Skate at Somerset House

If you're still struggling to get into the festive mood, I have the solution; grab your gloves, sling on a scarf, head off to Somerset House and Skate!

Skate is the annual transformation of the courtyard of Somerset House into one of London's more glamorous outdoor ice rinks. Glide (or wobble) your way across the ice between the majestic, beautifully-lit Somerset House and a huge, twinkling Christmas tree; it's enormous fun, with everyone bundled up against the cold and hanging on to their friends in a vain and desperate attempt to defy gravity.

Ticket prices vary according to date and time (although they go up from 8th December - be quick!) and include skate hire and an hour on the ice. Do make sure to get there early though, as there can be a bit of a queue to pick up the skates and get them on. It's a good idea to either wear or take a pair of thickish socks for best fit and cosy toes; this is ice, after all! You can book online; if there's no availability, nip in early on the day and pick some up from the box office - a small number are held back for sale on site. I haven't been yet, but the club nights sound fabulous; late night sessions with top DJs on the decks and the rink-side lounge open for post-skating mulled wine or cocktails. Full details are on the website here:
 http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/ice-rink

If you're looking for something warmer, less energetic and altogether more indulgent, just soak up the atmosphere as a spectator for a while then amble off indoors into Somerset House's pop-up shopping event, the Christmas Arcade. Gorgeous hats from Christy's, covetable jewellery from Tatty Devine, yummy treats from Hope and Greenwood, cool British fashion and fabulous ceramic pieces, cushions and suchlike for your home.

Wander round with a mince pie and some mulled wine or hot chocolate and start your Christmas wish list off with a little luxury. Go on, you deserve it - after all, you've been good all year, right?

Yours, chilling out with Twitter star Skate Penguin,

Girl About Town xx

Alternative London tour

Bored of expensive, uninspiring tours? Think tours are for tourists? Forget the freezing open-top buses, the droning guides shoving through crowds with their umbrellas aloft and the same dry old monologues about Big Ben or Tower Bridge; what if a tour could give you an insight into today's real and living London, the chance to discover the East End's most incredible street art alongside enthusiastic local guides - often street artists themselves - and even the chance to (legally) try it for yourself?

Alternative London (beware of bandwagon imitators) offers pay-what-you-like walking tours as well as great value bike tours and tours with hands-on workshops, making this a really different and affordable London experience. I took my teenage niece with her mum for a birthday treat and it opened our eyes to a whole range of incredible art in the maze of East London back streets.

Our guide, street artist Josh Jeavons, was fabulous - friendly, knowledgeable and really happy to explain how graffiti and street art began, how the pieces were created, what kind of techniques were used, and the individual artists' backgrounds and inspirations. http://joshjeavons.co.uk/ Here is just a taste of the things we saw and learned on our day.

Cranio is a Brazilian artist from São Paulo, in town for a recent exhibition at the Red Bull Studios. His distinctive character paintings highlight the tension between the indigenous people of Brazil and the commercial pressures that are leading to deforestation, seriously endangering the rainforest. He was one of the first artists to help decorate the new Alternative London bus, which is the tour company's headquarters and their workshop - a very cool place to work on your stencil skills!

Artists like Mobstr and Ben Eine focus more on typographical pieces; Ben Eine is probably most well-known for his transformation of the shutters in Middlesex Street with huge brightly-coloured letters - or perhaps for the fact that David Cameron gave Barack Obama one of his pieces as a presidential gift.

We saw his fabulous monochromatic Anti Anti Anti graffiti in Ebor Street; apparently the morning after he painted this he was asked if he wanted to paint something on the other side of the street, this time with permission. Keen to have made his mark on the whole street, he painted the contrasting Pro Pro Pro in bright circus font along the opposite wall.

Mobstr specialises in stencilled messages which challenge the inexplicable love of those in authority for a dreary blank wall. The eternal nemesis of the street artist, council employees will post warning notices of prosecution - hence Mobstr's retort 'Didn't Get Arrested' - and will paint over existing art with neutral-coloured paint, known as 'buffing'. Often they only cover as far as they can easily reach, leaving a far uglier  dull wall with the remains of the art still visible at the top; this prompted Mobstr to stencil the taunt 'Buff This . . . And This' high up on a wall in New Inn Yard. So far, they haven't.

I guess no London street art tour would be complete without a Banksy or two - nowadays they are covered with Plexiglass. This one has an Anthony Lister version right next to it, the Australian artist making his point by adding 'Lister is over stencils'.

Banksy's Exit Through the Gift Shop collaborator Shepard Fairey (for more on this, see my August blog post on Mr Brainwash) also figures on the tour; we saw his 'Shoplifters Welcome' indictment of corporate greed dominating a huge wall space.

