Flo Wales Bonner

Whether you’re browsing to – whisper it – pop the question, shopping for a special gift, or treating yourself to something sparkly on pay day, London has a wealth of jewellery shops beyond Hatton Garden where you can get starry-eyed over that perfect piece. From timeless blue-box classics to quirky, indie boutiques, our round-up guide is a jewellery-lover’s best friend... RECOMMENDED: The best shops in London

Get your talons up to scratch with our guide to the best manicures in London – ranging from cheap and cheerful touch-ups to indulgent treatments, in fancy spas, lush hotels and cosy neighbourhood spots. Whatever you’re after, we’ve filed down the lot to the very best manicures in London. RECOMMENDED: The best spas in London

Fitness and fashion go hand-in-hand these days – and the capital’s full of brilliant places to buy stylish sportswear, whatever your workout, including some of the best shops in London. So make shopping for athleisure a pleasure with our guide to the best activewear shopping. RECOMMENDED: our full guide to sport and fitness in London

When? 3-8pm Sunday March 5 2017 What? An exhibition of the late Chinese photographer Ren Hang's work, including previously unseen material Where? 9 rue de Lesdiguieres, 75004 Boundary-pushing, NSFW Chinese photographer Ren Hang, who sadly passed away on February 24 at the age of 29, is honoured in this intimate exhibition of never-before-seen photos during Paris Fashion Week. Hang – whose striking depictions of nudes led to his arrest several times in his home country – shot these images for fashion brand Totem Collective, who seek to pay tribute to their friend and collaborator through this event. It’s expected to be busy – RSVP essential for entry.

Like it or not, Oxford Street shops make up the main artery of London shopping. It’s not the place to head for independent boutiques, as only massive brands can afford the rents attached to Oxford Street premises, but it is unrivalled in its offering of cheap high street shopping and jumbo department stores. Here are the best of a bunch of Oxford Street shops. RECOMMENDED: Hotels near Oxford Street

If you're looking to get your mitts on lots of stuff without traipsing all over the city, simply stop into one of London's best department stores. With a huge variety of gifts, homewares, food and fashion on offer, your wildest retail fantasies can come true. But where to head first? For a bit of help deciding, take a look at our pick of the best department stores in London. RECOMMENDED: The best thrift stores in London

The range of Covent Garden shops is vast. This central retail area is brimming with boutiques and vintage stores, from home and fashion favourites such as Orla Kiely, Cambridge Satchel and Fred Perry, to a smattering of beauty and skincare stores. Covent Garden is a real shopping destination for the fashion forward, and with amazing new shops popping up all the time, there's more reason than ever to stop into a few Covent Garden shops. RECOMMENDED: Covent Garden area guide

Sometimes, darlings, only champers will do – especially during the festive season – though it doesn’t always come cheap. We scoured the aisles to find the best budget fizz around and then formed a panel of taste-testers and party-goers to see what they thought would pass muster with the most discerning party hosts. RECOMMENDED: Find more festive fun in Time Out's guide to Christmas in London

Personalised gifts are an easy way to please even the fussiest family member on your Christmas gift list – after all, who could turn down a pair of cosy custom-made socks, or a monogrammed pair of pants? Here are a bunch of the best Christmas customisation options – just remember to get your orders in early, as the personal touch takes a little extra time.  RECOMMENDED: Check out the full Christmas gift guide 

Womenswear designer and Central St Martin's graduate Marios Schwab is fêted for his intricate, feminine designs. He chatted to Flo Wales Bonner about the London style scene, shopping in our capital and designing Aqua Kyoto’s roof terrace. What are your favourite local shops? 'I live in Newington Green, but I tend to shop around Shoreditch. I go to SCP for furniture, and Artwords for books about architecture and interiors.' What's the most fashionable bit of London? 'The St Martin's campus. Louise Wilson left a huge legacy at the school, and I was lucky to be part of that era. Even now you can sit in the square outside the building and just be surrounded by a great amount of young energy and ideas. It's still a legendary place to study.' What inspires your designs? 'I'm not that interested in the fashion scene. I'm more interested in the unexpected that you can find in area with a diverse cultural make-up, like Ridley Road Market in Dalston. Skate parks are also interesting places to observe youth culture. And I spend a lot of time in Peckham - there are so many young artists there, with something interesting about the way they dress and put things together.' You're obviously a people-watcher. 'I'm quite a voyeur. I'm very happy sitting with a coffee and watching people pass by. I often spend the evening walking my friend [stylist] Katy England's dog on Peckham Rye - it's a great way to spy on how people put together their casualwear.' Most treasured possession? 'A box of memo

Autumn in London is upon us, and with it comes a host of collaborations, from neon luggage to cool cardis, from Reebok and Maison Kitsune to Uniqlo and Lemaire. We've picked the best seasonal style partnerships and happy hook-ups below. There's also a whole host of action happening at London Fashion Week, as well as loads of fashion exhibitions springing up across the capital, so you won't be stuck for style to collaborate with.

