Edeline lee
“During art week in May, we will launch the 7th edition and the first New York 'Women & Power Speaker Series', supported by Frieze 91. The event will feature the esteemed journalist and author Amy Fine Collins in conversation with the iconic Christy Turlington Burns. After the event, the team and I will have a chance to check out Frieze and the Whitney Biennial before celebrating with a much-deserved Negroni at Bemelmans Bar. We'll then head back to London to finish off the Pre-Spring Summer 2025 collection. I love travelling, but I'm always happiest when I'm in the studio. All of our pieces are hand-made with so much love in my East London atelier, I feel that it's a privilege to inspect each piece before it is delivered to the client. Later in the month, we will do a trunk show in San Francisco, I'm very much looking forward to meeting our West Coast women.”
Edeline Lee, Designer
Restaurant: all’onda
all'onda speaks to the ideal texture of risotto—the individual rice grains should be al dente, yet bound together by a starchy, flavorful magma so creamy that a quick flick of the pot will stir up a few “waves.” It sounds so poetic and it’s a true art getting that texture just right. So to focus your entire restaurant and cuisine on exquisite risotto shows true skill and appreciation for food. all’onda opens this month on Charlotte Street, a worryingly (for our waist lines) short skip from our offices. Founder Cordula Schulz is a pharmacist by education, but her passion has always been food and entertaining guests. Her love for risotto is what led to the idea of a restaurant specialising in her favourite dish. Head Chef Andrea Granzalo is at the helm - originally from the village of Buccinasco, Lombardy he started his career at I Castagni near Milan before moving to London and honing his skills at Chiltern Firehouse, The Greenhouse, The Square and Hélène Darroze at The Connaught Hotel. The menu reflects the restaurant’s credo: risotto and fine dining. There are always five or six risotti on the menu, some more traditional, others more adventurous. These include a spring green risotto primavera or a risotto with sweetbread and artichoke. The starters and mains dishes are designed to complement these risotti, but they can also be enjoyed on their own. All’onda is located in an intimate space to allow you to focus and enjoy the magic on the plate in front of you.
Drinks: Alfie’s Soho
An effortlessly cool new jazz bar has opened on Greek Street in the heart of Soho. Named after a cat who was named after the Michael Caine movie, even its name is cool. Alfie’s is an elegant space that exudes sophistication with its stylish sofas, plush crushed velvet seating, and inviting low coffee-style tables. The Bar, adorned with captivating works by local and London artists, boasts a chic decor featuring dark rich furnishings and rustic walls. This semi-private space is perfect for various occasions, comfortably accommodating up to 90 guests seated or 130 guests standing. You’ll find Alfie’s nestled in the little doorway between Lina Stores and L’Escargot. Each night you can indulge in three shows from 6pm until midnight and these will include top acts of the moment including the James Browne Trio, Kitty LaRoar, and Rikette Genesis. The drinks are equally as top notch with a cocktail list offering up everything from negroni’s and margarita’s to a Cuban Crown (made with 11 year old rum, fresh lime, and salted honey syrup), and a vodka-laced Twinkle, with elderflower & lemon topped by a little prosecco. You can become a member for £35/year which will give you walk-in access and 50% off the reserved tickets.
Exhibition: Storyteller: Photography by Tim Hetherington
The Evening Standard calls this exhibition at the Imperial War Museum, "The most important exhibition you’ll see all year". We are invited to take a deeper look into the human experience of conflict and challenge our assumptions about war and those caught up in it. A celebrated photojournalist, filmmaker and humanitarian, Hetherington often returned to the same places over several months or years to develop better connections with those whose stories he told. This exhibition marks the 13th anniversary of Hetherington’s death while filming and photographing the Libyan Civil War (2011). With photography from across his career and a selection of his cameras and diaries on display, you can also immerse yourself in his film Sleeping Soldiers, shown across three screens as it was intended to be viewed. Hetherington broke with convention by dusting-off vintage film cameras to use on the frontlines, at a time when most photojournalists were using digital cameras. The effect of this was to slow him down, giving him more freedom to interact with people whilst challenging him to take more carefully considered photographs.
Food/Drink: Sarnie Party
UIt’s time for the UK’s ultimate sandwich festival. Yep, you read that correctly. This brand new food festival for 2024 celebrates the unbridled joy of things-between-bread. Sarnie Party is a weekend stacked with once-in-a-lifetime sangers, brilliant brews, and thrills galore. Think about it, for something so simple, the possibilities are endless. The opportunity to merge all your favourite ingredients in between the warm hug of your favourite bread. It’s magic. Sorry, we may be a little over excited by this over here. There are 4 sessions running across the weekend and tickets are £30. For that price you get 1 Camden Town beer (or soft drink of your choice) and 3 sandwiches. 20 of the best chefs and sandwich shops have been invited to create a never-seen-before sarnie each over one deliciously packed weekend. There is a different lineup for each day which can be viewed on the website but those taking part include The Black Pig, Happy Endings, Mondo Sando, Ruben’s Reuben’s, Wine and Rind and more! Sunday is the family friendly session for anyone wanting to take the kids and no dogs allowed (other than guide dogs). Go forth and gorge on some sarnies dear friends!
