This weekend serves as a reminder of the joy of diversity in London. Always at the forefront of culture, the city once again serves up a wealth of global inspiration, with events focusing on everything from Korean dining to Bollywood dance.
There are also newcomers in theater and music, including a love letter to the opening of a short show at Sandler’s Wells. Here’s everything you need to have on your radar for the coming weekend.
The Hot Table: Miga Hackney
1 Mare Street may be best known for its pop-ups, but its hottest opening at the moment is a permanent Korean restaurant with a solid family reputation for food. Miga, from third-generation Korean restaurateurs in New Malden, seems like exactly the kind of restaurant we want to see more of: independent, thoughtful, and delicious. The menu has just been “leaked” online, revealing dishes like ox bone broth, beef tartare, gochujang shrimp, and sliced brisket with perilla seed aioli. While not on the printed menu, there are also snaps of Korean fried chicken and sushi rolls circulating, suggesting that there may be a rotating menu or at least a handful of daily specials. Get ahead of the curve, book this. We will be.
1 Marestraat, E8 4RP, @miga.restaurant
The old favourite: Jikoni
Launched in 2016, Ravinder Bhogal’s easygoing restaurant Jikoni has evolved steadily, always focused on serving good food and delivering warm vibes. The food remains fun, appealing and contemporary, ranging from excellent prawn scotch eggs to beetroot with whipped tofu. Elsewhere, broad strands from across Asia manifest themselves in dishes such as kale chaat, labneh with saffron sheermal (a type of flatbread) and Cornish lamb with ras el hanout and burnt aubergine.
19-21 Blandfordstraat, W1U 3DH, jikonilondon.com
The drinking den: The Watergate
Less cheerful news: Stockton, the pleasant wine bar on Deptford High Street, closed at the end of June. However, the owners have relocated the best of their more recent bar to the Watergate, a long-established watering hole not far away. There’s a lovely range of natural wines, fantastic small plates (most things under £12) and a brunch menu featuring eggs Benedict in various forms, fried eggs, chilli beans and fried dishes.
7 Watergate Street, London SE8 3HR, thewatergate.co.uk
The Night Out: Desi Summer Rave
Every club night Scala hosts is billed as the “craziest night ever,” but this weekend the venue is really going all out for this massive summer Desi rave. Bollywood London and music collective Veera Presents are throwing something special, with DJ Arvee and DJ Cassey serving up Bollywood, Indo house, Afrobeats and more. Crazy? We’ll let you be the judge.
Tickets £8, August 9, 11pm-4am, 275 Pentonville Road, N1 9NL, scala.co.uk
Theater fix: Chorus Line at Sadler’s Wells
A love letter to the stage, to live music and to the unspoken ambition of actors, singers and dancers who never quite made it, Chorus Line opens this week at Sadler’s Wells. Written and originally produced in the 1970s, Chorus Line is based on first-hand accounts from dancers and actors in writer Joseph Papp’s hit Broadway series. Chorus Line is not to be missed. Still not convinced? Nick Curtis, The Standard’s chief theatre critic, wrote: “Riddled with bittersweetness: the sheer physical joy of dancing compared to the brutality of auditions, injuries and unemployment.” It’s a short show, so get there early.
Tickets from £15, until August 25, Rosebery Avenue, EC1R 4TN, sadlerswells.com
The gig: Chris Isaak at the London Palladium
We all know that one Chris Isaak song, but his music reaches much further. After all, the musician recorded the soundtrack for the film Eyes Wide Shut, appeared in the film The Silence of the Lambs and has 13 studio albums to his name, not to mention 40 years of touring and multiple Grammy nominations. It’s safe to say that Isaak’s career goes beyond Wicked Game. This Sunday, he’ll be playing the Palladium, ahead of a handful of other UK dates on his latest world tour.
Tickets from £58, August 11, London Palladium, Argyll Street, W1F 7TF, ticketing.lwtheatres.co.uk
The art fix: Francis Alÿs: Ricochets
Francis Alÿs has dedicated a career to documenting the global nature of children’s play. His acclaimed film Children’s Games captures musical chairs in Mexico, leapfrog in Iraq and skipping rope in Hong Kong, and Ricochets, Alÿs’ latest installation at the Barbican, features extracts from the footage. The gallery space is also transformed into an immersive cinematic playground, making for a moving and deeply moving show.
Until September 1, Barbican, EC2Y 8DS, barbican.org.uk
The ticket to book now (for later): Battersea Park in Concert
This summer sees the return of Battersea Park in Concert, a special weekend of classical, jazz and showtune performances, bringing the best of the genres to south London. The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra will lend a grand orchestral hand to a number of musical favourites (expect everything from The Lion King to The Greatest Showman), while elsewhere Paul Simon’s Graceland gets a modern twist from the London African Gospel Choir as part of a Ronnie Scott’s special.
Tickets from £43, 24-26 August, Battersea Park, SW11 4NJ, batseaparkinconcert.seetickets.com
The (other) ticket to book now (for later): Sussex Grouse Dinner
Grouse season is about to begin. To celebrate, head to Sussex in Soho, a Gladwin Brothers restaurant serving a seasonal six-course dinner accompanied by wines from French wine group Famille Perrin, which specialises in Rhone vintages. Start with scallops and oyster Rockefeller before serving the grouse with a 15-year-old Chateauneuf du Pape. At £150 per person, it’s a steep ticket, but the price covers everything.
August 15, 63-64 Frith Street, W1D 3JW, sussex-restaurant.com