Fact fans! Join a fun fundraising pub quiz on Thursday 2 February to help support vulnerable kids in east London.
SkyWay is a Shoreditch and Hackney based charity working with young people aged 8-25 who are ‘at risk’. The organisation offers peer-mentoring, training and support for kids who might otherwise wind up unemployed, on the streets, involved with gangs or worse.
The charity runs daily activities for young people (sports sessions; education around drugs, alcohol and sexual health; workshops on finance; conflict management, etc.) run by trained peer workers. Those who attend are offered information about the peer training programme, which involves work experience and ‘a safe, supported, structured opportunity to develop their skills and abilities’. Completing the virtuous circle, trained mentors then give back to SkyWay, mentoring others, further building their confidence and employability and spreading positivity to their peers.
But of course, to continue this good work, SkyWay needs money.
The quiz on Thursday 2 February at Trafik in Shoreditch will raise funds for the charity through quiz entrance fee (£10 per team of five), an auction of footie merchandise, possibly a raffle and definitely with buckets for your spare change. Be there from 7-9pm for brainteasers, good times and happy hour bar prices.
Find space in your calendar for this show for verily, La Soiree will blow your socks and the rest of your laundry basket off. With its ten-week residency coming to an end this Sunday, this is your last chance for a while to see a fabulous circus show which is packed with the weird, the wonderful and everything in between including hunky acrobats The English Gents (right), sizzling skaters, crazy contortionists and dazzling hoop-queens.
Northern star Myra Dubois will be singing it loud and proud tonight at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern. Her new show - Sing Out Louise! – is her homage to musical theatre with running criticism from the front row courtesy of the Radio Jiblets.
After 18 months, kinky commie crooners EastEnd Cabaret’s Cellardoor residency comes to an end tonight as they prepare for their next adventures. They’ll be back later this year but this may be your last chance to see them at the venue that has suited them right down to the (under)ground. Oh, it’s all at a very round price. How socialist.
The London International Mime Festival (LIMF) continues with a strange and philosophical cocktail at the Southbank as Italian magician and acrobat Claudio Stellato shakes together circus and illusory magic to examine object manipulation and our inner selves in his new show L?Autre.
Watching bongo flicks in public and hearing from those in the sex industry has never been so much fun or edifying thanks to vintage pornmonger Ophelia Bitz and her ArtWank! shows. She wowed the Old Vic Tunnels last year and is only going from strength to strength. Catch her tonight at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern.
Over in the Queen Of The Suburbs, you can watch more than the time disappear at Conjuring at the Court, West Ealing?s long-running monthly magic night which this month welcomes Rob James, Mel Mellers, WAVE and the superbly named Miss Ballooniverse.
Aussie artist Fleur Elise Noble?s new work 2 Dimensional Life Of Her is part of LIMF and literally off the wall. Projections and animations combine to alter the audience?s perceptions as they stand in the artist?s studio. Wowsers.
Self-proclaimed “musical genius” and world-record holding pianist-turned-rapper-turned-pianist-turned-rapper Chilly Gonzales is at the Soho Theatre tonight. His brother wrote the music for the Buffy The Vampire TV series, don’t you know.
If it’s a cabaret showcase you’re after, head over to the Cafe de Paris’ Wam Bam Club to see (amongst others) filthy Filipina Ria Lina, burlesquer Ruby Deshabille, acrobat Jonathan Finch and ballerino Madame Galina.
With dwarf names like Fag Hag, Muscle Mary, Sub, Dom, Skinhead and Butch Dyke, you should have some idea of what you?re letting yourself in for as Snow White & The Seven Poofs appear at the Leicester Square Theatre.
Sunday’s Zingers
What used to be the trailblazing Hackney Empire’s New Act Of The Year awards evening is now Stratford Circus’ New Act Of The Year awards evening with candidates this year including Myra Dubois and the Fabulous Russella.
A pair of female impersonators are in town: tonight, Matthew, Barb Jungr will be singing Bob Dylan in Soho’s Pizza Express Jazz Club while Susan Black will be non-regretfully going all French sparrer as she blasts out Edith Piaf covers at the Leicester Square Theatre.
