London’s latest culinary events

09 Sep 2013
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4 min read
FOUR – The World’s Best Food Magazine brings you a round-up of a few of the exciting culinary events taking place this month in London…

The sudden turn in weather in the UK marks the end of a scorcher of a week for London’s culinary scene. Most of you who follow the capital’s constantly evolving world of architecture will know that when we say this, we’re mostly pertaining to the white-hot events that took place around London’s new and now infamous skyscraper known as the ‘Walkie Talkie’. According to passers-by, the mirrored façade of the37-storey building reflected thesun into a blistering ray which went on a wild rampage, melting cars, and, creating a concentrated heat-wave hot enough to fry an egg!

But, fear not. The onset of autumn doesn’t have to mean a diary full of blank spaces for the London-based epicurean. For the rest of September, our social calendars are awash with food and drink events, from restaurant launches to urban food festivals. Here’s FOUR – The World’s Best Food Magazine’s pick of the best…

Gymkhana – opening today

Taking inspiration from the Indian social and sports clubs of the same name, Gymkhanarestaurant, launching on Albermarle St inMayfair, London,will be the second venture for Karam Sethi, who was awarded his first Michelin star last year as patron chef of restaurant Trishna, London.

Serving modern Indian food with a focus on the tandoor oven and sigri charcoal grill, Gymkhana and its menu will feature signature dishes including sharing plates of tandoori kebabs, sigri grills and seasonal curries.

On the drinks menu are modern interpretations of traditional East Indian punch tavern drinks and local Indian spirits.

Launching today, the team at Gymkana shared this rather wonderful picture of their Dosa, Chetinaad Duck and Coconut Chutney via Instagram earlier this afternoon –

42 Albemarle Street Mayfair, London W1S 4JH

www.gymkhanalondon.com

Marianne – opening this week

Tipped as the smallest fine-dining restaurant in London, BBC Masterchef: The Professionals finalist Marianne Lumb’s eponymously named 14-cover restaurant is set to open later this week on Chepstow Road in West London. Marianne will offer a daily-changing seasonal menu from £48 for three courses per person at dinner, and from £30 at lunch. Sample dishes will include Soufflé of courgette, with Gruyère Alpage and Montgomery Cheddar, Globe artichoke and olive oil purée with dressed Cornish crab, and White peaches poached in rose and lavender with nougat ice cream.

opening:10September

104 Chepstow Road, London W2 5QS

www.mariannerestaurant.com

British Food Fortnight

Part of British Food Fortnight2013, Visit England will be helping to curate a truly unique, not-to-be-missed foodie opportunity: the chance to view a giant edible cake map of England, created by CakeHead Loves – the cake company behind the edible hotel in Soho – featuring a series of individual food-shaped cakes in Britain’s food festival locations, for example, an oyster inspired cake in place of Kent to locate the Whitstable Oyster Festival and Sweetcorn on the Isle of Wight. The food map with be installed at London’s St Pancras on 19 September 2013. Watch this space for more!

Bar Chocolat

Chocolate lovers rejoice! Bar Chocolat (starting Wednesday 11 September until Monday 16 September) brings a week-long celebration of the good stuff to Mercer Street Studios in Covent Garden in the form of an edible art installation by renowned chocolatier Amelia Rope and an interactive experience by well-noted jelly architects, Bompas & Parr. Also on the menu of events is a daily lunch and dinner which combines theatre and food, curated by food designers Blanch and Shock.

To register for a free ticket visit www.barchocolatlondon.com

Urban Food Fortnight

Sounding like it could be the next series of chef superstar and sustainable fine-dining guru Rene Redzepi’s word-renowned culinary event Cook It Raw, Urban Food Fortnight returns fromSaturday 14 September until 29 September, in celebration of the people behind the fantastic produce on London’s doorstep. The fortnight-long festival promises tea and cocktails at the allotment gardens in Regent’s Park (Sunday 15 September), a twilight banquet held in a polytunnel, north of King’s Cross,ultra-local menus at some of London’s top restaurantsand more pop-ups, supper clubs, foraging walks and urban cookery classes than you could shake a stick at.

For more visitwww.sustainweb.org

elBulli: Ferran Adrià and The Art of Food

This month marks the last chance to see the retrospective exhibition on global icon of gastronomy, Ferran Adrià, and his world-renowned restaurant, elBulli, at London’s Somerset House, finishing up on 29 September 2013.

In partnership with Estrella Damm, elBulli: Ferran Adrià andThe Art of Food is the world’s first exhibition dedicated to a chef and hisrestaurant. The retrospective takes a behind-the-scenes look at the legendary laboratory and kitchen of theelBulli, which delighted diners in Cala Montjoi, asmall picturesque bay on the Catalan coast near Roses, for over 50 years.

Visitwww.somersethouse.org.uk

Coming next month…

In light of London Fashion Week, commencing this month 13 September 2013, Mayfair restaurant 34 – sister restaurant to Scott’s and Le Caprice – have just announced their imminent food VS fashion event in collaboration with illustrator David Downton.

Taking place in October 2013, the event will operate as a ‘ladies that lunch’ date, giving guests an insight into his fashion secrets through David’s hand-drawn fashion map, which will highlight some of his favorite haunts including: Claridge’s; Christian Louboutin; Dover Street Market and Ladurée; along with hidden gems such as fashion store Yoji Yamamoto; Gillian Anderson Price, purveyor of vintage jewellery and home ware; G Heywood Hill Ltd for antiquarian books; and Grays Antique Market & Grays in the Mews.

To own a copy of the limited edition David Downton fashion map and illustration, ladies need to book lunch at 34 restaurant from October to December.

For more information visit www.34-restaurant.co.uk