Thursday night's jam-packed opening party for GSK Contemporary, a three-month multimedia art-fest at London's Royal Academy of Arts, felt like a student mixer—an impression compounded by the slapdash nature of much of the art on display. It was a relief to escape to the building's west wing, where British fashion designer Giles Deacon was hosting a dinner to launch FLASH, the pop-up restaurant that will feed a fortunate few for GSK Contemporary's run. I say "fortunate" because it's already more or less booked (6,000 reservations were made before the walls even went up). That's how irresistible FLASH-masters Pablo Flack and David Waddington are. Bistrotheque, their Hackney eatery-cum-cabaret, has made the far reaches of the city's East End a destination for anyone who likes a little drag with their fine dining. (Imagine something like the Gramercy Tavern by way of the Pyramid Club on Avenue A.) Last night's dinner-and-bingo hybrid, with performance artiste Johnny Woo honking out the numbers through a loud-hailer, ran true to Bistrotheque's outré form. And while you might not be able to nab a reservation, those interested can at least see the restaurant's tea service (and, if so moved, buy it) at the Royal Academy's Web site.

Set to begin taking reservations on Saturday, the new SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills boasts mod-luxe design courtesy of Philippe Starck, two rooftop pools (with a view of the Hollywood Hills, just beyond the somewhat less inspiring sight of the Beverly Center Mall), and 297 well-considered rooms. The faux-mink blankets draped at the feet of the floating beds are a bit much (as if you'd forget you were in L.A.), but hiding the flat-screen TVs behind smoked glass is a nice touch, as is the large size of the rooms' workspaces. (Not that work's encouraged: The hotel offers a nighttime shuttle service to Sam Nazarian's collection of clubs—the sort you might see on The Hills, were you inclined to watch.) But your best bet here is The Bazaar, the free-form lobby dining concept, which includes a raw bar, cocktail bar, and roving street-food cart, among others. The menu design is by Spanish-cuisine star José Andrés, who spikes his beverages with fresh herbs and whose appetizing small plates include Galician-style lobster medallions, and carrot spaghetti with coconut, mint, and berries—a dish where the spaghetti's actually made out of the vegetable. Carb-counting West Coast types, take note.
Accepting reservations Nov. 1, 465 S. La Cienega Blvd., L.A., (310) 247-0400, slshotels.com