Young entrepreneur Kirsten Hazell saw a gap in the market for an affordable American-style nail salon with late opening hours. And so London Grace was born, living by the sociable motto ‘nails, coffee & cocktails’. This Leicester Square spot is the first central London location for the company – there are other salons in Putney and Clapham.  Pop in for a glass of bubbly and to get your nails lacquered using London Grace’s own brand of nasties-free polish. The vibe is relaxed and friendly – on our visit, a bunch of friends had booked a group table (a nifty option here) and were getting piddled while their talons were spruced up – and they weren't being rushed out, either. Bonus points. The treatment list is concise, no-nonsense and straightforward (further bonus points), with the menu clearly displaying how long each treatment takes – from a 15-minute  ‘Slap Dash’ paint job (just £9) to a 45-minute 'Top Notch' gel polish (£35). Perfect for the time-poor in need of a pamper.

Just a minute’s walk from East Dulwich train station, Holistic & Beauty Therapy – or just ‘Therapy’ as it’s, aptly, known by its regulars – is a therapeutic spot indeed. It has a lovely warmth and cosiness about it, making it a refreshing change from your average bleached-out, slightly sterile pampering parlour. Decor is charmingly noughties-boudoir complete with purple walls and plump velvet Louis XV armchairs. And not only is this place beautifully maintained, it’s totally spotless and squeaky clean. Clearly its staff take great pride in it, as they should. Because it provides top notch service and treatments, with fantastic attention to detail that’s present in everything from the aromatherapy wafting through the treatment rooms, to the scented foot baths that precede every full body massage.  Massage is the speciality here, and quite rightly – mine worked out about three months’ worth of knots in mere minutes. I then opted for Therapy’s version of beauty journalists’ latest obsession: the ‘bacial’ (or ‘back facial’ for those averse to speaking in hashtags). Here, it’s more sensibly called a Back Cleanse, and honestly, it’s totally divine – particularly because of the array of sumptuous natural products used. The back’s an oft-neglected area of the body, so treating it to a deep scrub, clay masque and steam was a rare indulgence and left me with possibly the softest skin ever. For this blissful treatment alone, Therapy, I’ll be – er, back

A lot of care and attention has gone into the design of this striking South Ken salon, which doesn’t actually feel very South Ken at all. It’s a little bit Brooklyn bachelor pad (industrial materials, masculine colours), and a little bit boudoir (velvet chairs, chandeliers and a retro cocktail trolley) – and it’s a mash-up that works. After settling down with a drink from the extensive menu (which includes a ‘cocktail of the day’), I opted for a hydrating Redken hair treatment from the Mask Bar, followed by a snip and blowdry from the man himself. Despite his list of mega-famous clients – that range from One Directioners to Cara Delevingne – Larry is refreshingly down to earth and up for a laugh, as are his hardworking staff. Anyone would feel welcome here. My cut was precise and I felt properly consulted about what I wanted, plus it kept its choppy shape several washes later. And I had my first encounter with a Dyson hairdryer (there was plenty of ‘ooh’-ing and ‘aah’-ing). For some people, going to the hairdresser is a confusing, stressful experience, something that this place is attempting to change via a no-nonsense treatment list that addresses common concerns (eg how to protect your hair from sun damage). A stroke of genius, though, is the option to book a tutorial – your stylist will show you how to create salon looks yourself, and then send you off with a video of the session so you can practise at home. It’s clear the trendsetting Larry K is making waves – and not jus

This well-heeled, minimalist Mayfair salon is the baby of renowned stylist Hiro Miyoshi, who incorporates Japanese techniques into each cut for enhanced precision. After a relaxing hair mask using divine-smelling Nashi products (the salon also uses a range of other niche brands such as Oribe), I was treated to a session with Hiro himself. A man of few words, he still conveyed an extensive understanding of the tools he used – there are only very expensive, very sharp Japanese scissors here, helping to minimise damage and giving the stylist more control. Oh, and speed: my entire trim was completed in – I kid you not – less than five minutes, but to total perfection. This place is a total boon for the woman or man on the go. As well as cut and blow dries from £65, and men’s cuts from £40, Hiro also offers Japanese Yuko hair straightening, which lasts up to three weeks, from £55.    

