DITCH THE WEEKEND PAPERS FOR THIS: The Plot By Jean Hanff Korelitz

We’re excited for this one. Jean Hanff Korelitz’s new thriller comes out today. When a young writer dies before completing his first novel, his teacher Jake (a failed novelist) helps himself to its plot. The resulting book is a phenomenal success, but somebody knows what Jake has done. If he can't figure out who he's dealing with, he risks something far worse than the loss of his career. This is a page-turner for your summer reading list.
 
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GET YOUR SWEAT ON: FIIT x The Gym Group

Interactive fitness platform FIIT has partnered with The Gym Group to launch the UK’s first interactive studio. Members of The Gym can try unique group training sessions within custom in-built interactive FIIT studios at gyms in Oxford Street, Tottenham and Manchester. No fitness instructors are present –you join live, scheduled classes and see your metrics on a screen to encourage you to compete with others in the class. There are over 700 classes to choose from, including HIIT workouts, strength training and cardio routines. You can also train independently on the new FIIT Pods, which count reps, track heartrate, and tell you how many calories you’ve burned. Membership at The Gym starts from £20 per month.
 
Visit TheGymGroup.com/FIIT
 

BOOK AHEAD: Four Quartets, Harold Pinter Theatre

Tickets have just gone on sale for Four Quartets which opens at the Harold Pinter Theatre in November. T.S. Eliot’s final collection of poems has been adapted into a play which offers four interwoven meditations on the nature of time, faith and the quest for spiritual enlightenment. Mostly written during World War Two when the closure of theatres during the Blitz interrupted Eliot’s work, Four Quartets reflects upon surviving periods of national crisis. Directed by Ralph Fiennes, who also stars, it’s received rave reviews after impressing at Theatre Royal Bath earlier this year. Tickets start from £24.
 
Panton Street, West End, SW1Y 4DN
 
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BINGE THIS NETFLIX SERIES: Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami

This new docuseries lands on Netflix today. Fifteen years after the release of his cult classic The Kings of Miami, director Billy Corben is back with a six-part saga on the South Florida traffickers indicted in one of the largest drug cases in US history. Alleged to be the chief American distributors for two of Colombia’s biggest cartels, two Cuban exiles were accused of smuggling over 75 tonnes of cocaine into the US in the 80s. The high-school friends built a reputed $2bn empire that made them Miami’s biggest celebrities. While law enforcement plotted their takedown, the smugglers outran and outmanoeuvred prosecution for decades. Featuring interviews with those closest to them, their defence team, and the feds tasked with taking them down, the series paints a vivid portrait of the last of Miami’s ‘cocaine cowboys’.
 
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GRAB A TABLE: Bar + Block

For great steak that won’t break the bank, head to Bar + Block’s new outpost in Southwark. The modern steakhouse has an extensive range of prime cuts, handmade burgers and grazing plates, as well as a seriously good selection of craft brews. Diners can choose from rump, ribeye, fillet and sirloin steaks, each of which has been matured for at least 30 days and comes with samphire, a choice of sauce, and a salad or beef-dripping triple-cooked chips. Prefer a burger? Opt for the ‘Mighty Block’ topped with cheese, crispy onions, pulled beef brisket, pickled cucumber and burger sauce.
 
New Marlborough Yard, Ufford Street, Southwark, SE1 8LE
 
Visit BarAndBlock.co.uk

TUNE INTO THIS NEW PODCAST: Thorough Examination

Chris and Xand are doctors, scientists and identical twins. Well, not quite identical. Xand is 20kg heavier, clinically obese, and has a Covid-induced heart condition. He blames his weigh on UPF – ultra processed food. It’s the main thing we now eat (and feed to our children) but most of us have never heard of it. It’s addictive, highly profitable and the main cause of the global obesity pandemic. It’s destroying our bodies, our brains and the environment. Chris wants Xand to quit, so he has a plan: to send him on a journey to meet the world’s leading experts on food, weight, taste and addiction while encouraging a final UPF binge in a bid to see if he can learn to hate it. A fascinating listen, but be warned – it might put you off your favourite food.
 
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ENJOY FRIDAY NIGHT DRINKS: Martinez

Soho has just welcomed a stylish new members bar. Martinez on Greek Street is from the same stable as Sketch, Cuckoo Club and Maddox Club. It specialises in forgotten vintage cocktails as well as much-loved classics. The bar’s eponymous cocktail is widely hailed as the precursor to the martini, and will be served in its original form and in two updated variations. Each member will receive a one-on-one drinks orientation with the bar team upon joining, where you can discuss your preferences and brand favourites, before relaxing in the loft-style space. Bar snacks have been created by Michelin-starred chef Hervé Deville – think lobster thermidor choux, truffle croquettes and homemade bruschetta with serrano ham.
 
50 Greek Street, Soho, W1D 4EQ

Visit MartinezLondon.com

TRY NEW FLAVOURS: Marugame Udon, Spitalfields

If you’ve been to Japan, you might have come across Marugame Udon, the country’s cult noodle chain. Last week its first European outpost opened in Spitalfields. Diners can choose from a range of authentic Japanese dishes. Menu highlights include stir fried udon noodles with beef, chicken paitan made with a rich bone both and topped with a soft-boiled egg, and a classic chicken katsu curry. There’s also a the tempura bar offering vegetable gyoza sticks, fried courgette and tempura prawns. Wash it down with Asahi or a bottle of No.1 Living (aka Jonny Wilkinson’s kombucha).

14 Middlesex Street, Spitalfields, E1 7JH

Visit Marugame.co.uk

GET YOUR CULTURE FIX: Ryoji Ikeda

Fact Magazine and The Vinyl Factory have teamed up to host an Ryoji Ikeda exhibition at 180 The Strand. The largest exhibition of the artist’s work ever staged, it invites visitors to immerse themselves in Ikeda’s dynamic digital universe. A subterranean exploration of sound and light, the show takes viewers on a sensory journey through the gallery’s labyrinth-like spaces. The 12 artworks include the world premiere of Ikeda’s Data-Verse trilogy – a towering, triple-screen immersive project commissioned by Audemars Piguet Contemporary, and a site-specific, synapse-splitting new iteration of ‘Test Pattern’. Other never-seen-before installations include ‘Point Of No Return’, an intense audio-visualisation that creates a virtual experience similar to entering a black hole. The exhibition runs until Saturday 18th September.
 
180 Strand, Temple, WC2R 1EA
 
Visit 180TheStrand.com