Romancing

• Enjoy an evening view of Modern British Sculpture followed by a three-course dinner at Peyton and Byrne’s new restaurant at the Royal Academy. 14 Feb, £35 per person (contact the venue to book)
• Everyman Cinemas are showing two classic romances – Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Casablanca, served with a glass of champagne and a cupcake each. 14 Feb, £40 for two
• Work your way through five courses at Searcys restaurant at the Barbican and you’ll receive a complimentary glass of fizz to wash it down with. 14 Feb (lunch or dinner after 7.30pm), £40 per person
• Crafty couples should head to WWT London Wetlands Centre where you can decorate a bird box together (£12.99) or make your own bird feeder (£2 suggested donation). 12-13 Feb
• Try love potions by Bompas & Parr, learn the cha cha and make a Valentine’s card at Museum of London’s late event. 14 Feb, £6

The best of the rest

• London Roller Girls: An action-packed afternoon of roller derby at Earl’s Court. 12 Feb
• Looking for love? Try Zizzi St Giles which is banning couples for the evening and offering free prosecco, canapés and the chance to meet new people. 14 Feb
• As half-term rolls round, The Southbank Centre’s Imagine festival is packed full of family events – many of which are free. 12-27 Feb
• See Keira Knightley’s return to the London stage in The Children’s Hour. Until 2 Apr
• Warm up at Kew Garden’s celebration of orchids and exotic plants, Tropical Extravaganza. Until 6 Mar

Following their Jelly Banquet, Giant Punch Bowl and similar quirky events, Bompas & Parr are tackling the entire history of food with their latest venture.

The Complete History of Food has taken over a grand building in Belgrave Square. Last night, I joined the queue outside and embarked on a magical food adventure.

Our group was led through a series of elaborately decorated rooms, each harking back to a different gastronomic era.

After walking over stepping stones in a dark, flooded dining room, we arrived in a Medieval bar, where we were offered drinks and nibbles based on our personality types. I was diagnosed as phlegmatic and served an apricot cocktail and popcorn coated with mushroom and truffle.

Next, we took a tiny lift up to the roof terrace (above), which was the only “modern day” area. Here we enjoyed Courvoisier cocktails, meaty Ferrero Rochers and an amazing view of London’s rooftops.

Back downstairs, we were invited to relax in a 50s sitting room and try a scratch’n'sniff TV dinner. This was followed by a voyage inside an inflatable stomach, which was a bit like a bouncy castle with a tongue.

After walking down a corridor of mushrooms, we arrived in a beautiful Victorian bar and dining room. At the centre of the dining room was a giant dinosaur, recreating anatomist Richard Owen’s famous Iguanodon Dinner in 1853. This was where the main course (courtesy of Bistrotheque) was served.

Finally, we headed to the Renaissance banqueting house, with drapes and sugar-covered sculptures, for a desert of Bompas & Parr’s famous jellies.

If you can get your hands on last-minute tickets, I’d recommend a visit to the surreal and slightly bonkers world of Bompas & Parr.

The Complete History of Food runs until 18 July 2010 www.revolutionary-spirit.com

Lots of London restaurants are putting on election night parties, so you can watch the election coverage with friends, food and drink.

Bompas & Parr’s Parliamentary Waffle House offers a quirky election night vigil with political fun and games, a bar until 8am, and all the food you can eat for £20.

Pizza Express Millbank is open all night, serving People’s Pizzas created especially for the occasion, with toppings representing hot political issues, such as quail eggs and caviar for class.

Known as the “Westminster canteen” for MPs, The Cinnamon Club is dishing up all the election action, along with spice-infused cocktails, bar snacks and sharing plates.

Le Café Anglais is holding an all-night party, with election coverage, a three-course meal, aperitif and breakfast, all for £65.

Brown’s Hotel  is screening election coverage until the early hours and serving election-themed cocktails. Will you opt for the Champagne Socialist, Hung(over) Parliament or Floating Voter?

As excitement builds in the run-up to the 6 May general election, the pop-up eatery and bar will serve waffles representing each of the three major political parties. A live swing’o'meter will gauge the political preferences of diners as they vote with their mouths.

There’ll be non-stop political coverage, plus a museum where you can see Tony Blair’s face on a melted cheese sandwich, and a step-by-step guide to Margaret Thatcher’s egg diet.

The venue will host politics and food-themed entertainment, including screenings of political films, lobbying nights where you’ll have access to real-life politicians, and an election night vigil with alcohol for the winners, and tea and sympathy for others.

The Parliamentary Waffle House is at 65-67 Broadwick Street, London, W1 from 22 April to 6 May. Book tickets at www.jellymongers.co.uk

What do you get if you cross 4,000 litres of punch with a swimming pool and Alex James from Blur? Bompas & Parr’s Architectural Punch Bowl of course!

The “food architects” responsible for last year’s brilliant Jelly Banquet have flooded the billiard room at 33 Portland Place with enough punch fill 25,000 glasses. Alex James helped launch the installation last night.

Visitors can float around the lake on a fruit-shaped raft, and play with remote-controlled berries, before enjoying a glass of punch served by a sailor with a ladle.

(Don’t expect to look glamorous – you’ll be asked to put on a hair net and plastic apron before you enter the room.)

The Architectural Punch Bowl is open today and tomorrow. Tickets (£6.50) are currently sold out, but more may be released later today, so keep an eye on the Bompas & Parr website.