This attractive Bow pub is extremely cosy, despite its size. Huge period windows add a bright vibe that’s often missing in ‘trad’ boozers. The green in the name is reflected in a subtle verdant colour scheme, with classic dark green leather-studded bench seating and pale mint walls. Small oil paintings add a touch of country charm. It sells itself as being a classic pub with a twist – the twist being that it serves up a selection of decent and imaginative cocktails, as well as a top selection of craft beers. My Smoked Maple Old Fashioned was a work of art. A crystal glass was served with a small corked bottle of brown stuff on the side, releasing a cloud of musky apple wood smoke when opened. A hint of maple syrup lifted the whole heady affair. A Pale Dutch, featuring white port, tonic, mint and lemon, was a light, zesty, sophisticated long drink that demanded savouring. These were soaked up with a couple of small plates, including an artfully presented asparagus, soft-boiled egg and new potato dish that was fresh and well seasoned (though the crab cakes did lack crabby flavour.) One major selling point of this pub has to be its garden, guaranteed evergreen and pleasant thanks to the canny employment of astroturf. Rather than feeling clinical, it’s rather clean and cheery. This is a very chipper local spot – perfect lazy Sunday afternoon territory.

Please note, Apres Food Co is now open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Time Out Food Editors, December 2018. Prepare for your latest interior design crush – Aprés is a gorgeous spot, with lush plants in concrete pots, blue and white tiled floors, and plenty of artfully arranged wine bottles and bleached wood. Though there’s a low-key Parisian backstreet vibe to the place, the menu is a diverse mix of cuisines – all focused on putting fresh, seasonal organic veg and locally sourced meat first. A ‘frittata muffin’ was never something I thought I needed in my life until I tried one here – this ingenious creation featured eggs, olives, tomatoes and fragrant herbs baked in a muffin case to golden brown perfection, served with crisp salad leaves and a fruity relish with a slight chilli kick. The well-seasoned sweet potato hash was proper comfort food, the kind of dish that makes you feel really well looked after. And then for the cakes – a feather-light victoria sponge, with impossible creaminess and jammy-ness at its centre, was one of the best I’ve eaten. A chocolate brownie was moist and oh-so-dark – divine. But it was only halfway through my meal that I remembered, with a start, something absolutely key about Aprés: its menu is entirely free of gluten and refined sugar, and has been devised by qualified nutritional therapist and co-founder Catherine. The fact that this totally slipped my mind when I was eating speaks volumes – this place just serves genuinely good food in its

It’s inexplicable that The Hive isn’t crammed every night. Just a few steps from Regent’s Canal, its combo of organic food, cold-pressed juices and great coffee by day, and a fresh menu of veggie aperitivo and natural wines from 5pm, make it a fine place to kick back with a laptop – or kick off a night out. The space is minimalist but sprawling. Huge windows make it bright and airy in the day, though it could do with being cosied up a bit at night. Food-wise, we plumped for a selection of small plates. Houmous was light as a feather and moreish; as was the farinata, a traditional Italian flatbread made with chickpea flour, olive oil and salt, served warm and perfect for dipping. The wines were the main event, though. Our knowledgeable waiter talked us through the menu, noting which were low in sulphites. (Those rumours that low-sulphite wines give less of a hangover? All true!) Highlights were a glass of La Stoppa Ageno – an aromatic, organic orange wine – and Rocco di Carpeneto Aur-Oura, a light, dangerously drinkable organic red. All the vino is sourced by owners Marco and Ilaria – they’re experts on the Northern Italian natural wine scene and it shows. With an offering this strong, quite frankly, The Hive deserves to be buzzing.

Halfway through our first cocktails at Martello Hall, my companion pointed out a woman jubilantly unwrapping a Le Creuset casserole dish. Which goes some way to describing the kind of crowd haunting this upmarket new spot. It sees what was formerly the divey London Fields pub brought bang up to scratch, with a copper-topped bar, wooden benches, and stripped ceilings and walls with the plaster peeping through. So far, so Hackney. What makes this place particularly worth a visit is the impressive drinks, including a regularly changing array of 12 wines on tap, gin distilled on site and a swell cocktail list. An Apples & Pears Collins with pear vodka and homemade elderflower syrup was refreshing and tangy, like sucking on a citrusy peardrop. A Mexican Negroni with El Jimador tequila and Aperitivo Berto was rich and strong – a knockout. Should you come here hungry, you can munch on superlative, crispy-based wood-fired pizzas, with interesting toppings like honey and truffled pecorino (pizzas and snacks are also served through a hatch at the side of the building). Table service was a tad iffy and forgetful, but so ridiculously good-natured that all was forgiven. If you’re squiffy enough from the great drinks – which is what you should really come here for anyway – you probably won’t mind.

