Top 5 Cliché-Free Valentine's Dates in London
Put some spark into your Feb 14th
Listings
Tired of the same rose tinted but dull tainted nights out on February
14th? Why not try some of Itchy's suggestions for a more interesting
night with your better half that won't be forgotten the moment
Wednesday 15th rolls into view?
Love Pastels 2012
There is always something romantic about the soft sweep of pastels, so it is of little surprise that the 113th Love Pastels exhibition at Mall Galleries opens on the 14th February. To try something a little bit more cultured and unusual this Valentine’s Day why not spend the afternoon wandering around this regency building just off St James’s Park. Open between 10-am and 5pm and costing only £2.50, this is a bargain way to show that special someone that you know about a romance more subtle than a rose in a vase and an overpriced set menu.
Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr & Hooded Fang @ Madame JoJos
A gig may not be the most conventional way to spend Valentine’s Day, and don’t you dare stand at the back snogging or else prepare for death stares from the hordes of single people, but the unconventionality is part of the point. Finally you can avoid being surrounded by other couples who competitively try to out romance you at every step; don’t spend what is meant to be your day pulling your hair out for not pulling her chair out, or berating yourself for a belated gift. The toast of ‘to us’ seems actually far more romantic when it is from two plastic pint glasses anyway. As bands go, do not fear, this isn't exactly Slipknot - Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr are relatively subdued and with song titles such as Nothing But Our Love there are certainly less romantic ways to spend your Tuesday evening.
Morricone in Love @ Rich Mix
Sometimes it is difficult to beat an event’s own description, especially for a somewhat alternative affair, and Rich Mix, an arts venue in the heart of Shoreditch has provided such a blurb. ‘Think Alainn Delon wrestling 6 foot black eels off the Sicilian coast, 60 year olds in ectstatic orgies and naked women found dead in fridges…a real Valentines' treat!” Musicians Featre perform Morricone’s cult film scores to the backdrop of the original visuals, and although it might be a little kooky for some other halfs, it will certainly provide something interesting to talk about subsequently, even if best not taken too earnestly. Recommended for a tried and tested couple, preferably one who won’t raise eyebrows questioningly when orgies appear on screen.
Cupid's Conundrum @ Hidden City
Hidden City's 'Cupid Conundrum' trail is an inexpensive and fun way to spend your Valentine's. Starting at a wine bar and getting clues by text which take you on a discovery across the city that you may have thought you already knew. Best for romantic strolls in between the cryptic, but not impossible, clue locations, or if you fancy adding a little bit more excitement to the walk why not participate as teams in a competitive double date? After all nothing quite says romance like, 'last one to the finish line is the most likely to break up first.' A novel and silly way to spend your day and all the more fun if pub stops are taken en route to warm your collective toes.
Interactive Tables @ Inamo
If you consider the dining option a necessary feature of Valentine's Day, but are sick of the impersonal cliché surroundings and the waiters hurrying you out before the poor girlfriend whose boyfriend could only get the 9:30 slot arrives, then Inamo may provide the solution. Couples can customise their own interactive tables, allowing for your photos to be projected onto the table whilst you eat. Furthermore the interactive table allows your waiter to be summoned to you, leading to an end to the harried Valentine's waiter harassing even the most hurrying of couples. Naturally such a unusual experience will cost you, with table customisation ranging from £50 plus a further £50 each for food, and girls beware - it is inevitable that if left to their own devices your boyfriend will, without fail, attempt to sneak in a picture you most definitely won't want to see whilst eating your blackened cod. But for such a unique and one off experience it is doubtless worth it to be able to actually enjoy an entirely personalised meal, only as clichéd as you create it.
From the pricey to the priceless it it important on Valentine's to remember the importance not of what you spend but who you spend it with. However, failing that, even the most dull of companions will find Itchy's Top Five Valentine's dates an entertaining way to pass the most romantic day of the year, and even the most dull of boyfriends/girlfriends will forget it was all invented by Clintons by the end of the night.
