Hello all, it’s “picks of the week” time and as one month ends and a new one begins, March finishes and April is about to kick off with a bang.

It is mother’s day this Sunday and if you’re looking for somewhere to take your mum why don’t you treat her to some fine dining and look no further than the Chop House. Situated at Butlers wharf and with a great view of Tower Bridge the Chop House is the ideal place to spoil your Mother this Sunday. Serving the best in British cuisine, the Chop House are offering 3 courses for only £27 which includes Chop House fishcake, Maldon smoked salmon, Aberdeen Angus beef, Traditional fish & chips and a range of steaks from their charcoal grill. An extra incentive that the Chop House is offering is a complimentary glass on champagne on arrival.

The Chop House is open from 12pm on Sundays and booking in advance is highly recommended.

Really want to do something different from the norm this week?  Then why don’t you check out The Science Museum Lates, adult only opportunity to explore the wonderful world of the Science Museum.

My pick of the week

TURN OFF THE RADIO, Friday 1^st April 2011, The Victoria E3 5TH.
Shamelessly plugging my own event, TOTR is a refreshing, alternative to London’s stale and horribly repetitive live music scene. Turn Off The Radio always the first for tomorrow’s stars has a great line up in store, doubled with great company and great vibes. So don’t miss out! If you missed our last event, check out what you missed:

Hey peeps, what’s new? It’s that time again for my “picks of the week”.  I hope you all had a great week last week, especially on St Patrick’s Day. This week has the potential to be another cracking week. There is a lot to do and a lot more fun to be had. First port of call this week is Cantaloupe restaurant, a restaurant/bar in the heart of Shoreditch with a massive reputation. Whether you’re after an intimate meal, or a sneaky pint, Cantaloupe is definitely worth checking out. Their food menu is seasonal and changes on a monthly basis but rest assured the quality is undeniable.

Only a 5-minute walk from Old St station, Cantaloupe is situated on 35-42 Charlotte Road and is open daily from 10am. Oh and by the way if you are an owner of a “tastecard” you can also get 2 for 1 meals here.

Fancy something slightly different this week? Why don’t you and a few mates check out Godspell? The 40th Anniversary production of Stephen Schwartz’s classic,

“Based on the Gospel according to St. Matthew, and featuring a sparkling score, Godspell boasts a string of well loved songs, including the international hit- Day By Day. As the cast performs the parables of Jesus Christ comes humanly and hearteningly to life.”

The reviews for this production have been exceptional, ticket prices are only £10 and it is running until April 1^st so there is no reason not to go and see it.

You can go to see Godspell at the Ye Olde Rose And Crown Theatre in walthomstow and the tickets can be purchased here. http://www.britevents.com/tickets/?tickets=godspell

My pick of the week

DJ Format Vs Mr. Thing, the big chill invites Doctors Orders on this special night. The heavyweights of hip-hop go head to head, an event not to miss plus it’s free so there are no excuses.

Hello all has it been a week since my last picks of the week? My how times flies. There is so much to do again this week and do not forget it is also St Patrick’s day so get your Guinness on.

The best place to get your Guinness on this week is the Marksman pub on Hackney Rd. A minute’s walk from Columbia rd and a stones throw from Shoreditch the marksman is in a prime location. With a homely, welcoming atmosphere the marksman is a great place to unwind after a hard day at work. They also serve a variety of foods and their bread and butter pudding is to die for. The Marksman is open 11am-12am Mon-Sat and 11am – 11pm on Sundays.

Are you a tea drinker? Partial, to a fairy cake or three? Or just like to dress up? Then why don’t you head over to the Alice in Wonderland inspired “Mad Hatters tea party”. Hosted by the Beas of Bloomsbury located on Theobalds Rd WC1. You can go dressed as your favourite character and take advantage of the all you can eat/drink trifles, fruit jellies, cupcakes, marshmallows, mini meringues, tea and champagne. Taking place on Friday 18^th March, booking is advised to book yourself a place contact: contact@beasofbloomsbury.com.

My pick of the week

Bestival comes to Koko, one of the “best festivals” around pardon the pun comes to a venue near you. As festival season is nearly upon us Bestival brings its wacky shenanigans to Camden. Featuring an array of talent this is a event not to miss. Taking place on Saturday 19^th March, tickets can be purchased here.

Hello everyone, how has your week been so far? Personally, I think the weather has been an improvement on last week. However, it is still pretty chilly so do keep yourself wrapped up.

