The editors’ selection

It’s been 21 years since cult homewares brand Labour & Wait opened its celebrated first shop on Redchurch Street in London’s East End. The retailer, which stocks all manner of goodies from throws to candles, kitchenware and garden gear, has celebrated in style this year by opening a second London shop at 48 Dorset Street – across the road from Monocle’s London base, Midori House. Welcome to the neighbourhood. 

This restaurant and jazz bar has one of the best sound systems in London. The food and drink isn’t bad either: think Japanese small plates, saké and a good selection of natural wines. Since restrictions were lifted, the venue is once again hosting live bands and DJs late into the night, with its lineup selected by owners and London music scene aficionados Amit and Aneesh Patel. Expect the chairs and tables to be pushed back at 23.00 to make room for dancing until the wee hours. 

Set in a former magistrates’ court and police station, this 91-key affair is a far cry from the den of thieves it was in the 1900s. Its once-gloomy complex of courtrooms and holding-cells (where the likes of Oscar Wilde and the Krays were once locked away) is now awash with light, adorned in wooden panelling and dotted with handsome furniture, following a comprehensive redesign by Sydell Group and interior design firm Roman and Williams. Even if you aren’t staying the night, make sure to stop by the bar and diner, aptly titled Side Hustle. The pandan negronis there are so good, it’s criminal.

When Imad Alarnab fled war-torn Syria for London as a refugee, he was leaving his life behind: in Damascus, he ran three restaurants as well as cafés and juice bars. Imad’s Syrian Kitchen opened on Carnaby Street in May, marking Alarnab’s first such venture in the UK capital. Rags-to-riches story aside, the food served there is unforgettable: the jaj barghol (chicken thighs, bulgar wheat and chillies) shouldn’t be passed up lightly.

After a bruising 18 months for the cinema industry, new independent picturehouses are popping up across London. Not least of which is a new theatre from UK-based arthouse chain Curzon, which opened its doors in Hoxton in the city’s east. The art deco building is easy on the eye and its refurbishment is the handiwork of Casper Mueller Kneer, the practice behind Bermondsey’s famous White Cube gallery. But don’t just stand outside and admire the façade, head in and choose from one of its three screens before sinking into a plush seat.