All posts tagged: Tried & enjoyed

Tried & enjoyed: The Jugged Hare: a typical British gastropub

I need to be in London for work reasons quite often. My motto has always been ‘combine work and pleasure in your job’, and I try to live by that motto. So when traveling, I always look for new places to eat, drink, chat, sleep or dance. We had to be in the neighborhood of The Barbican for a seminar, and this pub has always been one I wanted to check out. Not that I particularly like the dead animals in the window, but they are a part of the pub’s story and to be honest, I do like to eat fish, meat and other kind of living creatures. The Jugged Hare is a so called gastropub, where you can either hang on the bar and have some strong draught Ales, Lagers, Stout or ciders. The bar is filled with the typical London ’suits’, relaxed chatting with other traders, bankers and other City workers. Everywhere in the pub you see animals from the hunt, as a kind of trophy in closets, armoires or on the wall. This …

Tried & enjoyed: Allpress, the London coffee aroma

When in London, it’s always good to have an extra day, just to enjoy ‘The City’. Always new hotspots to discover,  interesting new retail and inspirational little venues that we just love: almost new, just opened, evergreens and forgotten places…     During our day in Shoreditch, we found this no nonsense roastery & cafe in Redchurch Street. Following the magnificent scent of fresh roasted coffee circling in the surrounding streets brought us to Allpress. We loved the outside of the building: people sitting on some outdoor benches (like everywhere in London), an open door and a very welcoming staff smiling like as you’re a good friend. We had a delicious breakfast: a plate with smoke salmon, avocado, some goat cheese, very tasty cherry tomatoes, 2 slices of roasted organic bread, farmers butter, a soft boiled egg and a cucumber 🙂 The coffee? Great. Fresh roasted, strong and hot. An extra? The hot coco with slowly melting chocolate. Mmmmmmm… The Allpress crowd? Really all sorts sit together on simple wooden tables: local business or gallery people, families with young children, …

Tried & enjoyed: The Hoxton Hotel in London Shoreditch

Last week I needed to be in London for a trend seminar. So looking for an inspiring spot to stay, I bumped into The Hoxton Hotel-an award winning a boutique hotelsituated in the heart of Shoreditch. The Hoxton Manor theme room The Hoxton Hotel bar and lobby was packed with young Shoreditch hipsters, lobby-working locals and relaxed visitors from all over Europe. The very helpful and most friendly staff (all mixed nationalities, nice!) surprised me with an unexpected ‘upgrade’ to one of the “very demanded, but o so sold-out” theme rooms.   We got the ‘Hoxton Manor’, a quite small but very fun room on the top floor. The theme of this one tries to catch the unique feel of the Shoreditch area: the use of traditional, honest materials, such as brick, timber and ceramic are wittily blended with classic English eccentricity and an arty styling. Do not take this room seriously, see it as a step into the past, with 80 ties inspired street art and wall stickers, a super-sized bed with heavenly soft pillows, …

Tried & enjoyed: Hotel New York: our favorite spot in Rotterdam for years

Every now and then we head off to Rotterdam, just to be there, just to feel the changes in the city architecture and, without any exception, to have lunch at Hotel New York. A sleep over is even better but not on our agenda.(Never had a disappointing room, always a stunning view and surprising furniture and space!) This time we went to Dordrecht for an exhibition (Dortyart-see previous posts), but after our visit, Rotterdam was only 20 km away…Hotel New York was so close, we couldn’t resist. Voila! About the visit we can be short. It’s always nice. In summer you can strech out on one of the hundred beach chairs gathered on the grass field in front of the hotel: best view ever! And in more winter times, sky is normally clear, sometimes sunny and always windy. Great!   First try to get a table as much towards the windows as possible. beware, this is NOT a quiet place for intimate diners. Always crowd, always fun but also noisy family or friends reunions, a …