This week is the last week that you will be able to go and see Anish Kapoor’s installation at Kensington gardens. The installation named ‘Turning the world upside down’ was constructed from highly reflective polished stainless steel. “The giant curved mirror surfaces create illusory distortions of the surroundings and are visible across large distances, creating new vistas in this famous and much-loved setting”. Kensington Gardens is open from 6am daily until late. The installation will be taken down on Sunday 13^th March, so you have until then to see it. As the installation is in a public place it is free to see, but try not to get too close or security will take you down. Enjoy!

Are you heading over to the Brick Lane/Spitafields area this week? Have you had enough beigels to last you a lifetime? Prefer not to try another below par Lamb Bhuna?  Then why don’t you try out Poppies, East London’s newest, but still authentic fish and chip shop. Located on Hanbury Street, Poppies is run by local Pat ‘Pop’ Newland who came out of retirement to open this restaurant. Heavily influenced by the fifties era, the restaurant, where you can either take away or eat in, has a friendly atmosphere and is a welcome retreat from the bustling streets of the surrounding area. Poppies is open from 11am-11.30pm Mon-Sat and are open 11am-10.30pm on Sundays. Prices are reasonable but the quality of the food is undeniable.

My pick of the week:

The London drinker Festival celebrates the resurgence of brewers in London, with 8 local brewers pitching against each other. In total there will be 80 different types of beers on offer and 25 different types of ciders so there will be plenty to choose from. The festival takes place from 9^th-11^th march, at the Camden Centre, admission is free Wednesday and Thursday lunchtimes, £3.50 (£2.50 members) at other times. *Drink responsibly.

Hello you lovely people, it’s time for my picks of the week again. It has been quite cold of late but do not let that deter you from enjoying your week as there’s an awful lot that you can be doing.

First of all get yourself down to the Alexia Goethe gallery where there is a very interesting exhibition on at the moment by Jacques Villeglé, showing his décollages’. Villeglé is French artist, born in Brittany in 1926. He’s best known for what he calls ‘décollages’, unlike a paper collage he un-sticks layers of fly posters and tears them before mounting them and framing them.  He has been making décollages’ for over 50 years.

The Alexia Goethe gallery is exhibiting his larger scale works drawn from the past decade or so. The posters mostly relate to musical events like album releases and concerts. Be sure to check it out. The exhibition runs until the 25^th March the gallery is open weekdays 10am-6pm and weekends 11am-4pm.

Meeting friends for lunch this week? Why don’t you meet them at Goodman’s steak restaurant situated on Maddox Street W1. The food is to die for and they have an amazing set lunch menu where you can get 3 courses for only £19. Goodman’s is open from 12-10.30pm Mon-Sat, closed on Sunday’s and booking is advisable.

My pick of the week:

The Streets at Brixton Academy, Saturday 5^th March 2011.

Mike Skinner returns to play his first gig in London since last years tour. Mike Skinner recently announced his retirement from his alias the Streets so could this be his last ever gig in London but who knows?

Hi guys! Pardon me for my absence last week I was recovering from an amazing TOTR if you weren’t there you really missed out.

Anyway, the Museum of London has a great exhibition on at the moment, London Street photography.  Photographs from 1810 – present day showing the development of the streets of London and its nature. It’s a free exhibition and is running at the museum of London all the way until September 4^th 2011,  so there’s no excuse not to go and see it!

Fancy a bite to eat this week then get yourself over Canteen, serving the best in British cuisine you cannot go wrong. With restaurants all over London there’s plenty of opportunities to indulge yourself with great food. My favourite location is Spitafields and I am a sucker for the Haddock, chips and tartare sauce it goes down lovely with a beer. Canteen (all locations) are open from 8am-11pm weekdays and 9am -10pm weekends, booking is advisable.

My pick of the week:

Tinie Tempah and Katy B at The Hammersmith Apollo, Fri 25^th Feb 2011. Tickets are £17.50 and can be bought from here

What a week! How has everyone been? I hope you have all been enjoying my picks of the week so far.

The Tate Modern currently has a great exhibition by Gabriel Orozco on at the moment. It started January 19th and will continue until April 25th so there will be plenty of time to go and see it.

“Creative, playful and inventive, Gabriel Orozco creates art in the streets, his apartment or wherever he is inspired. Born in Mexico but working across the globe, Orozco is renowned for his endless experimentation with found objects, which he subtly alters.”

If you are a member of the Tate then the exhibition will be free but if not do not fret as admission is only £10, concessions are £8.50.  The Tate Modern is open from 10am-6pm on weekdays and 10am-10pm at weekends.

More of a fine food person than a fine art person? Why don’t you treat yourself to a Byron burger, a “proper hamburger”. With restaurants located all over London, Byron are easily accessible and are fairly priced you will not be disappointed.

Byron, who pride themselves on their simple but delicious burgers source their beef from Scotland, mince it fresh everyday, cook it medium so it’s pink, juicy and succulent and place it in a soft, squishy bun (no sesame seed business) with minimum fuss and fanfare.