Fiona Evans
Love Pastels 2012
There is always something romantic about the soft sweep of pastels, so it is of little surprise that the 113th Love Pastels exhibition at Mall Galleries opens on the 14th February. To try something a little bit more cultured and unusual this Valentine’s Day why not spend the afternoon wandering around this regency building just off St James’s Park. Open between 10-am and 5pm and costing only £2.50, this is a bargain way to show that special someone that you know about a romance more subtle than a rose in a vase and an overpriced set menu.
Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr & Hooded Fang @ Madame JoJos
A gig may not be the most conventional way to spend Valentine’s Day, and don’t you dare stand at the back snogging or else prepare for death stares from the hordes of single people, but the unconventionality is part of the point. Finally you can avoid being surrounded by other couples who competitively try to out romance you at every step; don’t spend what is meant to be your day pulling your hair out for not pulling her chair out, or berating yourself for a belated gift. The toast of ‘to us’ seems actually far more romantic when it is from two plastic pint glasses anyway. As bands go, do not fear, this isn't exactly Slipknot - Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr are relatively subdued and with song titles such as Nothing But Our Love there are certainly less romantic ways to spend your Tuesday evening.
Morricone in Love @ Rich Mix
Sometimes it is difficult to beat an event’s own description, especially for a somewhat alternative affair, and Rich Mix, an arts venue in the heart of Shoreditch has provided such a blurb. ‘Think Alainn Delon wrestling 6 foot black eels off the Sicilian coast, 60 year olds in ectstatic orgies and naked women found dead in fridges…a real Valentines' treat!” Musicians Featre perform Morricone’s cult film scores to the backdrop of the original visuals, and although it might be a little kooky for some other halfs, it will certainly provide something interesting to talk about subsequently, even if best not taken too earnestly. Recommended for a tried and tested couple, preferably one who won’t raise eyebrows questioningly when orgies appear on screen.
Cupid's Conundrum @ Hidden City
Hidden City's 'Cupid Conundrum' trail is an inexpensive and fun way to spend your Valentine's. Starting at a wine bar and getting clues by text which take you on a discovery across the city that you may have thought you already knew. Best for romantic strolls in between the cryptic, but not impossible, clue locations, or if you fancy adding a little bit more excitement to the walk why not participate as teams in a competitive double date? After all nothing quite says romance like, 'last one to the finish line is the most likely to break up first.' A novel and silly way to spend your day and all the more fun if pub stops are taken en route to warm your collective toes.
Interactive Tables @ Inamo
If you consider the dining option a necessary feature of Valentine's Day, but are sick of the impersonal cliché surroundings and the waiters hurrying you out before the poor girlfriend whose boyfriend could only get the 9:30 slot arrives, then Inamo may provide the solution. Couples can customise their own interactive tables, allowing for your photos to be projected onto the table whilst you eat. Furthermore the interactive table allows your waiter to be summoned to you, leading to an end to the harried Valentine's waiter harassing even the most hurrying of couples. Naturally such a unusual experience will cost you, with table customisation ranging from £50 plus a further £50 each for food, and girls beware - it is inevitable that if left to their own devices your boyfriend will, without fail, attempt to sneak in a picture you most definitely won't want to see whilst eating your blackened cod. But for such a unique and one off experience it is doubtless worth it to be able to actually enjoy an entirely personalised meal, only as clichéd as you create it.
From the pricey to the priceless it it important on Valentine's to remember the importance not of what you spend but who you spend it with. However, failing that, even the most dull of companions will find Itchy's Top Five Valentine's dates an entertaining way to pass the most romantic day of the year, and even the most dull of boyfriends/girlfriends will forget it was all invented by Clintons by the end of the night.
Fiona Evans
Tags
London |
romantic |
opening |
music |
unusual |
valentine |
to do |
what's on |
