Jika Jika
Although I spend more time than I would like walking between King's Cross and Euston Square, I was surprised not to have found out about Jika Jika until relatively recently. I was helping to run a conference across the road from the coffee shop's North Gower Street location and just had time for a quick coffee before we kicked off. Small and cheerful with mint green walls and a La Marzocco to match, Jika Jika was a welcome respite from the chaos of the Euston Road. I had a piccolo, which was very good, although the breakfast menu was also rather impressive; it was just a shame I had already eaten.




Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler
One of my all-time favourite Shakespeare adaptations is Gil Junger's 10 Things I Hate About You. I saw it as a teenager with my family and we all loved its smart but sweet take on The Taming of the Shrew. In Anne Tyler's new retelling of the play, Kate Battista is a 29-year-old preschool teacher who still lives at home to look after her teenage sister Bunny and grumpy scientist father. Kate does everything for her father and sister but her father still wants one last favour: for Kate to marry his brilliant Russian research assistant, Pyotr, so that he can get a green card and continue to work for Dr Battista. The eponymous vinegar girl isn't going to be won over without a fight, though, or without plenty of bile being spilled along the way.

Tyler's reimagining is charming and enjoyable, with its tongue firmly in its cheek (watch out for the 'shrew' joke and Cole Porter reference). Kate herself was perhaps too sympathetic and neither feisty nor truculent enough for the role. Will the shrew be tamed? Will Pyotr run out of proverbs from his country? And will any of the other characters learn to say his name correctly? All of these will be revealed in due course but, like, the ending of the novel, you probably have a good idea.

Disclaimer: Vinegar Girl is out now, published by Vintage Books. I received a pre-release copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.


White Mulberries
Every time I go to White Mulberries, it reinforces my view that the diminutive café is one of London's finest. It's actually pretty close to home for me — just the other side of Tower Bridge in St Katharine's Docks — but because it's slightly tucked away, out of sight occasionally becomes out of mind. White Mulberries really shines on sunny days like last Sunday, where you can enjoy your coffee with a view of the boats bobbing in marina. This time I had a piccolo, which was pretty close to perfect with the latte art running all the way down, but I've always had great coffee here, whatever I order. My only problem is that I get distracted by the toasties on the counter and forget to order the avocado toast. A rookie error.



Eleanor by Jason Gurley
I was drawn to Jason Gurley's novel Eleanor by the stunning, ethereal cover, which jumped out at me from the shelves of Portland's wonderful Powell's Books. I didn't have room for the weighty hardback in my suitcase but I borrowed it as soon as it became available in my local library. It's a hard novel to describe — it is better experienced — but essentially it tells the story of three generations of women from a single family (two of whom are called Eleanor) and set on the Oregon coast during three different decades. Each one is haunted by loss and seeking redemption, meaning and perhaps happiness. Ripples of tragedy seep across the generations, wreaking consequences for decades to come.

There is also a strong fantasy component interspersed within, and in fact integral to, the story — strange, other-worldly beings may offer some form of redemption. I was less interested in these elements and think Eleanor would have made a stronger story if they had remained more ambiguous, more implicit. Gurley's prose is beautiful, poignant and haunting, however, and although I wasn't always sure where Eleanor was going, it was an imaginative ride.


Game of Thrones season six
After The Good Wife ended, I was feeling hugely uninspired by TV. I wasn't even going to watch the latest season of Game of Thrones at all as I hadn't been impressed with season five, but I persevered and boy am I glad I did. The whole of season six was great entertainment, especially the last two episodes and, in particular, the spectacular opening sequence of the finale, which was fantastic television. The music is spot on as usual, but most importantly the audience finally gets some pay-offs for years of loyal viewing. If you aren't yet caught up to the latest season, it's worth doing. Besides, you have about ten months now until season seven starts.

Stoll Kaffee
Ambling through Borough Market in search of Mexican ingredients a few Saturdays ago, I happened upon Zürich Meets London, a pop-up featuring food and drink from various cafes, restaurants and producers from the Swiss capital. Drawn in my the cool design and choice of two single-origin filter coffees, I stopped by Stoll Kaffee's stand. Stoll have been roasting coffee for 80 years so I figured that they probably knew what they were doing!


I tried the Ethiopian Duromina coffee (#2.70), brewed through the Clever dripper — a rare but delightful brew method, which made the most of the delicate jasmine and bergamot notes in this variety. Unfortunately, Stoll doesn't deliver internationally, but look them up next time you are in Zürich.



Modern Lovers by Emma Straub

Disclaimer: Modern Lovers will be published by Penguin UK—Michael Joseph in June 2016. I received a pre-release copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Dairy, Clapham

Taking advantage of an intermittently sunny and somewhat warm Sunday, my friend and I went for brunch at The Dairy a few weeks ago. The restaurant, which specialises in creative, modern British cuisine, looks out onto Clapham Common and when the weather is clement, you can sit at one of the pavement tables.

Although you can book for lunch and dinner, the brunch tables are first-come, first-served. Luckily, we were there early enough to nab a great spot. We both ended up ordering the avocado on toast (£. So far, so standard, but The Dairy mixed up the dish by serving it with brown crab mayonnaise and fennel on delicious sourdough bread. It was a tasty twist on a brunch classic (though I'd definitely recommend ordering it with a poached egg, as we did). The coffee was good, although not amazing, but the people-watching and the ambiance were great.



The Girls by Emma Cline

Emma Cline's The Girls, set in California during the turbulent last months of the 1960s, is a languorous, evocative coming-of-age novel that sweeps you along with its seductive prose. Its heroine is Evie, a privileged, sheltered 14-year-old who is about to be sent off to an expensive boarding school. Her parents have split up and she is seeking attention, finding it lacking in the local boys her age. "So much of desire, at that age, was a wilful act," she explains. "Trying so hard to slur the rough, disappointing edges of boys into the shape of someone we could love."

By contrast, the titular girls she meets one day in a parking lot offer a sense of excitement and of belonging that Evie could scarcely have imagined. Suzanne in particular, several years older, seems endlessly sophisticated and adult to Evie, who soon falls into her thrall. Before long, Evie goes to visit the ranch Suzanne and the others share, overseen by the charismatic, Charles Manson-like leader of their group, Russell. For Evie, though, it is mainly about Suzanne: "I was not used to this kind of unmediated attention. Especially from a girl."

