs: every dish was nothing short of foodie heaven and were the clear highlights of an unique evening that felt like the kind of dinner party we could get used to. Check out our pics below, but for more details of Jimmy’s pop-ups visit: www.jimmyspopups.com.

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Somewhere you should go… a hula-hooping masterclass

The Cultural Exposé — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 10:00:00 +0000

It’s cold outside, and all you want to do is hibernate under piles of blankets. But after a few rounds of mulled wine, mince pies and chocolates, you know that you need to do just the opposite. But instead of another boring gym session, Fitness-Freak.com has a pop-up event that will make you want to throw off all the covers.

Enter Marawa the Amazing and the latest in her Hula Hoop Hurray sessions. The Queen of Hula herself is going to be leading a class where the evening is all about having fun while sneakily burning hundreds of calories away. On Monday, December , she’ll be leading an evening of Christmas-themed entertainment and exercise that will see your abs burning from the workout.

In a series of three 45-minute classes, participants will find themselves walking away able to shake their mid-section like never before. Marawa, who has hooped for royalty and celebrities around the world, knows how to make even a total beginner feel comfortable with a hoop; after all, she once hooped 133 hoops at the same time!

Hoops are provided for all participants. All you need to do is show up ready to shake your midsection and have a great time burning away those pre-Christmas calories!

For more info, visit: Fitness-Freak.com/HULAHOOP

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Somewhere you should go… Toast and Roast

The Cultural Exposé — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 11:00:49 +0000

Sundays can be tricky. Sometimes all you want to do is relax and not have to make an effort to do anything at all. Or sometimes you want to keep the energy of the weekend and check out new places and try new things. If your weekend has been a bit too boozy, you might even find yourself fantasising about a big roast dinner—just the thing to soak up all the alcohol from the past few days. Or maybe nothing rounds up the weekend perfectly like a glass or two of good wine.

A Grape Night In has the Sunday solution for everyone with their Toast & Roast series. Each Sunday, the ladies behind the wine-pop up are selling tickets for a long, relaxed roast dinner at Studio Gi in Hackney. There’s a different meat served every week while veggie options are also available. Chef Ricardo Prestes takes the roast to the next level, though with the “meg” featuring as the starter (such as a beetroot tart), the “meat” as the main (one week features a slow-roasted lamb shoulder with parsnip & potato mash with curly kale) and the “sauce” becoming the dessert (such as a chocolate tart with crystallized horseradish). Best yet, the meal begins with a glass of bubbly to kick the meal off and a wine pairing for each course. After the food is all eaten and the wine drunk, there’s even a pub quiz at 6pm. (Words: Barbara Cole)

Toast & Roast is taking place every Sunday until 15th December. For more information visit: www.edibleexperiences.com

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Somewhere you should go… The Colonial Common pop-up

The Cultural Exposé — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 10:00:36 +0000

If you’re in Scotland, it’s whisky. In Ireland, it’s whiskey. In America, though, it’s bourbon. While the US is home to almost a dozen types of different types of whiskey, bourbon reigns supreme in its popularity as both a straight spirit and as a basic ingredient in classic cocktails such as the Manhattan and Old Fashioned.

Photo by Simon Goyne

Despite its popularity in the US, bourbon (and its fellow American whiskies) hasn’t found much popularity in the UK. The Stateside design firm Teroforma wants to change that by spotlighting these American spirits at its Colonial Common pop-up during the London Design Festival. Running for nine days, Teroforma bills Colonial Common as “a filling station” where visitors can experience American bourbon and whiskies in many ways. The Common is bound to be a design-laden experience too. The Shoreditch space will feature a speakeasy-type bar setup, as well as a culinary tasting room and product showcase featuring Teroforma’s famous Whisky Stones, as well as other limited edition pieces designed specifically for the Colonial Common.

Photo by Simon Goyne

The pop-up will also include live bluegrass from bands such as the Lands End Trio and The Barker Band (pictured). Food and cocktails will be available from vendors specialising in American Southern fare such as Beard to Tail, Joe’s Southern Chicken, and Anna Mae’s while the whiskey and bourbon tasting will be conducted by bartenders from Aqua at the Shard, Lockhard, Milk and Honey and Social Eating House.
The Colonial Common is running in conjunction with London Design Festival until September 22nd and is free to enter. It is located at 1 Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, E2 8DA from 4-9pm. For more info, visit: http://www.colonialcommon.com/

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Somewhere you should go… Backdoor Salon

The Cultural Exposé — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 10:00:45 +0000

Nowadays, it seems supperclubs are really growing up. From the original concept of inviting random strangers to a humble abode for dinner, these socials have started to occupy any space going in the capital, with the popular clubs making their way on the festival circuit like the one from the infamous Ms Marmite Lover, who’s held court at Bestival and The Secret Garden Party. Likewise, the boys behind Backdoor Kitchen have enjoyed evolving in the last couple of years to become one of the most renowned SCs in the capital. Specialising in Mediterranean food, Fabio and Roberto’s first event started in their tiny Bermondsey flat in 2011, but a year later, they appeared at an international summit for supperclubs at the Goethe-Institut. Now, they’re branching out even further with a brief series of pop-ups, in collaboration with Cannon & Cannon in Brixton’s Market Row.

At the “Backdoor Salon”, you can come along for a 4-course brunch but as we discovered, it’s all about the “apertivo” in the afternoon for £15. You get a complimentary cocktail and a surprise selection of three “Cicchetti” (think tapas) from a menu of six before getting the option of ordering more dishes at just £2.50 a pop. The food is absolutely INCREDIBLE – our favourites were the ouva gratinate e bottargo (egg au gratin stuffed with pecorino cheese, chive, lemon juice, boiled egg yolk and sprinkled with Sardinian dried mullet roe) and the caponatina di coppa (courgette, sultana, pinenut, caponata mixed with Roman coppa and Pecorino Romano cheese cream) – but chef Roberto hardly puts a foot wrong where everything else is concerned. We only wished we managed to get the “surprise” menu addition of mussels before they ran out!

It was definitely a worthwhile experience, but sadly the brunch and apertivo will only running for two more Sundays, while the space seats a maximum of 30 people, so you’ll want to get in quick – visit the link below for more details.

The next Backdoor Salon is on July 28^th and August 4^th. For more info, visit: http://www.edibleexperiences.com/p/41053/The-Backdoor-Kitchen/317002/Backdoor-SALON-Brixton-BRUNCH-27-OR-APERITIVO-EXPERIENCE-15-28-JULY

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