Theatre: People, Places and Things
‘Emma was having the time of her life. Now she’s in rehab. Her first step is to admit that she has a problem. But the problem isn’t with Emma, it’s with everything else. She needs to tell the truth. But she’s smart enough to know that there’s no such thing. When intoxication feels like the only way to survive the modern world, how can she ever sober up?’ Denise Gough reprises her Olivier Award-winning role as Emma in People, Places and Things , a performance that has garnered acclaim in London and New York, with critics hailing her performance as ‘stunning’, ‘ingenious’ and ‘unmissable’. The production runs from the 3rd May until 10th August at the Trafalgar Theatre in Whitehall with tickets priced from £30. Duncan Macmillan’s intoxicating hit play is directed by Jeremy Herrin and designed by Tony Award-winner Bunny Christie.
Art/Food: The Brush Grand Café
The art’otel in Hoxton has just opened, a destination for an unforgettable art-inspired getaway with a multimedia playground of cultural references and colourful characters throughout. There is also the works of their signature artist, D*Face adorning the walls of all rooms, suites, and social spaces around the hotel. But its not the hotel itself we want to tell you about but rather The Brush Grand Cafe within it. A whimsical space with elegant floor-to-ceiling window space overlooking Old Street. Art obviously plays a huge part of the decor with a huge bronze paintbrush sculpture outside the entrance, and 40m murals adorning the walls of both floors inside. There’s also a 70-seater terrace planned for warmer weather later in the year. At the 70-cover restaurant, the European-cuisine-focused menu spans breakfast to late-night dining and cocktails. Dishes include Confit duck, bean cassoulet rouille, Beef tartare, Whole grilled sea bass, sea herbs, beurre noisette and Basque cheesecake with strawberry compote. There is a Lounge & Cocktail Bar for snacks and live music at night, with cocktails created by Alessandro Mannello. The artwork extends to the dinner plate from what we can tell and we can’t wait to check it out.
Music: Independent Label Market
Since launching on Berwick St in May 2011, Independent Label Market has brought together the founders of over 400 of the World’s greatest independent record labels on both sides of the Atlantic to sell their fresh vinyl produce directly to the public at that traditional goods exchange – a market stall. As the music industry embraces streaming and a more digital strategy, Independent Label Market is proving to be a valuable reminder of how music retail can be a social affair; people hanging out together as a community and buying records. The market is back this month on the 11th May at Coal Drops Yard providing artisan produce and street food alongside its mega vinyl booty. There are records on sale from labels including AD, Because, Big Dada, Brainfeeder, Chess Club, Chrysalis, Dead Oceans, Dirty Hit, Fire, Jagjaguwar, Late Night Tales, Matador, Marathon, Ninja Tune, Secretly Canadian, Third Man and more. There’s also drinks from London Brewers’ Market, representing London’s thriving artisan beer scene.
Exhibition: Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection
Fragile Beauty is a brand new photography exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum that runs from 18th May 2024 to 5th January 2025. Showcasing over 300 rare prints from 140 photographers, this is a major presentation of 20th- and 21st-century photography on loan from the private collection of Sir Elton John and David Furnish. Selected from their collection of over 7,000 images, the photographs (many of which will be on public display for the first time) are era-defining images which explore the connection between strength and vulnerability inherent in the human condition. Marking 30 years of collecting, the exhibition celebrates Elton John and David Furnish's passion for photography and reflects their personal taste and unique eye as collectors. Across eight thematic sections, Fragile Beauty explores themes such as fashion, reportage, celebrity, the male body, and American photography. Portraits of stars from stage and screen also feature, including photography of Aretha Franklin, Elizabeth Taylor, The Beatles, and Chet Baker. Many photographs in the exhibition respond to themes of persecution, resistance, and key moments in history, including images of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, AIDS activism of the 1980s and the events of 11 September 2001. Tickets start at £20.
Charity of the Month: Mental Health Awareness Week
Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 will take place from the 13th to 19th May, on the theme of “Movement: Moving more for our mental health”. Movement is important for our mental health. But so many of us struggle to move enough. We know there are many different reasons for this, so the Mental Health Foundation want to help people to find moments for movement in their daily routines. Going for a walk in your neighbourhood, putting on your favourite music and dancing around the living room, chair exercises when you’re watching television – it all counts! Moving more can increase your energy, reduce stress and anxiety, and boost your self-esteem amongst other benefits. To implement more movement for Mental Health Awareness Week in your office or school then you can download resources from the website including challenges and ways to donate.