[London] St. John

Categories london
[London] St. John

Like my FACEBOOK PAGE or follow me on TWITTER / 微博!

St. John

Add: 26 Saint John Street, London EC1M 4AY
Tel: 020 3301 8069
Hours: [Mon-Fri] 12~2:45pm, 6~10:45pm [Sat] 6~10:45pm [Sun] 1~2:45pm
Website: www.stjohngroup.uk.com
Price: £30~40/person
Visited on: Jan 2013

A plain, whitewashed restaurant with a “nose-to-tail” philosophy. Ah yes, all parts of the animal are used – neck, tongue, trotters, tail, liver, and heart. For the faint-hearted, there are dishes like seabass with butterbeans, but true gourmands go for the likes of roasted bone marrow with parsley salad.

Roast Bone Marrow & Parsley Salad (£7.20) is one dish that does not change on the menu at St. John. The bone comes from a calf’s leg, and is roasted in oven for twenty minutes until all the bone segments have nice crusty tops. The parsley salad on the side is mixed with thinly sliced shallots and capers, then dressed with lemon juice and olive oil right before serving.

Continue Reading "[London] St. John" →

[London] Ottolenghi

Categories london
[London] Ottolenghi

Like my FACEBOOK PAGE or follow me on TWITTER / 微博!

Ottolenghi

Add*: 63 Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, London W11 2AD
Tel: 020 7727 1121
Hours: [Mon-Fri] 8am~8pm [Sat] 8am~7pm [Sun] 8:30am~6pm
Website: www.ottolenghi.co.uk
Price: £10~20
Visited on: Jan 2013

There’s a vibrant vitality at Ottolenghi, one that immediately affects you as soon as you step inside. It’s a combination of the sun-filled interior, lush salads on display, and upbeat staff members buzzing around the small shop. Takeaway section at the front and a small table that seats no more than 10 at the back. Serves fresh salads, simple main courses, and glorious, glorious pastries that have me drooling through the window display.

*Four locations available in London, check website for details.

“Uncomplicated, unadulterated, emanating from genuine instincts” is the claim on Ottolenghi’s website. Take a look at this salad display and you will believe it’s true.

Continue Reading "[London] Ottolenghi" →

[London] Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea at Sanderson Hotel

Categories london
[London] Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea at Sanderson Hotel

Like my FACEBOOK PAGE or follow me on TWITTER / 微博!

Sanderson Hotel

Add: 50 Berners Street London, W1T 3NG
Tel: 020 7300 1400
Hours: [afternoon tea] 11am – 5:30pm
Website: www.sandersonlondon.com
Price: [afternoon tea] £35 [champagne afternoon tea] £45
Visited on: Dec 2012

People tell me that having high tea at a fancy hotel (read: Ritz-Carlton) in London is an absolute must, but I wasn’t so enthusiastic about this type of classic three-tiered affairs since I’ve already tried quite a few in some very prestigious five-star establishments. I was pretty set on skipping afternoon tea in London until I read about Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea at Sanderson Hotel: “We invite you to tumble down the rabbit hole and enjoy the wonderful world of Afternoon Tea in our beautiful Courtyard Garden…with menus hidden inside vintage books, napkins wrapped with riddles, teapots adorned with kings and queens…”

Curious, very curious.

So I made a booking for tea at Sanderson Hotel (£35/person, or £45 with champagne) to experience its Alice in Wonderland set up. Indeed, the napkins came wrapped with riddles.

And menus were hidden inside vintage books.

Teapots, adorned with kings and queens.

Continue Reading "[London] Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea at Sanderson Hotel" →

[London] The Ledbury

Categories london
[London] The Ledbury

Like my FACEBOOK PAGE or follow me on TWITTER / 微博!

The Ledbury

Add: 127 Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, London W11 2AQ
Tel: 020 7792 9090
Hours: [Mon] 6:30~10:15pm [Tue-Sat] 12~2pm, 6:30~10:15pm [Sun] 12~2:30pm, 7~10pm
Website: www.theledbury.com
Price: [lunch] £45/5 courses, £85/8 Courses [dinner] £90/8 Courses
Visited on: Jan 2013

Let’s start with the accolades. 2 Michelin stars, #14 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2012, London Restaurant of the Year 2012 by Food and Travel Magazine, and UK’s best restaurant for the third year in a row by National Restaurant Awards. I was lucky enough to snatch one of its highly coveted tables due to a last-minute cancellation on January 1, so this was where my first meal of 2013 took place. Elegant decor, refined service, and most importantly, dishes with delicate and layered flavors that are imaginative but not overly radical.

What a meal to start the new year.

Amuse bouche: Poppy Seed Tartlet with Gruyere Cream. Crispy, creamy, with a hint of cumin.

Continue Reading "[London] The Ledbury" →

[London] Cafeand

Categories london
[London] Cafeand

Like my FACEBOOK PAGE or follow me on TWITTER / 微博!

