Welcome back to The Slice!
It’s almost that time again: Valentine’s Day. Love it or hate it, it’s everywhere. Whether you’re fabulously single or properly loved up, ready to splurge or strapped for cash, we’ve got ideas to celebrate love day for everyone.
We’re going real fancy at The Rivoli Bar, so fancy in fact that it’s perfect for the person who wants to propose but hasn’t found the perfect location… yet.
We’ve also got a five-course Indian fine-dining menu filled with passion and spice – plus fried chicken, champagne and caviar for a night out with the gals.
Plus: The Michelin Guide 2025 winners are out. Ten London restaurants that have been awarded their first Michelin star – these are our standouts.
Read on for a whole range of recommendations for February 8 and 9, handpicked as always by The Slice.
Welcome to the Slice
The Slice is your weekly guide to what’s happening in London, so if you’re looking for restaurant reviews, drinks deals or just a great new exhibition to visit on a rainy Saturday in the capital, we’ve got you covered.
Click here for this week’s edit of the best things to do in town.
The Slice newsletter also a brand new look! We’ll still be in your inbox every week, bringing you all the very best things to eat, drink and do in the capital. So if you want get the next edition before anyone else, sign up here!
If you want to do it all on the cheap, you can also find our latest batch of exclusive hand-picked offers in partnership with Time Out here.
This week in London
1. Indulge in opulence at The Rivoli Bar at The Ritz Hotel
If there were ever a place to proclaim your love (or pop the question!), it would have to be The Ritz Hotel: it’s iconic, it’s gorgeous, and its restaurant has just lapped up a second Michelin star. But I’ve always wondered why its opulent Rivoli Bar isn’t viewed with the same reverence as, say, the Connaught Bar. The team at The Rivoli Bar have clearly wondered the same thing and have done something about it.
Their new cocktail menu, Biodynamic Forces Through the Alchemy of Planets and Plants, features 14 creations, each named after a planet on the biodynamic calendar. The list offers guests an immersive, seamlessly-thought-out experience, with some of the most fine-tuned attention to detail I have ever witnessed. Choose your cocktail by exploring constellation diagrams and astrological signs on each page. Take ‘Juniper’, a delicious floral spritz, poured at the table via a small tap, topped up with Lanson Biodynamic Champagne. ‘The Moon’ is a twist on the Dirty Martini, made with pear and miso and presented in a pear-shaped glass with a luminescent moon dangling above it.
From the team’s knowledge, to the exceptionally sourced glassware, and to the works of art in cocktail form, this menu puts The Rivoli Bar firmly at the forefront of the London (and world) cocktail movement. Plus, the accompanying bar snacks are some of the finest amuse-bouches you’ll ever put in your, well, bouche. 10/10… I do!
Biodynamic Forces Cocktail Menu. Cocktails from £23. The Ritz, 150 Piccadilly. Book here.
2. Eat contemporary Indian plates at BiBi
BiBi offers a refined yet intimate dining experience where Chef Chet Sharma’s mastery of Indian flavours takes centre stage. Inspired by the grandmothers who shaped his love for food, the restaurant effortlessly blends warmth with luxury. As the chefs plate each dish, the experience becomes as much about the presentation as the flavours.
For starters, the pomegranate dahi puri bursts with refreshing sweetness and tang, while Sharmaji’s lahori chicken delivers smoky, tender perfection with bold spices (we’re not surprised that it’s their crowd favourite). And the chamba chukh scallop is a buttery, delicate treat.
Dessert is not to be missed. The makhir ginger and Yorkshire rhubarb offers the perfect balance of syrupy and spicy notes, leaving behind a memorable sweet taste. As for the space, it blends bar-style seating with pashmina-lined swivel chairs, wooden beaded curtains inspired by the chef’s family kitchen, and plush booths – making it just as good for an intimate date as it is for a big celebration.
Chef’s 5 course selection, £85. 42 North Audley Street, Mayfair. Book here.
3. Check out London’s latest restaurants to scoop a Michelin star
Ten London restaurants have won their first Michelin star – and two restaurants were upgraded to two – at the Michelin Guide 2025 ceremony. Here are our standouts:
⭐ Plates London became the first vegan restaurant in the UK to win a Michelin star, with judges impressed by Chef Kirk Haworth ‘taking his classical training and inventively adapting it to a vegan diet’.
⭐ Oma, which serves up tasty Greek small plates in Borough Market.
⭐ Cornus, which we ‘couldn’t have been more impressed by’ when we visited. Read our full review here.
⭐ Marylebone’s modern European bistro Lita is now a one Michelin star restaurant less than a year since opening – thanks to its bold sharing plates.
Look out for The Slice’s full verdict on these restaurants.
4. Get fresh British produce at The Black Farmer’s new shop
The Black Farmer has launched a second farm shop in White City, after the success of its first and flagship farm shop in Brixton.
It promises to provide a vibrant community space where people can enjoy the best of British farming… but right in the city. Freshly prepared takeaway lunches, freshly ground coffee, quality British produce and more will all be available.
5. Valentine’s dinner for two (or one) at Pasta Evangelists
Entering the Chiswick branch of the three Pasta Evangelists restaurants that opened last year I find silky rose petals arranged in a heart on my table that is set up for one. This isn’t a mistake – I’m sampling Pasta Evangelists Very Venetian Valentine’s Menu three-course dinner with unlimited Prosecco – because after all, as self-help books like to say, ‘love starts from within.’ So why not be your own Valentine?
