Finding a good central hotel can prove tricky with pricing usually not offering what you expect. But the new Assembly London appears to fill a gap, with simple and funky rooms starting at £150. The hotel boasts a super convenient location, literally opposite Leicester Square tube station. It is like a neatly wrapped parcel, with the compact building it’s housed in utilised to its full potential. On walking into the Assembly it feels a little like a hip bar or nightclub with black and hot pink interiors. Check in at the small reception desk was swift and I was handed a key to my room on th...
Read more →Sadie Whitelocks 9
If you love a bit of classical music and delicious food, then tune into The Ivy Kensington Brassiere for its latest offering. The perfectly appointed restaurant has crafted a special menu around this year’s BBC Proms. We checked into the eatery on a Sunday evening at 6pm before an 8pm concert at the Royal Albert Hall. With it being a warm evening, we decided to take a table in the tucked-away terrace area. To kick things off, we decided to try the two musical inspired cocktails. The Strawberry Symphony features a delicious mix of Chase vodka, strawberry syrup, lemon juice, watermelon cube...
Read more →If you're a fan of fragrance and food, then hop down to 34 Mayfair for the exclusive restaurant's latest collaboration with luxury perfume brand, CREED. From the outside, the eatery has been dressed to impress, with a beautiful Sicilian garden of citrus trees and luscious foliage waiting to greet guests. Continuing the sunny theme, are two new menu items inspired by CREED's Millésime Impérial scent. We took a table by a window in the smart spot, with jazz playing in the background and the theatre of the open kitchen set before us. To kick our Sunday lunch off, we opted for the Millésime co...
Read more →Martinis are my go to. So when I heard there was a new bar in town specialising in them, I had to go and check it out. The Library Bar, which is tucked away in a quiet corner of The Ned, boasts salubrious interiors, with inviting velvet chairs and low lighting. This spot simply does martinis, champagne and a concise selection of delicious nibbles. Settling into a nook in the corner, one of the smartly-dressed waiters whipped over with a menu and brought me a welcome drink. Not being a fan of champagne, I stuck firmly to my favourite and went with a house special vodka martini featuring a ...
Read more →World-famous orange liqueur brand Cointreau and South Place Hotel have collaborated to bring a slice of Acapulco and its vibrant atmosphere to the Secret Garden at South Place Hotel, from June 29th until the end of August, with a truly tropical Margarita Loves Cointreau pop-up. Nestled on the first floor of South Place Hotel in East London, the Secret Garden, a veritable oasis of waterfalls and palm trees sets the scene for our celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the original Margarita cocktail. Taking inspiration from Acapulco where 'Margarita' Sames, famously said of her instantly icon...
Read more →If you’re looking for somewhere relaxed to stay in London – more personal than a hotel but more organised than an Airbnb then I’d recommend the SACO apartments. I recently checked out their Holborn complex and it made for the perfect staycation. Their two-bedroom apartments are ideal for a family or group of friends, with two bathrooms, a kitchen and a generously-sized living room area. We checked into the apartment on a Monday night and it proved to be a top place for exploring the city. It’s just a five-minute walk to Holborn tube station and there are a range of attractions on the doors...
Read more →For a taste of old-school London, Le Caprice hits the spot. This classic restaurant, tucked away in the heart of Mayfair, oozes sophistication without being stuffy. Think Art Deco-style interiors, David Bailey photographs and smartly-dressed waiters brimming with charm. I hit the restaurant on a Monday night and the place was abuzz, with a bubbling of chatter and jazz piano lifting the mood. The outside terrace was full, but we were shown to a lovely little table towards the back of the restaurant, with light flooding in through the window. To set things off, we went for a couple of vodka...
Read more →I’ve lived in London for more than a decade but there’s always new things to discover. Last month, on a walk through the historic area of Clerkenwell, I stumbled across the Malmaison hotel and a few weeks later I decided to check it out with a friend from out of town who was visiting. The guesthouse boasts a lovely location, overlooking a small grassy park with plane trees yawning high into the sky. It’s just a stone’s throw from Farringdon tube station, but its leafy surrounding makes it feel a world away from the bustle of London. From the outside the Malmaison looks a little unapproacha...
Read more →I walked into The Westbury with a sudden swagger in my step. This five-star hotel in the heart of Mayfair off Old Bond Street garuntees to make you feel like a movie star with low lighting, swathes of marble jigsawed with walls of smooth wood panelling. I was getting a taster of a new Michelin-starred supper club launching for one night only in July, which is a collaboration between the Westbury's in-house chef Alyn Williams and British sparkling wind brand Nyetimber. Scrap the white, red and dessert wine combo. This tasting dinner is all about the bubbles. Shown swiftly to one of the venu...
Read more →