Tucked away off of Charlotte Street lies shy and retiring Windmill Street, home of Drakes Tabanco, a small, traditional and totally charming Andalusian tapas and sherry tavern. It is the sister restaurant of the superb Barrica and a recent addition to Fitzrovia. With its modest white front (so modest you could almost miss it), light and airy interior and welcoming Spanish staff, Drakes instantly invites you into a different country and culture.
Just a short walk around the back of Kings Cross Station leads you to the not so well known, ‘Granary Square’ an imaginative oasis of redeveloped warehouses, hidden by a wall of construction. I realize that this picture does not paint one of romance but I think its secrecy is the key to its charm. My date and I arrived at sunset, where outside the red-lit fountains glistened in the evening sun, providing the mood for the evening ahead.
Running from 18th – 22nd March and 25th – 29th March Shuttlecock Inc. return to London with a Gallic spin-off of their sell-out pop-up, Rumble At The Deli… Rumble: Part Deux.
An off-the-wall parody of France’s rich gastronomic tradition, Part Deux will be fronted by Shuttlecock’s latest comedy creation, Arnaud Hérouville-Saint-Clair-Escoffier: great-grandson of culinary legend, Auguste, and chef/proprietor of Parisian institution, La Constellation – so named for its unrivalled string of Michelin stars.
From the creators of Secret Cinema, Future Cinema offers a movie experience like no other (apart from Secret Cinema). Even before getting in, the world of the film you’re there to see bursts out in to the streets and unfolds in front of you. With actors everywhere encouraging you to get involved, you have no choice but to lose yourself in this wonderful experience.
Fitzrovia is a gem of an area sitting between Tottenham Court Road, Goodge Street and Great Portland Street. With restaurants and bars to suit all budgets it is an ideal location to go to for a date in London.
Barrica is a stylish and authentic Spanish tapas bar that sits close to the centre of Fitzrovia on Goodge Street. Recommended by a friend as serving the finest white Rioja ever – I knew I had to sample its delights. It serves up some damn fine food, wine and sherry and who doesn’t like tapas? You can’t go wrong with this stunning little restaurant.
Sitting halfway along Dean Street in Soho is Dean Street Town House, an upmarket hotel and bistro owned by the Soho House Group serving high quality British fare. It was a Thursday night and packed! The wait for walk in’s was long but luckily I had a table booked.
Even before entering the Townhouse we could feel the buzzing atmosphere resonating from inside the restaurant.
It was very busy when I visited, these images are Dean Street Townhouse’s
Sitting in a pretty Georgian townhouse, The Modern Pantry offers fresh, imaginative and well cooked food making it a perfect choice for a date.
Valentine’s Day is upon us once again, if you’re feeling the pressure to come up with something extra special for Valentine’s Day – don’t panic. We have some of the best Valentine’s Day date ideas in London so read on for inspiration and solutions to make you’re Valentine’s day the most romantic, intimate and enjoyable yet.
This romantic restaurant is near invisible. The only sign it exists is if you either a) look up as you are walking past at night and notice people sitting in the windows or b) walk by the entrance on the side street and see the label on the buzzer. But Upstairs is truly one of London’s hidden gems and well worth making the trip to Brixton to sample their delicious menu.
It was the final Friday before Christmas, I had promised my date the week before that I would treat her to a romantic Christmas meal in town, but heavy work do’s and last minute Christmas shopping had distracted me from my promise and I found myself in a mad rush to find an available slot at a good restaurant. Call after call I was greeted with the same response, ‘Fully booked.’ Having no luck by phone, I consulted TripAdvisor which gave a great recommendation to a charming French bistro on Brick Lane – Chez Elles (ranked 10th best London restaurant) I immediately called them and thankfully managed to get the last table of the night at 21:30. I was in for a treat!
We decided to go to Dans le Noir? after a friend’s recommendation. The concept is quite simple really – you have your dinner in complete darkness where you are guided and served by blind people. The reality is really not that simple.
© Black?
All Hallows’ Eve is approaching, time to get dressed up and spooked out. What better way to get close to someone than when you’re petrified or drinking a novelty Halloween cocktail. Trick or treat you date to London’s best original Halloween nights, and to save you the research we’ve got the list right here. Read on for our top Halloween 2013 date ideas in London.
One of The London Date Guide’s favourite London shows, Faulty Towers Dining Experience is celebrating the first birthday of their London West End residency!
This globe-trotting show featuring Basil, Sybil and Manuel opened in London’s West End last October, immediately selling out and winning five-star reviews. And now it’s celebrating its first birthday at Charing Cross with a whole month of special events and surprises. If you fancy seeing the show between 1 October and 21 December 2013 you can save £5 per ticket by simply quoting HAPPYBIRTHDAYBASIL when booking. We also have a competition to win a pair of tickets to see the show, read on!
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I’ve been slightly cynical about the Shard since it’s been open. Believing it to be over-priced and over-hyped I’d resisted going up. This came to an end last weekend when my date insisted we go up to one of the bars for one drink to see the view.
Chocolate Week is upon us once again! You can discover chocolate as you’ve never tasted it before with Chocolate Week events at Gaucho restaurants across the UK from 14th – 20th October 2013.
Gaucho’s Chocolate Week events combine the British love of chocolate with Argentina’s renowned beef and Malbec to create a series of memorable and delectable dining experiences for guests. This includes complimentary Malbec chocolates for all diners, Malbec and Chocolate Masterclasses, Chocolate Cocktail Evenings and an innovative Chocolate Week Menu.
In my humble opinion, the sign of a good first date is longevity and if you get a kiss at the end of it. Sure this may be a base way of looking at it but once you’ve grown bored of the box ticking and the social analysis, all that matters on a first date is two things: Do you get on? And, do you fancy them? The rest can wait till next time.
Last night was one of the best nights I’ve had in London for ages. Fact.
Having booked tickets to see the Book of Mormon months ago, I was thrilled to realise this week that the blessed day had finally arrived.
This light and airy cafe sits in the super swanky Inter Continental Hotel on Park Lane. As soon as you walk through the doors to this 5* hotel you feel like you’re somewhere special. Strolling through this decadent hotel to the back we arrived at the Cookbook Cafe where we were greeted by the friendly wait staff who promptly seated us.
I have been wanting to see this show ever since its burst into theatreland in 2011. Luckily I ended up coming to see it on a date a few weeks ago and it was definitely worth the wait. It’s been a runaway hit ever since it started in the National Theatre and though it’s changed theatres, it’s never stopped its run.
We’re lucky that London’s West End offers some of the best theatre productions in the world so you really have no excuse not to see some shows while you’re living here. There are a lot to choose from though and if you’re thinking of taking your date to one but don’t know where to start then we’ve listed our tops pics – we can guarantee that none of these will leave you disappointed…