Monday’s Zingers
Bearded beauty Timberlina will be publicly manhandling some smooth balls. This is, of course, all in the line of duty as he continues his weekly run of Big Bingo Night! at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern.
The musical theatre quartet of cuties known as The Ruby Dolls return to the Riverside Studios with Rubies In The Attic. As we said in our review: “ If you?re after entertainment with beats, beauty and Brecht, then it?s Ruby Dolls über alles.”
Tuesday’s Zinger
If it’s a night of all-out tassel-twirling fun you’re after, head east for The Brickhouse and Seattle’s Sinner Saint Burlesque. Our review is over here.
The World Burlesque Games may not be here for a few months yet but, to prove that it won’t all be tassels and corsets, here’s a snippet of one of the more eclectic and electric entrants. Big Chief Random Chaos hails from across the Atlantic Ocean, lives across the Irish Sea and will be competing for the Twisted Crown at Madame Jojo’s on 9 May.
“There is a certain madness in launching into something like this,” says Simon Peers.
He and Nicholas Godley worked with a team of garment makers and about 1.2 million spiders to craft the V&A’s latest exhibit: a shawl and cape made from spider silk.
The garments took several years to make. Golden orb-weaver spiders from Madagascar were milked (silked?) daily to produce the fibres of the cloth. No dyes or treatments were employed: that striking golden colour is the natural hue of the silk. The resulting garments are both lighter and stronger than equivalents made from normal silk.
You can see the remarkable fabrics at the V&A until 5 June, and there’s an introductory video here. Entrance is free.
Book, poetry and spoken word events in London this week
Wednesday: Live Canon are performing the work of the Bloomsbury Group tonight at, appropriately, the Bloomsbury Theatre (7.30pm, £12.50 / £10).
Eleanor Hough, Kyrill Potapov, Victoriána Bulley, Unseen Flirt are the poets Jawdancing at Rich Mix, with MC Justin Coe (7.30pm, free).
Charlie Dark hosts StorySLAM:Live at the Southbank Centre. To mark the Death festival the theme is ‘Afterlife’… (7.30pm, £8).
David Rosenberg and Michael Rosen discuss the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street at the Bishopsgate Institute with Newham Bookshop (7.30pm).
Thursday: Hisham Matar and Abdelkader Benali discuss freedom of speech, the Arab Spring and responses to revolution in the past and present, at UCL (6.30pm).
Maggie Gee, Owen Jones and Zaiba Malik join English PEN director Jonathan Heawood to talk about the relationship between contemporary British fiction and politics, at the London Review Bookshop (7pm, £10).
Hannah Jane Walker and AF Harrold join Dan Cockrill, Martin Galton, Rob Auton and Peter Hayhoe for Bang Said the Gun stand up poetry (8pm, £5).
Christine and Ben McMahon, Ben Haggarty and TUUP tell dastardly tales of cruelty and cunning for the Crick Crack Club at Rich Mix (7.45pm, £6 / £8).
Chamberlain Peirce and guests read at the Poetry Cafe (7.30pm, free).
Martina Evans, Michele Roberts, Denise Saul and Dan Wyke launch new pamphlets with Rack Press Poetry at the Marchmont Centre (6.30pm, free).
Friday: Join the launch of Fabelist’s Imprint exhibition from 12pm at the Centre for Possible Studies in Gloucester Place, for storytellers, poems and art (free).
Hylda Sims hosts Fourth Friday poetry from Peter Phillips and Jon Sayers at the Poetry Cafe (8pm, £6 / £5).
clinic host a gig from TUBELORD and readings by Emily Berry, Kate Kilalea, Jack Underwood, Wolfboy, Sophie Collins, Rachael Allen and Sam Buchan-Watts at The Amersham Arms to mark the launch of their r o m a n c e pamphlet (7pm, £5 advance).
Saturday: Nell Phoenix is telling stories for adults and kids at Selfridges as part of Words Words Words (11am-2pm, head to the Lower Ground Floor).
At Death Fest: Simon Barraclough’s running a poetry workshop dealing with grief, at the Southbank Centre (3pm, £20), while a £12 day pass gets you in to see Christopher Reid read from and discuss The Scattering (1.45pm).
The North London Reading Group are holding a belated Aussie Christmas, with TD Griggs, Little Machine and book swapping (7pm, £10).