EC One has been kicking around in Clerkenwell since the nineties. Its staying power owes to the fact that there’s much to love here, from the broad, unpretentious range of designers it stocks (something for every style) to its championing of new talent via its annual ‘Unsigned’ jewellery awards. EC One is also renowned for its bespoke pieces, that are handmade in the workshop out back.

The work of Delfina Delettrez is as much art as fashion – and of the latter she knows plenty, as a fourth-generation member of the Fendi clan. Her futuristic pieces, that draw inspiration from surrealism, are like wearable sculptures, often featuring recurrent anatomical motifs like tiny lips and hands. This malachite-encrusted Mount Street flagship is a suitably enchanting space in which to discover the lot.

Uniqlo’s flagship is all the better for its recent spruce-up, which has seen it double in size and get some ace new features – including a roof terrace for special events (check out that view), and the one-of-a-kind Uniqlo WearHouse. The latter is an industrial-feeling split-level space – complete with huge metal staircase and ticker tape on the walls – that’s dedicated to showcasing the best of the brand’s LifeWear range alongside a neat edit of lifestyle products.

Any self-respecting nail art fanatic will have heard of WAH. Founded by Sharmadean Reid – one of the beauty industry’s most innovative talents, who was made an MBE last year aged 31 – it started life as a fanzine in 2006, before becoming one of the coolest Dalston salons around. It has since ventured into retail, selling its own covetable range of nail products, and even got into clothing with a genius collab with ASOS. But WAH wasn’t content to stop there, and has just opened a flagship salon on Peter Street in Soho. And it’ll pretty much knock your run-of-the-mill nail salon into the park (or rather, flick it away with a perfectly painted talon). First off, it’s a ridiculously cool space – with futuristic ticker tape displaying messages, concrete walls, and a perfectly pastel seating area downstairs. Tech geeks will love playing with the set of virtual reality headsets along one wall upstairs, that let you design and visualise your mani on your own hands (glittering smileys? Neon tartan? The sky's the limit), plus calculate how much it’ll cost. Secondly, it has its own bar for when you suddenly, urgently need a mid-manicure cocktail. And thirdly, the ground floor sells an awesome range of products by independent beauty brands – including lipsticks by MDMflow and holographic makeup brushes by Spectrum Collections – the majority of which were all founded by women. Nailed it! 

You ask, we answer: tackling the most popular Google searches about London. The proud livery of London’s buses wasn’t always bright red. Motor buses, which started appearing on our streets at the beginning of the twentieth century, used to be painted different colours according to their routes, explains Caroline Warhurst from London Transport Museum: it was common to see vehicles that were ‘green, brown, yellow, maroon, and more’. In 1907, when London General Omnibus Company (the principal bus operator at the time) merged with the Vanguard Motor Bus Company, buses took on Vanguard’s bright red colour palette. And yet, incredibly, there’s no surviving documentation as to why red was chosen. Warhurst speculates that it could be practical (red paint tends to be more durable) as well as symbolic: red has powerful associations with strength and national pride. It turns out there’s much more to buses than your pukey N38 ride might suggest. And while we’re at it: why is London weather so unpredictable?

Does it ever feel like life’s just one endless wardrobe malfunction? We’ve all been there – but thankfully, a swank new personal shopping service on Regent Street is set to sort all your sartorial stresses. Regent Street Stylists – a scheme running for three months from until the end of August – lets hopeless shoppers book an appointment with one of the finest stylists around. The pretty impressive line-up includes celeb stylist Kyle de Volle, former Stylist fashion editor Lucy Reber, and editorial stylist Koulla Sergi. Once you’ve signed up, you’ll get a 30-minute initial consultation, followed by a one-and-a-half-hour shopping sesh taking in your choice of the street’s many stores – which include the likes of Liberty, Stone Island, Burberry, Anthropologie and Oliver Sweeney. What’s more, the appointments are totally free. (Sadly, the clothes aren’t, but sessions can be tailored to any budget or brief.) Regent Street Stylists tickets are available right now, with a fresh batch released at the start of each month. Snap up your spot via regentstreetonline.com, and get your summer style in the bag.

