THE SQUARE - ISSUE 6 SUMMER The Square 06 SUMMER 2019 ART & CULTURE FOOD TRAVEL News and views from Pimlico A curated guide to the RA A Scotch egg recipe from a Inspiration for summer days and beyond, featuring the best Summer Exhibition, and stroll local chef and a picnic hamper’s out and a gourmet openings and upcoming events through Chelsea Physic Garden worth of seasonal ideas staycation in Kent’s Margate 1 Dolphin Square gardens and fountain THE SQUARE - ISSUE 6 SUMMER Welcome Strolling home through the park after work, sipping a gin and tonic garnished with fresh herbs at lunchtime and organising your social life around who is playing at Wimbledon… It’s this sense of good times that we’ve tried to capture in The Square this issue. Up your picnic game with the help of Nigel Mendham in this month’s food feature and learn why Margate might just be the most exciting place in the UK right now for a gourmet staycation. Fill your diary with the best outdoor events, get the low down on the artists who will be exhibiting in this year’s the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and discover the secrets of Mersea Island, which has nostalgic seaside charm by the bucket and spadeful. And if you can’t summon the energy to leave London, take your favourite magazine for a relaxing day out in Chelsea Physic Garden, a secret Eden in the heart of the city. Neil Miller-Chalk Editorial Director Contributors: Imogen Lepere Lindsay Fulcher Andrew Eames Blossom Green Editor Contributor Contributor Contributor After four years as senior writer As editor of Minerva: The Andrew Eames, author of As a hotel-obsessed cookery at Food and Travel, Imogen International Review of Ancient several books and journalist, lover (not to mention her current Lepere is making the most Art and Archaeology and a is based in London. With one role as deputy editor of Food parent from the Hebrides and of freelance life by roaming member of the International and Travel), Blossom knows the other from the Channel everywhere from Melbourne Association of Art Critics, it’s a good gourmet break when Islands, he was born with his to Mongolia. This issue, her safe to say that Lindsay knows she sees one. This summer, she suitcase packed, although regular food column (p.16) has a thing or two about art. She returns to the seaside town of discovers in this issue’s Chelsea a hamper-full of practical tips draws on this expertise to Physic Garden feature (p.20) Margate (p.30) to guide The for how to give your picnic a recommend London’s best that you don’t always have to Square around its burgeoning gourmet twist. summer exhibitions (p.10). leave the city to go on holiday. artisan food scene. Design & Art Direction: Hutton Farquhar www.huttonfarquhar.com 3 THE SQUARE - ISSUE 6 SUMMER The Big Smoke The big smoke has always been around Its fingers the veins running through our wrists Bluer and firmer as we pranced across the stage like Gods. Its voice this summer was sweeter than honey And we could resist no longer A train, four hours and we had escaped this place’s grey-green discolouration. The sun held London as though it were his child. His heart warmed our cheeks and twinkled in the river But stars shone in the sequins of the queens at the Place Theatre Perched ready to laugh or cry or dance Nestled like chicks in the velvet seats we were home. by Gracie May Bawden 4 THE SQUARE - ISSUE 6 SUMMER THE SQUARE - ISSUE 5 SPRING Contents Inside this issue of The Square: 30 FLAVOUR OF THE MONTH Margate is emerging from a cultural regeneration as the hottest spot for a gourmet break 10 this summer. Here’s where to feast and make merry. PAINTING THE TOWN From Cindy Sherman to the RA Summer Exhibition, our art expert handpicks the most exciting upcoming exhibitions and provides insights into each. 16 PERFECTING THE PICNIC Celebrate National Picnic Week with a truly sumptuous seasonal spread, including a contemporary vegetarian twist on a Scotch egg recipe. 36 YOU’RE CORDIALLY INVITED Make the most of the season 2o with the best al fresco events in and around central London, THE SECRET GARDEN from traditional fetes to Join our writer on a balmy stroll gourmet wine festivals. around the Chelsea Physic Garden’s fascinating medical beds with head of plant collections, Nell Jones. 