Victor Garvey’s mad new MATER1A concept is a Willy Wonka-esque theatre of gastronomy February 18, 2026 MATER1A, 115 Westbourne Grove, W2 4UP | ★★★★★ | Cuisine: Japanese, fine dining, tasting menu A benefit of having written restaurant reviews for 15 years is that you begin to see the overarching warp and weft of the business, the trends that slowly emerge and dissipate, the way hospitality gradually evolves, holding up a mirror [...]
Dracula review: Cynthia Erivo is overwhelmed in tech-heavy production February 17, 2026 Dracula review and star rating: ★★ How much further can this trend for incorporating live video in theatre productions go? In Kip Williams’ adaptation of Dracula, it is often not like being in the theatre at all. Far too often it feels like watching a film at the cinema, with giant video screens playing pre-recorded [...]
Bond girl Maryam d’Abo is ‘compelling’ in new London play February 17, 2026 Spanish Oranges review and star rating: ★★★★ “Those legs of yours,” purrs Jay Villers’ Ivo to his wife Fiona in the new play Spanish Oranges. For the actor Maryam d’Abo, who played opposite Timothy Dalton’s Bond in The Living Daylights, it’s another decade, another man with emotional issues as she takes on her first stage [...]
BFI Flare 2026 announces full line-up, from Heartstopper to Russell T Davies February 17, 2026 BFI Flare 2026 runs from 189 – 29 March at BFI Southbank The UK’s dedicated LGBTQ film festival BFI Flare has announced its full line-up for 2026, the year in which the event celebrates its 40th birthday. BFI Flare features world premieres of the latest LGBTQ cinema, as well as talks, events and workshops for [...]
Harry Styles will curate Meltdown music festival in London this summer February 16, 2026 Harry Styles has a busy London summer ahead of him. Having already put on sale a 12-night run at Wembley Stadium, the musician has announced that he’ll curate an entire music festival in the capital. The Meltdown festival takes place at the Southbank Centre between 11 – 21 June and celebrates a wide array of [...]
Enjoy Chinese New Year in London with these great bottles of wine February 16, 2026 Today marks the start of the Year of the Fire Horse and fifteen days of celebrations for the Chinese Lunar New Year. Red lanterns are hung and red, money-filled envelopes exchanged over dinners with friends and family. Never shy of a reason to celebrate, London’s hospitality scene is going all out. Restaurants including Hakkasan (a [...]
Shadowlands theatre review: Hugh Bonneville grips in grief drama February 16, 2026 Shadowlands theatre review and star rating: ★★★★ There are ample ways to soak up the Paddington movie franchise live in the capital right now. If you’re not going to listen to songs about “M-M-M-M-Marmalade” at Paddington the Musical, then why not invest in Hugh Bonneville, who returns to the London stage for the first time [...]
Valentine’s Day: Fancy a romantic bowl of chocolate spaghetti? February 13, 2026 What could be more romantic than a meal out in Soho, a bottle of red wine and a nice bowl of chocolate spaghetti? Well, I can think of a few things… The ‘spaghetti bucatini’ at 27 Old Compton Street is being sold not as a dessert but a main course: thick strands of pasta slathered [...]
Why London bakers obsess over this Michelin starred restaurant February 13, 2026 Alex Dilling at Hotel Cafe Royal has maintained his second Michelin star for his on-trend style of decorative cooking, says Adam Bloodworth It is dinnertime at Alex Dilling at Hotel Cafe Royal, although you wouldn’t think it from looking at the plates. The food, at quick glance, presents more like fine patisserie. Most dishes are [...]
The problem with The Real Housewives of London: Where’s the old money? February 13, 2026 The Real Housewives of London's major flaw? Nobody who's actually rich in London wants to do it, writes Anna Moloney.