I could go on, but you know what? Book yourself on the tour and find out for yourself. The workshop option is fabulous as after the tour you get the chance to create your own stencil and/or wield a can freehand, spray-painting your own design onto pieces of board, or the bar.

Here's my London skyline . . .

. . . and my niece's finished piece for her  to take home. I'm setting up a board on Pinterest (check it out with the link at the top of the page) with more pictures and artists but street art is ephemeral, so your tour could look totally different. I'm already booking my next one for a couple of months' time; maybe I'll see you there. Trust me, you'll love it. http://www.alternativeldn.co.uk/

Yours, loving streets as the new galleries,

Girl About Town xx

The V&A Café

The V&A Café looks like any other museum or gallery café at first glance; brightly lit, bustling staff clearing trays, signposted stations for hot or cold food, coffee or cakes - and all heavingly busy. A modern, functional place to take the weight off and fortify yourself with tea and cake before venturing back out into the world's greatest museum of art and design (their words, but does any other venue even come close?). Now take a look at the suite of three interlinked rooms off to the side and it's like stepping back in time; together these rooms make up the world's very first museum restaurant and it is a seriously impressive setting.

The Refreshment Rooms at the Victoria and Albert Museum were intended as a showcase for contemporary design and craftsmanship and are a wonderfully Victorian mix of the ornate and the practical. The main central section is the Gamble Room, designed by James Gamble, Godfrey Sykes and Reuben Townroe. Originally the main doors to this room were directly opposite the museum entrance so this would have been the first room visitors saw; even by Victorian standards this must have seemed imposingly grand. Look more closely; the ceiling is enamelled iron and both the walls and the huge columns are completely covered with ceramic tiles, making this most majestic and opulent of dining rooms completely washable and practically fireproof.

Mottoes espousing the joys of food and drink adorn the beautiful stained glass windows and the frieze is a quotation from Ecclesiastes II:24: 'There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy the good of his labour.' Hard to argue with that.

The Morris Room (the Green Dining Room) was the first major commission for William Morris's company Morris Marshall and Faulkner. The dado panels based on signs of the zodiac were painted by Edward Burne-Jones, who also designed the stained glass windows. The influence of William Morris and his pattern-making is most recognisable in the plasterwork leaves and flowers on the walls (although if you are a Morris fan, the rest of the museum has plenty to offer). This room, although beautiful, has a more restrained, quiet feel.

The Poynter room (the Grill Room) designed by Edward Poynter has a homely cosiness to it, with blue Dutch tiles and wooden panelling. The large tiled panels of the months and seasons were actually painted by students from the ladies' tile-painting class at the Schools of Design; this was very much in keeping with V&A Founding Director Henry Cole's  radical idea of involving students and the public in creating this public space. Giving such an important commission to female students would have caused quite a stir in Victorian times.

The beautiful iron stove where a chef in whites would have grilled steaks and chops to order is still in place; the V&A website has sample menus from 1867 - both first and second class - which include options such as jugged hare for 1/6 (i.e. one shilling and sixpence, or 18p) or, from the second class menu, stewed rabbit for 10d (ten pence). That may sound like a bargain until you consider that an unskilled labourer's wage was about a pound a week.
http://www.vam.ac.uk

Nowadays the catering side is handled by Benugo, so expect freshly-prepared basics and great cakes (although as everything is made fresh on the day, quality and availability can inevitably dip if you arrive too near closing time). I hear the cream tea is good, so that's my next visit sorted.

Yours, scratching the surface of London history just for you,

Girl About Town xx

Casa Brindisa

Casa Brindisa (the name comes from the Spanish 'brindis' meaning a toast, i.e. to drink someone's health) is the middle sister in a growing family of Tapas Kitchens: first came Tapas Brindisa London Bridge (opened in 2004), then Casa Brindisa in South Kensington and twin sister Tapas Brindisa Soho (also 2008) and most recently new baby Tramontana Brindisa in Shoreditch (2012). Brindisa founder Monika Linton was established in the import and wholesale side of the business at Borough Market for many years before opening her first restaurant - with encouragement from regular customer Mark Hix.

