Cafe Find: Violet Bakery London

Violet Bakery London - meltingbutter.com Cafe Hotspot

Previously a pastry cook and pastry chef for Alice Waters at Chez Panisse, Claire Ptak has been running her Dalston bakery and cafe for six years now. What started as a tiny cupcake stand on Broadway market has now become a neighbourhood favourite. Laid-back and distinctly Californian (with salted ice-coffee on the menu), Violet Bakery London is a […]

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Cool Shop Find: Conservatory Archives London

Conservatory Archives London - meltingbutter.com Shopping Hotspot

While London is enviably green in comparison to other metropolitan cities, it can still feel like a concrete jungle. Enter Conservatory Archives London, a plant shop solidifying itself as both a leader in creative indoor landscaping and a city oasis. After spending exhaustive years in fashion industry, Jin Ahn needed a break. Naturally, she earned a […]

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Cool Store Find: Workshop Living Brighton

Workshop Living Brighton - meltingbutter.com Shopping Hotspot

Offering a rigorously edited product mix that includes the kind of lifestyle ephemera my dreams of domestic bliss are built on – earthenware tea strainers, birch handle dough scrapers, ox bone chutney spoons and delicate bonsai scissors -  Workshop Living Brighton is a general store for modern times. Owners Jayson and Ryan aren’t swayed by consumer trends, […]

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Art Gallery Find: Marian Goodman London

Marian Goodman Gallery London - meltingbutter.com Arts & Culture Hotspot

There are white cubes, and there are white cubes. Marian Goodman Gallery’s London outpost inhabits a Grade II-listed, former Victorian textile factory in Soho, converted by architect David Adjaye. Concrete floors and vaulted skylights are stunning new additions, but the gallery’s historic gentility has survived – the façade has been restored to its original sandstone, […]

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Cafe & Creative Studio Find: Sonos Studio London

Sonos Studios London - meltingbutter.com Arts & Culture Hotspot

At Melting Butter we take our music pretty seriously (just have a listen to our monthly Fresh Fifteen playlists). So it was only a matter of time before we made multiple visits to Sonos Studio London, a building consisting of café and versatile spaces, aimed to help you find a musical or creative experience of […]

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Restaurant Find: The Marksman London

Last year, two Michelin-starred chefs – Tom Harris of  St John restaurant and John Rotheram of Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen joined forces to restore a beautiful East End pub. The Marksman London is located on Hackney road – minutes from the Sunday flower market yet conveniently tucked away from tourist crowds. Harris and Rotheram restored an old […]

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Cafe Find: Silo Brighton

Silo Brighton - meltingbutter.com Cafe Hotspot

As something of a trailblazer in the zero waste arena, Silo, in Brighton’s North Laines, is a flagship for serving ingredients that have been grown or produced with the kind of stand-up morals usually reserved for campaigning politicians. It’s a restaurant/bakery/coffee house that genuinely cares about the food we throw away and the environment we […]

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Shopping Find: Tokyobike London

Tokyobike London - meltingbutter.com Shopping Hotspot

We love a”¯Lekker, svelte”¯Danish Sögreni”¯and homegrown”¯Temple Cycle, but a lightweight city cycle from”¯Tokyobike’s Hoxton workshop is the newest find on our rack. Blending Japanese minimalism with urban-pedalling practicality (derrière-cradling seats, an easy-to-tote steel frame, smaller wheels for agile manoeuvring) ”“ Tokyobike’s ”˜Tokyo Slow’ philosophy places comfort over speed, the journey before the destination. At Tokyobike”˜s […]

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Restaurant Find: Chiltern Firehouse London

Chiltern Firehouse London - meltingbutter.com Restaurant Hotspot

André Balazs’ Chiltern Firehouse London opened a couple of years back and the furore surrounding this former fire station in Marylebone has yet to cease. As the latest offering from the mogul behind oh-so-glam Chateau Marmont in Hollywood and The Mercer hotel in New York, the Firehouse hotel and restaurant was set for success.  The […]

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Restaurant Find: Barrafina London

Barrafina London - meltingbutter.com Restaurant Hotspot

Since opening in 2007, Barrafina is bustling with customers. The Spanish tapas bar; with only 23 seats along a tiled, L-shaped counter; takes no reservations, so the competition to get a spot is tough ”“ as in, ”˜up-to-two-hours-wait-for-dinner’ kind of tough. But persevere, and you will be rewarded. The atmosphere inside is buzzy and casual, […]

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