However, what begins as freedom and adventure soon takes a darker turn, as the parties at the ranch get wilder, the drugs get stronger and the violence emerges from the shadows. Evie is soon in way over her head and with her parents occupied with their new relationships, and her old friends having moved on, her future begins to look very troubled. Cline's bold debut is keenly observed, her prose mesmerising and her heroine complex and believable.

Disclaimer: The Girls will be published by Random House UK—Vintage in June 2016. I received a pre-release copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Hoi Polloi
Tucked away inside the Ace Hotel on Shoreditch High Street (through a florist, because of course). A little bit Scandi, a little bit '70s and very cool, Hoi Polloi is a great place for a weeknight dinner or a weekend brunch. The menu is in the form of a newspaper and is extensive. The cocktail list erred on the side of quirkiness. I ordered the Pendennis (Tanqueray, apricot, peychaud bitters and lime), which was on the small side for £9, but it tasted good.



There are some interesting dishes and a few classics. We all went for the cheeseburger, medium rare (or as rare as the council would allow), with dripping chips (£14.50), which went down a treat. The burger was juicy and pretty medium rare and the chips were all too moreish. The pudding was also a strong performer. I had the chocolate curd with peanut butter ice cream and peanut brittle (£8), a kind of deconstructed Reese's piece. When questioned, the waiter couldn't really explain what chocolate curd was other than that it was somewhere between a mousse and a torte. Either way, it was delicious.

1. High-Rise
I've always enjoyed a good Ballardian dystopia and although I haven't read High-Rise, I was keen to see its big-screen adaptation, directed by Ben Wheatley and starring Tom Hiddleston. In High-Rise, life in a luxury apartment building in — "a future that had already taken place" — begins to spiral out of control as the (literally) higher-ups clash with the residents from the lower floors. "Successful people don't want to be reminded when things go wrong," one character notes. The film is dark, satirical, often wickedly funny and with meticulous attention to the 1970s period details. Hiddleston is excellent as ever as the enigmatic newcomer. High-Rise isn't perfect but it is a keenly observed, if troubling, piece — a must for anyone who loved SimTower.

2. Brunch at Beany Green
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was keen to try the brunch at Beany Green but wasn't expecting it to happen so soon. Fortunately, the wonderful Brian of Brian's Coffee Spot organised an Easter Sunday brunch outing for a few coffee bloggers — Dan from Cups of London Coffee, Jess from Eating East and me.



I am generally of the opinion that broccoli is too healthy to feature in a brunch dish, but I can happily make the exception for Beany Green's broccoli and corn fritters, which came with all of the basic brunch food groups — avo, poached egg and bacon — as well as chilli pesto. Delicious and very filling, although I still had room for some toasted coconut bread (almost, but not quite, as good as their banana bread) and a couple of coffees. Beany's diminutive Broadgate Circle location was the perfect place to shelter from the bank holiday showers with excellent company.

3. Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler
I've had Nickolas Butler's 2014 debut novel on my iPad for months but only just got round to reading it. I'm glad I did. Shotgun Lovesongs is an understated and rather old-fashioned story of four close friends from a small Wisconsin town. Henry is still farming his family's land; Leland has become a famous musician; Kip is a commodities trader; and Ronny is a washed-up rodeo star. The friends — and the wife of one character — take turns to narrate a chapter, with the story skipping forward (and sometimes backwards) to significant events in their lives. There are weddings, separations and a number of secrets that have remained hidden for years. Male friendship is central to the story, though, and Butler has created a warm and sympathetic group of characters, whose friendships seem very realistic.

4. The Camberwell Arms
There are so many great restaurants on Camberwell Church Street that it takes a considerable amount of time to visit them all. Last Saturday, we had a family lunch at The Camberwell Arms, which was another new one for me. The gastropub is cosily decorated and it was bustling when we visited, with several other groups. The menu is complex and interesting — you probably won't see steak or fish and chips featured. I liked the sound of the gigantes plaki (butter beans in a tomato sauce) but wasn't keen on the feta it came with, so I went for the cod with new potatoes and wild garlic. The fish was delicious, although (perhaps ignorantly) I was expecting a more garlicky taste. The service was great and we had a lovely relaxed meal.


5. Coffee update
I have drunk between two and five cups of coffee per day for the past 15 years or so; that's over 15,000 cups of coffee! But much as I love the drink, I've decided it's time to cut down. In fact, I'm going cold turkey and won't even be drinking decaf. My last coffee was a delicious single-origin Flori Opal from Peru, brewed through my Aeropress. The only problem is that I'm now going to need a new blog name. Suggestions on a postcard, or in the comments, please!

Oh, and happy April!

There are a lot of books and films in my five picks for February: I've written at length at some of the great food and drink I enjoyed in Washington and Portland, which leaves my cultural consumption to dissect.

1. A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
I was a little disappointed by Kate Atkinson's previous book, Life After Life, which prioritised, I felt, style over substance. But A God in Ruins — a companion piece rather than a sequel — really won me over, with its chronicle of the life of would-be poet turned WWII pilot Teddy Todd and his family. The story skips merrily (and sometimes less merrily) back and forth throughout the 20th century, revisiting familiar scenes to add detail, resonance and understanding. Atkinson's writing is so utterly compelling, warm and funny, and flawed though they may be, you can't help but want to spend more time with her characters. Don't worry if you haven't read Life After Life; you can jump right in to A God in Ruins. I also posted a more detailed review on Good Reads.

2. Hail, Caesar!
The Coen brothers' films are so distinctive — and divisive — that you would think that by now most people would know whether the Coens' new releases are for them. I went to see their latest film, Hail, Caesar!, while I was in Portland and I was amazed by how many people left the cinema within the first 20 minutes. Yes, Hail, Caesar! is unstructured and yes, it is bonkers, but it is also hugely entertaining. Josh Brolin stars as a 1950s movie studio fixer, who is having a terrible day. The studio is producing a film of the story of Christ from the point of view of the Romans and his star, the handsome, charismatic Baird Whitlock (played by the handsome, charismatic George Clooney), is kidnapped by a group of communist writers. There are all sorts of other wacky sub-plots and set pieces too: Scarlett Johansson as a fin-wearing femme fatale; a nautical Channing Tatum dance number; Tilda Swinton as competitive, identical-twin reporters; and many more. Set during the same period as Trumbo, Hail, Caesar! is its opposite, but is great fun.

