hether you want to dance, dine, drink or do something else entirely, London’s weekend is offering is plentiful as ever.
One north London restaurant, known for its meaty mastery, will be doing its thing to celebrate Great British Beef Week, while a popular boozer down in Walworth is set to host a gig to support victims of the war in Ukraine — and sell some top-notch Ukrainian beers in the process.
Elsewhere, there’s a champagne pop-up with a twist, and the chance to see one of Europe’s finest disco DJs over in Wapping.
Here’s your weekend to-do list.
The restaurant: Smokehouse
Great British Beef Week kicks off this Saturday and to celebrate, Islington restaurant Smokehouse is putting on a meat feast. The five-course tasting menu will focus on the lesser-known cuts of beef, with an optional wine pairing on offer for £35 extra per head. Oh, and the candles will be made out of beef dripping, naturally.
£55pp, April 23-30, 63-69 Canonbury Road, N1 2DG, smokehouseislington.co.uk
The bar: Veuve Clicquot Sunny Side Up Café
It’s a Champagne bar, but not quite as you know it. To celebrate its 250th anniversary year, Veuve Clicquot is launching this pop-up greasy spoon cafe in the heart of Soho. Serving bacon baps, fried eggs and waffles, veggie fry-ups and more, it’ll all come paired with the Champagne house’s famous bubbles. Walk-ins are welcome and reservations can be made here. It’s not cheap but it does promise to be a laugh.
April 22-30 (excluding April 25), 59 Greek Street, W1D 3DZ, veuveclicquot.com
The exhibition: Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, Alienarium 5 at the Serpentine Gallery
Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, whose best known work in the UK was her 2008 installation at the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern, is now the artist behind this excellent new exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery. It’s pretty out there, literally — it poses the question of what might happen “if aliens were in love with us” — with the Standard’s critic describing it as “probably the most radical intervention in this space I’ve witnessed”.
Free, until September 4, Kensington Gardens, W2 3XA, serpentinegalleries.org
The event: Blues Shaker at The Huntsman and Hounds
The Huntsman and Hounds pub in Elephant and Castle has been doing its bit to help those affected by the Ukrainian war in a suitably boozy way: selling craft beers from Varvar, a brewery based in the country. All profits have been donated towards the humanitarian effort, and this Friday, the pub is hosting a gig with Blues Shaker — entry is free, but donations are heartily encouraged. The final batch of Varvar beers will be on sale, too.
Free, April 22, 70 Elsted Street, SE17 1GQ, thehuntsmanandhounds.co.uk
The club night: Destination Disco at E1
It’s a disco extravaganza down in Wapping for this club night, headlined by Norwegian favourite Todd Terje. Spread across three rooms, with Marcellus Pittman, Amaliah and Raw Silk among the other highlights on the night, it’s bound to be a good one. Things will rumble on until six in the morning.
From £25, April 22, 110 Pennington Street, E1W 2BB, e1ldn.co