What’s on in London – June 2014

Polo in the Park is the equestrian version of 20/20 cricket in that it has modified the traditional rules of polo in order to speed up the action. This makes extra demands on both horse and rider that enhance the action and enable more matches to be played. The historic fields of Hurlingham Park will play host to one of the most hotly anticipated fixtures of the year as teams from Moscow, Sydney, Abu Dahbi and Buenos Aries converge on West London in order to battle for supremacy.

Smaller pitches and more seating will ensure that spectators can see all the action and there’s plenty of top class refreshment options. Bars are set up with direct views onto the field of play and there is a Harrod’s food court, champagne garden and an improved children’s zone, featuring plenty of family friendly entertainment.

If you see a three storey high bowler hat appear next to St Paul’s this summer, don’t be alarmed. This is one of the pop-up venues that will play host to a selection of events making up part of the City of London festival with events that include music, children’s theatre, cabaret, comedy and circus. The bowler hat symbol is apt as it has for years been seen both as a business uniform and an entertainment prop so it’s the ideal design for Paternoster Square.

The venue will host a busy and varied schedule, with internationally acclaimed puppeteers Little Angel Theatre during the day, commuter-hour talks on such Square Mile-related subjects as Justice, Money and Power, and evening shows featuring stand-up comics Richard Herring and Andy Zaltzman, acrobatic circus artists Pirates of the Carabina, and Judy & Liza, a musical homage to the legendary stars of stage and screen, Judy Garland and her daughter Liza Minnelli.

As with all boy bands, One Direction have had to do their growing up under the full glare of the public spotlight. This they have achieved with huge success as they bounce from hit record to sellout tour to celebrity girlfriends. Now on their third album tour, Harry, Zayn, Louis, Liam and Niall still frolic around the stage like school mates where Take That would have been drilled into formation dance routines (1D don’t dance – this is the band’s defining USP, other than dressing like a catalogue). however, their mic-handling skills and stage gestures are now thoroughly smooth and professional.

Two vital things have changed for ever. Tattoos have crept across One Direction’s previously flawless young skin like oil slicks. The other is America. Up All Night came out in the States, going to No 1 immediately. No other British band has achieved this on their debut. So now 1D join Adele and Mumford & Sons as British cultural commodities Americans can’t resist. The inclusion of red phone boxes and other Brit-kitsch in their artwork is no accident. So look at this as a sort of triumphant homecoming then as the lads occupy the traditional heart of the nation’s favourite pastime after conquering the world.

This is musical where the artistic merit was almost eclipsed by its impressive props but where the sheer intensity of the subject matter still got through. Music and words are by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, who struck gold with Les Misérables and this adaptation of Madame Butterfly focuses on the big themes of love, loss and redemption. The doomed love-affair between a Vietnamese prostitute and a US marine, isn’t very sympathetic to American foreign policy but a western audience should be able to stomach that in these post Iraqi war time.

The evacuation of Saigon and the appearance of famous life-size helicopter get the biggest cheer of the night and there is no doubting that the heroism of the soldiers is a counter to the abandoned mother and child. The beautifully sung message that Miss Saigon brings back to London after fifteen years, is that the casualties of war are not restricted to the battlefield and that true love does not always prevail.

Field Day is the warm up music festival before the big Glastonbury, Hyde Park and Lovebox events kick off but that doesn’t mean that the bill is lacking. Cutting edge and left field bands are in plentiful evidence and the urban setting is set to give it a grittier ambience than the 21st century hippie vibe that exists along the M4. Metronomy, Daniel Avery, Blood Orange, Huw Stephens and Jamie Isaac appear on the Saturday, while the Pixies, Louis Baker, Lovepark, Pond and The Horrors are among the acts set to take to the stage on the Sunday.

Apart from the music, there’s masses of pop-up attractions throughout the park. Village green team games provide plenty of knockabout fun for those who like to mix music and sports. If you’re of a more sedentary (lazy) disposition and still want to satisfy your competitive instincts, then you might like see if you can win a live eating contest. There are also plenty of delicious food and beverage outlets close at hand and you can treat yourself to some classy craft beers at the London Brewers’ Market stall.