3. Honest Brunch
It's no secret that I am big fan of Honest Burgers but I hadn't had chance to try out their brunch. A few friends and I went to their Peckham location, which opened late last year, on a rainy Saturday. The Peckham restaurant is a lovely space — an airy dining room with the usual industrial accents, a few minutes' walk from Peckham Rye. We arrived at noon and didn't have to wait for a table but it got pretty busy by the time we left. The only problem with going at brunchtime is that there is even more choice! The Honest Burger is consistently in my top three burgers in London, and deviating from it is always tough. In the end, I compromised and ordered the Brunch Burger (£8.50): a beef patty with smoked bacon, Red Leicester, bubble and squeak, ketchup and rosemary-salt fries. It also comes with garlic mushrooms but I asked for mine to be mushroom-less.



And how was it? Well, the Honest Burger still retains its crown, but as a sinful, flavour-packed, brunchtime meat feast in sandwich form, the Brunch Burger is rather good. The brunch menu also includes bacon sandwiches, full Englishes, avo toasts and many other delights. If you can tear yourself away from the burger menu, that is!

4. The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joël Dicker
I spotted Joël Dicker's sprawling, epic novel, The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair, in Portland's wonderful Powell's bookstore but I didn't have enough room in my suitcase for the 600-page tome. I picked up a copy from my local library on my return, though, and ploughed through it over the course of a weekend. The premise is complicated and, indeed, the novel itself is enshrouded in many different layers of text and subtext. Essentially, though, it is a novel about writers, writing, ambition and love.

The narrator, Marcus Goldman, is a successful novelist quickly loses sympathy as he describes his narcissistic, ruthless crawl to the top. Marcus is writing a book about his former mentor, the titular Harry Quebert — also a successful novelist — who has been implicated in the death of his much-younger lover — a 15-year-old girl — several decades earlier. Marcus wants to clear Harry's name and to uncover what really happened, although these two propositions may not be compatible.

Dicker's novel is clever and self-aware: the chapter numbers count down instead of up, and as Marcus progresses with his own novel, Harry gives him advice on how to write. It's all very meta and, at times, unnecessarily complicated (I don't mind novels being clever, except when the novelist is being clever for the sake of it, rather than to benefit the plot), but Harry Quebert is a compelling read, which reminded me of the likes of David Mitchell and Julian Barnes. I think I'll probably get even more out of it on a second read.

5. Rams
A reader recommended that I check out the much-acclaimed Icelandic film Rams, but my travelling left me with little time to go to the cinema this month. Happily, though, I caught Grímur Hákonarson's film, which won the Un Certain Regard award at Cannes, on Curzon Home Cinema. Rams is as understated as Hail, Caesar! is over-complicated, but although often solemn in tone, Hákonarson's film is also very human and is keenly observed, with an offbeat sense of humour. The story centres on Gummi (Sigurður Sigurjónsson) and Kiddi (Theodór Júlíusson), two brothers who have always lived on neighbouring sheep farms in an isolated Icelandic valley but who, stubborn as their prize rams, haven't talked to each other for over four decades. But when a case of scrapie is detected in one of Kiddi's sheep, threatening the livelihoods of the brothers and all of the other farmers in the valley, everything changes, even the brothers' relationship.

Rams is a concise film, clocking in at just over 1h30, and it is beautifully shot and tightly plotted. If you are looking for the antidote to this year's Oscar contenders, this could be it. And it has only strengthened my resolve to schedule a trip to Iceland this year!

I have decided to rename my monthly round-up posts "Etc" going forwards as I often found that the five things I included weren't necessarily my favourite things of the month — those tend to get their own posts — as much as things I've enjoyed but to which I hadn't dedicated a whole blog post. Here are my five picks for January:

1. Les Liaisons Dangereuses
I first came across Choderlos de Laclos's novel in the form of Cruel Intentions, which transports the story of scheming, cruelty and betrayal in 18th century Paris to the Upper East Side of Manhattan with spoiled, rich teenagers in the central roles; I was 16, OK... Cruel Intentions is actually a decent film, and it plays out like a scene-by-scene remake of Christopher Hampton's stage adaptation of the original novel. Although I've since seen the Stephen Frears film based on Hampton's script, I had yet to see Hampton's work on the stage.



By the time I realised that the Donmar Warehouse was putting on Les Liaisons Dangereuses with Dominic West and Janet McTeer in the central roles, it was already sold out. It still is and is only on for another two weeks, but it's worth giving the returns queue a go if you are keen to see the production — I tried one Saturday afternoon, and just missed out (there were four tickets and I was fifth in the queue), but kept checking back on the Donmar website and eventually got lucky.

It was definitely worth the hassle: although West still wasn't quite word perfect, he oozes charisma and stage presence, showing a greater depth of emotion in the denouement, and McTeer is brilliantly wicked as the Marquise de Mertueil — perhaps as good as Glenn Close in the Frears film. It was also nice to see Una Stubbs and Edward 'London Spy' Holcroft in supporting roles.

2. Randall & Aubin
I've walked past seafood restaurant Randall & Aubin, located on Soho's Brewer Street, so many times, but never got around to eating there. They don't take bookings on Saturdays or weekday evenings, but that is hardly usual these days. We went a few weeks ago for a family lunch on a sunny Saturday and what a feast it was. We shared some oysters, and then I had some delicious scallops with pancetta to start, followed by roast cod on pea mash (if you aren't in the mood for fish, there are plenty of meat options too). I definitely didn't have room for pudding but couldn't resist the cheesecake with salted caramel ice cream and didn't regret my decision. The staff were friendly and efficient, and the music was perfectly in keeping with the giant disco ball that hangs in the centre of the small dining room. Randall & Aubin has great food and great ambiance.


