Author Archives

  • Maha Ahmed: A Seed Once Planted
    Maha Ahmed
    Posted in: Highlights, People, Shows & Exhibitions

    Central Saint-Martins College of Art graduate Maha Ahmed is no stranger to these shores having studied and lived in the UK but her inspiration comes from her birthplace of Pakistan. Her series of miniature paintings currently being exhibited at Asia House honour the tradition of miniature paintings which emerged during the Mughal rule of the […]

  • Pho (Restaurant)
    Posted in: Food & Dining, Reviews

    Pho To Go? You could make light about their catchy slogan but there’s nothing lightweight about the food served up in this Vietnamese restaurant. The street-friendly name conjures up a fast food snacky feel but it is anything but that. In the highly competitive food service industry it sounds like a half-hearted attempt to stop […]

  • Joaquin Rodrigo: Voice & Vision Book Launch
    Joaquin Rodrigo: Voice & Vision
    Posted in: Books, Highlights, Photos

    Joaquin Rodrigo was probably Spain’s premier composer of the latter part of the 20th Century. Although blind since the age of three he went on to produce 170 compositions and was such an outstanding talent that he was made a nobleman by King Juan Carlos I in 1992. This April 19th book launch at the […]

  • Exceptional
    Exceptional (Art Exhibition)
    Posted in: Reviews, Shows & Exhibitions

    So the group exhibition is called Exceptional. As adjectives go it’s certainly neither humble nor self-deprecating and sets an expectation of awe-inspiring talent. But hey if Sensation worked for Damien Hirst and the Young British Artists back in 1997 then who’s to say… No sharks suspended in vats of formaldehyde but the tenets of abstraction […]

  • Tenshi Japanese Restaurant
    Tenshi (Restaurant)
    Posted in: Food & Dining, Reviews

    If you’ve been left disappointed by the increasing selection of restaurants that promise much and deliver little and are looking for an eatery that packs a quiet punch, then wedged conveniently in that niche between cosy snack joint and full-on restaurant lies a modest little Japanese restaurant called Tenshi. This superb establishment on Upper Street, […]

  • The London Indie Film Festival
    The London Indie Film Festival
    Posted in: Events & Festivals, Highlights, Movies & TV Shows

    A Japanese restaurant on Kings Rd is an unusual and exotic location for a film festival but Benihana, Chelsea were the high-end, luxury orientated hosts you expected them to be and the plush surrounds were a much appreciated alternative to the typical festival circuit fare. Having said that, the Pomegranate Martini Cocktails at almost £12 […]

  • Heat, Flesh & Trash Anthologies
    Heat, Flesh & Trash
    Posted in: Books, Highlights

    Described by his publicist as Malaysia’s most successful independent book publisher, Amir Mohammed is also the brains behind not one but three anthologies each one bearing a slightly provocative title taken from an Andy Warhol movie. He put the call out for writers asking them to use the title as their short story’s theme in […]

  • Hardore Henry
    Hardcore Henry (Film)
    Posted in: Movies & TV Shows, Reviews

    This review should really begin “I have just seen the best P.O.V movie ever made.” The minute-to-minute action is unrivalled in any film in recent memory where the camera holds the perspective of the main protagonist. However, this review instead begins “I’ve just seen the worst film of 2016.” The explanation is as follows. Directed […]

  • Trew Era Cafe
    Russell’s Brand
    Posted in: Food & Dining, Highlights

    It would be unfair to visit comedian Russell Brand’s Trew Era Cafe simply to sample its vegetarian cuisine when the history behind this venture makes it even more of a curiosity and also proves that some celebrities do have hearts as well as wallets. Brand famously made a stand against developers who wanted to uproot […]