City Matters Edition 014 Christmas 2016

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Page 8 | Christmas 2016 Community Matters What’s on when & where in the City anniversary: the International Mime Festival returns once more CITYMATTERS.LONDON EXHIBITION / Skating on Ice A new display at the Museum of London traces the Capital’s obsession with ice skating. The exhibition looks at the popular seasonal pastime which, in London, dates back to at least the 12th century. The first known account by William Fitzstephen describes locals strapping animal bones to their feet to play on a patch of ice at Moorfields in 1173. The display tracks the advancements in ice skate designs, highlights changing fashions, and demonstrates how skating on the Capital’s frozen lakes and ponds became an annual, if sometimes dangerous, winter tradition. It’s free to attend so slide on in anytime before early February. Until 8 February 150 London Wall EC2Y 5HN FESTIVAL / International Mime Festival The 40th anniversary of the London International Mime Festival kicks off next month, featuring wordless performances from ’ice work: Skating on Ice at the Museum of London juggling to clowning and dance to puppetry. It takes place at venues across London, including the Barbican and Shoreditch Town Hall. It’s the longest-running festival of its kind, maintaining the popularity of an artform which helped launch the careers of Toby Jones, Simon McBurney and Sacha Baron Cohen. No doubt the volume will be raised in the new year so stick it in the diary. Various venues 9 January to 4 February SKATE / Bump Roller Disco Take festive fun indoors this winter with Bump’s ever-popular mobile roller disco. Avoid soggy clothes and slips on the ice at the Southbank Centre until well into the new year. Hire skates or bring your own, and watch out for special club nights on Fridays and Saturdays. Until 22 January Southbank Centre, Belveder Road SE1 8XX DANCE / The Red Shoes The Sadler’s Wells stage will be the setting for a performance based on the hit film inspired by Hans Christian Anderson’s beloved fairy tale. Matthew Bourne, the acclaimed British dancer, is directing the affair, with Ashley Shaw taking on the role of Victoria Page, a ballerina torn between the man she loves and her pursuit of becoming a prima ballerina. Expect a faithful reproduction with a few surprises thrown in for good measure; do not forget that Bourne has previously staged a homoerotic adaptation of Swan Lake. Until 29 January Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Rosebery Avenue EC1R EXHIBITION / The Royal African The story of an African prince sold into slavery and his connection to one of the largest companies involved in the slave trade at the time, the Royal African Company, is now being told at the Museum of London Docklands. Founded in 1672 as a joint venture between the Duke of York, who was to become King James II, and leading merchants in London, the Royal African Company held a monopoly over the slave trade in West Africa. This display focuses on the history of the firm by telling the story of an African prince, William Sessarakoo, otherwise known as ‘The Royal African’. Sessarakoo was the son of the head of a leading family in West Africa. He grew up in the Royal African Company’s fort at Annamaboe which was located in present day Ghana. Find out more between now and the summer. Until 4 June No.1 Warehouse, West India Dock Road, Canary Wharf E14 4AL LISTEN / King Creosote It’s time to look ahead to 2017; Kenny Anderson, aka King Creosote, presents an expanded performance of music from his new album, Astronaut Meets Appleman, mixing traditional folk instrumentation with elements of electronica. Taking a more experimental approach to his usual work, Astronaut Meets Appleman explores our relationship with technology, juxtaposing looping vocals and electronic ambience with the innocence of his daughter’s vocals and his characteristic mix of bagpipes and accordion. With his usual band augmented by a larger ensemble here, this is a chance to see the rich textures and layered instrumentation of his new record fully realised live. Booking essential on the Barbican Centre website. 22 January 7.30pm Barbican Centre, Silk Street EC2Y 8DS To act as a City Matters Collection Point contact: 020 8640 6015 www.citymatters.london Find Our Collection Points: Coffee Stall In front of St Mary Abchurch, Abchurch Lane, London EC4N 7BA EL Vino Wine Merchant 6 Martin Lane, Cannon St, London EC4R 0DP James Shoe Care 59 Moorgate, London EC2R 6BH Jeeves Dry Cleaners 131 Fleet St, London EC4A 2BH J Rogers & Sons - Shoe repair shop 28 Liverpool St, London EC2M 7PD Guildhall Library Aldermanbury, London EC2V 7HH Lord Raglan Pub, St Martins le Grand 61 St Martins le Grand, St Pauls London EC1A 4ER Merchant House Pub London 13 Well Court, London EC4M 9DN Middle Library Middle Temple Ln, London EC4Y 9BT Pod Good Food 75 King William Street, London EC4N 7BE Protestant Truth Society Inc - Book Shop 184 Fleet St, London EC4A 2HJ Romo Coffee 1 Minster Court, Mincing Ln, London EC3R 7AE Scott’s Shoe repair & Dry Cleaners City Thameslink Station, Holborn, Concourse London EC4M 7RA Scott’s Shoe repair & Dry Cleaners City Thameslink Station, 65 Ludgate Hill London EC4M 7JH Sweetings Restaurant 39 Queen Victoria St, London EC4N 4SF Temple Brew House 46 Essex St, London WC2R 3JF The Natural Kitchen 176 Aldersgate St, London EC1A 4HR The Old Bank of England Pub 194 Fleet St, London EC4A 2LT Ye Old Cheshire Cheese 145 Fleet Street, London EC4A 2BU
