The Ned is becoming increasingly overrun, no surprise given its slick and sexy guise. It was my second time back to the enormous Bank-based venue and there was a team of bouncers on the door checking people in. Armed with a reservation at Malibu Kitchen for 7:30pm, I passed the test and was let through the shiny dark wooden doors. On stepping into the hotel-cum-members club-cum-food hall, a jazz band was playing and post-work chatter bounced around. I slipped to the right, where I found Malibu Kitchen nestled away from the hubbub. The rectangular eatery has a counter-style seating arrange...
Read more →Sadie Whitelocks 9
Recently we found ourselves in the bustling Burmese city of Yangon, which is home to more than 7 million people. With 48 hours to spare, here's a lowdown of some of the things we got up to: ROOM WITH A VIEW We checked into enormous Sule Shangri-La, which is one of the oldest hotels in Yangon. Located in the centre of the bustling metropolis, it is a stone's throw from the gleaming Sule Pagoda and the colourful Bogyoke Aung San market. We found ourselves on the 21st floor in a spacious room with views over the jam-packed city. A tip is to get a room at the Sule Shangri-La above ...
Read more →If you've not explored The Ned in the heart of the City then you must. On walking in, the scale of the place is guaranteed to shock you into a silent state of awe. The former bank has undergone the ultimate makeover in the hands of Soho House stalwart Nick Jones, in collaboration with the supremely slick New York-based hotel group, Sydell. It is now a 252-room hotel, part members club and food emporium, boasting an impressive nine restaurants. On a Wednesday night - with a friend from New York - I checked into Kaia, an Asian-inspired eatery on The Ned’s ground floor. I was glad we had boo...
Read more →I felt pretty rock 'n roll carrying Cava up to my room at the Sir Adam hotel in Amsterdam. It had just hit midday, I'd checked in and found a bottle of bubbly at reception, so I poured myself a glass of vino and headed off to explore. My headed started to spin a little as I got in the lift to my room on the 4th floor. There was a giant disco ball and the floor was flashing in different colours. Some funky music was playing too. The doors opened and it was very dark. I felt like I'd entered a secret bunker as I tried to crack the code for the key card-activated door with my Cava wobbling aw...
Read more →There are Ivys popping up left, right and centre, it’s hard to keep up. One of the latest ones to land is at Tower Bridge. I love the brand and worry that it’s being watered down but after visiting its new outcrop, I’m pleased to report that it’s still keeping true to its spirit - spot on martinis and well done classic cuisine - it’s just bigger and busier. No longer just confined to the West End theatre crowd but welcoming in the masses. The day we hit the impressively large Tower Bride location, three weeks after its opening, it was busy with a queue outside the door. Youngsters from the ...
Read more →It was a Thursday afternoon and I was casually skinning a deer in the depths of Cornwall with a cool breeze blowing and birds crowing from the trees. I'd been invited to get a taste of 'Filson Life' by the Alaskan outfitter, which is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, but has two stores in London. Its much-anticipated UK online site has also just launched. The brand's goods are tough and heard-wearing, with thick cotton shirts designed for a spot of lumber jacking and long aprons lovingly waxed to repel any spot of blood from a deer. But what I love is that the products are also stylistic...
Read more →If you're a bit of a boozehound, which admittedly I am, The Distillery on Portobello Road, Notting Hill is your hotel dream come true. You can drink, eat, drink some more, and sleep on the same spot. The quirky multi-level venue is the world's first-ever hotel on the site of an alcohol distillery, the libation in question being gin. Albeit, it is very small - there are only three rooms - and the night we visited, two couples had travelled from Manchester and Lincoln to check the place out. My friend Mary Lou and I checked into the hotel's corner room, which boasts beautiful views of the qu...
Read more →Victoria in London features a hotchpotch of bizarre hotels. I walk past one that tells me it has 'hot and cold water' - which one would hope - and another advertises the fact that there is central heating. But peel away the spread of bizarreness and you'll unearth and absolute gem of a place, the Artist Residence. I checked into the boutique homestay on a Monday night before catching an early flight from Gatwick the next morning. The sleekly designed residence is conveniently positioned just a hop away from Victoria station, where the fast train to Gatwick runs every ten minutes or so. It ...
Read more →If you're a fan of gin then Gintonica in Notting Hill is a MUST. The restaurant is part of a unique distillery-hotel complex, which is brimming with character and west London low-key flair. Expect a chilled atmosphere, tasty tapas and top notch drinks. We hit the upstairs eatery on a Sunday evening. The sun was streaming into the double height ceilinged room and we took a table next to one of the windows overlooking the quaint bricks of Portobello market below. The music was good, there was a nice buzz and the open-air kitchen was a visual delight, as was the corner bar with libations con...
Read more →