By the way, if you haven't been to the Brindisa Borough Market shop, what on earth are you waiting for? It's a glorious Spanish Aladdin's cave of gastronomic treats, from Marcona almonds to freshly-sliced ham and boquerones to Manchego. Even the tins and packages look like they belong in Nigella's walk-in larder. It's a dream destination for foodie browsing but if you can't get there - or can't carry all your swag home on the bus - you can order online. If it's not too early for Santa to be listening, I covet the beautifully packaged La Paella gift box at a jolly reasonable £30 - and if you order before 30th November they throw in a seasonings box free! http://www.brindisa.com/store/

Casa Brindisa is literally just around the corner from the museums, on the new-look semi-pedestrianised Exhibition Road; I will manfully (girlfully?) resist my usual tendency to head off at tangents this time, but the design concepts behind this new open streetscape are intriguing. If you would like to take the scenic route, check out the story of the Exhibition Road transformation here: http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/subsites/exhibitionroad.aspx
I had just spent a joyous couple of hours ambling around the V&A with two of my girlfriends and this was very conveniently located for a non-touristy, laid-back quality lunch.

We started with a little bowl of Habas Fritas (toasted broad beans) and a plate of deliciously moreish Padrón Peppers - generously salted little green Galician peppers with just enough kick to go perfectly with our Fino sherry. There is a good selection of wines and sherries by the glass so we had decided to defy the blustery showers outside and recreate a particularly memorable summer trip to Barcelona, which consisted largely of the odd gallery, endless tapas-bar hopping, quite unreasonable amounts of icy bone-dry Fino and long semi-comatose siestas in a hammock.

Next up was a wedge of the Traditional Potato and Onion Tortilla, a dish that makes me marvel at how the most basic of ingredients can be combined to make something so tasty and comforting. Served with a generous swirl of aioli, this was just right - the perfect texture. We had also ordered the Fresh Squid to come with, but it only appeared after gently reminding our waitress; this looked lovely but was perhaps just a little on the chewy side.

The Charcuteria Selection was great value at £12.50 - a selection of chorizo, salchichón, lomo and Teruel ham served with bread and a gutsy green olive oil. The outstanding quality of their produce is most evident here where it stands alone; the ham just melted in the mouth and the freshness and flavours were totally authentic. More Fino was clearly required.

One of my companions is unable to countenance a visit to a tapas restaurant without ordering her favourite Patatas Brava; sadly this was the only dish that really fell below expectations. The potatoes were suitably crisp but lacked the freshness of flavour that had been the hallmark of the meal so far, and although the sauce was good, there was not nearly enough of it.

Fortunately my other friend is a particular fan of spinach in all its incarnations and so we had ordered the Catalan Spinach with pine nuts and raisins. This was the stand-out dish of the day; a really skilful blend of flavours and textures, unusual, perfectly balanced and delicious. My vote had been for the Croquetas de Jamón y Pollo, cured ham and chicken croquetas, which were excellent - crisp outside, with a yielding centre and good meaty flavour, again testament to the quality of their basic ingredients.

As a devoted fan of sharing plates, Brindisa is a definite addition to my hit list and I will be trying the other restaurants - all of which have slightly different menus and specialities - at the next chance I get. The restaurant was full and buzzy on our Friday lunchtime visit and the service, whilst a little patchy, was warm and genuine; our waitress was particularly helpful with a food allergy issue, going off to quiz the chefs about the precise ingredients of the salad dressings. Overall a very welcome way to escape to Spain for a few hours without the torture of Ryanair.

Yours, spiritually still in Barcelona,
Girl About Town xx

The Affordable Art Fair

The Affordable Art Fair pretty much does what it says on the tin; take a convenient London venue (Battersea Park 25th-28th October and Hampstead Heath 1st-4th November) and pour in over one hundred galleries offering a huge range of contemporary art - paintings, prints, photography, sculptures, ceramics, glass - anything in fact, as long as it is priced between £40 and £4,000. Started by Will's Art Warehouse owner Will Ramsay in 1999 as a further push towards demystifying and democratising art, there are now Affordable Art Fairs across the world from New York to Stockholm and the brand has been voted one of Britain's coolest brands for 2012/13 - see their website for details. http://affordableartfair.com/

When I first started going to the Affordable Art Fair the upper limit was £3,000 and inevitably prices have gradually crept upwards; however there is now significantly more sculpture available, particularly bronzes, which would have been impractical for the artists beforehand. Happily there is still plenty of art available under £500 (look for the pink stickers) and even under £100.

One lucky early bird had landed a potential bargain from the wonderful Recent Graduates' Exhibition at the front of the fair. In a series of works questioning the validity of placing a monetary value on art, Andrew Reeve had cut a range of numbers into the canvas of existing paintings displayed back-to-front; the number displayed was the price the buyer had to pay.

This exhibition is a great opportunity to support young artists and spot the stars of tomorrow. The standard was high but I think my favourite piece was Downfall, Hollie Mackenzie's beautiful melting and fractured wooden staircase.

True to Will Ramsay's ideal of art for all, the fair offers free entry for under-16s, free crèche facilities and kids' activities, and even a warm welcome for the family dog. There are activities for adults too if you fancy unleashing your inner creative self.

