I always said that October was going to be busy; my diary has been crammed to bursting point and Andy has been a bit of a blog widow (an excellent term coined by Angie!) for most of the month, but I've certainly seen much more of London this month and enjoyed every second of it.
The Diary
This month has been incredible in terms of the events I've been lucky enough to attend. My favourite event being an intimate chef's table where I was able to meet Mark Hix and Dan Doherty, an experience that I'll remember for a long time to come. I also attended the relaunch of Palm Court at The Langham where I met the lovely Mehreen and experience a taste of the delicious new menu.
Andrea and I also attended Stylist Live, where we had a fabulous day hearing all about how ROKA prepare their yellow fin tuna, learning how to cook with Daylsford Cooking School, did a spot of shopping and drank allll the prosecco before heading to Pizza Union to end the night.
Finally, I visited the brand new British Museum of Food by Bompass and Parr, which explores food from the field to the table and beyond. I loved the menu archive, where we saw a selection of the 4,000 menus that Bompass and Parr have been given, as well as exploring the butterfly room, a room dedicated to celebrating the unsung heroes of pollination. It's only there for three months to start with so make sure you head down soon!
In very exciting personal news I've also started on the path to finding my first flat in London, how I'm going to decorate it, and even going a bit overboard a designing my dream kitchen!
The Jet Setter
Travel wise October has been quiet as I've spent most of my time in London, but I finished all my Croatia posts and shared all my Hvar and Dubrovnik posts. In Hvar we stayed in the beautiful Hotel Amfora, spent one of the best days of our holiday at Bonj Les Bains Luxury Beach Club and enjoyed sunset cocktails at Hula Hula Bar.
Dubrovnik was a different experience, and a case of avoiding the tourists, so we took to the sea and explored Dubrovnik by kayak. We were also fortunate to stay at one of the most beautiful boutique hotels, St Joseph's before enjoying our final days and coming home.
After exploring Croatia, it was off to Marrakech and telling you about the 10 things I wish I knew before I visited, the most beautiful garden and a very luxurious lunch and hotel!
Even though I've not been anywhere this month, next month is looking very exciting with both trips to Paris and trips to Jersey booked!
The Foodie
October has been a crazy month for my inner foodie, especially since it was London Restaurant Festival. I loved trying both Nobu, with Angie, and Hakkasan Hanway, with Andy, for the first time as part of the incredible festival menus. I know set menus aren't always as great as choosing what you want from the a la carte menu, but I was very impressed with both of these and can't wait to go back and experience these restaurants again.
The LRF menu that I was slightly disappointed by was Ten Room at Hotel Cafe Royal, as the starter really didn't live up to expectations.
It wasn't just festival menus that I tried, I also experienced the Japanese Restaurant Hopping Tour with Carrie, which was a great excuse to try different restaurants and catch up with one of my best friends.
Apart from making the absolute most of LRF, I've also spent time eating out catching up with friends, including Honey and Andrea at Jean Jacques, seeing Frankie for breakfast at LIMA Floral (a restaurant I'm determined to go back to!), and catching up with both Frankie and Kirsty for brunch at The Exhibit. There's something wonderful about catching up with friends over good food that just makes me so happy - which is probably why I do it so often!
Finally, I did manage to squeeze a date night in at Noir W1, a cocktail bar in Marylebone that I think is going to become a real date night favourite.
The Country Girl
Even though I've spent a lot of time in London this month, I've still found time to spend at home with my parents and Mr Sandy, exploring the beautiful countryside and enjoying all the beautiful autumn colours.
Though mum and I normally head up to London for a special treat, we did head down to Down Hall for a Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea which was a real treat and a lovely country house hotel that I would love to revisit.
Top 5 New Openings
There's lots going on in London this month that I'm really excited about; there's something magical about London in the winter, about finding spots like Forest Restaurant and Cabin Bar, the redesigned Selfridge's rooftop restaurant where I can drink the delicious seasonal cocktails and delicious food after an afternoon of Christmas shopping.
I've only been to Cahoots briefly, but I'm very excited to go back for their Squiffy Picnic (you can read Colleen's review already!): a very British and very unique afternoon tea picnic experience. Served in a hamper with English sparkling wine and hip flasks, I can't wait to try this out!
As I'm already a huge fan of Mr Fogg's, when I heard that Mr Fogg's Tavern has just opened in Covent Garden, well, it was just a case of picking a day and getting it in the diary. Whether you're looking for somewhere new to eat in Covent Garden, or just want a delicious cocktail, especially a G&T, this has to be high up on your November visit list.
Continuing the Winter theme, York and Albany, a Gordon Ramsay restaurant, has just opened their Winter Chalet which looks like the perfect spot to cosy up on a cold winter day. It's the perfect place to retreat to to feel festive and snuggle up away from the London chaos, while still being ideally located next to Regent's Park.
