Back in autumn 2023, I enjoyed a serendipitous moment walking through the Olympic Park. Lo and behold, the first part of the £600million East Bank waterfront development had just opened that morning.
As I wrote at the time, it was a thrill to step inside and explore the galleries at UAL’s new London College Of Fashion campus, which I’d watched steadily rise up over the last decade. Even more impressive are the views from the elevated stone and wood-clad steps leading down to the towpath.
Fast forward to this week and I attended the press preview of UAL’s neighbour, Sadler’s Wells East, which officially launches in February. Designed by Irish architects O’Donnell + Tuomey and built in Italian red brick, it’s the first public venue to open here, to be followed by BBC Music Studios and V&A East Museum, and houses a theatre, six dance studios, educational facilities, a free public performance space, a restaurant and bar.
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Upstairs is the sweep of the 550-seater auditorium with the “longest curve seating in Europe”, said one of the friendly staff. On the top two floors are vast mirrored studios and rehearsal spaces, where we glimpsed the cast working on the nightclub-themed opening show Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu’s Our Mighty Groove. A roof terrace offers panoramic views over the London Aquatics Centre, Anish Kapoor’s ArcelorMittal Orbit, the stadium and park.
The final factor worth mentioning is price. They promise that 50% of all tickets across the season are available for £25 or less, with £10 tickets for 16-30 year-olds. Forthcoming highlights include James Baldwin’s Inside Giovanni’s Room, Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia: A Mod Ballet, Mette Ingvartsen’s Skatepark, and a new production of Romeo & Juliet featuring actors and dancers from local boroughs.
So what’s the food offer?
First up is The Well, the casual bring-your-laptop daytime café that turns into a theatre bar in the evening: think artisan sandwiches, pastries and homemade bakes. More spenny is the waterfront Park Kitchen & Bar, inspired by “London’s diverse cuisines”, as they put it – but no Head Chef is named – and using the best of British seasonal produce. Sadly it wasn’t open this week on my visit, but the menu includes picanha steak with chimichurri and twice cooked pink fir potatoes (£28), squash fondant with mushroom, celeriac and truffle (£13) and – most interestingly – a daily market fish with katsuobushi (fermented tuna), wasabi tartar sauce, mung beans and fries (£17). Small plates comprise salt-baked beets with saffron tahini and hazelnut, smashed cucumber salad and braised short rib. It sounds promising: look out for 50% off food offers advertised online until the end of January. @sadlerswells_east
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