A triumvirate of Amy Key, Jacqui Saphra and Gale Burns host The Shuffle at the Poetry Cafe, with Judith Baumel, Richard O’Brien, Charlotte Geater, Sarah Crewe, Ian McEwen and others (7.30pm, £5 / £3).
Myra Schneider reads from and discusses her work at Poetry East (7.30pm, £7).
Sunday: Check out the Weiner Library‘s new home in Russell Square at their open day. They’re the world’s oldest Holocaust memorial institution (12-4pm, free).
Rachel Rose Reid is storytelling at Selfridges 11am-2pm every day until Thursday.
There’s storytelling for grown ups from Lip, Thumb & Toe (Jen Pearcy-Edwards, Alys Torrance, Cat Gerrard and Alice Fernbank) plus Sarah Rundle at Jam Circus in Brockley (7pm, £5).
Back at the Southbank Centre’s Death Festival, a £12 day pass gives you the chance to hear Jo Shapcott read from her Costa winning collection On Mutability (3.15pm).
Monday: Everything’s a bit sexy at Velvet Tongue, with appearances from Mel Jones and Chris Dangerfield plus open mic (7pm).
Tuesday: Paul Wady channels Edgar Allen Poe for an evening of the macabre, in the suitably cellarific surroundings of the Constitution in Camden (8.30pm).
Robert Winston and Jim Al-Khalili discuss the Golden Age of Arabic Science, at the Southbank Centre (8pm, £10).
Laura Del-Rivo and Michael Horovitz chat about their work and influences at Lutyens & Rubinstein (7pm, £5).
Niall O’Sullivan hosts the Poetry Cafe‘s open mic night (7.30pm, £5 / £4).
Stephen Kelman (Pigeon English) and Nick Lake (In Darkness) talk about gang culture in fiction with Julia Eccleshare, at the Bloomsbury Institute (6.30pm, £8 / £4).
Follow@LondonistLit for our pick of that day?s literary events
Welcome to our Dining Beyond Zone 1 series of restaurant reviews, dedicated to seeking out quality local places to dine beyond the frenzy of Central London.
Think of Canary Wharf and the words that come to mind. We?ll take a conservative guess that ?vast? and ?bankers? are amongst them. Incorporate this into a restaurant, add a little Scottishness and you have yourself the newly refurbished Boisdale Canary Wharf. And what better time than Burn?s Night to tell you all about it…
A few superlatives to get you going. Not only is the impressive art deco Boisdale building which overlooks Cabot Square Canary Wharf?s largest restaurant, it also boasts London?s widest selection of whisky, the city?s biggest cigar club and is one of the leading jazz, soul and blues venues in the UK.
Add to this a fully stocked crustacean bar, a spot of haggis and a trademark tartan carpet, and what you have is a deliriously different kind of restaurant that you?re unlikely to find elsewhere. Even the smaller, more subdued Boisdale restaurants in Belgravia and Bishopsgate can?t compare.
With all this said, there?s a real danger of the food at Boisdale taking a back seat. The likes of potted rabbit, Aberdeen Angus steaks and fish & chips are somewhat ubiquitous options which have a price point a couple of quid higher than they deserve, with the latter coming in at £15.50. Though perhaps this is not any higher than is standard for the location.
That in mind, a main of fish pie is as creamy, rich and comforting as it should be, stuffed full of smoked haddock, mussels and cod with a crunchy cheesy crust that?s worth every penny of the £14 asked for it, and when you get onto classics like roasted haggis with neeps and tatties, or some home-cured Scottish salmon gravlax, it?s clear that Boisdale are in their element. Their stunning oyster range is also worth a look, being the result of a collaboration with bivalve bigshot Wright Brothers, which saw industry experts pick the best of the bunch for their very 2012-ly titled Oyster Olympics selection.
We couldn?t fault a bread and butter pudding soused with Glenfiddich 15 year old either, proving that if you stick to Scottish you?re going to get the best out of Boisdale. That?s Scottish with a bit of blues in the background of course, they wouldn?t want to be too traditional…
If your thoughts on Japanese cuisine are ?ewww, floppy raw fish. Sweet and sour chicken is quite good though?, you need a few pointers. No, really. You really do. In Japan, the vast majority of hang outs for the hungry are either izakaya (pubs that do a little of everything) or specialist places that focus on just one thing and do it well. This isn?t Tokyo. But, luckily for you, this is London, and there are many places authentic enough to rival the homeland.
