See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy SOPHIE HINES, LIFESTYLE & DIGITAL EDITOR Updated: 05:03 BST, 5 September 2026
9.30am Chic eats: Aram by Imad at Somerset HouseWe meet at Somerset House – glorious in the sunshine – and head to its newest restaurant, Aram by Imad (arambyimad.co.uk). It’s run by Imad Alarnab, a Syrian chef, entrepreneur and refugee. Before the war, he ran three successful restaurants, plus several juice bars and cafés in Damascus – now he has brought his magic here, with a menu giving Eastern Mediterranean staples a modern twist. The poached eggs with labneh (below, £14.80) and spanakopita florentine (£15.20, made from a Greek savoury pastry) go down a treat, and we all agree the coffee is sensational. Poached eggs with labneh11am Get reddy: Anish Kapoor’s Ha MakomOnwards to the Southbank Centre for Anish Kapoor’s landmark exhibition (tickets £22, running until 18 October). It fills the entire space with immersive, often confronting art, such as Kapoor’s light-absorbing black holes and a monumental red installation (left) inspired by Uluru in Australia. Not everyone is convinced by the visceral, bloody-looking sculptures on the theme of ‘ritual sacrifice’ (but isn’t all great art divisive?), though we enjoy looking at Kapoor’s signature steel mirrors, which take pride of place outside against the London skyline.1pm Lunch for allMore food! This time at Café Clement (stclement.co.uk), London’s current It eatery (it is part of St Clement, the latest hotel from Soho House founder Nick Jones, which opens this month and features suites with 180-degree views south across the Thames). At this all-day brasserie we award ten-out-of-ten status to its feather-light cheese soufflé and mint ice cream made fresh that morning. Life is suite: at St Clement Hotel, Editor Jackie tries the in-room free weights3.30pmHidden beneath a grand side street near Charing Cross, under an 18th-century building that was once the home of Peter Pan author JM Barrie, is Aire Ancient Baths (£150 for 90 minutes, relax.beaire.com). We’re led downstairs to change into swimwear and robes, before entering a subterranean sanctuary that feels very ‘olde London’ indeed. It is candlelit and atmospheric, with a series of pools ranging in temperature from 10C to 40C underneath ancient vaulted brick ceilings. Most of all we enjoy the flotarium, where we lie on our backs in the salty water, limbs outstretched like starfish, and try not to fall asleep. Super-spa status: Aire Ancient Baths, which are below author JM Barrie’s home5.30pmAfter much wallowing, we shower off and slurp down a refreshing green juice, before blinking into the daylight feeling like brand-new human beings – and already planning our next escape.
