In Conversation With… Leslie Caron – followed by a screening of Gigi

Leslie Caron is a 1950s French film actress and dancer who has appeared in over 45 films. She is best known for the MGM musical Gigi (1958) as well as An American in Paris (1951) and Daddy Long Legs (1955). She has won two BAFTAs, a Golden Globe and has been nominated for two Academy Awards. She is currently appearing in Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks at the Laguna Playhouse, Laguna Beach, California.

Leslie will be interviewed at the Electric Cinema about her iconic film roles and memories from the golden age of Hollywood – and about acting opposite legends such as Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and Cary Grant. The interview will also touch on the challenges of a young dancer in Hollywood, and as an actress, in her BAFTA winning role, portraying a single, pregnant woman in The L-Shaped Room (1962).  After the interview there will a brief audience Q&A, followed by a screening of Leslie’s chosen film, Gigi.

The evening will be held in support of FilmAid International. This is the first of a series of In Conversations, by the writer and interviewer Frances Wasem, for the Soho House Group.

Frances Wasem is a freelance writer (Telegraph Men, Stella Magazine and Soho House) and Contributing Editor at Harper’s Bazaar magazine. During her career she has interviewed actors such as Lauren Bacall, Jane Fonda, Charlotte Rampling, Marisa Berenson and Ali MacGraw about their lives and careers. She has produced a series of reportage features, revealing the behind the scenes world of a play – including Coriolanus (with Tom Hiddleston) and The Pride (with Hayley Atwell). She also visits film sets to interview the talent behind the film, from the costume designer to the set designer – as well as the actors. She is a PPA (Professional Publishers Association) and Hearst Magazines award-winning writer and editor.

 

Buy Tickets

Sun 22 Jun

17:45

 

Tickets from £30pp.

Book Launch – Nina St Tropez: Recipes from the South of France

Bringing to life another side of St Tropez and the legendary Côte d’Azur, Nina shows us a place where cooking has brought people together for generations and creates recipes inspired by locals, places and stories from her childhood here. She explores the real St Tropez and the surrounding area through its secret, scenic walks, eccentric bric-a-brac markets, vineyards and bustling communities of artists and fishermen.

Oozing with charm and filled with classic French recipes for gourmet breakfasts, picnics, lunchtime snacks and dinner parties to impress, NINA ST TROPEZ represents family cooking from across the south of France – with that added splash of St Tropez elegance and glamour that’s intrigued people for decades.

Nina Parker has a passion for food. After university, she joined the team at L’Anima, London as a commis chef and fell in love with their style of cooking that uses fresh Italian ingredients with a rustic touch. She has spent time in some fantastic kitchens: from The Dorchester for Alain Ducasse, Tom Aikens, The Ledbury, to the unrivalled Senequier Bakery in St Tropez. Whilst working as chef for Bocca di Lupo’s Gelupo in Soho, they won TIME OUT’s ‘best gelateria’.

In 2012 she launched her own catering company NINA, dedicated to bringing a taste of her childhood to the heart of London and beyond.

On June 5th Nina launches her debut cookbook ‘NINA-St Tropez’ at The Book and Kitchen on All Saints Rd. The book has over 100 recipes that are classic to the region, but also many that are inspired by the people, places and stories from her summers spent out in the south of France with her family. Nina is currently working on book two due to be released next summer.

Tomorrow
at 6:30pm – 10:30pm

Book and Kitchen
31 All Saints Road, W11 1HE London, United Kingdom

Russell Norman launches Polpo Notting Hill

Russell Norman is set to open his fourth Polpo restaurant in Notting Hill, almost five years since he and business partner Richard Beatty launched the Venetian bàcaro concept on Soho’s Beak Street.

At 120 covers, the new restaurant will be more than double the size of the next biggest Polpo, and for the first time, the licensing conditions will allow guests to have drinks at the bar area without eating.

Why Notting Hill?
We have been very keen to find a good site for our fourth Polpo restaurant for a while. We wanted to open in Notting Hill or nearby and we had looked at various premises in Portobello Road, High Street Kensington, Westbourne Park and Ladbroke Grove. I have always had a soft-spot for the area; my mother is from Shepherd’s Bush, I was born in west London, I used to watch QPR play at Loftus Road as a child, and I once lived off Ladbroke Grove.

How will this Polpo differ from others?
This premises has a very large bar and an A4 licence – these are like gold dust. It means that people will be able to just pop in for a drink if they want, without the usual requirement that they must eat. Without this restriction, I am hoping that there will be a more relaxed all-day vibe, a lot more like continental Europe and Italy in particular.

Is the large site a challenge?
I have worked very hard on the interiors of the restaurant to ensure it retains the essential qualities that make Polpo special. We have built half walls and created separate areas so that it still feels cosy and intimate.

