Welcome back to The Slice – our exclusive guide to what’s on in London, where we bring you trusted reviews, sneak previews, and amazing deals and discounts.
Brunch: you’ve got your pancakes, avo toasts and various forms of egg. But what about something a bit… different? Ramen at 9am perhaps. Or Buldak mayo-smothered tater tots. Maybe caviar on your dippy egg and soliders?
We’ve rounded up the best brekkies in town for when shakshuka just won’t do — and sent food writer and self-confessed ‘brunch refusenik’ Beatrice Aidin to try an Indian feast that’ll put any breakfast naan to shame.
Also in this edition: Slice-approved pizza joints, a new ‘adult playground’ in Battersea and a ‘moving’ collection of tales every South Londoner should read.
Welcome to the Slice
The Slice is your weekly guide to what’s happening in London, so if you’re looking for restaurant reviews, drinks deals or just a great new exhibition to visit on a rainy Saturday in the capital, we’ve got you covered.
Click here for this week’s edit of the best things to do in town.
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Things to do this week in London
If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, here are 10 of the best activities, dining, and drinking spots in the capital.
1. Try Ria’s fluffy Detroit-style pizzas in Soho
By Kitty Chrisp
Pizza-lovers, unite. There’s a chilled out, trendy, Detroit-style pizza spot called Ria’s that’s just opened in Soho after the roaring success of its Notting Hill branch. Pizza by the slice is usually eaten on a bench in the freezing cold, but here you can enjoy the fluffiest deep pan base encased by a crispy cheese shell by candlelight, accompanied with lip-smacking organic wine tipples.
It’s the ‘minimalist coffee shop’ for pizza lovers, and service comes with a big smile from attentive staff. Dave’s Hot Pep is perhaps the juiciest, perfectly sweet and salty, most indulgent slice I’ve ever had.
Their deep fried Mars Bar with silky soft serve ice cream is also the most premium dessert in town, in my humble northern opinion. Ria’s is deliciously naughty and right up anyone’s street who is a sucker for comfort food done right.
Slices from £4.90 and whole pizzas from £16. 29 Foubert’s Place, Soho, W1F 7QF. Book here.
Another pizza spot to put on your radar…
2. Indulge in innovative Mexican food at Chicozapote
You might know Zapote for its house-made tortillas and unique, contemporary approach to Mexican cuisine by the chef who led the kitchen at Aqua Nueva. Now you can head to their brand new 12-seater taco bar, Chicozapote, with moody lighting that screams date night and lively orange and green decor.
They have a small menu but don’t be fooled, the flavours aren’t shy. The first dish is a tostada — a piece of yellowfin tuna perching on a spicy crab paste that hits you with a refreshing kick. With an unexpected Greek influence, the ox cheek and roasted lobster with neatly piped smoked taramasalata is a moreish bite that disappears in a couple of mouthfuls.
At Chicozapote, the drinks share the stage with the food. The brand new Chico Zapote cocktail with prickly pear and orange blossom gin is a dream to sip on, with a sweet-sour combo the bartender tailored to my preference and got just right.
Cocktails, £14. Tacos from £9. 70 Leonard Street, Shoreditch, EC2A 4QX. Book here.
3. Try one of London’s brekkies with a twist
Bone Daddies
Best for: a bit of heat on a chilly morning
Ramen bar and breakfast aren’t two words that feel like a match made in heaven, but Bone Daddies’ new breakfast menu begs to differ. It offers a range of bao buns featuring brown sugar bacon, hot honey chicken and a surprisingly delicious sausage made from spam, alongside breakfast ramen that puts a Japanese twist on a full English with a half soy egg and sweet bacon in a hearty chicken broth.
The real stars of the show are the breakfast tots – cheesy, bacon-y, buldak mayo-y delights we want added to the regular menu. Wash it down with a sweet-salty caramel miso latte.
Bao buns from £3.20, Breakfast Ramen £13. Available at Bone Daddies’ London Victoria branch from 7.30-11.30am. Book here.
Chutney Mary
Best for: if you usually order a Dishoom breakfast naan
A weekend brunch at Chutney Mary, which redefined Indian cuisine 35 years ago, finds me with a feast in the St James’s Street restaurant with light as bright as Diwali. It’s busy, yet spacious with modern marble and silver design.
We start with stunning homemade paneer tikka tandoori and bhalla papdi chaat, a Delhi street food classic. We have one vegetarian and one non-vegetarian Silver Crescent thali, which includes dal, Karwari fish, chicken lababdar and lamb Roghan josh, while paneer angara and saag come with Mysore potatoes that will rock your world. Hospitality is beyond and Rasmalai in saffron and pistachio-infused poached milk is heaven. Forget the avocado, this is the brunch you need.
