Latest news with #Elephant
Time Out
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Elephant Hackney
There's nothing that puts me on edge more than the threat of someone 'doing up a pub'. More often than not, it means stripping a historic community hub of everything that made it special, before whacking in some Metro tiles, a couple of Babak Ganjei prints and hoping for the best. Elephant on Lower Clapton Road – once the statuesque Elephant's Head, but more recently an Irish pub, then a forgettable bar, then boresome brasserie – has escaped the pitfalls by working backwards, peeling away various refits to reveal a striking Victorian boozer. Of course, it's not really a pub anymore; there is tableservice, menus, and a very good wine list. You could call it a gastropub at a push, but to call it anything other than a restaurant would be doing it a disservice, because what it is a great restaurant. With a restored, curved-glass ceiling at the back of the room (apparently once part of a local opera house or cinema, reports differ) and elephant-adjacent 1950s movie posters on the walls, the room feels like The Prince George in nearby London Fields, shabby and welcoming, with booths, nooks and one long table for family-style dining (while we're here, two groups of eight take it over in turn). With ex-Manteca chef Francesco Sarvonio in the kitchen, the food is of a southern Italian persuasion and not a single dish falters. Creamy seabass crudo comes in an addictive melon sauce, sweet and fruity but with an adults-only hit of anchovies from sharp colatura dressing. Slices of beef with just-stringy-enough charred chicory and magnificently murky tonnato sauce is its polar opposite, an intensely savoury concoction with fried sage leaves that it wears like a Wiccan tiara. A Sopranos Sunday luncheon-worthy dish of ziti genovese ragu, al dente pasta combined with braised beef and onions, sporting a toothsome breadcrumb topping and hunks of unspecified cheese is perfectly simple, at once light and heavy. Did we also need a salty, crisp-edged rib eye steak? Maybe not, but the juicy fat cap… A Neapolitan pizza too? Sure! Ours was fluffy and crisp of crust and topped with courgettes cooked down to the perfect texture and layered with thick folds of pink prosciutto. I weep a little when I hear the fried lavender donut with Amalfi lemon custard has sold out, but it's just an excuse to return to Elephant as soon as humanly possible – as if I needed another one. The vibe A welcoming Hackney pub turned family-friendly Italian restaurant. The food Southern Italian classics with a sly side of experimentation from an ex-Manteca chef. The drinks Short and potent cocktails and great Italian wine courtesy of Old Street pros Passione Vino. Time Out tip Proof of their generous hospitality, kids eat free at Elephant. Neighbourhood Cocktail Bar & Neapolitan Pizzeria serving Italian Street Food An elephant never forgets. Over 100 years ago The Elephant's Head was born on Lower Clapton Road in Hackney. We bring this beautiful venue back to its roots with classic cocktails and ice cold beers. With our homestyle cooking, authentic Italian pizza and a soundtrack of lost soul records on rotation, we create a vibrant atmosphere for all our guests & new friends to enjoy. Kitchen by Francesco Sarvonio (Early June, Naughty Piglets, Oranj)
Glasgow Times
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Book lovers invited to unique fundraising event in Glasgow
A Bookface Sip & Swap will take place on Saturday, October 25, at Saints of Ingram in Glasgow, from 3pm to 6pm. This gathering is set to offer a relaxed afternoon of book swapping, drinking, and fundraising for the Beatson Cancer Charity. The event will put the spotlight on Elephant, a new book by Dr Gillian Shirreffs, which provides a humorous take on topics like grief, friendship, and survival. Read more: 'We were blown away by the response': Book swap event helps displaced people Following her bestselling debut Brodie, Dr Shirreff draws from her own experiences with illness in her new book Elephant, which has already received praise for its unique and honest style. The event is particularly personal for Dr Shirreffs, who was treated for breast cancer at Beatson Cancer Charity. It is organised by Heather Suttie, a broadcaster and the founder of Bookface. Tickets for the event include two drinks, and there will be a luxury raffle to raise funds for Beatson. They can be purchased online at Read more: Iconic Glasgow museum named among the world's best Attendees are encouraged to bring along up to four high-quality books for swapping, with any leftover books to be donated to charity. The event is part of the larger Bookface community, an online and in-person space for readers across Scotland. With more than 5000 members, the community offers an opportunity for readers to discover new authors and connect with fellow book enthusiasts.
