Hot on the Highstreet Week 165

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Andrew Logan is the King, or Queen(!), of alternative beauty, and yet I have only just discovered this fabulously extravagant, creative character.

The Emporium of glitz and glamour appeared while I was wandering aimlessly around the London Bridge area.

Louisa Buck writes extensively about Logan’s life and work, explaining that his art is filled with popular poetry and full of exuberant excess. His work is decadent but cheerful; I was instantly attracted to the sparkling letter brooches made of shards of found materials: mirrors, gems and such like. Soon, spotting my enthusiasm, the shop assistant took me through a back doorway into the world of Logan himself. Here, Andrew worked quietly away on his very ‘loud’ new ideas. Upstairs jars of equipment await creation, while the room is filled with magnificently flamboyant glowing masterpieces. These glorious sculptures celebrate life.

Combining flair, fantasy, and fabulousness, Logan’s creations are like nothing else – a piece from this shop will certainly ensure you stand out from the crowd.

More information here.

andrewlogan.com

Lady Ottoline, Bloomsbury

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Lady Ottoline is a lovely little pub, tucked away in Bloomsbury. A sister establishment to the renowned Pig & Butcher in Islington, this simple, rustic gastro pub offers great food at affordable prices and is an ideal venue for a friendly catch-up and drink.

Dinner is served upstairs in a shabby-chic dining room. The place was alive and kicking when we turned up at 9pm on a weeknight, obviously the  secret of Lady Ottoline is out!

We were seated at a lovely window table which was perfect on this warm summer evening. We enjoyed a glass of Prosecco before indulging in a tasty three-course meal of British-Continental favourites.

First course was light and fresh: tomato, burrata salad for me, and asparagus with poached hen’s egg and béarnaise sauce for my guest. The nervous waitress delivered these quickly and efficiently to us along with a basket of tempting bread.

For main we were won over by the roast lamb special and 28-day aged sirloin steak, both hearty and comforting recipes which smelt as good as they looked. The lamb was tender and juicy, served on a bed of creamy mash potato, but the steak was even better, well seasoned and accompanied with fabulously creamy béarnaise sauce.

We just about managed to fit in a few mouthfuls of dessert: vanilla pannacotta and lime tart were our sweets of choice.

Great food and a lovely venue, the Lady Ottoline offers everything you need and expect from a modern British pub.

More information here: www.theladyottoline.com

Pinter Shorts, Trafalgar Studios

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Harold Pinter is a legend of the theatre and his plays live on just as vibrantly even now he is gone. It is never a struggle to find brilliant, talented actors to tackle this playwright’s nuanced and thought-provoking pieces, exemplified in the cast of Traf Takeover: Pinter Shorts, which I was lucky enough to see in its limited run at the end of June.

This sparkling 45-minute production showcased two of Pinter’s shorter plays: Family Voices and Victoria Station. Both illustrate a mix of poignantly sad and hysterically funny anecdotes.

All involved in the production should be congratulated… making such concise scripts so scintillating is impressive work and I was astounded by the punchy performance, despite the one week rehearsal time. There is an amazingly young artistic team: Edward Stambollouian is one to watch in the directing realm and Emily Vaughan-Barratt shows great promise as a leading London theatre producer. The cast is stellar: Andrew Scott, Alun Armstrong and Joanna Lumley, a team of true professionals so comfortable on stage I felt I could watch them all night.

The 10pm late-night showing was a hoot, it felt like a very exciting club, but left you at the end of the night with so much more – it is a concept that is sure to catch on.

More information here.