Author Archives

  • lazarus-musical
    Lazarus (Musical)
    Posted in: Drama & Theatre, Reviews

    It’s almost a year since David Bowie made his final public appearance at the New York opening night of the Lazarus musical he co-wrote. Now playing through the autumn-winter season at the Kings Cross Theatre, Londoners have no excuse not to pay homage to one of rock’s greats in a production featuring many of his […]

  • dar-marrakech
    Dar Marrakech, Stratford (Restaurant)
    Posted in: Food & Dining, Reviews

    High Street banks, cafes and municipal buildings are the normal architectural fare on the average London High Street so a Moroccan-style shop front with grand-looking doors and stand out North African and Middle Eastern design elements is always going to get more than its fair share of double takes in Stratford. Although you can’t always […]

  • painters'-painter
    Painters’ Painters (Exhibition)
    Posted in: Reviews, Shows & Exhibitions

    Don’t get the two mixed up. Painters’ Paintings at The National Gallery (Sept 2016) was an exhibition of paintings owned by the great artists while Painters’ Painters at the Saatchi (Nov 2016-Feb 2017) celebrates the work of contemporary names who have imposed their own styles on a medium challenged, reinterpreted and sometimes traduced and reduced […]

  • fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them
    Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Film)
    Posted in: Movies & TV Shows, Reviews

    The first movie script to be penned by billionaire author J.K. Rowling will no doubt prove to be as successful as the Harry Potter books she wrote without the contribution of Hollywood screenwriters, because when you’re in flow you’re in flow. And the casting of Eddie Redmayne in the lead role as magizoologist (wizard & […]

  • strada camden
    Strada, Camden (Restaurant)
    Posted in: Food & Dining, Reviews

    With Italian cuisine and drink products amongst the hottest attractions at the recent Taste of London restaurant festival then maybe you’d like a real restaurant experience to go with those appetising samples of Ronco Calino 2008 Italian champagne hot off of Italian Fizz’s Taste of London stalls. Look no further than the Strada chain of […]

  • Tower Bridge London
    Hot Picks This Week
    Posted in: Unused

    Don’t you feel sorry for November? We tend to overlook it and treat it as a sort of month long run-in to Christmas. Not here at Hot Picks. Check out what’s hot in November this week. Festivals: London Stories Made By Migrants. Actual migrants telling true stories about their struggle to leave their home countries. […]

  • Taste of London 2016
    Taste of London 2016
    Posted in: Events & Festivals, Highlights, Photos

    Taste of London 2016 hailing itself as The World’s Greatest Restaurant Festival certainly brought together world-renowned chefs and the best of London restaurants offering samples of their latest exquisite food and drink products. Caviar champagne, wine and other gourmet delights from as far afield as Honduras ad the Far East. Not to be missed! November […]

  • david-lurie-writing-the-city
    David Lurie – Writing the City (Exhibition)
    Posted in: Reviews, Shows & Exhibitions

    South African photographer David Lurie captures the urban communities of the Rainbow Nation with an uncompromising focus on the socio-political realities of the post-apartheid era. This self-taught photographer, who studied politics, philosophy and economics at the University of Cape Town, is a conscientious commentator and uses a documentary-style body of work to get his points […]

  • love-complex-london-korean-film-festival
    London Korean Film Festival 2016
    Posted in: Events & Festivals, Highlights

    If you didn’t catch the exhilarating South Korean horror movie Train to Busan at the cinemas recently you can always experience films from that part of the world at their indie roots – and on a more cerebral level. This film festival’s Mise-en-Scene 2 series of films was screened at the Korean Cultural Centre at […]