making the

both gas and electricity to launch the first restaurant “as cheaply as possible”.

Having grown from those early days to locations in the City, Shoreditch and Covent Garden, the brand retains a charming bootstrap ethos. Cutlery, with the exception of the knives, is second hand, as is the crockery. The aim is to create a familial atmosphere, with food doled out at the table –a haven of comfort, not ceremony.

Blacklock’s Canary Wharf branch is located in Frobisher Passage and is expected to open on May 15 – although reservations are already being taken. It’s located in a space under the DLR tracks that once served as the estate’s security and pass issue office. Inside, it’s a cosy space with frosted windows that seems deliberately conceived as a refuge.

There are glossy dark walls, wry signage and plenty of dark wood furniture.

“It’s important for us to be in buildings that have character,” said Gordon. “We want to transport people to a place that’s full of heritage but also very relaxed, vintage with a natural feel.

“Everything’s reclaimed – the tables, the chairs, all the wood, the crockery, the forks, the spoons and the glassware. It all has that special, nostalgic feel.

“With the trains going overhead it has a speakeasy, New York vibe – people can enjoy the gentle, comforting rumble. We want it to be the kind of place where you come for lunch which, after a few Old Fashioneds, becomes dinner.”

The Canary Wharf branch will also feature a bar menu. Blacklocks typically offer cocktails from £7.50 and alcohol-free mixed drinks from £4.

Staffing is perhaps the final piece of the jigsaw at Blacklock, with Hawksmoor’s reputation as a great place to work clearly finding resonance in Gordon’s approach to running his own restaurants.

“The first thing I say to people at their induction is that most restaurants will tell you to put the customers first – to make them happy,” he said. “Of course they are important, but they are number two in our business because it’s our people who are important.

“For us, opening new locations is about building careers for people so they can take that next step. That creates the opportunity for people to grow within the company and gives people purpose. It’s about culture. I passionately think people do great things when they are motivated and invested. That’s what we are seeking to create.”

Go to theblacklock.com for more what’s on things to do, places to go, people to see

Where? Fold Canning Town

CLUB | Cartulis Bank Holiday Weekend

This all-nighter promises a line-up of John Talabot, LFT, Magico, Unai Trotti, Junki Inoue and Vass for 11 hours of electro and techno beats. May 27, 11.59pm-11am, £25, ra.co

Where?

Excel Royal Victoria Dock

EVENT | MCM Comic Con

Expect the DLR and Elizabeth Line to be awash with cosplayers as the fandoms converge at Excel for another blockbuster event of meets and greets. May 26-28, daily, from £17.50, mcmcomiccon.com

Where? Social Convention Canning Town

Price of admission to the event, which can also be streamed online for free on the day

Royal Docks - Canning Town

EVENT | Sauti Za Mashariki

Billed as Sounds Of The East, this is an afternoon of East African music and food. Tickets are free via Instagram and dishes can be pre-ordered. May 28, 3.30pm-8.30pm, free entry, socialconvention.org ash back

Zero waste venue The Greenhouse Theatre is set to pop up in Royal Docks’s Thames Barrier Park from May 11-Jun 4 to host Sea Change artworks amongst other happenings as part of the At The Docks arts programme royaldocks.london

Scan this code to read our interview with Greenhouse co-founder and artistic director Oli Savage want more? @wharfwhispers

how Forecast 2023 is set to explore storytelling as writers, artists and commentators come together at City Hall

by Jon Massey

Forecast 2023 sounds like a barrage of buzzwords. Its o cial description invites international audiences to a hybrid symposium on May 19 both in-person and live-streamed as participants explore new forms of storytelling in response to the future of Planet Earth.

But look under the bonnet and it’s clear there’s some signi cant horsepower in the engine. Commissioned by the Royal Docks Team and University College London, a line-up of writers, artists and cultural commentators has been assembled to investigate how di erent narratives can have an impact on navigating global challenges.

Speakers will include Storyland author Amy Je s, and artists Julie Freeman, Samson Kambalu, Melanie Manchot, Raqs Media Collective and Gavin Turk. Scientists Prof Mark Maslin and Prof Priti Parikh from UCL will also take part as well as journalist Aaron Bastani.

The event, which is curated by Invisible Dust, is set to run from 10am-6pm. In the weeks following the symposium, there will also be a series of online panel discussions featuring the likes of artist Jeremy Deller, the Open Data Institute and Mosaic Rooms. Go to invisibledust.com

Scan this code to nd out more about Forecast or book tickets

Di erent events will be held over the course of the championships what’s on things to do, places to go, people to see

Where?

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Stratford

EVENT | The Great Willy Waddle

Don a penis suit and run around the park to help raise money for male cancer charity Orchid. Participants will tackle a 2k course in costume. Over 16s. May 18, 6.30pm, £25, orchid-cancer.org.uk

Where?

Cart And Horses

Stratford

GIG | Ironed Maiden + Bu alo Fish

There will be plenty of swimming events to take part in alongside the Pink Flamingo

how the IGLA Masters Championships is set to host 900+ athletes competing in multiple disciplines in E20

by Jon Massey

The London Aquatics Centre is set to host more than 900 competitors as the International Gay And Lesbian Aquatics LGBTQIA+ Masters Championships arrives in Stratford.

The event, which is scheduled to take place from June 25-30, will feature athletes across six water-based disciplines with people travelling from across the globe to take part. Founded in 1987, the event aims to create a safe and inclusive environment for LGBTQIA+ and supporters to participate in aquatic sport as well as fostering a sense of community.

Water polo is among ve World Aquatics regulated disciplines to feature

Athletes can compete in five World Aquatics regulated disciplines – swimming, water polo, diving, open water swimming and artistic swimming.

The championships are also home to IGLA signature event, The Pink Flamingo – billed as a flurry of art, drag, performance and pride.

Anyone is free to compete in any of the events, irrespective of experience. Fees vary. Register by May 14. Go to london2023.org

Scan this code to nd out more about the IGLA’s event

Hear a Dorset tribute band with all the creases attened at the birthplace of Iron Maiden in Stratford plus special guests Bu alo Fish. Riotous. May 20, 7.30pm, from £9, cartandhorses.london

Where? Theatre Royal Stratford East Stratford

COMEDY | Live At Stratford East

Thanyia Moore, pictured, hosts an evening of stand-up headlined by Mawaan Rizwan – a comedian on a high with a BBC sitcom in the works called Juice May 27, 7.30pm, from £10, stratfordeast.com ash back

Stratford Picturehouse is hosting its ReDiscover season on various dates with showings of screen gems and curiosities for £8 running until May 28. Find full listings, including The Lobster, online picturehouses.com

Scan this to nd out more about the season or to book tickets for a screening want more? @wharfwhispers