Following the success of the launch in November the Wild Life night returns on Friday 9th March. Wildlife brings a night of Tech, House, and Garage. Taking place in Designersblock, a discreet and unique venue in Hoxton, still to be discovered by many of the locals its well worth checking out.

Headliners Disclosure are returning fresh from their European tour supporting SBTRKT, counting Zane Lowe, Annie Mac and Nick Grimshaw as fans they are currently receiving lots of airplay on Radio 1, XFM and Kiss FM. Amongst others F.E.A.R will be supporting, an emerging talent from West London fresh from BPM festival in Mexico, their unique style is getting them noticed and 2012 is destined to be a very big year for them.

A laid back, party atmosphere awaits, expect an eclectic mix of music, Jungle Juice cocktails and Hoxton hipster attendance.

£7 before midnight, £10 after

Til 23 December 2011
Film screening event: Thursday 15 December, 7pm

Lee Maelzer makes paintings about the human need to record events and places and the visual languages. For her first solo exhibition at Poppy Sebire Maelzer will show new works that further develop her fascination for the mediated image; whether that held in the mind, the camera, or the physical archive.

The London-based artist is known for her odd, beautiful and technically adept means of describing facets of the everyday in paint; this particular body of work reflects the experience of flipping through a pile of photographs.

Poppy Sebire
All Hallows Hall
6 Copperfield Street, SE1 0EP
Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am-6am

1. The Unique View
High Timber is located on the banks of the Thames by the Millennium Bridge with views of Shakespeare’s Globe and Tate Modern. Come midnight you can watch the London fireworks from High Timber’s private terrace.

2. Extensive Wines
The restaurant has it’s own cellar where diners are taken to choose their wines from over 45,000 bottles made up of 900 bins ensuring you’ll get the best wines for your budget and taste.

3. Indulgent Menu
Chef Justin Saunders has created a six course menu using seasonal produce with suitably celebratory ingredients such as fois gras, truffles and langoustines (full menu below).

4. Elegant Eating
High Timber seats 80 people in a glass fronted dining room. The interiors play on the name (taken from Timber Street) with wooden furniture and neutral furnishings make the room informal and elegant.

5. The Price
6 course meal + a glass of Champagne + private view of the London fireworks = £99 per person

The Menu:

Smoked Salmon Blini, Chive Creme Fraiche
_ _ _ _
Mosaic of Game and Fois Gras, Madeira Gel, Brioche
or
Risotto of Pumpkin and Truffle (v)
_ _ _ _
Poached Halibut, Langoustine, Bisque Sauce
_ _ _ _
Fillet of Cumbrian Dry Aged Beef, Anna Potato, Roasted Carrot, Perigord Truffle Sauce
or
Lasagne of Winter Roots, Girolle Mushrooms, Celeriac Cream (v)
_ _ _ _
Hot Chocolate Fondant, Cherry Gel, Warm Brandied Cherries
_ _ _ _
Illy Coffee, Home made Petit Fours

Make your booking here
Email info@hightimber.com
Call direct on 0207 248 1777

With places such as Allpress, Prufrock and Penny University it is all about the beans but for those who like to eat just as much St ALi is a rare combo of the two.

St.ALi is in the tardis space that used to be Dust nightclub. The interior has retained an industrial feel but benefited from some polishing up and customers can sit on the ground floor tables, the circular coffee bar, or the quieter upstairs.

The menu is served all day so if you fancy a breakfast at 5pm of House-braised Beans on Sourdough Toast with Salted Ricotta, Lemon, Mint and Truffled Mascarpone (£6.35) you know where to go.

Lunch serves similarly interesting food such as the vegetarian Caramelised Sweet Potato Tart with Snow Pea Shoots and Herb Salad (£6.35) followed by desserts like Chocolate Jelly or homemade cakes.

St.ALi’s roastery dominates the back of the ground floor behind the coffee bar. The aroma from the roasted beans is amazing at all times of the day and if you get there at the right time you can watch the roastery in action (no doubt they would be very happy to explain the process). The beans vary from day to day according to which are good at the time and this reflects in the taste; our lattes were so good we had two in succession.

