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Lunar New Year is a beautiful celebration, and this year it’s the Year of The Horse. Different Asian countries – from Korea, to Vietnam and China – come together to celebrate the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar.
It’s a time for feasting, with vibrant food that packs a punch, parades and quality family time.
So we’re pretty happy that the 15-day festival is picking up traction in London and the UK.
That also means we didn’t waste any time finding the best bites and things to do to celebrate – from BAO’s £35pp feast with crispy chilli crab noodles to die for, to the biggest celebrations in central London.
Or maybe, you fancy staying in and ordering a Chinese takeaway to celebrate, so we’d love to know what your absolute must order is! (For us, the prawn crackers never disappoint).
See you next week!
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. Sip on expertly made cocktails (or equally as good mocktails) at Equal Parts
It feels strange to say I’ve never felt more like a regular than in a trendy Hackney bar which, suffice to say, aren’t usually the warmest of spaces. Jasmine, the head bartender at Equal Parts, tells me they’ve tried to take their Flor and raw chilli Paloma off the menu twice, but each time locals rallied and I completely get why. Made with olive oil vodka and fino sherry tomato water, Flor is unlike anything you’ve tasted before and quietly addictive. It’s layered, surprising and satisfyingly fresh – sharp vodka is softened by the gentle sweetness of tomato, lifted with olive oil and salt to elevate every note.
The Paloma is equally refreshing, perfectly spiced with a clean edge that never overwhelms. Two drinks in, and I don’t doubt Jasmine when she says locals come back two or three times a week for this. What impresses me most though, is the care given to the non-alcoholic options – just as thoughtful and compelling, so you can enjoy both Flor and Paloma without sacrificing your liver. Equal Parts, you might just have gained another loyal customer.
Zero proof cocktails from £10, cocktails from £13. 245 Hackney Rd, Hackney, E2 8NA. Book here.
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2. Indulge in Italian food in elegant settings at Mezzogiorno by Francesco Mazzei
Set within the five-star Corinthia London, Mezzogiorno unfolds in an elegant, high-ceilinged dining room jutting onto Victoria Embankment. At the helm is top Italian chef Francesco Mazzei, and this is his ode to southern Italy. It’s all very glamorous – a small army of uniformed, oh-so-attentive waiters glide between tables, and there’s a marble pasta bar where a man in a chef’s toque performs wizardry with a rolling pin.
For all the glitz, the cooking leans rustic. An aperitivo sets the tone – the Calabrian Spritz is like a sip of the Adriatic. The whole menu is threaded with family recipes, Francesco tells us that his mother makes the olive oil. The lasagne is a home-style triumph: tiny meatballs tucked into silky sheets slick with béchamel and layered with fried aubergine. I curse myself for not ordering the carbonara which is apparently a speciality; the burrata ravioli is delicious but all that brown butter and melted cheese is too much after one bite. Prices are steep, but you can show restraint when ordering – the portions are generous enough to make any nonna proud (the tiramisu had to come home with me in a box!)
Antipasti from £12, primi from £18, secondi from £24. Corinthia London, 10a Northumberland Ave, Embankment, WC2N 5AE. Book here.
3. Bring in the Lunar New Year with these specially selected bites…
TOKKIA
Best for: Korean matcha with a seasonal twist
Korean Matcha House TOKKIA (meaning ‘hey, bunny’) has launched a brand new menu in celebration of Lunar New Year. The line up sounds seriously impressive: an Injeolmi Vanilla Matcha Latte, Hojicha Latte and an Injeolmi Salt Bread. Even bette, the first 30 guests at TOKKIA on 14-17 February will receive a complimentary rice cake! Their core menu is just as tasty, with a beautiful selection of matcha drinks ranging from creamy lattes to sparkling teas.
Drinks from £4. Baked treats from £2.80. 3 Monmouth St, Covent Garden. Just walk in.
Liu Xiaomian
Best for: fiery noodles with a sweet treat
Warning: It’s getting real spicy over here. Chongqing restaurant Liu Xiaomian are popping up at The Stranded Pub. Come for perfectly cooked, slightly chewy noodles seasoned with soy sauce, garlic, chilli oil, ginger, sichuan pepper and more – plus exciting combos like minced pork, and spicy beef. They’re celebrating Lunar New Year with a dish widely eaten around this time: Tang Yuan, glutinous rice balls with black sesame fillings, that taste a lot better than they sound.
Tang Yuan, £6.50. Noodle dishes from £11.50, wontons from £8. Book here.
Best for: beautiful Taiwanese bites
BAO is a London staple, with cloud-like Taiwanese buns and that extremely photogenic steak and cured egg yolk rice dish you see everywhere (which does taste as good as it looks). And in honour of Lunar New Year, they’re putting on a special menu: think XO hispi cabbage and crispy chilli crab noodles and mushroom dumplings in a vibrant pool of green chilli oil. But this menu won’t be around forever. Head down and get the Year of The Snake off to a perfect start.
Set menu, £35pp. Until 26 February. Find out more.