Over in the Philippines, Nike has put a whole new spin on the idea of beating your personal best – by allowing runners to have a go at actually racing a virtual version of themselves. The ultra high-tech Nike Unlimited Stadium (which popped up in Manila for just over two weeks) featured an illuminated running track on which fitness fanatics could see and race an avatar version of themselves. Nike took over a space the size of an entire block and tracked up to 30 runners at once with sensors attached to their shoes. After running their first lap to set their pace, each racer was able to compete with a virtual version of themselves made of flashing lights. We’re hoping this snazzy stadium hotfoots it to London sometime soon. Until then, we’ll have to make do with digital marathons of the Netflix variety. Here’s where to break a sweat right now – your guide to sport, health and fitness in London.

Fans of cut-price designer threads, hotfoot it to Hackney Walk this Friday – because the East End outlet shopping haven is hosting a two-day sample sale featuring four super cool womenswear brands, with discounts of up to 80 percent! Head to retail space The Box (4-6 Ram Place) to shop cheerful London label Peter Jensen, cheeky Parisian brand Être Cécile, heritage-inspired fashion week favourite Le Kilt (pictured) and elegant everyday line Belize. You’ll be able to get hold of pieces from current collections, as well as one-off archive items, with prices starting at a mere tenner. Cards are accepted, so there’s no reason whatsoever to shop responsibly! (We kid, of course). See you there. Fri Jun 30 and Sat Jul 1, 11am-7pm. The Box, 4-6 Ram Place, E9 6LT. In other news, Selfridges has launched a mini Korean beauty department.

Thought a cold glass of fizz was the height of summery chill? Think again. A Brighton bar has upped the alcoholic ante by launching the UK’s first ‘frosecco’ menu. Short for – you got it – ‘frozen prosecco’, frosecco is basically a boozy slushy, cleverly crafted to keep the bubbles intact (which, incidentally, has got to be the scientific breakthrough of the year). Patterns, a cocktail bar and music venue by Brighton beach, has whipped up a batch of the stuff by hand, and a few weeks ago it debuted a new menu with a trio of frosecco-based cocktails. Thirsty punters can slurp on a frosty glass of straight frosecco, enjoy it as part of a Mojito Royale slushy with rum, lime and mint, or in an Aperol Spritz slushy. If you’d gladly suffer brainfreeze for an idea this brrr-illiant, you might be in luck: we’ve heard whispers of a frosecco menu launching in London soon. Till then, icy boozy heaven is only a train ride away. Also: a (non-frozen) prosecco van is coming to London!

Those who like to get high on a night out will be well jel of Sydney’s latest temporary attraction: an illuminated dancefloor perched a casual 134 metres in the sky. For three weeks from May 26, the top of the world-famous Sydney Harbour Bridge will be home to a rather vertiginous ’70s-style dancing deck. The ‘Dance Floor in the Sky’ is being erected as part of the city’s annual Vivid Sydney art and technology festival, and can accommodate 14 daring disco-lovers at a time. Professional climbers will help ticketholders to scale the summit before setting them free to dance the night away (carefully), surrounded by the lights of the city. It’ll run every night except in case of electrical storms or high winds. And if that’s not extreme dedication to the art of partying, we don’t know what is. And if Sydney’s a bit far, Up at The O2 is probably the closest London gets.

Turns out tube carriages can be more than just places to hone your eye-contact-avoidance skills. An architect in the US capital has dreamed up a much worthier use for them: as accommodation for homeless people. Arthur Cotton Moore has drawn up plans to transform decommissioned subway carriages into one-person homes, each with a bedroom, living room, kitchenette and bathroom. He told The Washington Post that the idea came about after the city council announced its intention to retire some of its subway cars. It isn’t so far-fetched, as the cars provide ‘a very nice enclosure which is watertight and has lovely windows’. The scheme is just a sketch at this stage, but DC’s Metro service told press that it ‘will consider any viable proposal for other uses of the cars’. Next stop: social change? Here are 28 ways to make London better. And on a more frivolous note, we also fancy Tokyo’s flying cakes.

