A taste of what’s what in recent and upcoming London food and drink news:
Pontoon, London's only private hire yacht on the Thames (and London's only self described “Floating Champagne and Seafood Bar”) opens today at St Katharine Docks. With hiring fees for this five-berth yacht running from £2500 to a helluvalot more, it's an expensive floating champagne and seafood bar as well. But, given this megaboat has event capacity of up to 70 people, the breakdown doesn't necessarily have to be quite so dear. A classic motor yacht built in 1975 by Camper Nicholson and updated with high-end fittings in 2010 with a natural wood terrace, roomy lounge, three double suites and two twin rooms, it might be one to hint hint nudge nudge your office's partytime coordinator if there's some summery reason to celebrate coming up.
On a much more affordable note (unless you really like to shop), London frozen yogurt folk, Frae, are doing an in-store pop-up at Topshop. Look for their kiosks offering free frozen yogurt (when you purchase something) at the Oxford Street Topshop from Wednesday 1 June to Saturday the 4th.
Just as sweet but a lot less commercially driven, a giant gingerbread house is to be built at The Brunswick in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity. From 3-5 June 2011, lifesize gingerbread men, accordian players, storytellers will entertain inside a house covered in tiles of gingerbread, vanilla shortbread and chocolate short pastry with blue helium balloons with meringue clouds hang from the ceiling. Seats made of sweets, a confectionary-filled pond and gingerbread men masterclasses await.
The Montague hotel in Bloomsbury is launching its al fresco dining menu on Monday (30 May) to coincide with National Barbeque Week (who comes up with all these national <insert whatever theme> weeks?). The hotel will be serving all sorts of burgers and on Sundays will have a suckling porchetta pig on the barbeque for lunch. It's a comfy and leafy location for grub in the sun. We had a lovely time out on their wood deck at the start of last year's al fresco dining season.
Photo/Chris Osburn