Spring is the season which has the most telling impact on fine dining menus in the capital. Customers are ready for fresher, lighter meals, yet still enjoy the odd spot of comfort eating which is why modern English cuisine scores so highly at this time of the year. The Mercer has, in the last seven years, established itself as a firm favourite in the Square Mile because it understands these annual quirks and makes sure that it stays connected to the right suppliers.

Lamb, asparagus and Jersey Royal potatoes are the seasonal ingredients that are most prized at the moment and the chefs here keep things delicously simple. Shepherds Pie is one of the most satisfying ways of enjoying lamb and the Mercer recipe is amongst the best in town. Blanched asparagus is served in a Parmesan parcel and topped with a poached duck egg; an excellent accompaniment to salmon. The earthy nuttiness of genuine Jersey potatoes complements the delicate taste of seabass perfectly.

There won’t be a dodgem ride in sight when you rock up to this converted warehouse in the ultra hip Dalston/Shoreditch area. Instead what you’ll experience is the latest mash-up event that London seems to excel at: namely, a club weekender which is themed around high-end street food. Walk into any kitchen in a top London eatery and you’ll find clued up young chefs who are as knowledgable about chilled breakbeats as they are about chilled gazpacho and Fairground is their collective vision made flesh.

Spread over three floors, the venue contains a mega bar run by Strange Hill on the first level. DJs from dance labels Hot Natured and Black Butter will host a fashion show by the Love Bullets collective. The second floor takes the form of a chill out and knowledge space with talks and seminars by such trend surfing luminaries as English Disco Lovers on the power of social media. The top tier is where everybody hopes to end up. This is where a deliciously unpredictable selection of pop up restaurants will hold court. The opening of Fairground coincides with Thai New Year and Jude Sangsida from Busaba Eatha will be on hand to demonstrate the incredible levels to which mere “street food” can rise.

The influence of these intrepid Norse explorers in Britain goes far beyond the looting and pillaging stereotype. Our architecture, language and even legal codes have large Scandinavian components while the way the land itself is divided is down to the visits (temporary or permanent) of our northern neighbours. The Vikings have gone down in history as one of its greatest travellers. Britain was just the start of their thirst for adventure as they traded all along the North European seaboard and even traced the Volga River into Russia. They are justifiably famous for discovering the New World half a century before Columbus and no attempt to gentrify their history can avoid the fact that they tended to turn up in numbers without an invitation.

The most interesting aspect of this exhibition, which includes rare examples of pottery, weapons and fascinating religious artefacts, is an in-depth investigation into the Vikings shipbuilding technology and navigation methods. Crossing the North Atlantic Ocean in an open, single-sail rowing boat is an incredible feat and Life and Legend looks at how these skilled warrior/builders went about their task. Some of the attention to ergonomic detail in these thousand year old remains is truly inspiring.

Clean cut Mormon missionaries meet with poverty oppressed Africans with hilarious results. It sounds implausible, even offensive but this musical from the creators of South Park has been a runaway smash on both sides of the Atlantic and shows no sign of wearing out its welcome in the West End. The script is subversive and darkly comic but importantly never patronises its targets and is helped along by some of the cleverest, catchiest and downright scandalous tunes ever performed on stage.

Reports have suggested that inquiries about the Mormon faith have gone up by 50% since the musical started and it certainly didn’t deter Mitt Romney from running for president (he lost but that was because his party was unpopular not because he was a Mormon). As the production pokes fun at some of the stranger beliefs of the Latter Day Saints, the underlying sentiment is that anybody can pick holes in religion but the hope that springs from it is undeniable and even transferable: deeds, not creeds if you will.