Weekend brunch, 2 courses £45; 3 courses £52. 73 St. James’s Street. Book here.
Noisy Oyster
Best for: fans of kippers (and caviar) for breakfast
We bet you haven’t had breakfast like this before. You get the full luxe experience at sleek Shoreditch seafood bar Noisy Oyster – salty bottarga tater tots with creamy sour cream and chive, an indulgent soft crab omelette, an English breakfast muffin loaded with meaty bites of scallop and monkfish.
Even eggs and soldiers get an upgrade with whipped butter and caviar. Pair with a breakfast martini and Bob’s your uncle.
Plates from £8. 2 Nicholls Clarke Yard, Shoreditch. Book here.
4. Play neon darts and more at The Thieves
A 7ft drag queen, revamped retro games tables and a battered fish canapé was a combination I was not expecting on a Thursday evening – yet The Thieves had it all. The Laine Pub Co., a group that transforms classic pubs into multisensory experiences, got their hands on what was once classic Battersea boozer The Four Thieves and have turned it into nothing short of an adult playground.
Grab a drink at the well-stocked bar, then line your stomach with food from Soho legends Balans – highlights include crispy coconut prawns and smoky chipotle and tomatillo Avocado Quesadillas. Upstairs, The Thieves Gambit is the main event. Neon darts, air hockey and Mario Kart Arcade trump your classic night out (even if you’re bottom of the leaderboard for racecar driving like me).
End the night with a quirky live performance downstairs – an interactive cabaret, a futuristic DJ set, or something else entirely. Or maybe give a show of your own in the karaoke room.
Small plates from £9.50. 51 Lavender Gardens, Battersea, SW11 1JW. Book here.
5. Get free bowls of comforting noodles at new opening Liu Xiaomian
Cult favourite noodle duo Liu Xiaomian are setting up shop in new pub The Stranded this month, and in true lucky Chinese style, the first 66 bowls of noodles are FREE from 12pm on Friday 14 November.
Show up for steamy bowls of Hot & Sour glass noodles swimming in their legendary homemade chilli oil. Get yours at 430 Strand, book here.
6. Head down to Kudu for South African-inspired cocktails
Remember how much we loved the new Kudu? They’ve just opened Smokey Kudu, a plush new cocktail lounge above the restaurant. Check out their 15-strong list of South African-inspired pours plus bar snacks we know are worth getting very excited about.
7. See art by two pivotal British artists
To mark 250 years since their births, OG art rivals J.M.W Turner and John Constable are being put head to head in a major exhibition at the Tate Britain.
Turner and Constable: Rivals and Originals explores their intertwined and often clashing lives with an display of over 170 of their stunning landscape works, alongside intimate insights from their sketchbooks and personal belongings.
8. Join a community of runners for races and more
Join On Running and Community Track Club for Open Lanes — a FREE celebration of running culture at Lee Valley Athletics Centre on 15 November from 4-10pm. Expect races, pro-led sessions, music, food, drinks, and even free tattoos. Lace up – all runners and supporters welcome.
9. See London light up for Christmas
London’s festive transformation continues as Covent Garden, Old Spitalfields Market and Marylebone Village all switch their Christmas lights on tonight.
On Saturday, Chelsea’s switch-on with Father Christmas comes at the end of an all-day shopping street extravaganza, including reindeer makeovers for children; pop-up bars from The Cadogan Arms; Christmas card making workshops from Saatchi; pop-up hot chocolate carts from Diptyque and more.
10. Read a collection of stories by Andrew Grumbridge and Vincent Raison
Deserter Stories marks another brilliant offering from Andrew Grumbridge and Vincent Raison, the creative minds behind the Deserter podcast. Their third book delivers ten perfectly crafted tales that showcase their ability to find magic in the mundane corners of London life.
Set against the familiar backdrop of south London and its watering holes, these stories transport readers into a world where the extraordinary lurks beneath everyday existence. From a hapless time traveller to a retired banker finding solace in gardening – and even God as a homeless man in Flowers in the Desert – their characters are vivid, funny, and deeply human. Essential reading for anyone who appreciates clever, moving yarn-spinning with a distinctly London flavour.
Join the writers for a reading and Q&A at the Rusty Bucket Pub, Eltham on 26 November, 7pm. Free entry, get your copy here for £9.99.
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