CITYMATTERS.LONDON Christmas 2016 | Page 9 Food Matters Ember’s all fired up INTRODUCING THE LATEST SPARK TO SET UP SHOP IN PUDDING LANE bright sparks: Ember gets the seal of approval LET’S DO... NEW MEXICAN / Breddos Tacos True taco fans will be familiar with this Street Feast stalwart, which started off in a Hackney car park in 2011 before launching a bestselling cookbook and repping London at the LA’s Tacolandia festival earlier this year. Now Breddos is putting down some roots, bringing the Clerkenwell crowd no fewer than 10 different taco options, plus tostadas and tlayudas (Mexican pizzas). Breakfast at this all-day taqueria brings blueberry churro French toast or Austin-style tacos, while the wood grill is fired up for dinner, dishing out spit roast Iberico Pork Al Pastor with roasted pineapple, sea urchin tostadas, mutton barbacoa and beef rib birria. 82 Goswell Road EC1V 7DB EATING AT ALTITUDE / 1 Undershaft There’s about to be a new top dog of sky-high dining in London with the newly approved 73-storey building at 1 Undershaft to house the Capital’s highest restaurant. Designed by architect Eric Parry for Singaporean developers Aroland Holdings, the newly-nicknamed ‘Trellis’ building will have a free public viewing gallery and a restaurant higher than the Shard’s Gong (52nd floor) and the Heron Tower’s SushiSamba and Duck & Waffle (39th and 40th floors respectively). The tower isn’t slated for completion until well into the 2020s, so feel free to spoil your appetite for at least the next decade. 1 Undershaft EC3P 3DQ DRINKS ON THE FLY / Aviary Two months after the opening of Burdock on the ground floor of the Royal London Hotel, hospitality giant the ETN Group is further adding to Finsbury Square’s culinary credentials with Aviary, a brand new drinking and dining destination on the roof. Perched 10 floors above the construction site that is Moorgate, Aviary takes its ornithological references very seriously, from the large ornate birdcage suspended above the stairway to the proud pair of peacocks heralding the venue’s entrance. The menu has been designed around high-quality British meat and fish cooked over charcoal, while cocktails embrace the botanical theme under headings like Floral & Elegant, Tricks & Treats, Coppers & Sharing Pineapples, and Deep & Dirty. 22 Old Broad St EC2N 1HQ THERE are two overused clichés that spring to mind when one learns of the “top chefs, mixologists and sommeliers” that had a hand in creating Ember, the new late night drinking and dining destination on Pudding Lane. Spruiking a restaurant with a DJ booth for dining and dance, a cellar for small group gatherings, and a hidden bar for whiskey and sake tastings begs the question: is Ember trying to be too many things to too many people? Will it be a case of “many hands make light work” or “too many cooks spoil the broth”? Happily, the reality is far more of the former and only one or two cases of the latter; namely in the slightly bored looking DJ looking down at diners from her perch. But as for the food and drink, those top chefs, mixologists and sommeliers seem to be working in perfect harmony to make light work of a pleasant evening at Ember. Food is at the hand of executive chef Jonathan Villar, formerly head chef of Peter Gordon’s (now closed) Seven Dials cafe Kopapa and, more recently, a brief stint at Antipodean-style eatery Bronte in Trafalgar Square. In throwing lesser-known flavours into the mix, Villar has managed to inject fresh life into the archetypical Asian-European fusion cuisine. Think Korean ‘pajeon’ king prawns with calamari fritters and a spicy jam of chilli, wasabi and beetroot, inari tofu with an urad dal curry and coconut sambal, and the insta crowd pleasing wagyu beef and foie gras burger with smokey miso relish, streaky bacon and oozy Gruyere cheese on an avocado bun – as carbfree as a burger comes. Every dish on the menu has been designed to be paired with items from the extensive cocktail and wine list, whether it’s the Vietnamese goat curry with a light, fruity Gewürztraminer or the curious (but quite nice) hot-smoked salmon cheesecake with a Junmai sake. Signature cocktails are presented under the auspices of light, medium and dark: a refreshing Kimchi martini for lunch or pre-dinner, the rich and nutty River Dragon during the meal, and the Kiuchi Highball to wind down – though by the sound of the Japanese whisky, sherry chocolate bitters and amber ale concoction, the party might be just getting started. Reference There’s also the Kitsune, a cocktail designed to cleanse the palate with an Acmella Oleracea (otherwise known as an electric daisy), which alters your taste receptors in what is an odd and not exactly pleasurable experience, but one you’re unlikely find anywhere else in these parts. In fact, the only stereotype Ember does succumb to is in its name – a reference to its location in Pudding Lane, widely accepted as the starting point for the Great Fire of London. But with a launch amidst all the pomp surrounding the 350th anniversary of this catastrophic event, it is unlikely to spoil the broth. 1a Pudding Lane EC3R 8AB Get everything you need for your Christmas Day Roast at Thompsons of Smithfield We supply a range of turkeys at unbeatable prices, as well as honey roast ham, pigs in blankets, smoked salmon, sausage stuffing, cheese, plus much more... Come down to our shop in Smithfield Market between 2am-9:30am Monday – Friday, to get all you need for your Festive Feast!
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City Matters Edition 014 Christmas 2016

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