- Fancy a free haircut on Friday? Check this way…

- The Natural History Museum will stay open late. Jazz? Glass of wine on the Darwin center terrasse? Night walk in the wildlife garden?

- Party @ the V&A Summer Camp. Bombay Sapphire will have a design cardboard bar with stylised cardboard glasses (but real cocktails). A great way to enjoy their late evening.

- You can even go on to the Serpentine pavillion and sleepover… Midnight feast, films and even breakfast in the morning…

- I really must try to find a free Saturday morning and do this guided tour of the Somerset House!

- The extraordinary Chilly Gonzales will be @ the field day on Saturday…

- Latin fever @ the Carnaval del pueblo!

- Even more music with the Croydon festival…

- A classic, but have you done it yet? Buckingham Palace is open for the summer….

- Have a spooky evening…

- Saturday, head for Brick Lane: free cocktails, demo of Urban Art and even a tattoo session! You might also decide to stay around and go bowling in this fab diner… Perfect for Sunday’s festival: bowling but British, music and dancing!

- It’s open air cinema season! A whole programme @ the Somerset House… Act crazy for Mamma Mia and choose funky colours… The Wapping Project proposes a barbecue with your movie…

- You already knew routemasters could ne recycled as veggie restaurants (the root-master is my favourite). Well, one of those goes around, proposing German food!

- Oooooh, as soon as I’m on holiday, I am going to book myself one of those fab afternoon teas… Now, chocolate or pink? (vegan and gluten free versions are proposed)

-What about the kids? Little ones will love the teddies picnic @ Covent Garden on Saturday… Teenagers will much prefer to go to the underage festival!

- Give! Exchange!

Pssst, heads up for next week! There will be a maze @ Trafalgar (with dragons and Chinese cooking on Tuesday). And Selfridge’s is to open their Xmas shop too…

Hey, anyone has a great address for a roof terrasse for cocktails?

- The free ping-pong tables project finally is launched tomorrow. Rush to St Pancras!

- You have until Friday to enjoy the food festival @ the Old Spitalfields market – cooking demonstration and free tasting, yummmy!

- On Friday, the Design Museum goes mad for recycling and green art. You can even try electric bikes. All this listening to a fab percussionist!

- Visit the parliament!

- Why not celebrate the 60ies @ Carnaby Street?

- Time to revise your Picasso knowledge…

- London parks are getting festive too!

- Add a pinch of poetry… and learn about Keats’ life right in the house and gardens where he used to live…

- Summer school holidays are on! Struggling to come up with ideas to keep the kids busy? You’re gonna love O2: mini golf, water games, trampolines…

- Or initiate them to opera with this version of Mr Fox -  only a few pounds.

- Did you know a few falcons actually nest on the Modern’s Tate chimney? Here is a chance to learn more!

- Sushi AND fusion food? Count me in!

- oh, and I’ll have cherry granita for desert…

- Speaking of ice-cream, Ben and Jerry’s launch their music and sweet treats festival this week-end @ Clapham…

- How could you resist a designers’ market?

- Follow Time Out to discover the oldest parts of London…

- Opera, art, walks, a pinch of madness with the in-transit festival….

- Too hot? I know what you need: a water tournament!

You’ll find me having a mocktail with friends @ Vista, a bar on a roof with a view on Trafalgar Square… I’ll also be following my friend Celine, a street-art specialist, to discover some more in London!

- Waterloo is offering a food festival -  have a look this way for the program….

- Is the sea too far for you? Well, you can always pretend with Sergent’s gorgeous paintings…

- Do your gourmet shopping in Soho with this brand new Saturday market!

- Stroll through Portobello and try this new ice-cream parlour. Liquorice ice-cream? Ice-cream served on an espresso? Mmmmmh….

- See London differently. Why not with a canoe?

- Be French! Go and play petanque and grab a glass of Ricard…

- Grab friends, a picnic, a nice bottle of wine: it’s the season for open air cinemas!

- Are you a MRavel/Twilight/Star Wars fan? Rush to this festival!

- Dance, play, sing in Shoreditch! The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will play on Friday evening and there will be fireworks. The rest of the week-end will be more family-oriented.