The following is intended as a newbies’ guide to eating Japanese. These are some of our favourites, but this is by no means a definitive list. Feel free to suggest your own favourite places for any of these categories below, and we’ll add them to the appropriate section as ‘reader suggestions’.
Sushi Cooked, vinegared rice most famously topped with raw fish, but also cucumber, egg or sweet tofu. Nigiri sushi are the rectangular blocks and makizushi are the rolled variety. In its western incarnation, nigiri sushi is huge — traditionally there should be a little morsel of rice underneath, to be devoured in one mouthful.Where: Atariya have some reasonable sushi bars in north-west London. Their dependable supermarkets are also the best place to get fish if you?re brave enough to home-make sushi.
Reader suggestions:
Dinings in Marylebone, suggests Claire in the comments.
Edo in Crystal Palace is Michael Keefe’s suggestion, in the comments.
Nizuni on Charlotte Street is a good sushi stop for Claire in the comments.
Sake No Hana in St James is good but pricey, says Claire.
Song Sushi on Blackstock Road is amazing for takeaway sushi, opines Rebecca June in the comments.
Sushi Say on Walm Lane, Willesden is fantastic and always packed, says Bethany Childs on Facebook.
Yashin in High Street Kensington is good for Claire in the comments, if a little pricey.
Yoshino on Shaftesbury Avenue and Piccadilly offer huge take away portions of sushi, with an assorted tray for under £4. “The restaurant is quite a bit pricier but a great experience,” says Chris in the comments.
Yakitori
Yakitori A simple snack of vegetables or bite-sized pieces of chicken (almost any part, in fact, from thigh to wing to its tiny heart) skewered, seasoned with salt (shio) or coated with an addictively yummy sugary-soy sauce (tare) and grilled to perfection. Where: Any Japanese place in London with a grill can knock up a good yakitori, but Bincho (Clerkenwell and Soho) is the place to go to enjoy the yakitori joint experience in London. TasteCard holders can get 50% off in Clerkenwell.
Okonomiyaki A big-ass savoury pancake originating from Osaka made with cabbage and seafood or red meat, finished off with lashings of mayonnaise, okonomiyaki sauce, dried fish flakes (katsuobushi) and a dusting of dried seaweed (aonori). Usually the raw ingredients, in a bowl, are delivered to your hot-plate-fitted table, where you and your friends proceed to get drunk and cook it while totally not burning yourselves. Where: Abeno and Abeno too (Holborn and Leicester Square) specialise in real okonomiyaki dining. Much like in Japan, guests are seated around a hotplate. Unlike Japan, the staff do all the hard work for you. They might let you try it for yourself if you ask.
Reader suggestion: The more upscale Matsuri in St James also sells okonomiyaki (Hiroshima style, not Osaka), says ‘Shogun of Shoganai’ in the comments.
Takoyaki Tako is octopus. That?s the first thing you need to know. The second is that they sound gross but taste amazing. Another dish from Osaka, it?s basically fried or grilled balls of pancakey awesome, jammed with chunks of octopus, pickled ginger and the odd tentacle, all served with takoyaki sauce and the mayo/fish flake/dusty seaweed super combo. Where: Juzu, a stall situated on Brick Lane on Sundays, is where we go when we need our fix. Which is quite often.
Tempura
Tempura The ?tem? in ?tempura? is also the Japanese symbol for heaven. If you?ve a penchant for battered, deep-fried food, it?s not hard to see why. Crispy, light and fluffy vegetables and seafood are served with either salt or a dipping sauce (tentsuyu) or on a bowl of rice (tendon). Where: Tempura is the house speciality at Toku (Regent Street), and one of the most expensive things on the otherwise reasonable menu (but it?s damn good). Visit the website for weekly offers, and students can claim a 10% discount.
