If Ever there was a Wiz there Was – Russell Grant!
Eighties favourite and all round psychic Russell Grant is to take to the role of the Wizard in the West End’s version of the “Wizard of Oz.”
He begins his three month stint on February 14th.
To see more on the Wizard of Oz see here
2017 Athletics in London!
London has beaten Doha by 16 votes to 10, to host the 2017 Athletic Championships, meaning that the Olympic village will stay as an athletic facility and keeping London in the eyes of the world.
London’s Hawksmoor Steakhouse
Upon visiting their Seven Dials restuarant you would be excused for missing the entrance altogether, as it is the most unassuming entrance, in a non discript side street just off Covent Garden.
But once inside you are transported to a bygone era of green tiles, brass fittings and black and white floors, it immediately feels like something special.
The starters, which are actually just an inconvenience delaying the arrival of the main, consist of an array of lobster, oyster, crab and cheese dishes. We had six oysters to share and I had Tamworth Belly Ribs. All very nice but considering we had already ordered the main, our minds were already there.
Now just imagine this, there are two choices to the way your chips are prepared, either cooked in beef drippings or TRIPLE cooked chips! Now after about 5 minutes of arguing about which to get, sharing etc., we decided to get one of each per person to settle any disputes. Now couple this with a Chateaubriand and I am in heaven. The steak was the best I have tasted outside the US, as the meat was so tender you could almost cut it with a fork.
We never did decide which was the better of the two style of chips, but we have decided that another visit is in order to make our minds up! However you can not just arrive at these restuarants and expect a table so book ahead.
The good news is that there is now three of these in the captial:
Guildhall – 10/12 Basinghall St. 0207 3978120
SEVEN DIALS – 11 Langley St. 020 7856 2154
SPITALFIELDS – 157Commerical St.0207 247 7392
Get on your bike!
Well apparently although over the past year a record 7 million journeys have been via the “Borris Bikes’ ” 140,000 users, the average journey has been less than 30 minutes at a time. Despite these numbers the flaw is that the first 30 minutes of usage is free, other than your annual fee, and the scheme only starts charging extra after this time.
This means that us Londoners and tourist are currently getting a bargain for the usage, but we can’t help thinking that this 30 minute “free period” will soon be revised.
London Theatre Tickets
Welcome to the London Visitor Guide
Welcome to the London Visitor Guide.com, your guide to London’s best Shopping, Eating, Theatre and Tours and Attractions. From visiting Buckingham Palace to a night out at the Phantom of the Opera, we have all the hottest places for you in one simple and easy to use guide. We have compiled a list of what we consider to be the best Shopping, Eating and Entertainment in London at the moment.
Search for the best restuarants in London and check theatre ticket availability and plan your days all in the same place.
Death of an “i”-con
It was almost as though Steve Jobs waited for the baton to be officially handed to his successor Tim Cook, by announcing the release of the newest addition to the iphone range. He died surrounded by his family in California.
Already somewhat of a damp squib, being a “4s” rather than a completely new design, and overshadowed by the death of one of the co-founders, the release of this latest device is still likely to cause as much of a frenzy and all the previous releases.
Thousands of people arrived from as far as Tokyo and New York and queue for over 24 hours when the last iphone was released. So expect a similar rush, despite the current economic climate, such is the attraction of the apple devices.
RIP Steve Jobs.
Dinner fit for a Duck
Already a household name for his TV shows on alternative cooking and his success with his three Michelin Star restuarant the “Fat Duck”, Heston Blumenthal’s latest venture “Dinner” has scored it’s first Michelin star even though it has been open less than a year.
Based in the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park it’s menu is inspired by historic British gastronomy, with such dishes as Savoury Porridge, Rice and Flesh, Cod in Cider and Spiced pigeon, it aims to bring back historical British dishes with a modern twist.
This is not going to be the last award for this restuarant.
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park 66 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LA +44(0)20 7201 3833 http://www.dinnerbyheston.com/Regent Street Motor Show
On the 5th November Regent Street will host 300 classic and concept cars in the Regent Street Motor Show, which is free to all.
- 100 period cars pre 1905!
- 50 Jaguar E-Typoes and 50 Mini Coopers, who both celebrate their 50th anniversaries;
- 80 vehicles taking part in the Brighton to London RAC Future Car Challenge;
- 20 concept cars from leading car manufacturers.
There will also be other entertainment starting at 11am and finishing at 4pm and Regent street will be closed to traffic from 9am until 4pm.
Warming up for the 2012 Olympics
Can’t for the Olympics to start? Well there is a way for you to get a taster of things to come by attending some of the many test events coming up over the next four months.
All the arenas will be put through their paces and it gives a chance for people unable to get tickets earlier this year to get to experience the brand news stadiums before all those lucky people that did get tickets.
- 23-27 Nov – London Handball Cup, Handball Arena
- Wednesday 23 November 2011
10:30 Slovakia v China
13:00 Great Britain v AngolaThursday 24 November 2011
10:30 China v Poland
13:00 Angola v AustriaFriday 25 November 2011
10:30 Austria v Great Britain
13:00 Poland v SlovakiaSaturday 26 November 2011 – Semifinals and play off for 5th and 6th place
Sunday 27 November 2011 – Final and Bronze medal match
Tickets for the London Handball Cup will not be on general sale, but local residents, schools, colleges and members of handball clubs are being given the opportunity to attend the test event.
- 24-27 Nov – Boxing International Invitational, ExCel
- 26-27 Nov – Fencing International Invitational, ExCel
- 3-4 Dec – London Internat’l Goalball Tournament (part of the Paralympics) - Handball Arena
- 3-4 Dec – Judo International Invitational, ExCel
- 3-4 Dec – Taekwondo International Invitational, ExCel
- 10-11 Dec – Weightlifting International Invitational, ExCel
- 10-18 Jan – International Gymnastics, North Greenwich Arena
- 17-19 Feb – Track Cycling World Cup Classic, Velodrome
- 20-26 Feb – Diving World Cup, Aquatics Centre
Check each sports governing bodies for more information on whether or not tickets are available to the general public.
Ramsey goes Head to Head with Jamie Oliver
Gordon Ramsey has opened a new restuarant directly opposite Jamie Oliver in the “One New Change” Shopping complex opposite St. Pauls.
Bread Street Kitchen – Gordon Ramsey
With it’s warehouse stying and it’s speakeasy feel, it is certainly a very attractive place to retreat from the hussle of City life and the extensive cocktail list will go a long way to unwinding after a hard day. It opened to mix reviews, but this was mainly to do with opening day kinks, which the man himself was there to smooth out. We are yet to experience the food, but just for the wow factor it is top of our list of places to visit.
For further information please call Bread Street Kitchen on:
020 7592 1616 or email info@breadstreetkitchen.com
Barbecoa Restaurant – Jamie Oliver & Adam Perry Lang
Directly opposite sits Barbecoa, a homage to all things meaty, developed by Jamie Oliver and American chef Adam Perry Lang. A simple Asian feel to the decor, but the views more than make up for this. We were fortunate, or not, to be seated next to a huge window that seperated the kitchen from the restuarant, from which we sat watching unfeasibly large pieces of meat being prepared and fresh breads baked. Whether or not this is a ploy, it certainly resulted in us ordering more than we would for a “light lunch!”
For more information visit www.barbecoa.com
Store contact no. 020 3005 8555