5 LOCAL NEWS, OUT & ABOUT PIMLICO BOOK A SEAT A spate of tasty new restaurant openings is sweeping through the capital this summer. First up is Akira, a contemporary Japanese eatery serving Sister States in the north-eastern corner of the country. seasonal ingredients cooked over roaring robata flames Modern British cuisine is the order of the day at Brick Lane’s alongside a wide selection of sashimi. Watch the chefs at work in The Buxton. This Victorian pub has been given the Farrow an open kitchen, admire the bespoke ceramics and sip your way and Ball treatment and will be serving classics such as beef through 28 sakes (although, perhaps not all on the same visit). (butchered on site) with celeriac remoulade and treacle tart in For fragrant Indian plates in a stylish setting, head to Kanishka, its airy dining room. The roof terrace is just the place to sip a Atul Kochhar’s new pad in Mayfair. Menus focus on flavours Pimm’s and soak up balmy evenings. japanhouseakira.london, from lesser-explored regions such as the mountainous Seven kanishkarestaurant.co.uk, thebuxton.co.uk Time for tea Afternoon Tea Week 12 –18 August One of the quintessential British traditions, afternoon tea is as entwined in our national psyche as queuing and complaining about the weather. Celebrate with the perfect cuppa at Mariage Frères, Covent Garden’s new tea emporium, which boasts the largest selection of teas in the world. Peruse the collection, pleasingly presented in apothecary jars, explore the museum and taste your way around the tea-growing world in the dining area. mariagefreres.com BEST FOOT FORWARD A stalwart of London’s luxury hotel scene, the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park has reopened its doors in time for summer after the most extensive restoration in its 117-year history. All guest rooms have been given a full overhaul and emerged with plenty of authentic art deco touches, while the spa is now a temple of tranquility with a Rasul water room and area specifically designed for Chinese medicine. mandarinoriental.com 6 LOCAL NEWS, OUT & ABOUT PIMLICO HOME from HOME SERPENTINE SUMMER Junya Ishigami’s Serpentine Pavilion, 21 June – 6 October Japanese architect, Junya Ishigami, is known for experimental structures which merge traditional designs with natural phenomena. His summer Pavilion is a whimsical slate roof which appears to levitate ‘like a billowing piece of fabric’ over a cave-like space designed to encourage contemplation. Meditate, ruminate and appreciate as you see fit. serpentinegalleries.org Tucked away in a Georgian townhouse on Marylebone’s Great Cumberland Place, Home Grown is this season’s hottest new members club. Specifically designed as a haven in which entrepreneurs and investors can relax and recharge, its elegant interiors are matched by seriously suave food and drink offerings. Sip signature serves such as The Baroness (gin, rosé vermouth, basil and orange bitters) while meeting the great and the good of the business world at intimate ‘in conversation’ events. homegrownclub.co.uk Urban Adventures - Father’s Day, 16 June If your father is as impossible to buy for as ours, Secret Adventures’ day tours are going to come as very good news. On 16 June, they will be offering a full day’s kayaking expedition from Greenwich all the way to Battersea. Enjoy quality time together while seeing the city from a whole new angle. So much better than another pair of socks… £62pp. secretadventures.org 7 HIDDEN GEMS The garden at The Ivy Vines trailing off trellises and antique planters overflowing with flowers give The Ivy Chelsea’s secret garden a romantic atmosphere that is difficult to beat for long lunches and even longer dinners. Tuck into the likes of creamy burrata with juicy peaches and olives and decadent lobster linguine, before ordering a floral cocktail from the outdoor bar and savouring it around the firepit. It’s a veritable Eden in the heart of SW3 and an absolute must visit. theivychelseagarden.com 8 Three of the best: for al fresco dining 1. J SHEEKEY: 2. THE CINNAMON KITCHEN: 3. BOUNDARY: What could be more summery than Tucked away in the heart of the newly Your expectations should be sky high slurping fresh oysters dressed with a developed Battersea Power Station, this for this rooftop bar, grill and terrace squeeze of Amalfi lemon on the terrace modern Indian restaurant does a mean in Hackney. With an excellent choice of this Covent Garden stalwart, which line in vibrant plates such as bitter of charcuterie and spritzes, you could has been a favourite with London’s melon stuffed with spicy soya ragout. be forgiven for thinking you were in theatre crowd since it opened in 1896. Knocking back one of their mango sour the Mediterranean, if it wasn’t for A retractable awning and blankets are cocktails while enjoying views of The the glittering outline of the City in the on hand to ensure the show can still go Thames from their suntrap terrace is the distance. Don’t miss sashimi-grade tuna on if the weather proves inclement. stuff summer dreams are made of.