Katsu curry A heap of rice, mild curry sauce with onion, potato, carrots, beef chucks and a whole-breaded, deep-fried, sliced-pork cutlet dumped on the side for good measure. Where: It?s very hard to actually screw up a katsu curry. Very hard. Most places have it lurking somewhere on the menu. However Tokyo Diner (near Leicester Square) is worthy of a mention as they not only do a decent katsu curry, but for the truly ravenous they offer ?Omori?, an extra large helping of rice, for free. All you have to do is ask. Just make sure you eat it, greedy.
Reader suggestions:
Curry Ono in Brixton village offers ‘a great katsu curry’, says Amy in the comments.
Soho Japan on Wells Street ‘does the best katsu curry ever’, according to minty_fresh_uk.
Udon Thick, wheat noodles plonked into a mild broth with tempura, scallions, or various other fun foodstuffs thrown in on top. Where: Queues are out the door for bowls of wormy fat Sanuki noodles, a speciality from south-western Japan, at Koya in Soho since it opened to rave reviews in 2010. Pioneered by people who really know their stuff — it?s about as authentic as you?re going to get in this hemisphere.
Omurice Chicken fried rice wrapped in a thin sheet of omelette and squirted with ketchup. The ultimate in fusion comfort food. Where: Surprisingly, not many places do Omurice. The Crane and Tortoise on Gray’s Inn Road does, though. And it?s delightful when there?s an empty spot inside that only rice pretending to be breakfast can fill.
Gyoza
Gyoza Derived from Chinese dumplings, these beauties are made with minced pork, cabbage and garlic then pan-fried on the bottom and steamed. Consumed with a soy-chilli oil dip. Where: Yoisho (Goodge Street) is an izakaya that does everything, but the gyoza here is particularly morish ? said by many Japanese foodies to be ?some of the best gyoza in London?. Do some chompworthy yakitori too.
Other noteworthy izakaya and restaurants
The aforementioned Japanese ‘pub’ works a lot like Spanish tapas; order a round of food and drinks, then repeat until you’re stuffed and/or pleasently wasted. Below are some of our other favourite Izakaya to check out:
Asakusa, Mornington Crescent: Booking is essential, so people tend to keep this one quiet. We’re probably already in trouble for telling you.
ICN Gallery, Shoreditch: Simple, to the point, tasty and cheap stop-off for lunch, with an associated gallery of new Asian art. Read our review.
Kiraku, Ealing Common: High-standard of food and some very tasty Sashimi (raw sliced fish). Be sure to book at peak eating times.
Suzu, Hammersmith: Do fantastic deals every Monday with discounted food and drink.
Tomoe, Bond Street: Another good ‘all-rounder’ on the food front. Downstairs is good for big groups.
Other reader suggestions
Akari on Essex Road deserves a mention, according to Kkmaisey in the comments.
Cafe Japan in Golders Green is ‘great, unpretentious and reasonable’, says fluffythoughts.net.
Dotori in Finsbury Park is a good option according to Ali Ross on Facebook.
Japan Centre near Piccadilly is Eugenie Guseva’s favourite for lunch (via Facebook).
Nobu in Mayfair, with its Michelin Star, is nominated by George Hastings on Facebook.
Roka on Charlotte Street serves up Robatayaki style, Claire Luck tips us off on Facebook.
Sapporo Ichiban in Catford offers an ‘amazingly fresh and affordable buffet’, according to Pixies888 in the comments.
Satsuma on Wardour Street does ‘excellent bento’, according to Paul Henry on Facebook.
Sushi Japan in North Finchley is beloved of Shani Souter (on Facebook) who tells us it “has the greatest selection of all sushis available (including sashimi) and Japanese delights (my favourite being pumpkin korroke and the octopus balls, takoyaki) for an amazing set price. Terms and conditions apply but for £14 you can eat whatever you like off the menu — and as much of it as you like. Even the ramen which usually costs £9 a bowl.”
Sushi Waka on Camden Parkway, nominated by Dave Hodgkinson in the comments.
Taro on Old Compton street ‘do great Bento boxes’, reckons Amy in the comments.
Tsunami on Charlotte Street is nominated by Liza Ramli on Facebook
Zuma in Knightsbridge is nominated by Liza Ramli on Facebook.
We’d like to add to this article with reader suggestions. Please let us know your own favourite Japanese restaurants, either for a specific food item or general dining, in the comments below.