Finally, I'll be heading down to the House of Peroni's latest pop up, themed along the idea of Vita all'Interno, a life lived inside, to experience their secret rooms (accessed only by special keys), the bespoke private, immersive dining experience - it sounds like it's going to be a great night and a highlight of my November!
It's been a fabulous month, and I've already got some very exciting plans coming up in November - I can't wait!
The Diary
This month has been incredible in terms of the events I've been lucky enough to attend. My favourite event being an intimate chef's table where I was able to meet Mark Hix and Dan Doherty, an experience that I'll remember for a long time to come. I also attended the relaunch of Palm Court at The Langham where I met the lovely Mehreen and experience a taste of the delicious new menu.
Andrea and I also attended Stylist Live, where we had a fabulous day hearing all about how ROKA prepare their yellow fin tuna, learning how to cook with Daylsford Cooking School, did a spot of shopping and drank allll the prosecco before heading to Pizza Union to end the night.
Finally, I visited the brand new British Museum of Food by Bompass and Parr, which explores food from the field to the table and beyond. I loved the menu archive, where we saw a selection of the 4,000 menus that Bompass and Parr have been given, as well as exploring the butterfly room, a room dedicated to celebrating the unsung heroes of pollination. It's only there for three months to start with so make sure you head down soon!
In very exciting personal news I've also started on the path to finding my first flat in London, how I'm going to decorate it, and even going a bit overboard a designing my dream kitchen!
The Jet Setter
Travel wise October has been quiet as I've spent most of my time in London, but I finished all my Croatia posts and shared all my Hvar and Dubrovnik posts. In Hvar we stayed in the beautiful Hotel Amfora, spent one of the best days of our holiday at Bonj Les Bains Luxury Beach Club and enjoyed sunset cocktails at Hula Hula Bar.
Dubrovnik was a different experience, and a case of avoiding the tourists, so we took to the sea and explored Dubrovnik by kayak. We were also fortunate to stay at one of the most beautiful boutique hotels, St Joseph's before enjoying our final days and coming home.
After exploring Croatia, it was off to Marrakech and telling you about the 10 things I wish I knew before I visited, the most beautiful garden and a very luxurious lunch and hotel!
Even though I've not been anywhere this month, next month is looking very exciting with both trips to Paris and trips to Jersey booked!
The Foodie
October has been a crazy month for my inner foodie, especially since it was London Restaurant Festival. I loved trying both Nobu, with Angie, and Hakkasan Hanway, with Andy, for the first time as part of the incredible festival menus. I know set menus aren't always as great as choosing what you want from the a la carte menu, but I was very impressed with both of these and can't wait to go back and experience these restaurants again.
The LRF menu that I was slightly disappointed by was Ten Room at Hotel Cafe Royal, as the starter really didn't live up to expectations.
It wasn't just festival menus that I tried, I also experienced the Japanese Restaurant Hopping Tour with Carrie, which was a great excuse to try different restaurants and catch up with one of my best friends.
Apart from making the absolute most of LRF, I've also spent time eating out catching up with friends, including Honey and Andrea at Jean Jacques, seeing Frankie for breakfast at LIMA Floral (a restaurant I'm determined to go back to!), and catching up with both Frankie and Kirsty for brunch at The Exhibit. There's something wonderful about catching up with friends over good food that just makes me so happy - which is probably why I do it so often!
Finally, I did manage to squeeze a date night in at Noir W1, a cocktail bar in Marylebone that I think is going to become a real date night favourite.
The Country Girl
Even though I've spent a lot of time in London this month, I've still found time to spend at home with my parents and Mr Sandy, exploring the beautiful countryside and enjoying all the beautiful autumn colours.
Though mum and I normally head up to London for a special treat, we did head down to Down Hall for a Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea which was a real treat and a lovely country house hotel that I would love to revisit.
Top 5 New Openings
There's lots going on in London this month that I'm really excited about; there's something magical about London in the winter, about finding spots like Forest Restaurant and Cabin Bar, the redesigned Selfridge's rooftop restaurant where I can drink the delicious seasonal cocktails and delicious food after an afternoon of Christmas shopping.
Image Courtesy of Blonde Across the Pond |
As I'm already a huge fan of Mr Fogg's, when I heard that Mr Fogg's Tavern has just opened in Covent Garden, well, it was just a case of picking a day and getting it in the diary. Whether you're looking for somewhere new to eat in Covent Garden, or just want a delicious cocktail, especially a G&T, this has to be high up on your November visit list.
Image Courtesy of York and Albany |
Finally, I'll be heading down to the House of Peroni's latest pop up, themed along the idea of Vita all'Interno, a life lived inside, to experience their secret rooms (accessed only by special keys), the bespoke private, immersive dining experience - it sounds like it's going to be a great night and a highlight of my November!
It's been a fabulous month, and I've already got some very exciting plans coming up in November - I can't wait!