Food & Drink
Much-loved Exmouth Market spot Medcalf opened a handsome new gaff next door at No. 38 just a few months ago. — the concept behind Medcalf Traiteur is simple; by day it's casual lunch, by night a wine bar. A first on Exmouth Market, the focus is on...
Bars & Nightlife
It's 1940s London. The German bombs have ceased their relentless rain of fire on the capital, and its beleaguered citizens have emerged from their cellars and air raid shelters to get on with rebuilding the country, and their lives. During the...
Eating Out
Getting to know new people by inviting them around for dinner is a tradition that Sicilians have perfected over many generation. Simple dishes that draw on local produce, lovingly prepared, and all washed down with wines from the sun-drenched...
Eating Out
Chances are your local branch of Natwest looks nowhere near as good as this former bank alongside Old Spitalfields Market in East London. The Brushwick Street building is now home to Blixen, a European-style brasserie that evokes a time before...
Eating Out
Check out the 12 sqm living wall that graces the dining area at London sushi restaurant Murakami! It could be broccoli but almost certainly isn't, I'm not a gardener, but someone who knew their rhododendrons from their radishes did a cracking job...
Eating Out
Photo, Xavier Girard Lachaine Very much bucking the trend of London's youthful restaurant scene, Lyle's in Shoreditch is a restaurant where you can book a table (by telephone of all things) and encourages a relaxed pace of dining that...
Shopping
Harringay Local Store is an example of how to do the indie (dare we say hipster) thing right in this post-cereal café age. Things people actually need, made by people who care about what they are producing, and sold by people with passion. “Not...
Eating Out
In the old days, The Sun Tavern used to be a popular hangout with Bethnal Green's boxing crowd, including a certain notorious pair of villainous twins. The area, and the clientele, has changed a bit since then, but The Sun is hoping to regain a...
Eating Out
When you find yourselves in the theatre district of London and you need an escape from the marauding gangs of coach trippers that have descended on the capital to take in a musical, Babaji is the place to go. This laid-back Turkish restaurant on...
Eating Out
The World’s End Market, on the west side of Chelsea’s infamous Kings Road, opened a mere two months ago - following the success of The Crystal Palace Market, it is no wonder the founders of The Markets Group sought a new location. Taking...
Eating Out
Central Design Studio has whipped off the dust sheets to unveil its latest project – the Korean restaurant Bibigo in Angel, Islington – which aims to harness the creative power currently fizzing out of the Hongdae district of Seoul while at the...
Shopping
We love a bit of Victoriana, and household goods store Labour and Wait on Redchurch Street wisely retained the Truman Brewery's signature green glazed tile from the old Dolphin pub when it took over in 2010. If the frontage is a throwback, then so...
Stuff Crush
Weirdness is a notion long entwined with the concept of creativity. Mocked by the strait-laced confined to their boxes of conformism, celebrated by the bold and the brave who pursue the outré as a means of pushing beyond the banal. In Weird...
City Notes
In Montreal’s Little Italy, a new arrival is making waves with a fresh take on Italian dining. Pasta Pooks, which opened in March 2025, is a compact five-seat takeout counter serving pasta and natural wine in a space that marries Old World charm...
City Notes
A once-forgotten 19th-century residence in Savannah’s historic district has been brought spectacularly back to life, reincarnated as The Douglas; a refined 16-room boutique hotel at 14 East Oglethorpe Avenue, where design meets old-world...
Dispatches
In a country where club floors open with Buddhist chants and Ladyboys offer dawn alms in corsets and stilettos, Elizabeth Waterman has found a world of contradictions too vivid to ignore. Over the past three years, and across four extended trips,...
Dispatches
There's a paradox about self-care, which is that those who need it most are probably the least likely to practice it. If you're one of those people, you might even be put off by the term self-care. Maybe it sounds too self-indulgent to you. If...
Dispatches
Looking for a Japanese tutor in Chicago without breaking the bank? You’re not alone. Whether you’re aiming to order ramen with confidence, ace a language exam, or shape your skills for business or travel, one thing’s clear: good private...
Dispatches
If you’ve ever looked at your balcony and thought, “What a wasted space,” you’re not alone. Many of us live in homes where every square foot counts, yet balconies often remain underutilized. Whether it’s too small, too plain, or simply...
Dispatches
Recognising the world’s most inspiring work across design, innovation and creativity, the A’ Design Award & Competition stands as one of the most respected and far-reaching international design accolades. Each year, a diverse panel of academics,...
