Any menu that includes a course called “pre dessert” is the sort of menu Londonist can appreciate. And if that menu happens to be a seven course seasonal chocolate menu dreamed up over six months of tasting and experimenting by Almeida head chef, Alan Jones, and chocolatier, Paul A Young … ? Well, Londonist can confirm that we’d love every last morsel of it! Last night, Londonist bopped over to Almeida for a sneak......

At the opening of Beer Exposed last night we earnestly hoped to have our palates wowed and our beer knowledge enhanced. The expo has the strapline "explore, educate, enlighten" but we can reliably report that what's actually going on is a whole bunch of people getting delightfully drunk on many different types of beer and only realising it when they start giggling at a man dressed in a Chinese jacket with the nametag "Angus".......

Late-night lash lovers in Clerkenwell will have one less option for the next month at least: Dust nightclub has had its license revoked after a shooting last weekend. Gunshots were heard in the vicinity of the Farringdon Road nightspot early Saturday morning, and a 28-year old man was later taken by a friend to a south London hospital suffering from bullet wounds to his legs. Following police advice, the club's license was suspended on Monday......

Dubbed “the first independent event of its kind to be held in London,” Beer Exposed aims to bring beers, brewers and connoisseurs from around the world together for a unique experience “designed to expose you and your friends to the incredible diversity of tastes and flavours that beer can offer.” How thoughtful. The idea behind this bevvy exposé is to showcase up-and-coming artisanal beers, celebrate the UK’s favourite beers and demonstrate how to choose......

Before Russell Brand wound up Jordin 'not a slut' Sparks with his antics at the MTV Video Awards earlier in the week, he was most famous to Americans for appearing as a British Rock N Roller in break-up comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Out on DVD on Monday, the comedy has teamed up with us to offer two readers a pair of guestlist to next Saturday's Feeling Gloomy at Islington Academy. There you can share......

This is conspicuously a story about a really exciting new activity to help you chill at the end of a hard day. Although actually ‘new’ isn’t the best term to use, as this practice is at least, oh, let’s say 3,500 years old. And ‘chill’ is a bit misleading as well, as it is carried out at temperatures of around 1300°C (give or take). Yup, we’re talking about forgery. Of the metallic kind. Being a......

Worcestershire Sauce chocolate? Why not? Marmite and chocolate? Hey, you might just love it. Such unusual morsels are the wondrous creations of award winning chocolatier, Paul A Young. Of course, for the less adventurous but nevertheless chocolate craving folk, Paul makes a variety of more standard goodies, such as the most incredibly gorgeous brownies that you can’t even fathom because they’re just that damn good. As the days get shorter and autumn trudges forward,......

While hand-wringing from the chattering classes about what to do with "da kids" dominates the media, charities such as Get Connected, who offer confidential advice to young people, are busy doing something about it. Ever keen to engage London's youth in constructive projects that actually matter to them, they've launched a short film competition. Nobody's Perfect calls for 16-25 year olds interested in directing, producing, starring in or scoring films to submit examples of......

40. Regent Quarter, King's Cross Where? Converted factories and warehouses east of King's Cross station, tucked inside the Islington boundary on yonder side of York Way. What? Regent Quarter is a quaint huddle of 19th century industrial buildings, sandblasted and renewed into a community of small businesses and restaurants. Gone are the prostitution and drug dealing of the 1980s in favour of cosy courtyards where office workers catch the lunchtime rays. Names such as Laundry......

What is it? We happened to stumble by accident across Gillespie Park, a little-known North London nature reserve, a few years ago, and have loved it ever since. Where is it? Squeezed neatly into a little plot of land in N5 above Arsenal tube and below a busy train line, amidst Highbury's densely-packed Victorian rows. Islington is the London borough with the least amount of parkland, so Gillespie offers a bucolic break for locals.......

It's either a sign of Islington advancing or people getting priced out of their homes, depending on how you want to look at it. The Woolworths at Angel has been bought by the slightly posher Waitrose, with the change-over of shops to be complete by the end of the year. Waitrose manager Mark Price has said there has been great demand for one of the supermarkets in the area, and that those worried about......

Pity the poor residents of Southgate Road, N1. With half the street in Islington, the other bound to Hackney how are they meant to know if they're coming or going, let alone which day what rubbish collection is? For it seems that living here is very complicated if you're keen to separate your waste and use council recycling services. Friends of the Earth have condemned Southgate Road as "the most confusing in the country......

Islington may get a bad rap once in a while, but Londonist still loves it. And we’re not alone: A new museum has opened on St John Street celebrating the borough and its history. The Islington Museum details the history of the borough from its humble beginnings as Iseldune village and spans the centuries including accounts from residents during the two World Wars and a bust of Clerkenwell-resident Lenin (formerly in the Russian embassy).......

Whistleblowing teacher gets £70k for unfair dismissal from smeared Saudi school Islington's courting doggy favour Time for eccentric Hackney "moleman" to cough up for repairs T5 scapegoats selected Frisky Epping Forest woodpeckers get aroused and peckish on fragile church roof Image of Chinatown in layers courtesy of Martin...H via the Londonist flickr group.......

With a title like "Attractive Repulsion", we were looking forward to this group show tucked away behind Angel tube. Sadly the work on the ground floor didn't seem to be as exciting as the title. From the kitsch pictures of wildlife painted in a style that wouldn't have been out of place in a B&B to big abstracts using bits of product logos and the like, it was a bit underwhelming. Upstairs, thankfully the......

