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What to do in London
By Amira Hashish, Evening Standard 10.10.08
Something for everyone: Sugar Reef
Intimate: relax in the bar after dinner
Try something new: Bikram Yoga
Look here too
EAT, DRINK & DANCE AT
Sugar Reef
Where: Piccadilly
Cost: About £35 for one with wine.
Tube: Piccadilly Circus
www.sugarreef.co.uk
If you are looking for ambience with your dinner try Sugar Reef. In the heart of London, it is ideal for a post theatre trip or for making an evening of your meal.
The venue is split over three levels with a restaurant, two bars, a dance floor, VIP booths and a DJ. But despite Sugar Reef's grand size it still has an intimate atmosphere. Each section is given its own unique feel with décor fitting for the occasion.
Start your Sugar Reef visit in the restaurant. Recently redecorated, the chandeliers, comfortable chairs and dimmed lighting make it an inviting setting. The friendly staff enhance the welcoming mood further.
If you fancy a nibble when you're deciding what to have the toasted flatbread with rosemary and garlic butter (£3) is delicious. The menu has a range of options to choose from; depending on your mood. If you feel like introducing a little spice to the occasion go for the Thai Fishcakes (£5.50). The sweet chilli sauce has a real kick to it. The whole tiger prawns (£6.50) are also a favourite. The crushed garlic with parsley butter coating compliments them well.
A favourite for main course is the surf and turf (£21). The prime Sirloin steak is topped with half a Canadian lobster, char-grilled, drizzled with garlic butter and served with fat cut chips. Make sure you have plenty of room for this one though. There is no point in choosing it unless you are really hungry. The salmon fillet dish (£13), on the other hand, slips down with ease. Order the creamy mash potato (£3) as a side dish. Its melt in your mouth texture is divine.
The dessert at Sugar Reef is to be avoided if you are on a diet but perfect for the guilty treat. The Eton mess (£5.50) consists of fresh strawberries with whipped cream and crushed meringues; mouth-wateringly scrumptious.
And you can burn any extra calories off on the dance floor in the downstairs bar area. It is open till 1am on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays with pop, dance and funky house on the playlist. Look out for live jazz nights on Thursdays too. The dance section is separated slightly from the lounge where you can sit back, relax and enjoy some drinks from the extensive menu.
Be it dinner for two or a larger party there is space for everyone at Sugar Reef.
TRY
Bikram Yoga
Where: Soho
Tube: Tottenham Court Road
www.bikramyoga.co.uk
A Bikram Yoga stuidio has opened in Soho. Bikram Yoga is a style of yoga developed by Bikram Choudhury who is one of the pre-eminent yoga masters. The Bikram yoga instructor guides the class through a series of 26 postures that progressively works every muscle, organ, ligament and joint in your body. This should help improve posture, muscle & joint mobility, concentration, boost energy and give overall rejuvenation. The studio is heated to 105F to help loosen the joints and improve the elasticity of the muscles, which allows for safer and deeper stretching and also promotes sweating. It might sound like hard work but once you finish the 90-minute class you might find yourself signing up for the next.
VISIT
Square Pie
Where: Old Spitalfild Market
Tube: Liverpool Street
www.squarepie.com
Square Pie, one of Old Spitalfields Market most popular eateries, has reopened. And this month it will be taking part in the Restaurants Against Hunger campaign. Square Pie has pledged to donate 25p from each Monthly Special sold throughout all outlets to the Action Against Hunger charity. Freshly baked, choose from over 15 varieties of all-natural pies served with fresh mash, peas and gravy. Or you could buy them unbaked to cook at home. The pies are all hand-made using prime British meat and do not include artificial ingredients or hydrogenated fats.
BOOK NOW
Linda Lewis
Where: Jazz Café
When: October 24 & 25
Cost: £23.50
Tube: Camden Town
www.jazzcafelive.com
It remains something of a mystery as to why Linda Lewis is not a household name in her own country. But recent collaborations with the likes of Basement Jaxx, Common, Turin Brakes and Jamiroquai, show how highly regarded she is by those in the know. See what all the fuss is about when she performs at the Jazz Café in London on the 24th and 25th of October.
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