Has the concept changed or evolved at all since the original Polpo?
I think we have stayed incredibly true to our original vision. There is still a very real rough-around-the-edges feel and the food and drink offer is still very authentic. I go to Venice several times a year, often with our managers and chefs, and the experiences we have in the back-street wine bars and bàcari feel absolutely in tune with what we offer at Polpo.

This is the fourth branch of Polpo, is it now a chain?
No. I would just consider it the fourth branch of Polpo. Just because siblings have the same parents and the same DNA, it doesn’t make them clones. I put as much effort and love into each branch of Polpo but no two ever come out the same way. They have their own personalities and characteristics, some of which are completely beyond my control. But if others want to call Polpo a chain, I don’t mind.

Are you planning more Polpo restaurants after this?
There are no immediate plans, but we would like to open another Polpo or two, yes. We are open-minded about a range of sites in zones 1 and 2, but we want to work hard to ensure that Notting Hill loves Polpo before we look at more sites.

Polpo has been very influential. How would you say that it has impacted London’s wider restaurant scene?
I’m really not sure. Perhaps it has scruffed it up a bit.

Dinner on the Lawn

After exceedingly popular Mexican and Parisian-themed events in the last few months, food stylist and pop-up restaurant guru Marlene Dulery returns with a summer picnic evening in the heart of Notting Hill! Eight different picnic-style nibbles will be served – from egg mimosas and mini Spanish tortillas, mini croque-monsieurs and strawberries with balsamic syrup on a pastry basket. Enjoy a glass of wine, line down on the grass and take in the sounds of the talented Amalia who will be performing from 9pm. All you need to do is bring your flip flops! Early bird tickets cost just £20 (plus booking fee) – you can book online at dinneronlawn.eventbrite.co.uk.

7.30pm, 6th June 2014
L’Epicerie, 273 Portobello Road, W11 1LR

Vilebrequin’s latest London outpost opens in Notting Hill

Looking for a new pair of swimmers for the summer? Then you’re in luck: Saint Tropez swimwear maker Vilebrequin has just opened the doors to its latest store on our side of the Channel in west London. Situated just off Portobello Road in Notting Hill, the shop has distinct Mediterranean vibes: whitewashed floors, ocean prints on the walls and – in case the shorts and sun hats hanging from every rail weren’t enough of a giveaway – beach hut shaped cabinets containing all the beachwear on offer.

 

Inside these you’ll find a whole host of Vilebrequin’s shorts, all cut from kinds of limited edition eye-popping prints that have made the label famous over the past 40 years – winning big-name fans along the way like George Clooney and Jay Z. The shop will also be home to the label’s new season line, which is made up of bold Californian surfer-inspired patterns which are going to look good whether you have the board skills to back back them up or not.

Vilebrequin is now open at 57 Ledbury Street, London, W1. vilebrequin.com

TV chef John Burton-Race returns to London with The New Angel

Michelin-starred chef, restaurateur and author, John Burton-Race, has returned to London after 12 years, opening neighbourhood and destination restaurant, The New Angel, Notting Hill. Set in a converted Victorian pub in Chepstow Place, the elegant 54-cover restaurant offers John’s unique style of contemporary European food with a French influence. Stephen Humphries, formerly of Sanctum On The Green and Le Gavroche, takes the helm as head chef alongside John.  

The menu is ingredient-led and seasonal with signature dishes including: ‘The New Angel Steak Tartar’, ‘Fillet of Dutch Veal with cèpes, sprouting broccoli, goats curd and truffle tortellini and wild mushroom cream’, and trio of ‘Raspberry soufflé, white chocolate mousse and raspberry sorbet’. There is also a statement French cheese trolley featuring, among several others, Pouligny Saint Pierre, Camembert with Calvados, Comté and Reblochon.

To accompany John’s menu, Head Sommelier Csaba Adamy (previously at Aubaine, Mayfair) has created an exquisite, predominately French wine list, with a good selection available by the glass. House bottles include ‘Picpoul de Pinet, Tournée du Sud’ (£26), and ‘Grenache-Pinot Noir, Tournée du Sud’ (£25), and further highlights include ‘Pinot Noir, Domaine Jean Marc Pillot’, ‘Chablis, Domaine Grossot’ and ‘Château Ausone 1er Grand Cru Classé’. There is also a good selection of English wines including ‘Bacchus ‘Reserve New Hall’ and ‘Nyetimber’ sparkling wine. The New Angel is also working in collaboration with Laurent Perrier, serving their full range of Champagnes by the bottle as well as the Brut and Cuvée Rosé by the glass.

John commented: “The restaurant scene in London just gets better and better, and I am thrilled to be returning to the capital at such an exciting time. With The New Angel Notting Hill, we are hoping to create a venue which is both a destination, and a neighbourhood restaurant, serving simple yet creative dishes made with beautiful British ingredients.”