We know, we know, there are enough pop-ups, one-off dinners and and food and drink-related events going on in London at any one time to blow your mind, not to mention seriously clog up your calendar.
So how do you know which ones are really worth going to? That's where we come in: we've cherry-picked our very favourite – and ergo the very best – food goings-on to make it that tiny bit easier.
Sit back, relax and peruse our guide below, safe in the knowledge that people with truly impeccable taste have deemed that brand-spanking-new pop-up absolutely worth the two-hour wait. You are very welcome indeed.
From January 31 to 28 February, M restaurant will be hosting a pop-up dining experience to generate funds and awareness for 'Not For Sale', a global organisation that works to end human trafficking and exploitation through funding self-sustaining social projects. This temporary restaurant inside M Victoria Street is running for its second year, and M have pledged to donate 100% of the profits from sales of the special menu to the charity. The five-course dinner includes a glass of champagne on arrival and is priced at £65 per person. They’re even running on Valentine’s Day. Lovely.
Discover sake's food pairing potential during Sake Week this year. The week long celebration of the fermented rice beverage arrives in London from 22 February – 3 March with a number of fantastic restaurants across the capital (including Machiya, Sushi Atelier, Ko, YEN, Ginza Onodera, Benihana, Izakaya Hannah and more) committing to embrace the wine through a range of bespoke and intriguing food combinations. What better way could there be for your palate to explore what sake has got to offer?
Set sail on a romantic, two and a half-hour dinner cruise down London's scenic canal routes with London Shell Co this Valentine's Day. There will be candles, there will be wine and there will be plenty of time to lose yourself in your partner's eyes over the seven-courses of seasonal British seafood.
If you fail to get your fill with our National Pizza Day offers on 9 February, then this Battersea pizzeria is the place to turn. From 11 to 17 February, Insta-worthy Pi Pizza will be moulding its 72-hour pizza doughs into romantic, heart-shaped pies. Now that's what we call amore.
We all know that onions have layers, but did you know that onions also have festivals? The calçotada is a traditional Catalan festival that celebrates the calçot onion. And the best place to pay homage to that wondrous bulb will be at Brindisa Shoreditch where, every weekend during February and March, they'll be providing a three-course menu centred around the magical veg. Be prepared to dip charred calçots in romesco sauce and pour copious amounts of Spanish wine into your mouth from a great height.
Steven Joyce
Quo Vadis & Lovers x St. Leonard’s: Valentine's Day special
14 February 19:00 - 22:00; 26-29 Dean Street, W1D 3 LL
Coming off the back of their previously successful stints in the Quo Vadis & Friends series, Jackson Boxer and Andrew Clarke – the men behind St. Leonard's open hearth – will be returning to cook at the QV club this Valentine's Day. The special supper club will be held in the 2nd floor Quo Vadis 'Marx' and 'Leoni' private dining rooms, across the connected Blue Room, and served family-style on long dining tables. Dine with a lover or come solo to feast and fill that gaping hole inside your soul. Tickets cost £55 and include a complimentary welcome drink.