- Oh, and the newest pop-ups… Cheers to Courvoisier (cocktails, massages, martial art)… With Campari, you’ll have cocktails with a view… Play ping-pong for free with Puma (100 tables will be dispatched around London until mid-August)

- Have you heard of  Short and Sweet? this cafe proposes an evening of short films every Monday. Entry is free.

You’ll find me… looking at elephants – yep, those you’ve seen around London, only half size. They’re being sold in a 5* hotel on Friday evening (all the info is on their facebook page)
After that, I need to try and exhaust my daughter @ Legoland. what are your plans?

- Well, how lucky, there is a tea dance @ Spitafield Friday afternoon…

- Don’t forget the V&A late night opening, dress up to it!

- Celebrations definitely are in order with the Greenwich beer and jazz festival… Unless you’d prefer a free cocktail?

- It’s that time of the year again, the famous Chelsea Flower Show is open! Harvey Nichols even has dedidated a floral afternoon tea to it…

- Alternatively, Kew gardens also is in summer mode…

- Wanna play the culture card? Well, the Natural History Museum new exhibition on abyss fish certainly looks amazing… So does Exposed @ the Tate – paparazzi pics or paused ones, cctv or real camera and of course classics like Cartier-Bresson or Lee Miller.

- Marilyn Monroe fan? Stop @ Harrod’s to see three of her dresses on show…

- Of course, there’s plenty of events linked to Sex and the City II these days…

- Kids in tow? Why not try the animation film festival? They could also meet sheep @ the Spitafield fam wool festival. Or have a picnic @ Alexandra Palace!

- Gourmet will rush to the Hampton Court food festival…

What are your plans? I’ll celebrate the week-end with friends with a bubble tea @ Chinatown. I will anticipate a very hot summer with Pimm’s sorbet.  Oh, and I need a closer look @ the Trafalgar Square boat, didn’t get a chance to see it yet!

- Yummy times! Head for the Real Food festival for a gourmet experience. Plenty to taste, countless demonstrations! Great for kids too with a butter churning workshop, milking demonstrations, animals to pet…

- Fairtrade fan? Join the party! Film and music also are part of the fun.

- if you love vintage clothes,  head for Clerkenwell!

- Add a little elegance to your week-end with the Grace Kelly exhibition @ the V&A…

- Take the boys (whichever age, grown ups included) to dream @ the Toy boat exhibition @ the Greenwich Maritime Museum. Adorable. There’s a pond whithin Greenwich Park where you can rent a small boat and go round or just bring your own toys to float… And why not stop @ the Greenwich food market for a bite?

- Don’t miss the Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppet festival. We went last year and had a fab time with the non-stop Punch and Judy shows and admiring the collection of puppets… A few pictures this way (sorry, the text will be in French though).

- Why not a pics exhibition? Atlas presents faces of our times – splendid photos of famous people that marked our century. Albert Einstein, the Queen Elicabeth II, Picasso…

- if you like knowing all the tricks, try the I remember you exhibition, a film in which Keira Knightley plays. You’ll get to see how the scenes were prepared.

- Dance in the streets! Well at least, Carnaby Street…

- Finish with a hit and try these cocktails inspired by the Chelsea Flower Show…

You’ll find me hunting elephants in Green Park. I can’t wait to see the 200 Morris Dancers on Trafalgar Square on Saturday. What are your plans?

What a surprise – quite a trendy bar, buzzing with Londoners in-the-know and even a DJ.

The cocktail list is mouthwatering. The usuals Dirty Martinis, Chocolate martinis et Espresso martinis are of course to be found. But what a feast to choose from! Hiro and Thyme (blueberries, fesh thyme, schochu, gin, crem de cassis, lemon juice) or the Spicy Melon (Absolut lemon vodka, honey melon, chilli, fresh lemon juice) are to die for. Or would you prefer something with champagne, whisky, sake (the Tokyo Mule with lemongrass is quite a success), vodka, tequila, rum? Ooooh, how to choose?

Watch the barmen – such a dance behing the counter, their hands flying around. It only takes a couple of minutes for your drink to be created in front of you and your camera can’t keep up with the rapidity of this agile ballet… Refreshing, interesting mix od flavours ( I am used to alcohol infused with basil but not thyme), several levels on the tongue…

This is a buzzy and noisy place – to be avoided if you were planning on a quiet and romantic talk… But @ £4 the cocktail for their happy hours? Such a great way to cheer the evening and the week-end ahead!

