What we're reading
- #SandcastleGoals — impressive sandy sculptures are popping up around London, commissioned by the Museum of Architecture.
- How horror classic An American Werewolf in London was made.
- West Bromwich Albion themed Shoreditch pub The Albion closes.
- Queen and Prince Phillip recreate historic train journey from Slough to Paddington.
Things to do
ORGANIC BREKKIE: Free organic mini breakfast sound up your street? Wake Up To Organic wants to demonstrate how easy it is to switch to an organic breakfast, and independent retailers are offering up sumptuous snacks to entice you into making the change. Various locations, free, just turn up, various times
ICE CREAM: Luxury Swiss ice cream brand Mövenpick is chilling at Taste of London with bespoke mocktails and ice cream concoctions. Make the most of tasting the range of ice cream and sorbets, and while you're there, enjoy demonstrations from a Monin syrups mixologist. Taste of London (Regent's Park), free with festival entry (from £17), noon-9.30pm
WHITE HOUSE DATA: Get technical with Matt Laessig, COO and co-founder of data.world, as he talks about the open data in government movement in the United States, in this lunchtime talk. Open Data Institute, free, just turn up, 1pm-2pm
SPANISH FIESTA: Who doesn't love a good pop-up bar? Especially one that promises live music, 21st century tapas, and a blend your own wine bar. Fiesta de Color offers the sights, sounds and tastes of Spain... in Waterloo. It's free entry, but perhaps you'd like to throw in some cash to take part in their wine blending masterclasses or food pairing sessions. Waterloo Millennium Gardens, free/£20/£25, just turn up/book ahead, 5pm-11pm
CREATIVE WRITING: Thoughtful storytellers will find something a little different in this creative writing workshop Soul Relics - Memories and Story. Learn how to write a narrative using meaningful memories and sentimental objects, towards a sense of well-being and enlightenment. Eastbourne House Arts (Bethnal Green), £10, book ahead, 6.30pm-8pm
BACON: What more needs to be said? Find out everything you need to know about getting the best bacon — from which pig breeds produce the most intense flavours to how to cure your bacon at home, from a top British charcuterie champion. Cannon and Cannon, £75, book ahead, 7pm-9pm
FREE SPEECH: Freedom of the press is a hot topic which always promises a lively debate. In free speech under siege: the battle to control the media, World Matters Forum invites special guests to consider the consequences if information is not shared and investigated. St Margaret's House, (Bethnal Green), free, book ahead, 7pm-9pm,
OUTDOOR CINEMA: Luna Cinema is back, kicking off another series of outdoor cinema viewings in unusual locations, starting with Dreamgirls. Victoria Embankment Gardens, £17.50, book ahead, 7pm-11.30pm
LAUGH TRAIN: As-seen-on-TV comedian Simon Evans (Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow) will have you in stitches at the Laugh Train Home, a comedy night that showcases fantastic comedians. The Four Thieves (Battersea), £7, book ahead, 8pm-10.30pm
HIGH NOTE: Winner of the 2016 British Composer Award for her opera Between Worlds, Tansy Davis hits all the right notes with a night of music that seeks to surprise and delight. The Victoria (Dalston), £8, book ahead, 8pm-11.30pm
Art review: head into the forest
Three artists combine in this gallery in Angel to lead us into a surreal wood. Drawings of dense forest scenes by Stephen Walter, colourful birds by El Gato Chimney and fantastic ceramic works by Carolein Smit including a medusa and a satyr. It's a fantastical visual feast. The Wild Wood at James Freeman Gallery, 354 Upper Street, N1 0PD, free. Until 30 June. ★★★☆☆ (Tuesday-Saturday) Tabish Khan
Opera review: let's talk about sax
"Don't play the saxophone. Let it play you." Thus spoke Charlie 'Bird' Parker, the iconic jazz musician who died in 1955 aged 34 and whose life is played in this new 'bebop-era'. This collaboration between Hackney Empire and the English National Opera sees Parker's ghost trying to produce a final masterpiece as he trawls through his past and its many dark moments; his heroin addiction and infidelity as well as the death of his child are all laid out here in painful detail. Lawrence Brownlee is phenomenal in the title role but let down by a libretto which tells us all about Parker the man but not enough about him as an artist and, hence, what made him truly significant. Hackney Empire, 291 Mare Street, E8 1EJ, £15-£75 plus booking fee. Until 17 June. ★★★☆☆ Franco Milazzo
Food review: basque-ing
It's a cold, wet evening when we turn up at Tooting's Broadway Market, but it starts feeling a lot more like summer when we reach The Tapas Room. Strung along one of the market's narrow, curving aisles, they specialise in food and wine imports from Basque country. We drink cold white vermouth and work our way through the short menu, all simple dishes of brilliant ingredients — like the fat, meaty anchovies draped over piquillo peppers, or the slices of dried fig wafer with the cheeseboard. A stand-out's the morcilla — a generous hunk of richness, served on toast, topped with fried quails' eggs, and slicked with green, herb-filled oil. It's definitely more tapas bar than full-blown restaurant, but everything we try is punching well above the weight of the tiny kitchen-corner they're coming out of. The Tapas Room are pulling off big things in a small space, and making it look effortless. The Tapas Room, Unit 3, Broadway Market, 29 Tooting High Street, SW17 0RJ ★★★★☆ Lydia Manch
Theatre review: comedy comfort food
It is a great comedian who can adjust the trajectory of their hit show, spinning it into something even more side-splitting and poignant than before. When Jack Rooke took to the road with Good Grief three years ago, it was about the death of his dad — just as Rooke was doing his GCSEs. Suddenly — as Rooke was performing part of the show alongside hero Meera Syal — it became about someone else too. Good Grief is a bittersweet yarn of family upheaval, that doesn't so much batter death with comical blows, as sit down with a nice cup of tea and buttered Soreen, and mull things over with it. Comedy comfort food, if you will. Here's your last chance to see the show before it's laid to rest. Jack Rooke: Good Grief, Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE, £15/£12.50. Until 17 June. ★★★★☆ Will Noble
Good cause of the day:
Walk, jog or run for a good cause on 2 July 2017 as thousands of women unite with one purpose: to raise money to beat cancer. This Race For Life 5k course around Blackheath is a great one for all ages and abilities. Invite your friends and family along to support you so they can cheer you across the finish line, and while you're making your way round, they can enjoy the many stalls set up on the day.
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