FOOD & BOOZE NEWS
KARAOKE IN KENSAL RISE
Karaoke mania continues apace with the August opening of a private room at west London’s quirkiest gastropub, Paradise By Way of Kensal Green. Expect a library of 7,500 classic songs, with 50 of the latest chart hits added each month as well as themed playlists available alongside music-themed food and drink packages. And let’s not forget a dress-up box, complete with toy instruments, wigs, hats and stage clothes – no karaoke experience is complete without one. A personal butler ensures you feel like rock royalty the whole night long. Accommodates 15 and costs from £30 per hour. 19 Kilburn Lane, W10 4AE. Tel: 020 8969 0098, www.theparadise.co.uk.
BEERHOUSE LAUNCHES….COCKTAILS
German cocktails? Doesn’t sound like the most likely addition to London’s drinks scene. And yet the stalwart Krauts over at the Bavarian Beer House have gone and launched a menu of Bavarian cocktails to celebrate the hot weather. There’s the Dirndl Delight (white wine, lemonade and cherry liqueur), the Alpenyodler (dark beer, Coke, cherry liqueur), the Fruity Folk Singer (wheat beer, apple juice, blue curaçao) and finally, the Bubbly Bavarian – a bottle of Italian sparkling wine, served with ice in a stein. £9.90 each. BB has two locations; see www.bavarian-beerhouse.com for more info.
VIEW FROM ABOVE: THE NEW VISTA
The exquisite rooftop bar at the Trafalgar Hotel has been refreshed and relaunched as Vista (right), a bar and restaurant with added space for enjoying the views of Big Ben, the London Eye and the National Gallery. New furnishings of sleek black and white with accents of yellow give it an air of Mediterranean chic and a partnership with Pommery champagne means the house’s best vintages will be on offer. The new menu features the likes of stuffed baby pepper with halloumi and herbs; watermelon, tarragon and feta salad, and an antipasti platter. The highlights of the cocktail list are those prepared with English fruits, berries and herbs grown on the roof. Now that’s summer. The Trafalgar, Trafalgar Square, SW1A 2TS. Tel: 020 7870 2900. www.thetrafalgar.com