3. Oldboy
I've been wanting to watch the classic Korean revenge movie for years — long before the ill-advised American remake surfaced in 2013 — and happily, it popped up on Netflix recently. In Oldboy, a man (Min-sik Choi) is abducted in the middle of the night and kept in a shabby, furnished room for 15 years before he is freed without any knowledge of who kept him captive or why. The rest of the movie follows his efforts to try to find out — and to seek revenge on whoever did this to him. Yes, it's dark and often violent, but Chan-wook Park's film is a masterclass in uncomfortable tension and vengeance. It's clever, it's knowing and it's laced with dark humour. If you haven't already seen it already, I would highly recommend it — it would even make a nice double-bill with The Revenant.

4. Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf

5. Lumiere London
For four nights in mid-January, a festival of light-based art installations took over central London. Lumiere London is over now, but it's possible that the Lumiere festival will return in the future, either to London or elsewhere in the country, so it's worth keeping an eye out on the website. King's Cross, where I work, was one of the main hubs of the festival, and I went to check out some of the installations. Among my favourites were Diver, which was set up next to the King's Cross Pond, and Litre of Light, a tunnel made from water bottles illuminated in rainbow-coloured lights.



On Saturday, I was in the West End anyway and so decided to stay to look at some of the Regent Street installations too. Janet Echelman's 1.8 London — a fishing-net-inspired sculpture that hung over Oxford Circus, rippling in an ethereal way, and gradually changing colour (the lighting was inspired by the Tohoku earthquake in Japan in 2011, which shortened the day by 1.8 microseconds).



Leicester Square was filled with a Garden of Light, and the Trafalgar Square fountain was turned into Plastic Islands. Although I had to battle huge crowds, I really enjoyed both evenings, which took me back to my annual childhood visits to the Walsall Illuminations with my family.

It's been a busy couple of weeks and so I'm a little late posting my November favourites, but here are a few of the things I enjoyed last month.

1. The Lobster
I wanted to catch The Lobster, the absurd, dystopian film from Yorgos Lanthimos, at the London Film Festival but couldn't get tickets. The reviews were mixed when the film was released and so I wasn't going to bother going to see it, but then I got tickets to a free screening and figured it was worth a punt. I'm really glad I did. The story centres around a near-future world where it is illegal for adults to be single. If your relationship ends, you go to The Hotel (run by a character played by the ever-excellent Olivia Colman) and have 45 days to find a suitable partner or you will be turned into the animal of your choice. Love, however, is less important than 'suitability', which seems to be defined by a shared interest or 'flaw', such as propensity for nose bleeds.

The lobster is the animal chosen by Colin Farrell's David, who enters the hotel at the start of the film after his wife leave him. The result is a combination of Sartre's Les Jeux Sont Faits and Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror, with a hefty dose of absurdism. It is thought-provoking and funny in both sense of the word, and Farrell and Rachel Weisz are both great.

2. Curators Coffee Gallery
Since I visited Curators Coffee's Oxford Circus location last year, I've been a convert. The café is a beautifully designed haven, just a few minutes' walk from the Oxford Street crowds. The coffee is excellent and there are often innovative coffee-based drinks on the menu. I stopped by last month for a Chemex, a cookie and a chillax. The staff are very friendly and it's a great place to hang out.


3. The Darkest Secret by Alex Marwood
I enjoyed, but didn't love, Alex Marwood's first novel, The Wicked Girls, but was intrigued by the blurb for her forthcoming novel, The Darkest Secret and it is a real page-turner; I stayed up way too late one night last week, powering through the twists to get to the end. In the summer of 2004, a three-year-old girl goes missing while her identical twin sister sleeps and her father, Sean, celebrates his fiftieth birthday with his wife and closest friends. Twelve years later, one of Sean's daughters from his first marriage — 27-year-old Mila — deals with another family tragedy and tries to understand what really happened back in 2004.


The novel alternates between Mila's first-person, present-day narrative and third-person perspectives from the guests at Sean's birthday party: his probably soon-to-be-ex second wife, Claire; his lawyer best friend Robert, Robert's wife Maria, a PR guru, and his teenage daughter who has a serious case of the Lolitas; an alcoholic MP and his bland wife; and Sean's possible new love interest — the interior designer for his property company — and her partner, a fun-loving doctor who has brought his own box of medical tricks.

None of the characters are especially likeable but Sean and his family make for compelling reading as we gradually begin to understand what really happened that weekend — and what has happened to Mila and her family since then. Marwood's writing is bold and edgy, and she conveys the voices of the different characters very effectively. I saw the final twist coming fairly early on, but that didn't make getting there any less enjoyable. The Darkest Secret is sometimes shocking and often dark, but always entertaining.

Disclaimer: The Darkest Secret will be published in the UK on 7 January 2016. I received a pre-release copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

4. kikki.K
I usually try to pass through Covent Garden as swiftly as possible but there is now a new reason to linger in the form of Swedish import kikki.K, a shop that has an Instagram-ready collection of stationery, organisation goods and homewares in pretty pastel shades. If HAY, Kate Spade and Muji had a baby, kikki.K wouldn't be far off. My inner cynic wants to hate it (some of the 'inspiration journals' are too twee by far) but I'm a sucker for this kind of thing and it's the perfect place to find stocking fillers and gifts for those hard-to-buy-for people. I particularly like this travel wallet, this diary and this desk clock. The London store is at 5-6 James Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 8BH.


5. The Bridge
I've sung the praises of this Swedish–Danish collaboration before, but the third series has just started to air in the UK. BBC Four is airing two episodes every Saturday night — the first four are still available on iPlayer. Nordic noirs are ten-a-penny these days, but The Bridge is really excellent, elevated by Sofia Helin's strong performance as Saga Norén, the brilliant but complex Swedish detective at its centre. There is a significant character change for the third series, which I won't mention in case you haven't yet seen the first two series. I was worried that this would make for a weaker show, but so far, series three has been just as good, as Saga struggles to deal with present relationships and her past while a new string of murders breaks out. Great Saturday-night viewing.

