There are times when less just simply isn’t more. Bored by minimalism and modernity, we’re hankering after the kind of extravagance that would make a maharajah blush. We’re talking grand beds with marshmallow-plump bedspreads and squashy silk cushions, lofty ceilings with ornate frescoes, walls bedecked with paintings of stirring scenes and haughty miens and bathrooms so seductive, you’ll be tempted to forsake dry land for a lifetime of bathing bliss
Read more here:
Hotel of the week: Residenza Napoleone III
Ooh la la, vive la France, c’est la vie – plus any other linguistic cliché you care to cull from the French dictionary – it’s Bastille Day across the Channel! While Parisians line the Champs-Elysées to watch the traditional 14 Juillet parade , we prefer to celebrate by reminding you of some of our favourite things about the French capital (not including our new France guidebook , and political ardour notwithstanding). In no particular order, our pick of Some of the Best Things in Paris * • Innovation – the French flair for the unusual and quirky is perfectly portrayed by the offbeat decor at Hotel Particulier Montmartre (right). Other good places to investigate Parisian quirk and ensure the revolutionary spirit is alive and well include the Pompidou Centre (check out the shop for modern homewares), L’Institut du Monde Arabe (for incroyable architecture), the Marais (for its independent boutiques and bars), and cult style-store Colette (for avant garde up-and-coming consumer goods).
Originally posted here:
Postcard from Paris: long live the revolution!
‘You are now In London, that great sea, whose ebb and flow At once is deaf and loud, and on the shore Vomits its wrecks, and still howls on for more. Yet in its depth what treasures!’ (Percy Bysshe Shelley, letter to Maria Gisborne, 1820) It’s easy to fall out of love with London life – the city’s din and dirt can get to even the most nonchalant native – but with a little urban rummaging, it’s equally easy to fall right back in love again.
Read this article:
Cocktails at Callooh Callay
One of the many great things about the Ledbury (yes I know I’m slightly obsessed with the place and do keep going on about it but bear with me) is that despite the fancy-pants multiple-Michelin-starred food and gleaming service you never feel like you’re trespassing in a hallowed temple of gastronomy; eating in the buzzy, spacious room and dealing with the affable staff is easy and comfortable, and the emphasis seems to be on having a good time rather than silently noting the chef’s plating skills.
View original post here:
Gauthier, Soho
Its uniquely carved displays on the windows are the best in the city. Shoppers passing by the store often stop in front of the building’s clock which chimes every hour and again at every 15 minutes, and just then the faces of Fortnum and Mason …
See the article here:
Fortnum and Mason ? London?s history relived | Articles
Acquamara has arrived in London, in an exclusive deal with the famous J Sheekey Oyster Bar in Covent Garden. Richard Kirkwood, head chef at J Sheekey, decided to introduce it into the Oyster Bar menu first,and Acquamara founder Andy Inglis was lucky enough to be there, sitting at the bar, watching (and smelling) mussels being cooked in his product, Hebridean seawater, wondering how it was simultaneoulsy possible to feel that he coudn’t have been further away from Berneray, and to feel so close… Sheekey’s is, he decided, the natural home for Acquamara: full of worldly and cosmopolitan people who know and appreciate their food
See the original post here:
Acquamara hits London!
The slow movement is very popular in London now. The concept at Terroirs embraces this and reflects Parisian natural wine bars with their emphasis on superb, rarely-seen wines, informal yet informed service, and excellent, hearty food. The charcuterie, cheeses and small plates or tapas make us look forward to a visit but we have to admit we are most looking forward to the desserts: Sicilian lemon posset, Agen prune and armagnac tart and crepes & salted butter caramel have almost become fixtures on the menu.
See the original post:
Terroirs Wine Bar and Restaurant
Luxury London Hotels – Located in fashionable Covent Garden this award winning 5 star hotel in London boasts two restaurants , a stunning swimming pool with underground music and a state of the art gym with personal trainers.
