The Nudge

Since it opened four years ago, Firebird has – quite appropriately – remained one of Soho‘s hottest restaurants. And now that summer has decided to make London roughly the same temperature as its open kitchen, it’s launched a new seasonal menu to match – and Nudge Members +1 can get 50% off it from 15th–29th August. For the uninitiated, Firebird was at the tip of the open-fire spear, a sleek Mediterranean-style restaurant & natural wine bar dedicated to cooking things over flames.

The famous OXO Tower Restaurant has just been taken over by the team behind Fallow. Clearly, they must put a lot of stock in it. After all, it’s been a fairly iconic dining destination for the past 25 years – though more recently it had taken something of a backseat in London’s hyper-dynamic restaurant scene. So it’s excellent news that the Fallow trio (James Robson, Jack Croft and Will Murray) have snapped it up, saying they just “could not resist” the opportunity.

For over three decades, the Open House Festival has provided the public with legitimate ways to be nosy by throwing open the doors to private houses, mansions, libraries, clock towers, factories and other buildings of particular architectural interest, to all and sundry… for free. It happens for just one week a year, and it’s almost upon us.

This September, one London restaurant will contain half of all Texas’s Michelin-starred BBQ restaurants… …which is two. But that’s still 50% of an extremely exclusive club, and an immense concentration of smoked meat talent. After InterStellar BBQ’s residency at The Ned last year, the Austin smokehouse is making the trip across the Atlantic again – only this time, it’s bringing reinforcements.

A pop up bar aboard a pirate ship? Now that’s a drinking vessel. And that’s exactly what you’ll find aboard the Golden Hinde this summer, which for those not up to scratch on their pirate lore is the full-size replica of Sir Francis Drake’s famous 16th-century galleon, permanently moored in a little dock behind Borough Market. They’re calling it Thirsty Thursdays, and the proposition is pleasingly simple.

We know, we know. These days ‘immersive’ basically means ‘not happening on your phone’. The fledgling theatre genre has had an unfortunate ride. In the 2010s, it felt genuinely exciting – a little bit anarchic, even. But over the intervening decade shows either became glossy, IP-led juggernauts, or quirky fringe productions with no budget and a weird smell. Well, a new interactive show is coming to London for a limited run this winter, and enticingly it sounds like neither of the above.

Speakeasies are often filled with crafty types. But this is quite literally a craft speakeasy: a little art café hidden away below a whole foods shop in Islington. The idea is that you can rock up (solo, on a date, or with a couple of friends), get stuck into a creative project (and actually finish it), and leave with something you’re genuinely proud of. And just to tie a little bow onto this already beautifully wrapped package, Nudge Members +1 are getting 50% off workshops for one month.

After co-running an unnamed but blisteringly popular Michelin-starred eatery, restaurateur Daniel Koukarskikh is going to tackle the humble sandwich with his own solo venture: Mardy’s. You’ll find it in Mayfair (which, given that the sandwich was originally invented for an idle aristocrat, feels spiritually on-point) and they’ve paid some near-obsessive attention to detail to their menu.

The unstoppable team behind The Pelican, The Fat Badger and The Hart are hoofing it up to Clerkenwell for a new opening this September: The Horses. It’s unchartered territory for The Public House Group, who have so far charmed the denizens of West and Central London with their irresistible signature blend of luxe-meets-rustic interiors, candlelight, and exceptional British cooking.

All the contestants in this competition shuck. In fact, they make a living out of it. And on 18th September, they’ll be gathering to prove themselves as the pearls of London’s oyster scene. Yes, it’s the return of the London Oyster Championships, a tournament which pits professionals from some of the city’s best seafood restaurants against each other in an attempt to crown the fastest shucker in town.