1. The BFI
I've been a member of the British Film Institute for seven or eight years now. Membership costs £40 per year, which gives you discounts on film tickets and priority booking for the regular programmes and the London Film Festival, among other benefits. Even when I don't get the full £40 of value, I am still happy to be supporting such a great cultural institution. I've really got back into the swing of attending BFI screenings over the past month or two, first with the London Film Festival and then with their Love season: a collection of dozens of classic love stories, including comedies, dramas and tragedies. The Brooklyn screening I attended recently kicked off the season, and I'm definitely keen to try to get to one of the screenings of Casablanca, True Romance and maybe one or two others. I try to keep up with new cinema releases, but the BFI helps me rediscover great films from cinema history.


2. Callooh Callay
This Rivington Street bar has been on my Top London Cocktails list for quite a few years. They serve an eclectic range of creative cocktails in a fun, whimsical Shoreditch location. I went last month for a friend's menu and the menu was styled like a sticker album from the 1990s. Our group didn't quite manage to collect all 28 stickers, but we did pretty well. My favourite drink was the Coveted: coconut tequila, lime, sugar, egg white and a garnish of Nerds (yes, Nerds!). But the most exciting component, which was why I ordered it, was the colour-changing rainbow ice cube. Very cool indeed. The Zymology (gin, burdock bitters, green apple juice, black sesame and honey) was also delicious.


3. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
I bought a copy of Groff's novel when I saw it on this year's National Book Awards longlist (I hope Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life wins; it still haunts me) and then completely forgot what it was about until I started reading it. This worked in my favour: it's the kind of novel where it's best to go in knowing as little as possible. Essentially, though, it is the story of the 20-year marriage between Lotto and Mathilde. He is a golden boy who grows up handsome, talented and blessed and becomes an actor before finding success as a writer. Her past remains more mysterious, but she is intelligent and beautiful, if more self-contained and reticent than her husband. Their friends think that they are the perfect couple, but, as we discover through a slow, steady drip of revelations, nothing is quite as it seems. Just when you think you know where the novel is going, a huge change in narrative structure takes place that makes you question your previous assumptions.


Fates and Furies is beautifully written although not always an easy read. The characters are not always very likeable and it took me a good 100 pages to get into the novel, but once I did, I felt so drawn into the lives of Mathilde and Lotto that I couldn't put it down. [Image credit: Penguin Random House]

4. Montes de Cristo coffee from Monmouth
Unless I've been travelling to somewhere with good coffee, the coffee I brew at home almost always involves Monmouth beans. For a long time, I stuck to Colombian, Guatemalan and Costa Rican varieties but then started to experiment a little more. Unfortunately, this meant that I had a couple of bags of beans in a row that weren't really to my taste. This is entirely my own fault as I could have sampled the coffee before buying. Last week, then, it was time to put this right and I tried a few different varieties, including a lovely coffee from Ethiopia that would have been perfect for summer, when I prefer a fruitier taste. My new favourite, though, is the Montes de Cristo Costa Rican variety, which has a little fruitiness that is perfectly balanced by a sweeter smoothness. I don't know how long they'll keep it in their rotation, so I'm doing my best to enjoy it while it lasts — a perfect autumn coffee.


5. Sicario
While I was in Lisbon, I decided to take advantage of the €6 cinema tickets and went to see Denis Villeneuve's Sicario, which had been on my to-watch list for a while. I really enjoyed Villeneuve's Incendies and had hoped to see Prisoners but never quite got round to it. In many ways, Sicario, a crime drama set around the US–Mexico border, isn't exactly pushing boundaries, but the unfolding of the story and the strong performances, particularly by Emily Blunt, who plays a young and idealistic FBI agent brought in to join a cross-departmental task force that will have a crucial role in the war on drugs, and by Benicio Del Toro, a charismatic and enigmatic consultant whose motives are rather less certain. Gripping, action-packed and thought-provoking, Sicario is a better watch than your average crime drama.

It's now officially autumn, but London is finally getting a bit of Indian summer — or sunshine, at any rate, which is almost as good. My long weekend in Copenhagen and another imminent European getaway have meant that I have tried to cut down on my eating-out and entertainment expenses this month. As such, culcha picks outnumber food and drink in my list of favourites for this month.

1. A Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell.
When I travel, I like to read books about or set in the country I am visiting. Russell, a journalist, and her husband moved to Denmark for a year and this book reveals what it's like to live in Europe's happiest country. There are long winters, huge taxes and plenty of rules, but the welfare system, the snegl (pastries) and the hygge more than make up for it. Russell's writing is sharp, funny and engaging — her book reminded me a lot of Bill Bryson's travel writing.

2. Brunch at No 67
There are plenty of great places for brunch in Peckham, but No 67 remains at or close to the top of the list. You shouldn't have to wait for a table if you arrive soon after 10 am, and as well as the cosy front room and the larger, minimalist back room, there are a fair few tables outdoors. It was beautiful and sunny during my last visit, so we took advantage of the clemency and dined al fresco. There are a lot of great choices on the brunch menu, but I usually find myself choosing between the waffles with bacon and bourbon syrup (£7.75) and the scrambled eggs and bacon on sourdough (£7.75). This time I went for the latter (partly so that I could also have a muffin for 'pudding') and it was the right call. The food is always good and the bacon comes crispy as standard (they have a special grill, apparently). If you want a bit of post-brunch culture, you can drop by the adjacent South London Gallery.


3. Miss You Already
Catherine Hardwicke's film sees Toni Collette and Drew Barrymore star as two lifelong best friends who find their lives diverging rapidly, as Collette's Milly, a successful PR, receives a breast cancer diagnosis, while Barrymore's Jess tries to get pregnant. The story isn't especially novel, but the performances of the two actresses and the chemistry between them elevates the film, and Milly's spiky retorts and (perhaps justifiably) selfish or thoughtless actions keep it from descending in to mawkishness. There are also good supporting performances from Dominic Cooper and Paddy Considine, as Milly's and Jess's husbands, respectively. A lot of the film was shot in Southwark (particularly around Borough and on the river in Rotherhithe) and it was fun to see parts of my borough on the big screen.

4. The Coffee Collective coffee.
I waxed lyrical about this trilogy of cafés and roasteries in my Copenhagen Coffee guide, but since my return from the Danish capital, I have been sampling the beans I brought home with me. I bought the Finca Vista Hermosa beans from Guatemala and, brewed in an Aeropress, the variety works well for this time of year: the coffee has the chocolatey smoothness you would expect from Central America, but with some fruity, citrusy notes to keep it interesting. You can order online, but I'd recommend a trip to Copenhagen instead!