See the article here:
Luxury London Hotel – Luxury Hotel In london – 5 star Hotel london
Believe it or not, this is my first ever soft opening. Traditionally, through a combination of ignorance and sheer laziness, I was never the first person to hear about new restaurants, and was quite happy to leave that expensive and often painful job to those with thicker skins – and wallets – than my own. That usually meant Dos Hermanos , with their encyclopaedic knowledge of the restaurant trade and endless capacity for disappointment, got there first, which was fine by me
Continued here:
Redhook, Farringdon
It will provide residents in Royal Docks with direct access to the bars, restaurants and cinemas in North Greenwich; A low emission mode of public transport allowing the river to be crossed with no impact on air quality; Attracting new visitors to east London with … TfL is continuing to investigate the best means of providing this. Other options being considered include improvements for pedestrians and cyclists and the potential for new links in areas further east …
View post:
Plans unveiled for a new Thames crossing with London`s first cable …
Last weekend, I made my way to the annual Taste of London Festival . Held every year in Regents Park, Taste of London is a celebration of the best gourmet food, Michelin-starred chefs and restaurants the capital has to offer. Luscious vegan cakes at the Global Fusion Bakery With over 40 mini-restaurants, gastronomic delicacies and samples galore, and cooking demonstrations by top chefs such as Heston Blumenthal (his molecular gastronomic creations would make Willy Wonka look like an amateur), Rick Stein, the dishy Tom Aikens and Rachel Allen, it’s like the fashion week of food
View post:
The Taste of London
Widely regarded as London’s best Italian restaurant with great pedigree in the kitchen that has produced many successful alumni and imitations, the River Café, with its minimalist, sleek design and light color scheme that blend …
Read more:
Where to Eat and Drink in London during Wimbledon | Passport …
London has many activities that kids and adults alike would love to do together, like dining in popular restaurants for families, showing ones creativity in the many activity centers, and action packed adventure tours. …
Read more:
Learn London's Best Landmarks As Well As Essential Vacation …
Palmers Restaurant, near Victoria Park Several months ago, we saw this positive review in TimeOut about Palmers Restaurant , a place serving creative gourmet food not far from Victoria Park in East London. We thought it sounded interesting, but considering how hard it is to convince our W postcode friends to come over to N1, we didn’t dare try to convince them to schlepp to E2, so Palmers languished in the back of our memories. Until last weekend, that is.
Read the original post:
Palmers Restaurant, Bethnal Green
Some people – the irritating gits – are born over-achievers. Normally the CV and career path of chefs is of little interest to anyone other than the most obsessive restaurant geek (that would be me, then), but how the Ledbury came about is a glowing tribute to the talents of one of our most exciting young cooks. Brett Graham arrived in this country (according to my sources ) in 2000.
View original post here:
The Ledbury, Notting Hill
I had my very first bánh mì (a kind of Vietnamese/French street food snack) from a little stall on Broadway Market over a year ago, and really rather enjoyed it. First of all, I was surprised by the texture of the bread – I’m told genuine bánh mì use baguettes made of rice flour, which provide a much softer texture than the usual crusty French sticks. Secondly, the filling was also interesting, with all the familiar flavours of good Vietnamese food (coriander, spicy grilled pork paté, pickled carrots and I think perhaps a dash of fish sauce) in a handy lunchbox-sized portion.
See the original post here:
Banh Mi Bay, Bloomsbury
Anna Richardson, is the presenter of ‘My Big Fat Diet Show’ and author of ‘ Anna Richardson’s Body Blitz’ is running an exclusive diet workshop, Body Blitz and Beyond , in Kensington this Saturday , 19 June . We’re a sucker for celebrities revealing their holiday secrets, and a piece on Park-Life.org piqued our interest when we spotted Anna ’s bikini-body tips on the blog for her local London neighbourhood … W hat’s your favourite holiday destination? I have an obsession with the Balearics
Original post:
Grab your bikini! Anna Richardson has some holiday tips
You’ll often hear it said that service in London restaurants isn’t up to the standard of the USA, particularly New York. It seems natural to compare these two cities – both hugely important, with vibrant food cultures and each with a smattering of internationally influential restaurants and chefs – and it’s fun contrasting the strengths and weaknesses of each; London for its South Asian cuisine and gastropubs, New York for its delis and sushi
See original here:
Bistrot Bruno Loubet, Clerkenwell
Bar Boulud at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Knightsbridge Lately, it feels like American expats have been drawn to Bar Boulud like moths to a flame. Despite my short-lived attempts to resist the PR and marketing hype surrounding Daniel Boulud ‘s first foray into London, different American dining companions have insisted we eat at BB on at least three separate occasions. I declined one and gave in to the other two, which means that just over a week ago, I ate at Bar Boulud on Wednesday and Saturday evenings.
Follow this link:
Bar Boulud, Knightsbridge
‘In nothing more is the English genius for domesticity more notably declared than in the institution of this festival – almost one may call it – of afternoon tea… The mere chink of cups and saucers tunes the mind to happy repose.’ (George Gissing, The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft ) Is there anyone in the world who doesn’t have a daily longing for tea and cake? Here at Smith HQ, four o’clock is essentially tea-and-cake o’clock.
Read more from the original source:
Tea for two at Dean Street Townhouse