4. And it doesn’t end there, find out more ways to celebrate Lunar New Year
Bonus: What’s happening in London for Lunar New Year
It’s the Year of the Fire Horse! See how London is going big for Lunar New Year, a festival celebrated by many countries who follow the Lunar calendar, including In China and Japan.
There’s plenty on for Lunar New Year, and we can’t go on without a mention of the biggest Lunar New Year celebrations outside of Asia. That’s the West End festivities where you can experience a parade that goes through Charing Cross Road, Shaftesbury Avenue and Chinatown.
If you prefer to stay South East of the river, pop down to Greenwich Peninsula for Chinese knot-making, acrobatics and even a special exhibition.
And at Old Spitalfields Market, they’ve got something for everyone. Think free artsy workshops, dumpling making and a pop-up Asian makers market!
5. Slurp on Oysters and more Gilroy’s Loft’s seafood-led menu
By Vanessa Redmond
Are you a fan of Guinness and seafood? Then Gilroy’s Loft might be your idea of heaven. Perched atop the new Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Covent Garden, this lively rooftop spot pairs the unmistakable pull of the black stuff with a seafood-led menu. Named after John Gilroy, whose whimsical advertising illustrations form a huge part of Guinness history, the space feels both playful and purposeful, with Michelin-trained executive chef Pip Lacey at the helm.
To start, the beetroot and citrus-cured Chalk Stream trout is absolutely stoutstanding — fresh, vibrant, and beautifully balanced with black pepper crème fraîche. The grilled half lobster is the clear showstopper: rich, melt-in-your-mouth, and drenched in tomato and pine nut brown butter, best enjoyed with beer and potato bread for dipping. Nom nom nom. Drinks are central here, as they should be. Guinness-inspired cocktails like the Espresso Stoutini and the playful Toucan Colada are polished and fun. With friendly, attentive staff and food genuinely worth raising a pint to, Gilroy’s Loft is well worth a visit. Sláinte.
Oysters from £5, small plates from £4.50, big plates from £23. Guinness Open Gate, Brewery London, 1 Mercer Walk, Covent Garden, WC2H 9FA. Book here.
6. Welcome Topshop and Topman back to the high street
Topshop and Topman are back on the high street, launching in 32 John Lewis stores! To celebrate, a pop-up kiosk operated by Benugo will be outside John Lewis Oxford Street for the next two weeks – where you can get your hands on a tasty coffee.
7. See some free art at Somerset House
Pop to Somerset House to experience a new FREE installation Serpentine Currents by Dana-Fiona Armour – an endangered sea snake species with an LED surface animated using ocean data from the British coastline. Find out more.
8. Try a taco heaping with succulent prawns as part of Ixchel and Guacamoles new collab
For Ixchel’s next guest collab, they’ve partnered with Guacamoles in Peckham to create the ultimate taco. It’s built around prawns in a spiced tomato and olive sauce and served with a selection of Ixchel’s house salsas – a reflection of home-style Mexican cooking. Until 31 March. Book your spot here.
9. Sip on a huge variety of beers at Liquid Dreams festival
An all-you-can-drink beer festival Liquid Dreams returns to London for its fourth year. On 27-28 Feb, look forward to sipping on IPAs, stout and more as you taste some of the best of independent brewing.
£60 per session, including unlimited access to all beers, entry and a festival tasting glass. Tickets here.
10. Feel safer after a night out with the help of Strut Safe
A volunteer run phone line Strut Safe has launched safe spaces to help people get home. At the Morley’s in Stockwell and Dalston Junction, you can wait for your taxi after a night out with no expectation to buy anything. Open until 4am Weds-Sun. Find out more.
11. See Arcadia, Tom Stoppard’s ‘masterpiece’ about a teenage prodigy
By John Nathan
★★★★
If there is one play that proves beyond reasonable doubt that Tom Stoppard, who sadly died last year was cleverer than his playwriting peers, it is this one first seen in 1993. In one moment we are in the drawing room of a 19th-century Derbyshire mansion where 13-year-old Thomasina (played by Catherine Called Birdy star Isis Hainsworth) is being home-schooled by Septimus, her Eton-educated tutor who is also a chum of poet Lord Byron. In the next moment two 20th-century academics stand in the same space arguing about what happened there 200 years earlier.
Stoppard, who won an Oscar for his Shakespeare In Love screenplay, was often accused of writing plays that were much more clever than they were emotional. And true, as this one pivots between two centuries, the dialogue chucks around such daunting terms as ‘iterated algorithm’ and ‘chaos theory’ like sweets at a panto (the programme has a helpful glossary). Yet the fun of the evening is that because the action segues between the academics and the actual events they argue over, we know much more than the floundering know-it-alls. It is here that the play generates an almost unbearable poignancy, especially when we know what happens to Thomasina. This mind-expanding masterpiece leaves you feeling cleverer at the end than you did at the beginning.
Tickets from £16.50. Old Vic. Until 21 March. Get final tickets here.
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