Neon Rating: Go! Go!
Finally somewhere with really good coffee and really good food. We’ll go back with a group of friends and make use of the huge wooden table upstairs for a long boozy brunch.

Thank you to Cherie City for the photo.

OnePiece the Norwegian store who specialise in fashionable jumpsuits recently opened their first UK store in Shoreditch’s new Boxpark, 2-4 Bethnal Green Road, “the worlds first pop up shopping mall”.

If you haven’t been yet here’s another good reason to go!

Opening Hours
Mon-Sat: 12:00-20:00
Thurs: 12:00-22:00
Sun: 12:00-18:00

Icons of Vienna were literally turned on their side on October 25-26, when the Vienna Tourist Board built the biggest structure ever erected in Trafalgar Square.

The 21m high wall was built to create a spectacular vertical show and public challenge in London over two days. The dramatic acrobatics show played on the wall right in front of Nelson’s Column four times daily – a daring celebration of traditional and modern Viennese culture while suspended in the air.

Mixing art, sound, lights and adventurous aerial displays, the show took inspiration from Vienna’s modern music scene, imperial heritage, iconic artist Gustav Klimt, from its indulgent food and wine scene as well as the Viennese waltz. Demonstrating Vienna’s renowned electronic music scene, DJ DEF Mike was DJing in the square.

For more information about travel in Vienna see www.wien.info and their facebook and YouTube pages.

Where
La Brasserie
272 Brompton Road, SW3 2AW
0207 581 3098

What
Rossmore rock oysters (Jersey) – £25 for 12
The plump bivalves were well shucked perfect for mopping up with the delicious sourdough. They came with lemon, shallot vinegar, tabasco and worcestershire sauce.

***

Steak Tartare – £19.90
This was our favourite main because it epitomised what La Brasserie is good for; hearty classic simple French dishes. The portion was large and came with an order of tasty thin crispy frites. The tartare itself was well seasoned and the soft minced steak contrasted well against the slight crunch of the gherkins and onions.

Hamburger Holstein – £16.90
A classic Holstein is a super savoury combo of meat, anchovy and caper laced with the smoothness of egg yolk. This egg was cooked perfectly but unfortunately the anchovy and capers were hidden on one corner of the burger and lost in the huge weight of the meat. The whole dish did not seem to work together maybe because the meat itself was dry despite using chopped steak which you would expect to be moist when cooked medium. The dish also came with a basket of frites.

Drink
Tap water – free
3 glasses of Champagne – £11.50 each
2 glasses of Fleurie – £7.50 each

Atmosphere
We visited at 8pm on a Tuesday evening and the place was packed, full of locals and a good mix of clientele. The dining room itself is classic brasserie with mirrors, arty French posters, a shiny brass bar and big open glass frontage with tables on the street. The black and white clad waiters were attentive, formal and knowledgeable about the menu and wine. We began with some drinks at the bar (independently called Pierre’s) and then moved to the dining area which added some occasion to the evening.

Offers
Monday Nights – £38.50 for Chateaubriand with frites and Béarnaise sauce for two
Pierre’s Bar – cocktails are 2-4-1 between 5-7pm every day, Sunday nights £6 each between 7-11pm

Verdict
GO!
This is a neighbourhood restaurant for people popping in for supper without much occasion but popular as such so you are guaranteed an atmosphere. The food is good if you order simply and don’t want anything too elaborate, while the kitchen is skilled you have to choose wisely as too many ingredients let it down as with our Steak Holstein proving 3 ingredients too much. We would return on a Monday for the Chateaubriand offer.

Neon were guests of La Brasserie

Where
@Siam
48 Frith Street, W1D 4SF
0207 494 4511

What
Ruam Mittr (mixed appetizer plate for 2) – £13.95
This came with corn fritters, chicken satay, pomelo and prawn salad, spring rolls and a Dokk Jokk basket (a flower shaped mould used with sweet and savoury batter).
The star on the plate were the corn fritters with red curry batter and an aromatic syrup; a moreish combination of crispness with the chew from the corn and sweetness from the syrup.
The satay was excellent and a refined version of skewers with gloopy sauce. These were generous portions of moist marinated breast with an almost dry satay coating.
The spring rolls and Dokk Jokk basket were not as impressive. The rolls were long and thin and more like breadsticks so the sparse filling was lost and the basket was more of the same fried flavour.
The pomelo salad with prawns was a welcome cleanser from the fried foods served in bite-size lettuce leaves and a delicious and fresh combination of sweet and sour.
Overall it was a generous starter with a interesting mix of dishes at a reasonable price.