Alternatively there is a Laithwaites wine bar in the centre of the exhibition where you can nab a seat (if you're quick, or a skilled pouncer) and a welcome glass to revive you; we had a nice crisp Prosecco and a fruity New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that were delicious and unexpectedly well-chilled. There is also a (packed) café with hot and cold food, and an excellent coffee stall that does a fabulous Americano.

So, to the art. As you would expect given the size of the fair there is a huge variety available for all ages, tastes and budgets, and I would be surprised if you didn't find at least one piece to covet. There was a host of London-themed artworks perfect for first-time buyers, from bold graphic prints of classic landmarks to these less obvious delicate birds in flight cut from old maps.

Oil paintings glowed next to the high-gloss finishes of acrylics and collages, landscapes next to portraits, Oriental art between coloured glass and tactile sculptures, huge wall-sized statement pieces and tiny miniatures.

If you feel a connection to a particular piece, or are just curious, the fair provides a perfect opportunity to quiz the gallery owners who will have developed a relationship with the artists they represent. Far from the elitist and condescending art snobs that you fear may lurk behind the doors of the imposing traditional gallery, we found the owners - and the artists themselves, many of whom were present - welcoming, enthusiastic, and happy to have an opportunity to chat and explain the background behind the works.

Chippy Coates and Richard Scarry of the eponymous Coates & Scarry are a perfect example - warm, witty and incredibly approachable, they talked us through the work and background of Angela Lizon, whose quirky and challenging pieces had drawn us in.

Moving away from her abstract work, Lizon has shared gallery space with Tracey Emin and been awarded John Moore's Painting Prize. Exploring the themes of popularity, good/bad taste and kitsch, Lizon takes twee ornaments, fluffy kittens and babies as her subject and subverts them into something altogether darker and much less straightforward.

The series of miniatures depicting the small ceramic elephants, pixies and winsome children that form the backbone of any self-respecting charity shop or seafront gift shop are perfect above the traditional fireplace, but I fell in love with this unsettling baby with its sinister, sophisticated Venetian mask and its Renaissance-like calm and knowing gaze.

The Affordable Art Fair is a fabulous way to strip the intimidation and fear from the idea of buying art in the same way that choosing wine or visiting a top restaurant has been made more open and accessible to a wide range of people. Even if you don't buy anything it is a great day out - but take your cards just in case, because with original art from £40, some temptation is beyond endurance.

Yours, able to resist anything except temptation,
Girl About Town xx

Sadler's Wells

Here's a little piece of trivia for you; Sadler's Wells Theatre has continuously occupied the same site in Islington since 1683, making it second only to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane as the oldest entertainment venue in London. It first came into being when the entrepreneurial Richard Sadler discovered natural wells in the garden of his wooden 'musick house' and realised their marketing potential; the area had been famous during the Middle Ages for its healing waters and was soon a fashionable spa destination for seventeenth-century socialites. However, even the most architecturally clueless (c'est moi) will realise that the current incarnation is not particularly aged; in fact it opened in 1998, rebuilt thanks to fundraising spearheaded by a National Lottery grant. The story of the journey can be found on their website here: http://www.sadlerswells.com/

Sadler's Wells describes itself as 'uniquely dedicated to bringing the very best international and UK dance to London audiences' and they do this by not only staging but also commissioning productions - nearly seventy over the past five years alone. And we're not just talking tutus and tiaras; the performance I went to see (a triple bill by the Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet) felt much less formal and more immediate than most people's idea of traditional ballet and the Peacock Theatre, Sadler's Wells' Holborn venue, is currently showing ZooNation's Some Like it Hip Hop.

This range of dance, from ballet to hip hop and tap to flamenco, is central to the Sadler's Wells ethos; 'We believe dance is the art form of the moment. No other form has the potential to reach so many people, crossing cultural boundaries and appealing to diverse audiences.' Like visual art there is no language barrier and anyone who has cut through Trocadero Underground from Piccadilly Circus will know that teenagers from all cultures who wouldn't be caught dead in a theatre or gallery will focus for hours on getting a new dance move right.

I am absolutely no expert on dance and went with a completely open mind but I was pleasantly surprised by how accessible it was and by the connection between audience and dancers. Whilst some pieces were quite intense others were unexpectedly funny, making the audience laugh out loud. I was made to think, and to feel, and I had a thoroughly enjoyable time; you can't ask for too much more than that. Oh, except that the theatre even has its own bus stop, so you're delivered right to the door. That's service.

Yours, wondering how they can possibly bend all that way and thinking I really should take up yoga again,

Girl About Town xx