Adventurous Italian cooking in the heart of Soho is what the recently relocated Polpetto is all about. Commitment to the very best ingredients is the hallmark of any fine cuisine but it seems that it is even more essential in Italian dishes. This may have something to do with the fact that the regional food characteristics are so strong in that part of the world. Polpetto know all this by heart so you get green winter tomatoes from Sardinia, simply sliced and served with oil. This might sound rudimentary but the taste is indescribably good. Chef/owner Florence Knight is famous for her Baccala mantecato and happily it remains on the menu. A garlicky paste of salt cod on grilled bread, it is the ideal snack for these windy March days as it comforts the stomach while looking forward to warmer times ahead.

Polpetto also make the best scallops in town. Rather than swamp the delicate shellfish under a blanket of low-grade pork, they use lardons and cauliflower cream to elevate an already sublime dish. Desserts are sensibly palate cleansing, particularly the zesty blood orange sorbet and the Italian wine list is well chosen and reasonably priced.

We are continuously being told by health gurus that salads are not only necessary, but incredibly tasty when you put the right ingredients together. However, no matter our good intentions, we tend to neglect them when we eat out and opt for something that excites and intrigues us more; we are eating out after all. Salad still tends to be an afterthought that springs to mind when we are guiltily looking for a light lunch after a previous night’s blowout and this is the mindset that Chris Kitchen seems to be debunking on a daily basis. Kitch is no rabbit food merchant. He has worked for Gordon Ramsey and run the kitchens in the Dorchester so he brings quality, precision and passion to his task.

Salmon smoked over Chinese tea and feta lasagne are great main courses but you could lunch on the salads alone, such is the attention to detail coupled with top notch ingredients on show. Three bean salad with cinnamon shouldn’t work but it does. Apple and fennel with quinoa reads like a yummy mummy posted it into the suggestion box; yet it is so nuanced and well presented that you wonder why other chefs aren’t doing the same. With a range of wonderful cakes and tea infusions, Kitch looks and feels like a local deli which is probably a good thing as it makes the treasures within even more exciting.

The story of a group of plucky ex steelworkers who decide to strip for a living started life on stage before it became a global movie smash. It has now come full circle and has an extended run in the West End which will be good news for lovers of classic soul music….among other things! Joking aside, the music is actually where this production has been able to improve on the film. There is now more time and space to bring in additional material and the play benefits greatly.

Also there is more dramatic substance given to the lives of the individuals involved. The play seeks to put the view of the wives and girlfriends across instead of portraying them one dimensionally as saints or victims. The dancing is still wonderfully ropey though which is a good thing. One sure fire way to ruin this tale of working class male insecurity would have been to bring in a group of buffed up Chippendales. It may have drawn the hen parties, but they would have had to change the name to Dull Monty.
Matilda: The Musical – Cambridge Theatre

Firmly established as one of the top attractions in the West End, Matilda has gone on to conquer Broadway and is set to gain a lasting worldwide audience. Children’s author, Roald Dahl has always provided rich material for theatre directors. There’s plenty of fun and fantasy mixed with a large dollop of attitude with Matilda benefitting from having a lead part that every precocious little girl in the land would crawl over broken hair slides to play. Dahl wrote about the challenges of childhood but also about what happens when childhood gives way to a disappointing adult life. The secret to staging these stories is to make sure that the supporting cast is as strong as the star turn.

This is where Matilda excels. Mrs Trunchbull is a mad mixture of megalomania and insecurity while Miss Honey radiates subliminal goodness wherever she goes. Matilda’s parents turn pig ignorance into a comic tour-de-force. In the middle of all this stands Matilda: a cutely subversive ten year-old genius. Spitting complicated lyrics and bouncing around to the infectious music, she effortlessly wins over the audience with a mixture of vulnerability and bravery which we wish we possessed now, let alone when we were ten.

Nowadays, when a restaurant wants to signify to would-be hipsters that it is indeed on-trend, it can approach it’s choice of decor in two ways. Approach number one is to opt for the Nordic wood-ceiling look so beloved of modern art galleries. Secondly, it can expose every single brick and ventilation pipe in a fifty metre radius. Presto! Instant “Industrial Chic”. Trip Kitchen goes for the latter route and it’s location under the railway arches of E8 gives it a head start. Haggerston forms a handy link between the silly prices of Shoreditch and the experimental pop-ups of Dalston. The area is a happy hunting ground for foodies in search of the next big ethnic gastrocraze.