Goong Mayonnaise (prawn tempura with mayo) – £6.95
What made this dish stand apart from other prawn tempura was the Thai touch of a sweet honey glaze. The honey cut through the mayonnaise and balanced the salt in the batter making this simple touch definitely worth trying.

Gang Phed Pad Yang (duck red curry) – £11.95
The red curry was very mild and the addition of lychees, pineapple and grapes took the spice down even further. The result was very tender slices of duck breast in a creamy fruity sauce. The sauce was delicious soaked up in the rice but if you do not like overly fruity curry do avoid however for a delicate take on a duck dish this worked well.

Poo Nim Kra Taem Prik Thai (soft shell crab) – £10.95
The soft shell crab was big and spiky and crunchy and coated in a lip-tingling garlic and zingy pepper sauce with refreshing garnish slices of starfruit. Although the portion was big we still fought for the last piece.

Salad Goong Lai Suea (tiger prawn salad) – £12.95
The huge tiger prawns were the main course favourite. Slashed and grilled they were upturned and drizzled with a Thai pesto sauce; a delicious punchy green citrus dressing.

Steamed Jasmine Rice – £2.50
A generous portion of hot fluffy steaming rice.

Drink
Prosecco – £25.95
Tap water – free

Atmosphere
We visited at 9pm on Saturday and being right in the middle of Soho it was as busy and buzzing as you would expect. The crowds were mainly groups with some big tables sharing lots of dishes. The dining room decor is a modern Thai mix of purple, brown and gold with minimal fixtures, fittings and crockery. It is as bright as the Soho lights outside which is slightly intense but suits the atmosphere in and out of the restaurant. The service is very good with lots of staff and the layout of the room means you would never struggle on catching someones eye.

Offers
Lunch menu for £8.95
Pre-theatre menu for £12.96
Current Toptable offer of 25% off food bill

Verdict
GO! GO!
A great option for eating some interesting and modern Thai dishes and we would definitely return to try more of the unusual menu options. Large portions and dishes suited for sharing means this can be an affordable option in the west end where you are guaranteed greater quality than the majority of nearby Chinatown.

Neon were guests of @Siam

The Whitechapel institution was opened by Russian Immigrant and Master Baker Hyman Rinkoff in 1911. Rinkoff emigrated from Kiev and brought with him his precious recipes including the celebrated sweet Jewish bread chola which has continued unchanged ever since. Now regarded as one of the best in the UK Rinkoffs supply chola to Harrods, Selfridges, John Lewis and various smaller chains.

Rinkoffs also produce Eastern European style cheesecakes, strudels, Danish pastries and east end classic the bagel which was a favourite of the Kray twins. Both twins and bakery were based on the same road and the criminals remained good customers even while they were in prison regularly sending out for half a dozen smoked salmon bagels.

Get the tube to Whitechapel and go for lunch. There are some window stools and lots of old photos and newspaper cuttings you can read while working your way through some of the finest bakery in London.

224 Jubilee Street, Whitechapel, E1 3BS, 0207 791 4909
Become a fan on their facebook page

This boy with a moustache on his finger was photographed by Alisa Connan whose work has been featured in Vogue, Vanity Fair, Interview Magazine, Dazed and Confused and Esquire.

It is one image taken from Shoreditch Unbound, a book creating a permanent snapshot of the the art, fashion, design, location and lifestyle of London’s Shoreditch. Presented in a unique ‘unbound’ format each copy will become a bespoke snapshot of Shoreditch in September 2011 as owners find and add content to their book.

Visitors to the Shoreditch Unbound website are invited to download as well as upload new and unique content from the evolving website which can be added to the book. Added content will include limited edition images and the world’s first ever digitally downloaded foreword with further content available throughout September.