I highly recommend a Byron burger, with side fries and a root beer.  Delicious!

My Pick of the week

TURN OFF THE RADIO, Friday 11^th Feb, 2011 8pm-1am

Performing on the night is a flurry of UK talent that includes: Random Impulse, Mikill Pane, Fuzzy Logic, Mike Hough and Nathan Blueberry. Plus DJ sets from pop duo Chasing Pluto and soulful threesome Marcus & The Garvey’s.

A night not to be missed!

To get your self on the £3 guest list email names to info@turnofftheradio.co.uk

How’d folks, I hope you had a great week last week and went and sampled some of my picks of the week. I plan to offer you some great finds on a weekly basis and hope you guys use them as an alternative to your usual.

Fancy a bit of culture in your life this week? Then get yourself down to the White Cube at Masons Yard SW1. Gilbert and George currently have an ongoing exhibition there, The Urethra Postcard Art of Gilbert & George.

“In 2009, nearly four decades after their first exhibition of POSTCARD ART, and twenty years since their last group of pictures to be made in the medium of postcards, Gilbert & George returned to the form to make the epic and dazzling group of 564 new pieces that comprise THE URETHRA POSTCARD PICTURES.”

The exhibition runs until the 19^th February at The White Cube (mason yards) and is open from Tues-Sat 10am – 6pm.

Not really into Art and want to get your grub on, then visit one of my favourite restaurants in London ‘Cubana’. Situated just of Waterloo road this restaurant serves up the best in South American cuisine. Their cocktails are mighty good too and cheap as well starting at just £3.95, I highly recommend Cubana Passion.

Cubana is open Mon-sat (times vary) I recommend hitting this joint at the weekend when you can experience live salsa and Latin music, although the weekdays are just as lively.

If you’re a fan of  “old’ skool” gaming then get yourself down to Nintendisco this Thursday at 93 Feet East from 7pm. Expect Mario Kart, Classic Street fighter plus more…you won’t be disappointed.

MY PICK OF THE WEEK:

MINDIE at The Old Blue Last, Sunday 30^th Jan from 7pm onwards.

Mindie is one of London’s dopest live music nights, fresh from its beauty sleep and after a brief appearance last year it’s back and here to stay. Performing on the night: Mikill Pane, Kay Young, The Kemsitry, and Abiade. Plus DJ’s OrdioKid, Bare beats and Jarvsky. Oh, and it’s free entry. See you there. CLICK

It’s been a while but I’m bringing the Cook Up feature back and it’s home will now be here on A&G. I really want feedback, so please get in touch with questions, comments, suggestions and the like. I will be posting up some of my most cooked dishes or things I’m experimenting with broken down to their simplest form so they’re as easy to follow as possible for ya’ll to test out (or at least inspire you to get experimenting in the kitchen yourself!)

Are you out and about in London this week? Fancy doing something a little different?  See below for Darren Richards’, the man behind Turn Off The Radio, picks of the week.

Are you a lover of the classic movie then get yourself down to the BFI on the Southbank. For the next two months the BFI are celebrating the works of one of Hollywood’s most respected directors Howard Hawks. The Howard Hawks season gives movie buffs the chance to see some of the filmmaker’s earliest work, as well as his most highly regarded. Throughout this week there are a number of his movies on show but my pick this week is ‘The Big Sleep’.

‘The Big Sleep‘ stars Humphrey Bogart is in his element as a private eye hired by a general to sort out the mess of his daughter’s life. This film will be shown on Wednesday 19^th at 6.10pm and tickets for this showing can be booked here.

Don’t fancy Humphrey Bogart then how about drugs? ‘What is a drug?‘, this Thursday 20th January 7-8.30pm at The Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road. Over the last century, the West has medicalised or banned many plant drugs that still occupy traditional roles in other societies. How did the contemporary category of ‘drug’ come into being, and how do attitudes differ across other times and places? Well, panelists discuss the shifting definitions of drugs in culture and history.

Want to attend? Well it’s free but booking is recommended, book here now to receive E-ticket.

Not interested in any of this? Food more your thing? Then get yourself over to Franco Manca in Brixton for some quality pizzas. Made from slow-rising sour dough and baked in a wood-burning oven Franco Manca brings the taste of Italy to Brixton.

‘Franco Manca’ is situated in Brixton, Unit 4, Market row SW9.

My pick of the week

Giles Peterson’s Worldwide Awards 2011-01:

Giles Peterson and his label Brownswood hold their annual extravaganza with a diverse line up and the man himself hitting the 1’s and 2’s.

Venue: Koko £15 on door!

Words by Darren Richards