If further evidence were needed of the swankification of Shoreditch, we bring you news that tailor Gresham Blake is opening a new shop there this week.
This’ll be the second London store for the Brighton tailor: the other is in South Molton Street.
Gresham Blake is part of what’s been called the “new bespoke movement”; attempting to revitalise classic British tailoring by making it relevant to a new audience of younger, hipper clients. His style has been described as “Savile Row with a rock star twist” — quality tailoring and fine British milled materials with funky, subversive touches. (Look out for sober exteriors with flashy floral linings, or subtle suits with more daring metal skull buttons.) Blake’s predecessors in this style include other Brit tailors Timothy Everest and Ozwald Boateng; his celeb fans include Christian Slater, Nick Cave and Ray Winstone.
Think bespoke suits aren’t for you? You might be surprised that Gresham Blake’s “contemporary bespoke” two piece suits start at £690 for men, and £550 for women. Yes, it’s a lot; but compared to Savile Row prices, it’s a pretty good deal for something that’s going to last a very long time and fit like a glove.
The Shoreditch store also offers ready-to-wear suits, other clothing and accessories. We particularly like the Airfix cufflinks (which cost a tenner).
Gresham Blake’s new London shop is at 143 Commercial Street, Shoreditch, London, E1 6BJ. The launch is tonight; the opening tomorrow. Visit www.greshamblake.com to find out more.
ART / EXHIBITIONS: The biggest show opening this week is probably Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam at the British Museum, opening on Thursday. The British Museum’s latest blockbuster examines the pilgrimage to Mecca, a journey which is central the Muslim faith, and how it has evolved through history.
Other new shows opening this week include Jane McAdam Freud’s sculpture of her father at the Freud Museum from tomorrow; The Artists’ Eye: Mapping the Change about the developments in East London around the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Hackney Museum, also from tomorrow; and the intriguing-sounding Golden Spider Silk at the V&A: a display of large textiles woven from spider silk. (Did you know it?s believed Louis XIV had a full suit made from the stuff?!)
THEATRE: The Trial Of Ubu is this week?s first theatre recommendation. This new satirical play, at the Hampstead Theatre, sees an amoral megalomaniac brought before an international tribunal. It promises to be a funny and unsettling play. The Bee opens at the Soho Theatre on Thursday: Hideki Noda’s acclaimed drama based on the short story, Plucking At Each Other. Also opening on Thursday is The House of Bernarda Alba at the Almeida Theatre, starring Iranian stage and screen star Shohreh Aghdashloo. On Friday, you can see Father Ted?s Ardal O?Hanlon in Conor McPherson?s Dublin-set drama Port Authority, at the Southwark Playhouse.
OPERA: Look out for Cosi Fan Tutte at the Royal Opera House from Friday. It’s performed in Italian with English surtitles, and features contemporary staging; or Der Rosenkavalier at the London Coliseum, starring Sarah Connolly in the title role, with Sophie Bevan as the innocent Sophie.
JAZZ:Kings Place brings together three jazz heavyweights this weekend in a mini-series that goes beyond standard gig formats. The three headliners ? trumpeter Jay Phelps, saxophonist and rapper Soweto Kinch (recently profiled here), and Latin pianist Alex Wilson ? will all perform together as well as running their own very different gigs. Featuring a big band, concept album and concerto for the kora (the West African harp) this is as varied as modern jazz gets.
CLASSICAL: Young cellist Oliver Coates is an Artist in Residence at Southbank Centre, which means he gets to curate his own concerts under the title Harmonic Series (see the video below). On Sunday, Coates has put together an evening of classical, folk and electronic music, and poetry. And it’s only a fiver.
DANCE: Choose between Ivan Putrov ? Men In Motion at Sadler?s Wells (a celebration of the male form in motion), and La Fille Mal Gardee, a performance by the Russian State Ballet and the Orchestra of Siberia at the New Wimbledon Theatre.
Anything we’ve missed that you’re really looking forward to seeing this week? Let us know in the comments below.
News
If further evidence were needed of the swankification of Shoreditch, we bring you news that tailor 
ART / EXHIBITIONS: The biggest show opening this week is probably 
THEATRE: The 
