A True Lemon The clue to this show is in the title. So bad, it repeats it four times in fact. Which is a shame, because there is a good play to be found here; it's just not the one that made it onto the page or the stage. The premise is simple enough. In a dystopic future, people are only allowed to speak 140 words a day (the Twitter referenc ..read more

 One to Chirp About! In the heart of Soho, we stumbled upon Kricket, a delightful Indian restaurant.  This is an open kitchen concept, with stools along the bar counter, giving you complete access to everything that the chefs are doing. And they are doing a lot! The menu departs from your standard Indian offering of hundreds of variations on a theme, and instead focuses on 3 to 4 dishes in a select group of categories (such as bread, vegetarian, fish and rice). I tend to go vegetarian at Indian restaurants, but the poussin was so good to look at (and we got a view of at least a few ..read more

The pandemic is pretty much over, London is back and so is the London Culture Blog. Coals Drop Yard is the latest phase of the extraordinary King’s Cross regeneration project and shows every sign of being just as promising and exciting as Granary Square. Porte Noire has recently opened there and is a real find. That said, you will have to actually find it, as Google Maps has a nasty habit of making you walk around the whole of the perimeter to get there (tip: head to Parrillan and turn left). The search is more than worth it though. We’ve now been twice in the space of a month and, incredibl ..read more

De-Luca-s  Another week, another 'make-away' delight, this time from Luca. We ordered the appropriately named "Feasting Menu" and feast we most certainly did.  The antipasti consist of burrata with salsa rosso, black olives, confit almonds and pickled chilli, together with Bresaola, served on a bed of lamb's lettuce, rocket with aged parmesan and a little hint of lemon. Both are super easy to prepare, look amazing and taste even better.  In true Italian style, antipasti is followed by primi and the classic is of course a pasta, in this case, strozzapreti with braised pork ..read more

 Michelin Magic en Casa Here at the London Culture Blog, we've really got into the 'restaurant at home' scene. The latest sample is "Sabor" (to be precise, "Sabor en casa"), the Michelin-starred Heddon Street eatery. We went for the Box, which  includes a healthy selection of classic tapas dishes.  The packaging is very tidy and the instruction booklet is straightforward and easy to follow. We prepared the first 3 dishes to be served together, namely the ham croquetas, the tortilla and the gambas al ajillo (garlic prawns). Everything you need is provided, down to the oil f ..read more

 Lockdown Treat Here at the London Culture Blog, we've become big fans of "make- away". This lockdown trend may be a pandemic flash in the pan or it may be here to stay but either way, we’re all in. We’ve had a number of different options so far and it's mostly hits with maybe one or two misses. This week’s choice was Blacklock -a Sunday roast for two, properly done. Everything about this experience is top drawer, from the ordering to the finished product.  All of the ingredients of a classic roast are here, packaged in a smart and quirky way and it could not be easier to prep ..read more

Renegade Rabbit There are so many hot titles on Netflix at the moment that it’s becoming difficult to keep up, even though we’re all still in lockdown. Whilst most of us have been losers during the pandemic, the streaming giant has been a massive winner. Forced to stay home as we are, with very little to do, watching bingeable TV has become a prime commodity. Into this space steps Lupin, a short bit of highly entertaining, very stylish (albeit frequently absurd) piece of hi-jinks escapism. Rather than adapting a classic, this is instead a modern interpretation of  a  well established ..read more

  Hot Stuff The London Culture Blog recently caught up with Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, streaming on Netflix. This is a second outing for Denzel Washington who is apparently committed to bringing playwright August Wilson's productions to the screen. The first effort was Fences which was admirable if dull. This is a better showing, managing as it does to combine energy, exuberance and excitement with serious social commentary.  The plot is simple enough. Four musicians are gathered to record the title song. Three of them are long-standing studio musicians who have a familiar and jovial ..read more

  Fanciful Fun Soul is the latest offering from the Disney-Pixar Industrial Complex and has made its way to the top of many critics lists already. Its obvious counter-point is Inside Out, which remains one of the most inventive, though-provoking and exuberant Pixar films ever made. Soul is good, in many ways, but doesn't quite hit these heights.   Let's start with the good. The animation is incredible, throughout. From the astonishingly detailed depictions of the human characters to the Picasso-esque, futuristic, Fantasia-like soul sequences, this is both a technical marvel and ..read more

 Mother-F*ckered Well what a year 2020 has been. Havoc's been wreaked across the globe and few industries have suffered as much or as deeply as entertainment and hospitality. Here at the London Culture Blog, we have felt the loss of London life very keenly. Save for a brief window in the summer, there've been no restaurants to eat at, no plays to watch, no cinemas to attend and no exhibitions or galleries to enjoy. The only saving graces have been TV and books, although they simply cannot make up for live events, attended and enjoyed in the company of others. Still, rather than mooch abou ..read more