Cafeand

Add: 77 Redchurch Street, London E2 7DJ
Tel: 020 3487 0980
Hours: [Wed-Sun] 10:30am~6pm (closed on Mon & Tue)
Website: www.cafeand.co.uk
Price: [pies and tarts] approx. £5
Visited on: Jan 2013

Stumbling upon Cafeand was pure serendipity. I was wandering in Shoreditch on my last day in London, and this small concept store with a glass-to-ceiling shopfront attracted my attention. Upon entering, I was delighted to find a clean little cafe serving freshly-made, healthy, and delicious-looking pies and tarts. Good for the body, good for the soul.

Continue Reading "[London] Cafeand" →

[London] Daylesford Organic

Categories london
[London] Daylesford Organic

Like my FACEBOOK PAGE or follow me on TWITTER / 微博!

Daylesford Organic

Add: 208-212 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill, London W11 2RH
Tel: 020 7313 8050
Hours: [Mon-Sat] 8am~7pm [Sun] 10am~4pm
Website: www.daylesfordorganic.com
Price: [bakery] £2.50~5.50 [main courses] £10~15
Visited on: Jan 2013

What it is: a grocery with heaps of shining produce and artisanal cheeses, a deli/bakery with freshly tossed salads and baked goods, and a sit-down restaurant that serves simple meals throughout the day. The idea of Daylesford Organic is simple – to provide fresh, organic food directly from farm to city. Why yes, what a lovely concept.

Continue Reading "[London] Daylesford Organic" →

[London] The Wolseley

Categories london
[London] The Wolseley

Like my FACEBOOK PAGE or follow me on TWITTER / 微博!

The Wolseley

Add: 160 Piccadilly, London W1J 9EB
Tel: 020 7499 6996
Hours: [Mon-Fri] 7am~12am [Sat] 8am~12am [Sun] 8am~11pm
Website: www.thewolseley.com
Price: [breakfast] £15~20
Visited on: Jan 2013

Breakfast at The Wolseley is an institution. There’s even a book dedicated to it, literally titled “Breakfast at The Wolesley”, written by British restaurant critic A.A. Gill – and this could very well be a marketing gimmick, but I did find breakfast here to be an enjoyable experience. Grandiose decor, lively atmosphere, and pleasant if not especially memorable food. A must do in London? Not really, but if you have the spare time, why not?

Beautiful interior.

Busy bees in and outside the kitchen.

Freshly baked viennoiseries.

Continue Reading "[London] The Wolseley" →

[Sydney] Park Hyatt Afternoon Tea + Hotel Tour

Categories sydney
[Sydney] Park Hyatt Afternoon Tea + Hotel Tour

Like my FACEBOOK PAGE or follow me on TWITTER / 微博!

Park Hyatt Sydney

Add: 7 Hickson Road, The Rocks, Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia
Tel: +61 2 9256 1234
Website: sydney.park.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels-sydney-park
Visited on: 2012-04

After 11 months of closing and a multimillion-dollar renovation, Park Hyatt reopened in March 2012 – just in time for my visit ;). The exterior remained unchanged, but everything inside has been torn down and rebuilt in a contemporary yet relaxing style. Think natural colors, sandstone walls, raw materials, and wooden sculptures. Location? The tip of Sydney Cove, with the Harbour Bridge on one side, the Opera House in front, and The Rocks on the other – the best in Sydney, hands down. Well then, let’s take a tour!

We first dropped by The Living Room, a residential lounge employing natural fabrics, timber flooring, sunlit-drenched lounges, floor-to-ceiling glass windows, and – of course – a view of the glittering harbor.

Continue Reading "[Sydney] Park Hyatt Afternoon Tea + Hotel Tour" →

[Sydney] Quay

Categories sydney
[Sydney] Quay

Like my FACEBOOK PAGE or follow me on TWITTER / 微博!

Quay

Add: Upper Level, Overseas Passenger Terminal, The Rocks, Sydney 2000
Tel: (61 2) 9251 5600
Hours: [lunch] Tue-Fri 12~2:30pm [dinner] Mon-Sun 6~10pm
Website: www.quay.com.au
Price: [lunch] 125~220 AUD/set [dinner] 165~220 AUD/set
Visited on: 2012-04

I was so mesmerized by the dishes at Quay that at the end of our three-hour lunch, all I wanted was to have the whole thing start over again. Peter Gilmore has the enviable ability to coax the elegance and beauty out of the best ingredients, then orchestrate them on the plate to form a harmonious balance – so ethereal that everything seem held together by not much more than a wish!

The restaurant is set so close to Sydney Opera House that I could almost grab it with my hand. Unfortunately the weather was not shining for us that day, and we could only enjoy the view through heavy curtains of rain. On a sunny day, the pearlescent white of the Opera House against the blue of the sky and ocean would be a most stunning backdrop.

We started with a glass of 2010 Krinklewood Chardonnay from Hunter Valley (17 AUD) and a 2011 Thistle Hill Riesling from Mudgee (18 AUD).

Continue Reading "[Sydney] Quay" →