Trip gets its inspiration from the Turkish Cypriot background of Head chef Selin Kiazim who avoids the overly carnivorousness of some of his compatriots, opting for a well balanced menu of small plates. These include lamb with pomegranate and grilled sardines with a sort of Turkish tapenade. A variety of spiced rice puddings feature on the dessert menu which along with the mains and starters is as well priced as it is delicious. Trip Kitchen is a welcome addition to an already thriving East London dining scene.

Andrew Lloyd Webber has downsized a bit for his latest foray into the West End. Known usually for his towering ballads and historical sweep, he has in Stephen Ward focused on a small, yet important footnote in Britain’s journey towards social transformation. Stephen Ward tells the tale of the eponymous doctor who moonlighted as a social fixer in the early sixties London. His friendship with politicians, call girls and spies lead to the Profumo scandal in which a government minister and Russian spy were alleged to have shared a mistress.

In the resulting fallout, the government fell and the press lost their fear of the upper class. Ward was denounced as a pimp and took his own life. Christine Keeler gained life-long notoriety. Lloyd Webber’s production uses wit and catchy songs as weapons in a battle to resurrect the doctor’s reputation. The fact that it partially succeeds in this mission is down to the period charm of the compositions and the strong singing of the entire cast. A wry, entertaining look at class snobbery and government hypocrisy.

The 1953 film starred some of Hollywood’s biggest names but the story stands up by itself even without the star wattage of Sinatra and co. Eminent lyricist Tim Rice returns to West End production duties after a decade away and teams up with composer Stuart Brayson and director Tamara Harvey in a bold attempt to uncover the true story behind the glitzy movie.

The musical tells the story of a group of American soldiers stationed on the beautiful island of Hawaii. War with Japan is imminent but the troops seem to be fighting personal battles of their own. Illicit love affairs and professional tensions split the men apart at the very time that unity is needed the most. The blues based score sets the tone for moody introspection and explosive confrontations.

With cheery economic news an almost daily occurrence, London’s restaurant scene has seen the return of the super-size eaterie. In the noughties, this sector was ruled by the Conrad empire as Quaglino’s and Mezzo fed the city’s foodies to much acclaim. In 2013, new faces have arrived in the West End to satisfy London’s seemingly never ending hunger for new places to eat. Chotto Matte is split into several levels and can comfortably seat over 200 guests. The food is a deliciously fresh take on the Nikkei style of Japanese cooking with dedicated areas for sushi lovers and a Japanese barbecue.

The atmosphere is gregarious and fun with a DJ and live music in selected rooms; perfect for the after-theatre or pre-clubbing crowd. Entrepreneur and owner, Kurt Zdesar has a solid track record in London having launched the first Nobu restaraunt here and he seems to have judged this opening perfectly. So as a raft of new shows hit the West End, expect to find the cast, crew and audience toasting one another at Chotto Matte

High rise dining is becoming a more common occurrence in the capital, thanks to the recent proliferation of downtown skyscrapers. The views tend to affect the prices which, in turn, affect expectations. Oblix unapologetically go for the City boy pound by offering such favourites as crab cakes, scallops, rib-eye steak and lobster cerviche. These are all tried and trusted meals so beloved by the transatlantic suits and suitesses who frequent Oblix by day.

In the evening, the lights dim and the views become even more entrancing. From this vantage point, you can actually track the progress of underground trains by the way their lights leak through cracks in the ground. A lounge menu and live music give Oblix the same kind of ambience that can be found in the New York Grill in Tokyo’s Park Hyatt hotel immortalised in Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation movie. It’s no surprise, then, to discover that these two high-flyers share the same origins. Both have been conceived by Rainer Becker, who with Arjun Waney also launched Zuma and Roka,