Backstage is the new chef's table + the coolest brand activation i've seen in a long time.
welcome to the first broadcast of this all-you-can-eat mind buffet
Good afternoon! It’s almost 5pm, i’ve just watched Alcaraz win the Queen’s Club’s Men’s Singles, eaten a very bastardized Pho made almost exclusively from mystery ziploc bags of ingredients I found in the freezer, and my flat is finally at an appropriate temperature after the weekend heatwave (be careful what you wish for!)
what’s been on my mind this week:
→ Backstage is the new Chef’s Table. LCD Soundsystem’s recent eight night residency at the Brixton Academy was catered backstage by the likes of Mangal 2, Manteca, AngloThai, Rochelle Canteen, Tacos Padre and Dom’s Subs. The backstage area was further serviced by a specialty coffee barista and dedicated sommelier. Rumour has it that the band also chowed down on numerous Nandos from the branch next door to the venue — rock bands, they’re just like us! I wonder if James Murphy is a macho peas or a peri-salted-chips kind of cat. Sound off in the comments!
→ Lorde’s “Dirty Vodka Soda” might be the drink to finally usurp the (very toasted imho) Dirty Martini. On her long-awaited appearance on How Long Gone podcast on Friday she revealed her favourite alc-bev to be a vodka and soda with a splash of olive brine. End the Dirty Martini supremacy! I’m personally not a fan of Dirty Martini culture (every one i’ve ever ordered has been a bit of a let down) and stick to wet, vodka with a twist, but maybe I just haven’t found a great one yet. Where all my Dirty Martini lovers at?
→ Phoebe Lovatt of is hosting the coolest booze brand activation that i’ve seen in a long time next week. The Summer Reading Room at Old Sessions House on Clerkenwell Green (supported by The Singleton Whisky/Diageo) is billed as ‘A private space for digital disconnection and narrative escapism’ in which, for two days, you can reserve a private hour-long slot and browse an excellent curated selection of novels, art books and printed matter while sipping on a complimentary Singleton cocktail. In this economy, when none of us can afford a room of one’s own, this feels special. I managed to snag a spot on Friday evening so will report back.
→ Queen’s Club Championships are over and Wimbledon is about to start. Not got a ticket and don’t want the brave the queue? Cambio de Tercio, 163 Old Brompton Road, W5 0LJ - an unassuming Spanish restaurant in South Kensington - is an excellent place to spot tennis players. Djokovic, Nadal, the Murrays and Alcaraz are all known fans, with Alcaraz having been spotted dining there five times during Wimbledon 2023 (when he won the Men’s Singles) Bagel Magazine Issue 2 has a full breakdown of the player’s favourite orders.
→ Forget The Evening Standard, is the only news source that matters. Jim Waterson’s Substack now has over 25K subscribers and I’ve been pleased to see his scoops referenced in the FT and The Guardian. Back in March, The New Yorker write about how London is a Local News Desert which will resonate with anyone who regularly loads the beyond-cursed standard dot co dot uk webpage in the hope of reading anything of value. We’ve seen Substacks like
launch physical publications recently — would love to see an IRL manifestation of London Centric!
→ The Nescafe Iced Vanilla Espresso Concentrate is a game changer for your hot-weather at-home iced bev game. We also have the Climpsons Midnight Oil Coffee Concentrate in our fridge which my former fourth wave barista husband loves but I find too sour. Weirdly, out of all of the big supermarkets, Tesco seems to be doing the most in the ambient coffee concentrate space - I was surprised to see multiple own-brand SKUs sitting on shelf alongside Nescafe, Grind and Quarterpast versions. There’s also a Tesco own-brand Strawberry Matcha Concentrate that I want to try. Did they recruit Gen-Z Netizens onto the NPD team? Honestly kind of loving it. Other retailers need to up their game!
Until next week!
Thanks for the mention of London Centric. But would people really read it in print? Who knows!