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Alastair Reid Schanche

Alastair is a features writer at London X London. He joined the team in late 2022 hot off the back of a five-year stint in Shanghai where he wrote for Time Out and ran a very niche blog about Chinese food.

He’s unable to shake his addiction for Sichuan noodles, but will be found devouring London’s other glorious cuisines when he’s not warming seats at the Prince Charles.

The founders of Frieze magazine opened their own restaurant and it’s a good reminder of what cooking can be. Check out our review of Toklas.  You might have heard of Frieze before. They run a hyper-successful, annual fair of contemporary art, and a magazine on the same subject.  In what could be an admirable attempt …

Read More about Dining At: Toklas – Cooking as it Should Be (Perhaps)

Big news for cinema lovers: The largest IMAX in the UK is reopening this week. Here’s everything you need to know.  The BFI IMAX is reopening its doors on Friday the 11th of November after a period of closure and a bit of a revamp.  At a monumental 65ft high and 85 foot wide, the …

Read More about The Largest IMAX in the UK is Reopening This Week… Here’s What You Can Watch

The NoMad Hotel has opened a subterranean cocktail bar with much to be excited about in the food and drink menus, and even the history. Here’s our review.  We’ve been fans of the NoMad since it opened last year. It seems that everything they do has a sort of charm and grace to it that …

Read More about Drinking At: Common Decency at The Nomad Hotel – The Full Review

London loves a good immersive experience, and so do we. But making one out of the Rumble in the Jungle… that just upped the whole game. We’ve seen rebellions in the Star Wars universe, we’ve taken voyages into outer space with the Guardians of the Galaxy, we’ve solved riddles and sipped cocktails with Sherlock Holmes.  …

Read More about Watch Muhammad Ali fight in an Immersive Restaging of the Rumble in the Jungle

Did someone say history, architecture, and science? Yep. Come this way, friend – we’re going to explore Abbey Mills Pumping Station. You probably don’t know it but there’s a building out in East London that has an unusual history. One that has been instrumental in making sure London is a clean and sanitary place to …

Read More about The Hidden Secrets of Abbey Mills Pumping Station

London is one of the world’s shopping capitals. If you want it, you can probably buy it here. But where are the best places to shop in London? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.  Designer clothes or vintage, mega malls or century-old market traditions, diamonds, suits, and groceries. London really does have more than its …

Read More about The 14 Best Shopping Areas in London

Loki is the brand-new club coming to Brixton. Run by the same folks as The Fox & The Firkin, it’s one to watch.  If you’re a fan of underground music you’ve probably (like us) spent many a night at the Fox and Firkin.  The Lewisham pub is pretty much South London’s home of underground music, …

Read More about Loki: One of London’s Coolest Underground Music Spots is Opening A Brand-New Nightclub in Brixton

Roller boogie, music venue, skater store, lifestyle hub. Central Cee is headlining the opening night…and that’s just the start. Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming opening of Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace.  Big news for London. White city is getting a branch of the legendary LA Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace.  The 34,000-square-foot venue …

Read More about Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace: The Massive Roller Rink with Some Serious Extras is Opening in London

This new Mayfair restaurant features art works from Damien Hirst, 2000 year-old artefacts and is, obviously, very over the top. The dishes don’t look too bad either… The appropriately named Bacchanalia is the latest venture from restaurant mogul Richard Caring (The Ivy, Annabel’s) and opens on the 24th of November.  In true Caring style, they’ve …

Read More about Bacchanalia: Richard Caring’s Flamboyant New Restaurant Opening in Mayfair

10 Miles is the Hackney-based supper club using ingredients from within a 10 mile radius.  What’s better than a good old supper club? The magic of dining within a community of like-minded foodies, from menus you know you just aren’t going to get elsewhere, a touch of the exclusive. It’s a winning combination.  A sustainable …

Read More about 10 Miles: The Sustainable Supper Club Only Using Hyper-Local Ingredients