We bring you our guide to living well in the world’s capitals, from exhibitions to cinema, food, drink, fashion, music and beyond. Just call it culture and take it, it’s yours.

LONDON, FRIDAY 14th FEBRUARY – SUNDAY 16th FEBRUARY 2014

Artificial intelligence, real love. It’s like Siri but sexy
First up this week we have Her, the latest film by Spike Jonze, director of mind-benders Where The Wild Things Are and Adaptation, which tells a moving science fiction tale of love in a not-too-far reaching future.

Joaquin Phoenix plays Theodore Twombly, a shy, jaded man who has been emotionally scarred by the stresses of an impending divorce and Scarlett Johansson who gives a fantastic vocal performance as a rapidly evolving artificial intelligence system busy encouraging Theodore to rake over his failed marriage. Intimacy ultimately builds up between Theodore and Samantha to the conclusion of phone sex, providing us with a realistic, subdued and inventive take on the impact the technology of tomorrow may have on our love lives. This film basically leaves Siri looking like a frigid relic of the past. 

Her, at cinemas now

Charles Saatchi’s at it again (with the art)
If you meander upwards to the top floor of Saatchi’s colossal Kensington Gallery space this weekend you won’t miss out on their ongoing major show Body Language. That’s before you come to a new exhibition showcasing the work of thirteen emerging artists.

See these undisputed stars-in-the-making including Sarah Dwyer, Hannah Perry and Virgile Ittah, whose striking wax figures seem to be slowly succumbing to gravity on the gallery floor.

There might not be the life-changing revelation of an Emin or Hirst, no aging condoms, neons or spot paintings, but there is a feeling of something exciting in flux, and overall a beautifully curated space in which to avoid the forecast downpour this saturday.

New Order: British Art Today II
Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Rd, London, SW3 4SQ
10:00-18:00 daily, last entry 17.30

From 20’s Berlin to Whitechapel ’14
Bringing together over 100 works from major international collections, The Whitechapel Gallery’s new Hannah Höch exhibition is a triumphant ode to one of the 20th centuries cultural and artistic pioneers.

Berlin’s Dada movement in the 1920s was notoriously outspoken and frivolous in its direct commentary on society during a time of tremendous social change and Höch epitomised this in the development of her collages. Splicing together images taken from fashion magazines and illustrated journals, she created a humorous and moving depiction of the world she lived in.

Hannah Höch, Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High St, London E1 7QX
Until 23rd March 2014

Nineteen Eighty-Four
George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece 1984, which he raced to finish before his death in 1950, has had some pretty hit and miss stage interpretations in the past but it seems the newest redo at Islington’s Alemdia Theatre is finally doing justice to one of the definitive books of the 20th century.

It ain’t no picnic in the park or sweeping love story full of heartwarming prose but it is an incredible adaptation of lives within a world of totalitarianism in which the price of survival leads to betrayal.

1984 by George Orwell; a new adaptation created by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan
Almeida Theatre, Islington, London, N1 1TA

1984 Trailer from Headlong on Vimeo.

Bauhaus Council block + Bistro = Brilliance
The food concept at 100 Hoxton is simple; small sharing plates drawing mainly from Asian flavours, spices and ingredients. Flavour and quality of food here is of great importance and the fusion food they dream up is quite remarkable.

The Yaojen Chuang designed restaurant on Shoreditch’s Hoxton Street has striking interiors reflecting the aesthetic of the Bauhaus-inspired former council block in which the restaurant now resides. The menu a the result of a head on East-meets-West collision between Thai-trained chef Tim Yates and Mediterranean-trained Pinoy chef Francis Puyat, formerly of NOPI, (many a Londoner’s favourite food trough), so you can imagine what it’s going to do to your taste buds.

Drooling yet? Wait until you’ve had the espresso and caramelised banana pancakes with maple syrup or the Cauliflower Pakoras.

You can never have too much of a good thing, if you ask us.

100 Hoxton
100-102 Hoxton St, London, N1 6SG