San Francisco Chronicle
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
SFDanceworks' program of vulnerability is the hot dance ticket of the summer
The air was warm and the rafter seats were filled with the city's leading-edge dance artists for the opening of SFDanceworks. Over eight seasons, the annual pick-up project devoted to contemporary dance with international avant-garde cred has become not just summer's hot ticket, but one of the must-see dates of the annual dance calendar. Yes, the triple-bill that opened at Z Space on Thursday, July 10, and continues through Saturday, July 12, is just one hour and 15 minutes long — and yes, I would gladly watch another hour of whatever artistic director Dana Genshaft, with her taste for movement as explosive as it is touching, might curate. But with dancing of such vulnerability and virtuosity, 75 minutes leaves you stepping back out into the twilight with your senses still abuzz. We live in an age of viral dance clips on social media, and the big 'get' of this program was Emma Portner, a 30-year-old Canadian choreographer with nearly 250,000 followers on Instagram. Her wildly interesting biography includes choreographing a West End musical in London at the tender age of 20, directing movement for celebrity musicians and fashion campaigns, and now choreographing for ballet companies around the world. Her face without makeup, her hair in a utilitarian bun, she could be one of the unnervingly focused dancers of Batsheva Dance Company, except she's more relatable, more human than feral animal in her bite. In 'Elephant,' a duet Portner created last year with Dutch dancer Toon Lobach and has since been touring around the world, she begins sitting on the floor with her pale, naked back to us, chest to chest with her partner in black pants, their legs entwined. Like two symbiotic plants with one root, the dancers lock arms in twisty negotiations of intimacy, rocking a handshake back and forth one moment, flinging out fingers like a tendril the next. It's a simple choreographic premise that grows organically, aided by Portner's sensitivity to composers ranging from the richly classical work of Latvian composer Peteris Vasks to the jazz-inflected work of Finnish singer-songwriter Mirel Wagner, as well as music composed by arranger Alexander Mckenzie and recorded by his Trio Vitruvi. Repeat SFDanceworks collaborator Babatunji Johnson had been advertised to dance this engagement, but former Lines Ballet star and Nederlands Dans Theater member Brett Conway stepped in for this run, and though Johnson is missed, Conway's return to the stage feels like a gift. His precision is extraordinary, and his connection to Portner — who created the duet in response to a chronic facial pain condition — is exquisitely gentle. JA Collective is another viral Instagram phenomenon—the Los Angeles duo composed ofAidan Carberry and Jordan Johnson, who studied with the justly venerated William Forsythe at USC, took off when they choreographed a video for the band Half Alive. This second commission created expressly for SFDanceworks, 'Everything Happens Later,' finds them in a New York state of mind. Five standing dancers shake and rock to a soundscape of train rumblings and screeches; the effect of making us believe they are riding the subway is low-tech as it is compelling. The dance seems to bring us inside an inner world of intense emotions before regularly returning us to the simple, trudging reality of that train. JA Collective's movement style tends to be granular, built on intricate, tiny gestures. But here, Sarah Chou also explodes regularly in a big arabesque reach, and the canvas feels expanded. Emily Hansel becomes a human turnstile the others push, then has an especially beautiful duet with Lani Yamanaka, mouthing a whisper as she presses her face against an outstretched arm. The special effects-inspired music, by fellow USC grad Daniel Mangiaracino, isn't the most memorable, but it does the job. This program launches with flowing, hungry, bounding movement in 'A Measurable Existence,' a Bay Area premiere by New York choreographer Yue Yin, creator of a dance technique, FoCo, drawing on her Shanghai-born background in Chinese classical and folk dance. Ja'Moon Jones and Nat Wilson are jaw-droppingly lovely together, equally sensitive dancing in unison and in close embrace. The music by Dutch sound artist Rutger Zuydervelt is heavy on ominous chord builds, which didn't make for an optimal contrast with JA Collective's premiere. In the next SFDanceworks program, it might be good to have a touch more music in the soundscape, a little less atmosphere. And I do miss the piece in SFDanceworks' mission of placing the new alongside now-historical avant-garde works (in the past Genshaft has presented solos by Martha Graham and José Limón). But this isn't critique so much as begging: More SFDanceworks soon, please.
Scotsman
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Bookface Sip & Swap with Dr Gillian Shirreffs to raise funds for Beatson Cancer Charity
Book lovers are invited to a special Bookface Sip & Swap on Saturday 25th October, taking place at Saints of Ingram in Glasgow from 3–6pm—a relaxed afternoon of swapping books, sipping drinks, and raising money for Beatson Cancer Charity. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... This event will spotlight Elephant, the true, raw, darkly funny new book by Gillian Shirreffs. Following the success of her bestselling debut Brodie, Elephant draws on Shirreffs' own experiences of illness to explore grief, friendship, humour and survival with unsentimental honesty. The book has already received critical acclaim for its originality and emotional clarity. Hosted by broadcaster, avid reader and founder of Bookface, Heather Suttie, this popular event gives readers the chance to refresh their shelves, discover new authors, and connect with fellow book lovers— and participate in a luxury raffle to raise funds for charity. Glasgow-based Dr Shirreffs lives with MS and was treated for breast cancer at Beatson Cancer Charity. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Guests are encouraged to bring along up to four good-quality books to swap. All genres are welcome, and any leftover titles will be donated to charity. Elephant Tickets include two drinks, there'll be raffles, book chat, and you'll be able to purchase a copy of Elephant on the day. Expect a warm, informal atmosphere and plenty of recommendations. This event is part of the Bookface community—an online and in person space for readers with over 5,000 members across Scotland. Event details: Bookface Sip & Swap Dr Gillian Shirreffs Saturday 25th October Saints of Ingram, Glasgow 3–6pm Tickets:
Egypt Independent
09-07-2025
- General
- Egypt Independent
When is the Prophet Muhammad's Birthday holiday in 2025?
According to astronomical calculations, the Mawlid al-Nabi (Prophet Muhammad's Birthday) this year falls on Thursday, September 4. Hijri Date of the Prophet's Birthday: The Hijri date of the Prophet's birthday is the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal in the Islamic calendar. Most scholars agree that the Prophet was born on Sunday, Rabi' al-Awwal 12, in the Year of the Elephant. Celebrating the Prophet's Birthday: Celebrating the Prophet's birthday is a key act of devotion by Muslims, as love for the Prophet is a fundamental principle of faith. It is authentically reported that he said: 'None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his child, and all of mankind' (Narrated by al-Bukhari). Mawlid sweets are a large part of the celebration, along with processions and the chanting of poems and songs that narrate the Prophet's biography and praise him. These sweets date back to the Fatimid era in Egypt.
