I've walked around this little nook of Soho a few times and never stumbled across this gem. But if you get a chance, I can't recommend Sophie's Soho enough. Housed inside a former sex cinema and nightclub, the venue is pretty spectacular. Think high ceilings, raw red brick, pipes showing and a buzzing atmosphere. This is the kind of place you could base yourself for the day, hanging out to do work, seeing friends grabbing dinner and dancing in the speakeasy club downstairs come nightfall. On walking into the venue, there is a cosy conservatory area at the front, and then you immediately g...
Read more →Sadie Whitelocks 9
From the outside, the Westbury Mayfair is pretty unassuming. The only hint that there’s some magic lurking inside, is the smartly dressed doormen and luxury cars standing on call outside. With the doors swiftly opened to welcome me in, I soon forgot about the hustle and bustle of the London streets beyond. The Westbury has a way of transporting you to a world of old school sophistication, with dark lighting, art deco-styled furnishings, swathes of wood panelling and fresh flowers setting the tone. I’d stepped into the 225-room venue to check out one of its top pads, a superior corner suite...
Read more →'Pace yourself!' was the instruction we originally received before tucking into a multi-course James Bond food and drink extravaganza. ‘That’s not very in the style of James Bond,’ I thought to myself, as I imagined the infamous spy having little restraint in many aspects of life, especially on the subject of pleasure. The event was taking place at one of my favourite venues in London, The Distillery on Portobello Road, and I was sat in the upstairs private dining room with 20 other guests. There was a group of Americans, a man from Norway and Londoners, all brought together by one thing - ...
Read more →All aboard! It’s time for brave Londoners to head down to Pedley Street Station and sell their souls for a Journey To The Underworld. Immersive theatre and dining experts Funicular have prepared a luxury train carriage and are now ready to depart on the greatest love story never told, where fear, fantasy, danger and lust intertwine in a dark and romantic fairytale. The best part? Down in the Underworld, travellers dine in style. Passengers will be treated to a delicious four-course menu curated by 2017 MasterChef The Professionals finalist Louisa Ellis. The culinary maestro has designed a...
Read more →Waking up, there was sunlight streaming through the window, birds singing from the dappled trees and the faint murmur of people traversing the cobbled streets of Clerkenwell below. I'd landed at the Townhouse Apartment, a room within one of my favourite spots in London The Zetter Townhouse. But this isn't any old hotel room. Described as the 'jewel in the crown', this quaint abode is amply sized for London, with a sitting area large enough to waltz around in, an enormous bed and a charming bathroom complete with a rain shower and free-standing tub. I'd arrived at the boutique, Georgian-era...
Read more →I went to Simpson's in the Strand a couple of years go and on a recent return, I was thrilled to find that it’s upped its game. The venue opened in 1828 as a chess room and it is one of London’s oldest traditional restaurants. In 2017, in a bid to bring it more up-to-date it underwent a major refurb courtesy of its owner and neighbour, The Savoy. While the bones of the building remain the same – think wood panelled walls, high ceilings and period feature - there’s an array of new things to flesh the place out. I popped in for a Sunday lunch with my mother and spent a good five minutes admi...
Read more →Calling all surfers! Now you can ride a barrel in more ways than one... In the latest of its Beyond the Cask creative collaborations, Glenmorangie takes to the waves in partnership with Grain Surfboards of Maine, New England USA – visionary creators of hand-built wooden surfboards. The signature white oak casks for Glenmorangie Original are only ever used twice in their whisky-making lifetime, guaranteeing this single malt’s famously complex and multifaceted flavour. Now, to celebrate the wood that makes the whisky, the dedicated craftspeople at Grain Surfboards have built a series of exclu...
Read more →This September, Jumeirah Carlton Tower’s bar and restaurant, The Rib Room, has created a bespoke cocktail menu based on several locations in the Jumeirah Group portfolio. From Dubai to Frankfurt, the eclectic menu perfectly pairs well-known Jumeirah destinations to fresh ingredients associated to each hotel. For example, the ‘English Country Garden’ cocktail is inspired by the private gardens opposite Jumeirah Carlton Tower to which guests have exclusive residents access. Similarly, the ‘Honey Bee’ cocktail is an ode to Jumeirah Frankfurt’s ‘Skyline Honey’ initiative whereby the hotel’s 28t...
Read more →Ultra-premium London Dry Gin, Berkeley Square, is set to unveil its exquisite new look for the first time with an exclusive residence, GINTESSENTIAL, at prestigious Mayfair members’ club, Morton’s. Open to club members and Londoners alike from September 5th to the 28th, guests are invited to step into a cocktail oasis like no other featuring bespoke serves using Berkeley Square Gin. The GINTESSENTIAL menu, co-created by Berkeley Square Gin and Morton’s head bartender, Constantino Armocida, includes a selection of gin cocktails that show the versatility of the UK’s favourite spirit, and also ...
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