Dirty Martini
11/12 Russell Street
Covent Garden
London
WC2B 5HZ

Happy Hours: Monday to Thursday: 17.00-21.00 and Friday-Saturday: 12.00-21.00. Plus all night Sunday.

You’re at the limit with the City, the bankers’ quarters, big names have their headquarters around here. You’ll see people in workins suits and ties.

Booking is mandatory, where you want to dine or just have a glass. Don’t be intimidated by the voice claiming they are fuuly booked. Insist on being put on the waiting list: they called me back whithin 12 hours to take my credit card number and guarantee my reservation (quite common in upmarket places: it forces you to be there on time or at least to have the courtesy to cancel which you might not do @ Pizza Express).

Stepping in the building is already an experience. The web site indicated smart dress- no worry, there’s no need to get your tux or cocktail dress  out. Elegant is more the word – lovely dress, great shirt and trousers, even nice jeans on a Friday night. We could get in without a tie. Avoid trainers though. We get a visitor badge at reception. Then there’s security, bags x-raying, metallic door. No risk taken here. VIP effect – especially if you wanted to impress a friend!

You’ll find a lift dedicated to Vertigo -no stop, it will take you there in 50 seconds. The staff is welcoming, the waiter will propose options, check on you regularly but will not force anything on you. Neither will he raise a brow if you only go for the one drink. Champagne is on the menu but also 5 cocktails, including a delicious litchee belini, a refreshing Kir Royal and a champagne, angustura and cognac that will make your eyes twinkle with happiness.

Wow exclamation also garanteed, even for blase people like me whoo have seen so many cities from towers already, dined in revolving restaurants, walked on glass roofs, even climbed on a 5* hotel roof in Paris to get a better view of the Louvre. Transparent tables follow the wal structure to give you a plunginh view down the city – litterally a carpet at your feet. the view’s great everywhere but do stop after coming in: you’ll see Tower Bridge and the London Eye. You’ll feel like a bird looking at stars below you.

Conversation? Superfluous. You’re hypnotised by the view. A cocktail is £12.50, but gosh, the magic is worth it…

A bit too smart for you to feel comfortable? head for those instead:
- Detroit, ideally placed close to Covent Garden. Galleries with splendid arches. Try the Twinkle: vodka, champagne, elderflower- £6.95
- Calloo Callay, in Shoreditch. Small prices for lunch and dinner, fun deco mixing 70ies with a sense of humour. If you’re coming with friends, order the ‘Mad Hatters Tiki Punchbowl’, served as tradition request in a punch bowl… but on a gramophone! (rum, creme de peche, rhubarb, ginger, lemon, angostura and grapefruit). Count £7-£8.50 for a cocktail.
- Le coq d’argent – terrasse with grass and a view on the City. Excellents cocktails, the best I have had so far. The barman delighted in creating a cocktail based on my mood – a green apple martini. You could have sworn he pressed the fruit in it to get each of the flavours out! I only payed £8.
- Want a very British side… A mar-tea-ni anyone? Served in a teapot, enough for 2. £7.50 at the Cavendish Hotel.

Vertigo 42
Tower 42
25 Old Broad St
London, EC2N 1HQ
Tube: Liverpool st

- First, put some colours back into our life and ead for Ruscha’s show @ the Hayward. Pop, surrealist, firework like.

- Not to be missed: Damien Hirst @ the Wallace Collection. He finally gave up chain produced circles and got back to his brushes and paintubes. Vibrant works.

- Feel nostalgic with the new 6oies show (Beatles to Bowie) @ the National Portrait Gallery.

- Learn how transport sculpted the suburbs identity at theTransport Museum. The exhibitions should be funny and family-friendly…

- Start Xmas shopping with the Craft fair @ the Somerset House.

- Or forget this commercial world @ the Free Art Fair @ Barbican (you may even win a work of art on Sunday!)

- Enjoy to a poetry marathon @ the Serpentine Gallery (especially as the summer pavillion will be demolished Sunday)

- If the weather really is bad, head for the BFI London film festival!