There’s no keeping Dominique Ansel down. Or his edible creations, for that matter – because the Willy Wonka-esque inventor of the cronut is now selling flying cakes in Tokyo. ‘Zero Gravity’ cakes, which went on sale two weeks ago, are the stuff of dreams: featherweight sponges that are so light, they’re served to customers inside helium balloons. (Better keep this one from the ‘We Want Plates’ brigade.) When the balloons burst, you can wolf down the honey and vanilla chiffons – if they don’t fall to the floor in the process. Which is all part of the fun, apparently. They’re exclusive to Ansel’s new shop in Tokyo’s historic Mitsukoshi Ginza department store, and sell for the equivalent of just over £7 a pop (pardon the pun). Is it a gimmick? Sure, but there’s no denying it: Monsieur Ansel is taking baking to new heights. They may not be airborne, but here are London’s best cakes.

Clearly not content with wrestling with snakes, drinking his own pee and munching on raw animal flesh, the ever-intrepid Bear Grylls has just pulled off his most unexpected feat yet, by opening an obstacle course in Croydon. Oxygen Freejumping now has a dedicated Bear Grylls Fitness hub – which provides high-intensity exercise classes involving a multi-storey obstacle course (because single-storey obstacle courses are for wimps, obvs). Elite personal trainer Natalie Summers, who devised the workouts with Bear, warned us that they’re ‘tough’ – there are four levels of difficulty to pick from, and each session lasts an hour, provided you don’t pass out before then. According to Bear, visitors can expect a crash course in ‘functional fitness’, which is ‘designed to empower you to be fit for all of life’s adventures’. Tackling that Central line escalator will be a breeze after a few sessions here, then. From £9.45 per hour. Oxygen Freejumping, Unit 5, The Colonnades, Purley Way, Croydon CR0 4RQ. www.oxygenfreejumping.co.uk. Want more alternative fitness classes? Check these out. Or go alfresco with these outdoors exercise classes.  

Food fashion moves fast, but the humble avocado has been dominating Insta trends for years now. Is its moment in the spotlight about to come to a cruel end? Is the avocado over-cado? Not if a new establishment in Amsterdam has anything to do with it. The Avocado Show, which has just opened in the de Pijp district, is Europe’s first avocado bar. The menu will have avo-fiend Londoners green with envy: it promises breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes, all featuring the sacred fleshy fruit as their star ingredient. From avocado burgers to fries and pancakes, the possibilities are seemingly endless. And the public seem quite enthusiastic about the concept – despite the fact that it’s hardly got up and running yet, the café already has nearly 50k Instagram followers. Avo, baby, you’ve still got it! Now here are the best places for brunch in London.

Longing for a canine companion, but not sure which breed would make your ideal furry friend? Hot on the heels of its excellent dog fashion show earlier this year, the Ace Hotel is hosting a huge Doggie Speed Dating event this Sunday (March 19), and you’re invited. For a 20 quid ticket, you’ll get a ten minute sesh with each member of a panel of dog experts (experts on dogs, that is, not a selection of pooches with expertise), including vets, dog groomers and representatives from dog charities, who’ll talk you through your every mutt-based query and help you find your ideal poochy pal. They’ll also be giving out training, feeding and grooming tips to existing dog owners. Included in the ticket price are two yummy-sounding dishes: Beef & Bone (roasted hanger steak and grilled bone marrow) and Spiced Corn Dog (battered and fried spiced corn on a skewer with Togarashi spice), plus a cocktail (choose from a ‘Terrier Gone Wild’ or a ‘Salty Dog #2’). The special guests are the star attraction: Instagram sensations Winny the Corgi, Elle the French Bulldog and Reggie the Schnoodle, who’ll all be on hand to sniff you, stand around looking cute, and, er, maybe sniff you a second time. Look at their little smushy faces:         What’s more, you’ll go home with a lovely goodie bag from pup retailer Fetch & Follow, AND all profits go to charities All Dogs Matter and the Blue Cross. Waggy tails all round! Doggie Speed Dating – Hosted by Fetch & Follow is at Ace Hotel, 100 Shoreditch High

  Good news for junk-food lovers, terrible news for cows. A New York eatery is serving up a food hybrid we never knew the world needed: the burger burrito. The niftily named Burgrito's restaurant opened in the Park Slope neighbourhood of Brooklyn recently, and as well as dishing up regular old burgers, it has a glorious signature dish that's as brilliant as it is terrifying: a sliced beef patty and a handful of chips plus American cheese, chipotle sauce, tomato, lettuce, onions and bacon, all tucked up in a floury tortilla wrap. It's available for hungry Brooklynites to snap up for $9.99 (about £8), and there's also a veggie-burger-filled 'Vegrito' for those who want a meatless option. Clean eaters should probably know that the 'Burgrito' clocks in at around 900 calories. Even so, we know a few Londoners who'd roll with it. We're also envious of Rotterdam's screensaver art exhibition