5. How To Get Away with Murder
I have to wait another week before the new season of The Good Wife starts and to whet my appetite, I decided to give this show a go — my curiosity was also piqued by its star, Viola Davis, just winning an Emmy. HTGAWM is a sort of mash-up of The Good Wife, Legally Blonde and either Desperate Housewives or Pretty Little Liars. Davis plays Annalise Keating, a formidable criminal law professor, who selects five students from her class each year to join her firm and help out on her cases. Each week, there is a case-of-the-week — often similar cases or loopholes to The Good Wife but not executed as well. There is also an ongoing investigation into the murder of a female student at the university and, possibly connected with this, regular flash-forwards reveal that the five law students and their professor become involved, to some degree, in another murder.

HTGAWM does feel a little flimsy at times, with rushed sub-plots, forgettable performances from most of the actors playing the students and under-used actors playing Keating's other employees. Davis is wonderful, though, as she plays a complex and often unlikeable, though impressive, character. For all its frothiness, the show is quite addicting: I rattled through the breakneck first half of season one pretty quickly, and although it seemed to lose its way mid-season, things start to pick up again as it rattles on towards the finale.

So long, summer, and aloha, autumn; that's what the cool and rainy London weather this week seems to be suggesting, at any rate. Here are a few of my favourite things from August, all of which can be enjoyed indoors!

1. Mulholland Dr.
I first saw this David Lynch masterpiece in a student dorm room well over a decade ago. We spent hours trying to 'solve' the mysteries the film poses using the handy list of ten clues that the studio insisted Lynch included with the DVD. Since then, I've probably seen the film about ten times, but never on the big screen, so I was really excited by the chance to watch it at a late-night screening on Saturday night in the lounge screen at the Hackney Picturehouse. The low-level, almost fully reclined seating was very comfortable, although perhaps not entirely suitable for a late-night 2h30 film that blurs boundaries between dreams, reality and nightmares.

If you haven't seen Mulholland Dr. yet, you should definitely seek it out and I would suggest trying not to read anything about the film in advance (don't worry; you can read up in advance of your second, third and fourth viewing). My brother recommended this review/interpretation of the film and it is a good read, although it is pretty epic and written in shouty caps.

2. Hawksmoor cocktails.
I've enjoyed a number of wonderful, meat-centric meals at the various Hawksmoor restaurants over the years. The food is great, but the cocktails are also superb and we went for a few after-dinner drinks at the Air Street location after dinner in Soho recently. The menu is organised by suggested position in the meal, from anti-fogmatics and pre-prandials to disco drinks. The drinks all sound so interesting and exquisitely well thought out that it can take a good ten minutes to read the menu and make your choice. Subversively, I went for a pair of anti-fogmatics: the Farewell to Arms (I can't resist a good literary cocktail), pictured below, with rum, maraschino, sugar and citric acid, and the Marmalade cocktail (gin, campari, lemon and marmalade). Both were expertly mixed, but I think my brother won the cocktail lottery, with his Full-Fat Old Fashioned (butter-infused bourbon with sugar). Decadent and delicious.


3. Hannibal
I started watching Bryan Fuller's now probably doomed TV interpretation of Thomas Harris's books about the pre-Silence of the Lambs Hannibal Lecter after watching the first couple of episodes at a friend's house last summer. Will (Hugh Dancy), a young criminal profiler, must work with psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) to try to solve a series of violent murders. Although the audience knows Hannibal's secret, Will and his FBI colleagues (including Caroline Dhavernas and Laurence Fishburne) have no idea who Hannibal is.

The show combines dramatic cases-of-the-week with the much more subtle development of the relationship between Will and Hannibal. At its heart, Hannibal is a bromance and a sensual one at that. The culinary artistry and the music are wonderful, but it's Mikkelsen's performance that really stands out. I thought that the second season dragged a little, but the third (and probably final) season is very well done. NB, probably not one to watch over dinner.

4. Heartbeat installation in Covent Garden Market
If you're in the West End of London between now and 27 September, it's worth making a detour to the Covent Garden Market building, where 100,000 white balloons currently fill the space, pulsating with light. The balloons are part of an installation called Heartbeat by Charles Pétillon, and they glow and fade before your eyes in a mesmerising rhythm. This time-lapse video probably gives you a better idea of what it looks like.


5. Trainwreck
As summer faded and some of the more interesting films began to replace silly blockbusters at the cinema, I got back into the habit of going to the movies more often. I didn't think Trainwreck sounded like my kind of film at first; I'm not a big Judd Apatow fan and it sounded a little like Jason Reitman's Young Adult, which underwhelmed me. Swayed by the profusion of positive reviews — and a £4.99 screening at the Peckhamplex — I caved, and ended up enjoying it a lot.

Trainwreck is wickedly funny, sharp and self-knowing. One of the reviews I read described it as the Manhattan for Gen-Y, which isn't a bad comparison. Amy Schumer as the brash, often thoughtless, commitment-phobic men's magazine writer, and Bill Hader, as the sweet, but somewhat reserved and geeky sports surgeon she has to interview, make a great on-screen pair. Great cinema, it ain't, but it is very entertaining.

1. Honest Burgers Karma Cola special. It's no secret that I think Honest Burgers' signature burger — the eponymous Honest Burger — is one of my top three burgers in London. They also do monthly specials, but the Honest Burger is so near-perfect that it takes a good 'un to tempt me away. This month's special is a cola-boration with Karma Cola and sounded so epic that I couldn't say no. For £11.50 (£12.50 if you order a Karma Cola too) you get an amazing burger with smoked cheddar, Karma-Cola-braised beef, pickles and chilli coleslaw. Oh, and the standard Honest rosemary chips (NB, standard isn't the right word, because they are awesome).


Unsurprisingly, the result is delicious. But if that isn't motivation enough, £1 from every burger sold is being donated to the Karma Cola Foundation, the proceeds of which go to support cola nut growers in West Africa. Everybody wins.

2. Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series. Regular readers will know that I'm a regular reader—I'm currently reading my 93rd book of the year—and I'm always looking for inspiration for the next book on my e-reader. This means that when I discover a writer I like, I tend to make my way through their back catalogue. There are five books so far in French's series about the (fictional) Dublin Murder Squad. Each book is narrated by a different detective and involves a contemporary crime that also links back to the detective's past. The narrator will often have been a minor character in the previous book.

I actually read the latest book in the series, The Secret Place, last year, but have since been working my way through in chronological order. My favourite so far is The Likeness, in which Detective Cassie Maddox goes undercover to try to work out who killed a woman who looked just like her. She goes to live in the house of the murdered woman—a graduate student with friends that evoke Donna Tartt's The Secret History—but finds her objectivity wavering as she becomes more involved with her doppelgänger's life. French combines compelling plots, engaging and flawed narrators, and beautiful, suspenseful prose. Be warned, though, because she isn't fond of endings where everything is tied up neatly.

3. Southerden SE1. I've walked past the tempting windows of Southerden's Bermondsey Street café and patisserie many times, but by the time I make it to Bermondsey Street on a Saturday, I've already had at least one doughnut as part of the SoLoDo running club. Luckily for me, though, Southerden also occupies one of the arches on Dockley Road, as part of the Spa Terminus Market on Saturday mornings.

It took me a while to choose among the delicious-looking sweet treats, but in the end, it had to be a doughnut and I loved the sound of the pineapple doughnut, topped with a dried pineapple ring. It didn't quite have the sinful ooziness of Bread Ahead and St John doughnuts, but it was bloomin' tasty nonetheless. Get them straight from the oven at Unit 11, Dockley Road.


4. Chinatown. I've now watched enough films on Netflix for its movie recommendations to be halfway decent. I was pleased when Chinatown popped up as a suggestion because I haven't seen it in years and I'd forgotten how much I liked it. Great performances from Faye Dunaway and especially Jack Nicholson, great plot, great twists: this is gritty noir at its best.

5. Futurama. Most of the TV shows I watch are pretty dark, or at least dramatic, so I like to keep a lighter show on the go too. After I rewatched all of Friends, I moved on to Futurama, of which I've probably seen a handful of episodes over the years but I never really got into it. Several of my friends are big fans, though, and I keep missing out on their jokes, so I'm binge-watching my way through the archives. A couple of seasons in, I think it's great! I'm very late to this party, I know, but if you like witty, sharp animated sci-fi shows, you won't be disappointed. It's set in the 31st century, so it doesn't matter that it first aired in 1999—it's aged very well!

Considering that I don't feel like I left my desk very often during the month of June, I managed to find quite a few enjoyable things.

1. Shoryu Ramen. I had serious food envy from my boss's trip to Japan and when I found myself in Carnaby Street one rainy Saturday night, the thought of a big comforting bowl of ramen easily won out over the prospect of shopping for food and cooking. I had some great ramen while I was in Japan, of course, and these days it's not too hard to find authentic options in London either. In an effort to be the most popular customer on my bus home, I ordered the Dracula Tonkotsu (£11.90), which is served with caramelised black garlic oil and extra garlic chips, and which was delicious and filling.


The cocktails looked great, the service was friendly but efficient and the long canteen-style tables are great for people-watching — I enjoyed eavesdropping on two cute American guys, who sounded like they had walked right out of a mumblecore film with their discussions of the romantic compatibility of Myers-Briggs personality types, Citizen Kane and Humphrey Bogart, and airline seats. Shoryu has a few other branches around town too. G3-5 Kingly Court, London, W1B 5PJ.

2. H&M Home. I've been spending most of my spare pennies on travel lately, but if you are looking for affordable and often stylish homewares, check out H&M's current home collection. I particularly like the black, copper (sorry: rose gold) and wood range. I treated myself to one of the black wire baskets pictured below, which was about £6, I think, and which makes a great receptacle for my apples. They have some nice candle-holders and wooden crates too.


3. Whenever I go the Stratford Westfield, I always look forward to having a pizza at Franco Manca. The awesome pizza mini-empire has been teasing us Bermondsey residents with a potential new branch on Bermondsey Street for over a year now, but alas, it has not yet materialised. I always go for the margherita (£5.90) because it's delicious and doesn't need any extra toppings. The sourdough base is so delicious that I always end up eating all the crust too. Please come to Bermondsey soon, Franco Manca! Various branches throughout London.


4. The Headmaster's Wife by Thomas Christopher Greene. I read a few fun books this month, including Ruth Ware's In a Dark, Dark Wood, an addictive and twisty friendship-gone-wrong — or has it? — thriller. Just as twisty and with just as much of a case of the unreliable narrators, but a little more literary is Greene's novel about a middle-aged headmaster of a top New England prep school, who is arrested for acting 'oddly' in Central Park, and then begins to recount the events that led up to his arrest. It's hard to say more without spoiling the surprises, but other than a slightly weak closing act, The Headmaster's Wife was sharp, suspenseful and compelling.

5. The Oliver Conquest. My brother picked this Aldgate East pub based mainly on its proximity to the Lahore Kebab House, where we celebrated his birthday. But it's also a gin palace and has a bewilderingly impressive menu with over 200 gins, arranged by botanical, and various geographically organised gin flights. I tried several different gins before and after dinner, including Dorothy Parker gin, an old favourite of mine, and, in honour of the bro, Sibling gin from Cheltenham. My favourite, though, was the Bitter Truth Pink Gin, pictured below. Each gin is served with an appropriate garnish or two: pink grapefruit with the pink gin, natch, and they even served it with pink lemonade. Delicious! The Oliver Conquest is smallish but relaxed and friendly and a great place for juniper-based libations. 70 Leman Street, London, E1 8EU.

I was out of the country for the first half of May, but managed to pack a fair amount in to the latter half, catching up with friends back in London. Here are some things that tickled my fancy this month.

1. The Riding House Café. When I lived in Marylebone, I used to go to this chic and colourful Fitzrovia bistro fairly regularly, but the past few times I've tried to go, it was booked up way in advance. We did, however, get lucky and score a table for a girls' brunch on Saturday. I've had the burger there many times and it's great, but I was in more of a brunch mood and went for the avocado benedict: poached eggs with hollandaise sauce over smashed avocado on a toasted muffin. It was, of course, delicious. Most of the cocktails are riding-themed, in line with the restaurant's name, and I ordered the Horse Whisperer: gin, apple liqueur, rhubarb bitters, ginger and egg white. What a nice way to spend a sunny Saturday!



2. Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami. Thirty-something Tsukiko bumps into her former high-school Japanese teacher in a small Tokyo bar one night. Both are lonely and a tentative friendship develops between the two of them. Not much more happens in Kawakami's novel, but it is so atmospheric, tender, beautifully written and funny. For anyone who has ever visited Tokyo, this story will evoke the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Japan's enchanting capital city.

3. Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Partly because Strange Weather in Tokyo put me back in a Japan frame of mind and partly because it's mentioned most weeks in the advertorial segments of several podcasts at the moment, I decided to check out David Gelb's excellent documentary on Netflix. The eponymous Jiro is the head chef at a three-Michelin-starred sushi restaurant in Tokyo's Ginza district and the film explores what it takes to rise to the top of a hugely competitive industry. In particular, Jiro's lifelong devotion to becoming really, really good at one single thing is fascinating and inspiring. We meet Jiro's two sons — one of whom still works under him and one of whom now has his own restaurant — as well as critics, suppliers and customers. I wish I'd known about Jiro's restaurant when I visited Tokyo, although getting a reservation is very hard, as it sounds like it would be an unforgettable meal.

4. K Place. My brother and sister-in-law lived in Korea for a couple of years, where they met while teaching English. As such, they are the experts in our group of friends on the most authentic Korean BBQ in London. We've always enjoyed going to The Old Justice, a pub serving Korean food near Bermondsey Station, but they have now relocated to Monument and rebranded as K Place (I thought The New Old Justice would be better). They officially open today but we went a couple of weeks ago during their soft launch. The prices are, unfortunately, more in keeping with its new City location and the only soft-launch discount was off the all-you-can-eat buffet, but the food was even better and still pretty good value. We ate our fill of beef bulgogi, pork and sides, with a few beers and some soju for about £25 per head. They don't seem to have a website or anything yet but you can find them at: 1 St Mary at Hill, London, EC3R 8EE (tel: 020 7621 0002).




5. Mad Men series finale. There are only a few TV shows that I have watched at the time of first broadcast and from the beginning throughout their run: Friends, Dawson's Creek, Gossip Girl and now Mad Men. When Matthew Weiner's show made its début in 2007, it quickly became my favourite show, and while it didn't pioneer the antihero, Jon Hamm's Don Draper managed to be charismatic, compelling, mysterious and intensely frustrating in equal measures. When The Good Wife arrived on the scene in 2009, that soon took over as my favourite show, but I still loved watching Mad Men each week. It's the very definition of 'slow burner' but the attention to detail, the fine acting performances and the flawed but complex characters kept drawing me back, even during the weaker fifth and sixth seasons when there seemed to be too many characters for the small seasons.


I was also annoyed by the decision to split the last season into two halves, but the second-half of season seven was really good and although the ending wasn't perfect, it was very fitting and gave viewers perhaps more resolution than they might ever have hoped for. If you haven't watched the show, I would recommend giving it a try, but I do suggest that you don't binge-watch. A few of my friends quickly burned out by trying to watch too many episodes in one go; slow burners are definitely more enjoyable if you don't rush them. Mad Men, I'm going to miss you!

As this post goes live, I will be on the way to Mexico for some culture, history, sun, fun and especially food. In the meantime, though, here are some of the things I enjoyed in April.


1. Bron (The Bridge). I had overdosed a bit on Scandinavian and/or crime dramas, but as soon as I watched the first episode of Bron, a Swedish–Danish collaboration, I was hooked. As the show opens, a body is found on the bridge between Malmö, Sweden, and Copenhagen, Denmark, and because the jurisdiction is initially uncertain, two detectives — Saga (Sofia Helin), a brilliant Swedish detective with a number of Asperger's-like characteristics, and her jovial but troubled Danish colleague Martin (Kim Bodnia) — take on the case. The crimes are interesting, but it's the beautifully complex and subtle relationship between Saga and Martin that really makes Bron stand out. Oh, and season two is even better than the first season!

2. Quarter Horse Coffee. I stopped by Oxford-based Quarter Horse Coffee while visiting my parents last month. It's an awesome cafe with friendly staff and excellent coffee. I have been enjoying some of their beans, which they roast at their Birmingham location, at home for the past couple of weeks and it will definitely be my go-to place for stocking up on coffee when I'm in town.


3. So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson. This was easily my favourite book of the month. Ronson explores what public shaming means in the #hashtag age. He talks to a number of people who have experienced high-profile public shamings, explores the psychology of the shamers and the shamees and asks whether there is anything that you can do if a single ill-advised Facebook photo upload has done serious damage to your online — and real-world — reputation. The narrative is compelling and the stories are fascinating, although you do wonder if by devouring the book you are somehow participating in the continued attention to the featured individuals.

4. Smorgasburg. I spend a lot of time at street-food markets, but Smorgasburg — the weekly weekend outdoor feast held in Williamsburg, Brooklyn — is one of the biggest and best. A huge number of stalls sell a wide variety of food from breakfast sandwiches to barbecue and lobster rolls to lollipops. I gorged on an epic egg-and-bacon roll from Rise & Swine, a lobster roll and a couple of delicious oysters. But there were so many other things I would have liked to try, including Asian hot dogs, tacos and ramen burgers. I also bought a jar of salted caramel peanut butter from The 3 Nuts, which tastes great on a bagel or, you know, your finger.



5. Michel Thomas Method language courses. I'm a self-proclaimed language geek. I speak French and Italian with reasonable fluency, but I've also picked up some basic proficiency in Spanish, German and Japanese over the years. While I was revising for my A-level French and Italian, some 13 years ago, I decided it was an excellent time to start learning Spanish and I used Michel Thomas's eight-CD course. I've managed to maintain an elementary level of Spanish with very little practice, which will come in useful on this holiday. I also used the eight-CD Japanese course before my trip to Japan last year and I was impressed how much Japanese I learned — and still know. If you want a language course that teaches you the grammar and the structures, rather than giving you phrases to memorise by rote, check out the Michel Thomas courses.