Hello July, my favourite month of the year - school’s out, which means it costs an arm and a leg to go abroad, but who needs to when it’s officially festival season, Wimbledon is well underway, and the forecast is guaranteed sunshine!? 😎

Most importantly, it’s my birth-month, which means I’m in a good mood and am bringing you some hot Experiences for July. Our first fitness Experience has arrived in time for that #summershred plus some tasty new eateries at a lower point-value so you can try my recommendations for less.

Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for another bitesize Experience drop aka Yonder Treats. The Coffee Experience was a serious hit, so you’ll be seeing more of these type: low-point Experiences rewarding you more regularly for the things you likely do anyway.

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Introducing July’s Local Experiences

Crust Bros

Location: Waterloo and Wandsworth

Experience: 1000 points gets you £30 worth of pizza and drinks

We all know there’s too much choice when it comes to going out for pizza in London, but trust us when we say we’ve found the place that does it better than anyone. Founder Joe travelled round Italy for 40 days and 40 nights, consuming dough, tomato, mozzarella and inspiration for his own creation back home, cue Crust Bros. You can find Joe’s thick crusts and tasty toppings in their permanent home in Waterloo and Sambrook’s Brewery in Wandsworth.

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1Rebel

Location: 10 locations across London

Experience: 1500 points gets you the intro to 1Rebel package (or £39 towards another package for the Rebels amongst you)

Known as ‘The King of Gyms’, 1Rebel’s five concepts will put you through your paces. Reformer (pilates), Reshape, Ride (spin), Rumble (boxing) and Rig have all been designed to make fitness ‘fun’ - think dark rooms, big tunes and loud trainers (people, not footwear). So if you’re bored of your current exercise routine and have been thinking about mixing it up for a while, here’s that kick up the backside you needed.

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Korean Dinner Party

Location: Soho

Experience: 2500 points gets you £60 worth of food and drinks

Inspired by LA’s Koreatown, expect East-meets-West dishes, kitsch cocktails, craft sake and Korean hip-hop playing into the night on the top floor of Soho’s Kingly Court. The restaurant takes influence from Korea, the US, Mexico and Japan, resulting in unique fusions of textures and flavours served up American diner-style. Try the kimchi pancake and Korean Fried Cauliflower tacos.

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Friends of Ours

‍Location: Hoxton

Experience: 2000 points gets you £45 worth of food and drink

Serving Dark Arts coffee and Dusty Knuckle pastries, Friends of Ours is East London’s sunny slice of Down Under. You can’t book this hotspot so get there in good time at the weekend to bag a table outside. And they’re shaking things up next Friday (8th July) by hosting the duo from Bait for an evening of seafood sharing plates, speciality cocktails and natural wines + beers. Two sittings available (5.30-8pm; 6.15-10.30pm). Book your ticket here and pay a £5 deposit which will be deducted from the bill on the night.

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Kudu

Location: Peckham

Experience: 3000 points gets you £80 worth of food and drink

Kudu is one of a family-run group of two restaurants and a cocktail-wine bar in Peckham. Serving menus shaped by the seasons and influenced by the chef-owner’s South African roots, Kudu’s reputation for exquisite food and enthusiastic service goes far beyond its neighbourhood, making it a well-worth trip to SE15.

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Pidgin

Location: Hackney

Experience: 9500 points gets you £270 worth of food and drink*

*the value of their tasting menu + wine pairings for 2 people

Likely you’ve never been before, but if you have, I bet my bottom-dollar you won’t get the same food. That’s because this unique gem of a restaurant serves a weekly changing menu, meaning that since opening in 2015 they’ve never repeated a dish. Ever. So I can’t tell you what to order (they decide for you) but I can guarantee that whatever you eat will be stunning, both in presentation and taste.

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Officina 00

‍Location: Old Street

Experience: 3000 points gets you £80 worth of food and drink

Literally translates into Workshop 00, an Italian nudge at the type of flour used to make pasta (00) and their pasta workshops. If you haven’t guessed it already, Officina 00 serves up some of the best pasta in the city, certainly in Shoreditch. Watch as the pasta is made and cooked in the open plan kitchen, as you nibble on snacks of fried cacio & pepe ravioli and aubergine & nduja croquettes. Yes, my mouth is watering too. P.s. order an Italian Margarita - their amaretto take on a classic.

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The Shed

Location: Notting Hill

Experience: 3000 points get you £80 worth of food and drink

Want to travel to the countryside without leaving the city? Look no further than the Gladwin Brother’s Shed off a quaint corner in Notting Hill. Okay, it’s not really a shed, but its rustic interiors instantly transport you to a little village in rural Sussex. The Shed’s menu champions hyper-seasonal produce, using wild, foraged and locally grown ingredients, including sustainable livestock from the brother’s own farm. They also serve award-winning English wines from their own vineyard, because “what grows together, goes together”, naturally.

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Secret Cinema presents Dirty Dancing

Location: Undisclosed location in London

Experience: 4000 points get you £100 worth of tickets to Secret Cinema’s Dirty Dancing

This one’s been a long time coming (I had tickets in 2020!) so you better be ready to have the time of your life (I hope you get that reference). For 3 weeks only this July, Secret Cinema presents Dirty Dancing in a secret London Location, so dust off your dancing shoes and 60s frocks and prepare yourself for this epic outdoor summer festival experience. There’ll be cha-cha lessons, dance contests, arts & crafts, plenty of cocktails, all wrapped up with a screening of the movie under the stars - pray for sunshine!

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