BOOK A TABLE NOW: The Red Duck, Balham

Now that restaurants are open for outdoor dining, The Red Duck is a place to have on your radar. Set to open its doors tomorrow, it’ll serve a range of contemporary Chinese dishes. The menu includes classics such as Singapore fried noodles, chicken chow mien and crispy aromatic duck, as well as 35-day aged ribeye with ginger and spring onions; jasmine tea smoked ribs; hakka paneer; and salt and pepper tofu. There’s also a selection of organic wines from some of London’s best suppliers on offer – think Vino, Tutto Wines and Newcomer Wines. Outdoor seating is likely to be snapped up quickly, so don’t hang around.

1 Ramsden Road, Balham SW12 8QX

Visit TheRedDuck.co.uk
 

GET BACK INTO THE SWING: Club Golf, Coal Drops Yard

Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross has just opened a ten-week outdoor programme so you can enjoy socially distanced activities with your chosen five mates. Alongside an outdoor exhibition, market and food stalls, visitors can score a hole in one at Club Golf – a nine-hole crazy golf course. Designed by artists Baker & Borowski, it’s inspired by the area’s famous 80s and 90s rave culture. Open seven days a week, tickets cost £5pp and kids under 12 play for free. Just turn up on the day or pre-book a slot online.

Stable Street, King’s Cross N1C 4DQ

Visit ClubGolf.net

MAKE A RESERVATION HERE: Enderby House, Greenwich

Missed your Sunday pub roast? Get back to the boozer and book a table at Enderby House which partly opened on Monday. Set in a Grade II-listed building, the space has been cleverly converted into a stylish new riverbank pub. Opening in full in May, there are two dining rooms, as well as private rooms for special events. For now, there’s a first-floor terrace with views across the Thames path, where you can get British pub classics as well as modern seafood dishes.

23 Telegraph Avenue, Greenwich SE10 0TH

Visit EnderbyHousePub.co.uk
 

TUNE INTO THIS NEW PODCAST: The Line

The first episode of this gripping podcast dropped last week. In 2018, a group of Navy Seals broke ranks and accused their chief, Eddie Gallagher, of murder – launching them into the biggest war crimes trial in a generation. Gallagher was eventually acquitted on all but one count: for posing in a photo with a corpse. Hosted and produced by Dan Taberski, you’ll be taken inside that infamous courtroom for the first time, peeling back the curtain on how America wages its wars now and revealing the story that the media covering the trial failed to report. Through intimate conversations with over 50 special operators, the series explores just how blurred the line between right and wrong has become – and what it’s doing to the minds of those on the front line. A fascinating listen.

Visit Apple.com

GRAB SOME STREET FOOD: The Cheese Truck

If you’re struggling to get a reservation this weekend, head down to Paddington for some tasty street food. From today, The Cheese Truck is serving its sought-after grilled cheese sandwiches at a pop-up terrace beside the canal – ideal for an alfresco lunch. Signature sandwich fillings include Quicke’s Cheddar, Montgomery’s Ogleshield and onion; Cropwell Bishop Stilton, Swaledale smoked bacon and spiced pear chutney; and Rosary Goats Cheese with honey, walnut and rosemary butter. Make a meal of it and add a glass of wine to your order. The truck will be in situ from noon to 8pm every Wednesday to Sunday until 16th May.

Sheldon Square, Paddington W2 6HY

Visit TheCheeseBar.com
 

HAVE A LAUGH: American Pickle

American Pickle drops on NOW this Friday. In this 2020 comedy starring Seth Rogen, Herschel Greenbaum is an old-time pickle producer who suffers a freak accident, gets preserved in brine for 100 years and wakes up in the present day. He soon catches up with his only surviving relative (a computer programmer also played by Rogen) and the mismatched pair must face down myriad cultural misunderstandings to make the best of a weird situation.

Visit NowTV.com

DITCH THE WEEKEND PAPERS FOR THIS: First Person Singular: Stories By Haruki Murakami

Japan’s most famous author returns this month with a series of short stories. The eight masterly stories in Haruki Murakami’s new collection are all told in the first person by a classic Murakami narrator. From nostalgic memories of youth, meditations on music and an ardent love of baseball to dreamlike scenarios, an encounter with a talking monkey and invented jazz albums, together these stories challenge the boundaries between our minds and the exterior world. Occasionally, a narrator who may or may not be Murakami himself is present. Is it memoir or fiction? It’s up to you to decide. Philosophical and mysterious, the stories in First Person Singular touch on love and solitude, childhood and memory – all served with a signature Murakami twist.

Visit Waterstones.com
 

CATCH THIS LIVE TALK: Viktor Wynd In Conversation With John Waters

On Saturday 17th April at 8pm Viktor Wynd and The Last Tuesday Society host a conversation with the legendary director and provocateur John Waters. Known for  transgressive cult films like Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, and Hairspray, Waters will discuss his wild cinematic legacy. Tickets start from £5.

Visit Eventbrite.co.uk
 

GET THE BEERS IN: Mondo+ Subscription

Mondo Brewing Company has launched a subscription service with a range of exclusive members benefits. For £75 a year, you’ll get free shipping, 10% off Mondo draught beer and any events at its Battersea tap house, a 5% discount online and invitations to members-only events throughout the year. Plus, you’ll get a free pint on your birthday and at the Mondo annual summer party. Regular customers will get good bang for their buck in the long run. If you’re new to the brand, check out the signature Lightworks 6% IPA.

Visit MondoBeer.com