Licking my lips, I pocket the VIP invitation for the opening. I get there in advance but people are already getting in. Ah! But nobody’s checking the guest names. A few shoppers join in, try their luck, get in. So much for the VIP effect.

The decoration is entirely back with touches of neon pink. Gothic-Kitsch! An excellent group sings some vintage Prince which makes me think this is going to be heavenly. In a corner stands a customised ice-cream van: black and pink again, the Queen driving, a reference to Banksy. God save the Cream!

I’m given a menu, brought to a table, explained I can ask for samples if I cannot choose. I look at the prices: the Sex Pistols cocktail is at a mere £19…! Gosh, your appetite curbs down immediately. Normal ice-cream portions are at £3.99. You have to pay for the opening party? No indication.

The waitress takes my order. She can’t hear me and I try to scream over the music. My portion arrives in a design glossy black pot. Is lready melting and dripping on the side. Flavour like, it’s quite nice, sorbet like, very soft, very sugary. Not extra-ordinary. I step to the counter, I’m curious abour the bread one. Oh, and the rose too. Oh, and the sex pistols exists as an ice-cream, not just in a cocktail? I wait and wait, being ignored. An exhausted waitress finally telle me, a touch unnerved, that they don’t do samples anymore. She does not propose a second ice-cream either.

End of the game for me. Waitresses do not ask for any feedback. Anyway, they had already given my table to someone else. Noone seems to care about people leaving. We don’t even get a good-bye. That’s an opening party?!

Verdict?
The theory was good. Vice-creams, ice-cream boutique. Molecular ice-creams. It sounded really good. The deco has been worked on.
But prices? You come here to impress a lover, that’s quite an expensive stop for two cocktails…
Ignoring people on your first day is not the best idea either. On that day… they’re your best friends.
The ice creams are good. But… those are all big names hiding, most often, a simple flavour. Obamama? Milk chocolate with a hint of salt. I’d rather have a little name but a big flavour.

In a nutshell: a trendy place -  you come here to be seen, to know the cool places, to have tried the different ice cream, the ones seen in the magazines. I’m not sure what the Sex Pistols would say, but I’d go for the Rolling Stones “I can’t get no satisfaction”.

Want some cool ice-cream?
- For the same price, head for Freggo and try the dulce or even the Malbec and berries… The deco also plays a glamour note.
- Grab a nectarine one @ Gelato Mio (2.50) close to Embankment and sit in the sun in the Embankment gardens…
- Try the kiwi ice-cream at Scoop (£2) then head for Covent Garden…
- Finish with a sesameor chestnut ice-cream (£3.50) @ Feng Sushi after a stroll on South Bank

The Icecreamists
Selfridges
The Ultralounge
400 Oxford St
London, W1A1AB

Tube: Bond St

Fashion always flirts with time – the shorter the availability, the trendier the object becomes.

Somerset house has teamed up with Bombay Sapphire Blue to lauch a pop-up bat. Tom Dixon was inspired by how the iconic bottles reflects light and wanted to recreate the atmoshere. Hence this large blue rectanlge on the terrace, divides in mini-salons. Very dynamic in shape, it can also change its shape very quickly if needed.

By daylight, I find it very… plastic looking and of little interest. At dusk though, it lights up, changind into a variety of blues and whites. Very soothing, especially as the terrace is at tree top level, hushing the sound of traffic.

Obviously, it’s now cocktail time! Try a Tomtini (£6.95), my favourite: gin, green apple, tea, ginger… The alcool taste is a lovely back note to it, leaving the other falvours to settle nicely instead. Very refreshing. Feeling romantic? Why not go for a Sapphire Rose (£7.25) -dry cherry liqueur, grapefruit juice.  Even the glasses design remind of the famous gin bottle.

Note to parent: the bar also serves mocktails (alcohol free cocktail), fruit juice, sodas. The children can run free on the terrace (beautifully lit at night) – plenty of space, no traffic, ideal. Do cross the Somerset house to have a look at the back yard – Lovely fountains flow from the ground, children can run through them happily. On a sunny week-ends, plenty of kids actually come in their bathing suit! My daughter came back delighted and soaked. Always have a towel and a change of clothes…

Dusk Bar
Somerset House
Strand
London WC2R 1LA

Tube: Temple
Until October 18, 2009