I start with excellently sourced burrata, rocket and tomatoes. Then, as truffle equals romance to me, it’s reginette with truffle cacio e pepe – generous and perfectly cooked. Service is delightful, and for pudding I demolish lemon tart with a stunning crisp almond pastry base. I have a wonderful solo time – so go on your own, with a lover or other. I reckon St Lawrence, patron saint of pasta makers, and St Valentine would be delighted however you choose to celebrate amore, so long as you do so.
Valentine’s Day menu, £50pp. Farringdon, Greenwich, Richmond and Chiswick. Book here.
6. Find out where to have a sexy Valentine’s Day (for all budgets)
Poetry Pop Up at The Coral Room
Best for: if you can’t write a sonnet yourself
A few thoughts and his vintage typewriter is all acclaimed poet Luke Davis needs to work his magic. As part of The Coral Room’s valentine’s celebrations, Luke will be writing bespoke poems, completely tailored to you, to take home. Whether you’re celebrating love or friendship, he’ll be on hand from 11:30am-7:30pm on 14 February to make it a real special night to remember.
You’ll also be taken on a journey of romance and passion through The Coral Room’s cocktail menu (inspired by Richard Crosbie, the first Irishman to soar in a hot air balloon) with cocktails like the Nuage, a mix of Palmaráe gin, fig, sahara, and almond milk.
Bar snacks from £6, cocktails from £16, bespoke poems… free! Book here.
‘Girl Dinner’ – Chicken, Caviar & Champagne at Oblix
Best for: the ultimate ‘Girl Dinner’
Unlikely combination chicken and caviar could just be the perfect luxe galentine’s treat. While prices are on the steeper side – and the fried chicken despite its impressive crunch, fell flat on the seasoning – you’ll get the full bougie experience.
Expect gorgeous views of the London skyline, a live DJ and singer, and an undeniable buzz. The perfect excuse to get dressed up with your mates if you’re fabulously single.
Fried Chicken & Caviar, £38. Add glass of champagne for £10. Daily, 4pm – 7pm. Book here.
Flat Iron
Best for: happy date, happy wallet
The first Flat Iron (the Owl and Pussycat) was in a pub down a Shoreditch backstreet in 2012. Since then, the restaurant has pretty much become a cult favourite (it’s definitely one of ours), filling the gap for cheaper – but pretty damn good quality nonetheless – steak offerings in London. Their signature steak option is the aptly named The Flat Iron Steak, and at £14 it’s a semi-affordable date night treat.
But if you’re after something more hearty, the Triple Cheese Truffle Burger, Scottish Bavette steak or the Wagyu Steak of the Day are all available. The waiters are all very speedy, and your food will probably come out while you’re still on the nervous small talk part with your date. Don’t forget to pick up your free ice cream on the way out too.
Steak from £14, sides from £3.70. Various locations. Book here.
What’s on for Valentine’s Day: from the weird to the wonderful
7. Ditch the flowers for a fried chicken bouquet?
What’s better than fried chicken? Fried chicken in a bouquet! For one day only, you can get your hands on Dave’s Hot Chicken’s limited edition Tender Loving Chicken bouquet. You’ll get 12 Nashville-style hot chicken tenders to make your person’s V Day come true. Who needs flowers when you have chicken? £40. 14 February, while stocks last.
8. Surprise your work crush with a free coffee?
If you’re got a work crush you want to impress, Yolk is doing all the hard work for you. The sandwich and coffee chain has shared a secret code for customers to get FREE breakfasts, lunches and coffees galore for that special someone in their lives.
Use the secret code LOVERS on 14 February to get BOGOF on any item bought in store (just check that they’re single first!)
9. Dance, dance, dance at The Table Battersea’s Valentine’s Bachata & Salsa Classes
It’s time to show you’ve got some rhythm at the The Table Battersea’s Valentine’s Bachata & Salsa Dance Class. Get ready for a night of passion and fun, starting with the sensual moves of Bachata, and then turning up the heat with the vibrant steps of Salsa. £14 for both classes, or £11 for 1. 14 February. DM @algodance on Instagram or just show up at The Table for a 7pm start.
10. Go big on Galentine’s at Zum Barbarossa
Looking for more ways to spend Galentine’s? At Zum Barbarossa’s ladies night, you can expect female-inspired cocktails like ‘The Girl’s Night In’ made with white chocolate mozart, tequila rose, Chambord, and freeze-dried raspberry garnish.
And the best part? You’ll be treated to a FREE drink on arrival. Get your girlfriends together and book here!
11. Meet the love of your life IRL
44% of Brits have given up on dating apps. So Cherry is holding an event from 6pm on 13 February, just in time for the big day, a refreshing antidote to traditional Valentine’s Day clichés.
Expect candid conversations, live DJ sets and cherry-themed cocktails. Sign up here.
12. Watch Rami Malek in Oedipus
★★★★
By John Nathan
Oedipus may have been written by Sophocles 2,500 years ago, but this latest production, starring Oscar-winner Rami Malek and Game Of Thrones star Indira Varma, opts for a timeless approach and feels bitingly relevant to the world we live in.
Ella Hickson’s deft new adaptation frames the story in a fascinating way, as one about a leader choosing whether or not to kowtow to irrationality and religious fanaticism. Malek and Varma make a compellingly contrasting pair: where the former gives Oedipus the detached, uncertain energy of a leader uncomfortable in their own skin, the latter is a fiery, no-nonsense figure with a fine line in tart humour.
Just as the play winds towards its terrible, fateful conclusion, so it strangely loses a bit of steam, but there’s much that is viscerally powerful here. It’s a show that will stay with you long after you’ve left the Old Vic.
Limited tickets remaining. The Old Vic. Until 29 March. Book here.
MORE: A bottomless lasagna restaurant is opening in London with a ‘lasangwich’ and £5 cocktails
MORE: You can sip yourself horny with this surprising drink that ‘increases libido’