Let Londonist help you celebrate one of Britain’s most cherished traditions, the Sunday Lunch. The Snooty Fox 75 Grosvenor Avenue, London N5 2NN Nearest Tube/Overground: Highbury & Islington/Canonbury (so close!) 020 7354 0094 Expect to Pay: £7.95 to £10.95 and £12.95 for the legendary "Full Bifter" Rating: 8 out of 10 The Snooty Fox is a perfect lazy, lounging Sunday afternoon boozer. Tucked away by Canonbury Station away from the hustle of Islington the kitchen......

“Erm… hello. So this is… erm… a dress rehearsal. If anything untoward happens, we may stop.” Some might think that Alison Goldfrapp’s introduction to the ‘friends only warm up show’ at the Union Chapel last night was a little bit insipid. And, to be fair, they would be right. The crowd looked mostly bemused as the large group of performers that is Goldfrapp traipsed onto the stage in the amazing Victorian gothic church in......

There’s nothing like an outing to Hackney to start the mind whirring about gentrification. And we can think of no surer way to start an argument than to wander into an unreformed East End boozer enthusing about all the new construction and upscale shops popping up in the neighbourhood. The term gentrification was actually born in Islington. It was coined in the 60s by sociologist Ruth Glass, who noticed the phenomenon of middle-class people......

This week saw Londonist get incredibly excited about a few live music events. First up, was French pop sensation Yelle, who played an intimate show at the Old Blue Last. Then, we had the Camden Crawl line up which, as ever, is pretty amazing for those of us who value music over sleep. Finally, Sally got (understandably) excited about The King Blues @ the 100 Club. Once we've come down from our excitement of last......

Where's your sense of humour, blokes? Can't a fat, hairy-chested guy fake being crucified while wearing pink boxers anymore? Well, he can't in the tube. London Underground censors just banned posters for Fat Christ, a play showing this week at Islington's King's Head Theatre. They fear the ads in Angel station, showing the mock crucifixion of the play's writer, Gavin Davis, are "likely to offend ethnic, religious or other major groups." The author, though, apologizes......

Photography courtesy of Tiki Chris via the Londonist pool on Flickr. Interested in your foodie photos appearing on Londonist? Click here.......

This week, Londonist caught two bands at either end of the musical scale - American metal stars Wolves in the Throne Room @ Underworld and the ever great Elbow at an intimate Porchester Hall show. We also started offering you the chance to win tickets to see Late of the Pier on February 28th. We also previewed the forthcoming second iTunes festival, which starts this coming Thursday. Looking forward to this week however, Monday night......

The Germaniaxx Isn't the weather glorious? Stand in the sunshine and it's definitely spring. This makes us happy! This means that we can walk in the park and get about town and not feel miserably wintry and therefore desperate to waste our hard earned on firelit pubs and woolly accessory buying. Well, not quite so much. We are, however, saving up our cash to spend on Creme Eggs and the rebuild Camden Market fund so......

On a cold winter night in North London, we meet with hotly tipped indie pop beat combo The Wave Pictures before their gig at the Islington Bar Academy. Counting Jeffrey Lewis, Dean Wareham, Darren Hayman and Herman Düne as fans David Tattersall (vocals, guitar), Franic Rozycki (bass) and Jonny 'Huddersfield' Helm talk to us about their inspirations and what it's like to be finally getting recognition after years of obscurity. How would you describe......

Londonist brings it on home. Basilico 26 Penton St N1 9PS Delivery Area: Islington 0800 093 4224 5pm-wee hours (Monday-Thursday) 11am-wee hours (Friday-Sunday) Expect to Pay: Around £10 for a 13” pie or £15 for an 18” Rating: 7 out of 10 On a handful of occasions, Londonist has ordered pizza from the Basilico franchise in Islington, a takeaway and delivery pizzeria with five locations. We were pleased with the Americana (Italian spicy pepperoni,......

Philadelphia experimental indie stars Enon play the Luminaire on Monday night, with around 17 tickets left (at time of writing) on We Got Tickets. Support comes in the shape of Ill Ease, which features "Elizabeth Sharp playing guitar, bass, drums, tambourine, shaker, car horn and anything else that rattles, buzzes, shakes or hums in a riff-o-matic racket" apparently. Should be good. Meanwhile over at 93 Feet East, Seattle singer-songwriter David Bazan plays his folk-rock. Tickets......

Welcome to Versus, where Londonist takes like for like and decides which one is more likeable. This, our first, VERSUS post pits two Upper Street bean slingers against each other in a no holds barred Lucha Libre fight to the death. In one corner, we have Mucho Mas (27 Upper Street N1 N1 9LQ). In the other, Tortilla (13 Upper Street N1 0PN). Both serve short and incredibly identical lists of efficiently assembled burritos......

Nu-metal stars Linkin Park are the main draw on Monday night, with support coming from the mighty Biffy Clyro as they play the first of two consecutive nights at the O2, and whilst tickets are all sold out, there are a few floating around on Scarlet Mist and such like. Stephen Fretwell plays a sold out show at The Troubadour, and reggae star Finley Quaye plays the first of a three night stay at the......

Having treated audiences at the May 2007 All Tomorrow's Parties' "ATP vs. The Fans" festival to her gentle brand of Northern Californian folk, Mariee Sioux returns to the UK this week to play a series of London gigs. A childhood friend of Rough Trade favourite Alela Diane, Sioux also grew up in the mountainous, artist-friendly town of Nevada City, a landscape which can be heard speaking through both singer's works. With a languid step......

Need a way to get rid of January ennui? Screw vitamins and detoxing, we're flinging ourselves headfirst at a fiery folky mid week fling with Paprika Balkanicus at Magpie's Nest, an eclectic folk/acoustic/experimental evening at the the Old Queen's Head on Wednesday. Nothing sounds quite as effective at banishing January blues than some in your face, Eastern European, gypsy riot delivered by 3 cool geezers in ties. Expect fiddles, accordians, stamping, whooping and smiling......