Europe

October 1, 2019 by monica Leave a Comment

ARTESIAN BAR AT THE LANGHAM

Travel

THE ARTESIAN BAR AT THE LANGHAM

THE ARTESIAN BAR

The Artesian Bar at the Langham isn’t just another London hotel cocktail bar. It’s a special place serving award winning, well thought out drinks and high quality food in a sophisticated but accessible setting.

The word Artesian

The word Artesian in Artesian Bar literally means flowing from underground to the surface, that’s where artesian wells get their name. But interestingly there is a cocktail kitchen laboratory complete with thermomix, sous vide, dehydrator and even a centrifuge machine in the basement. This laboratory serves to generate the cocktails in the Artesian bar up above on the ground floor. So there is a flow from underground to the surface here too.

What is my favourite cocktail at the Artesian Bar?

Definitely the Gentiane Grey Goose vodka with rhubarb sparkling wine. A light pink, icy drink served in a wine glass. It tasted fizzy, slightly spicy but was incredibly smooth and a bit summery all at once. Interesting to note, as I never choose to drink vodka based drinks at all, but this was and will be an exception. I would definitely have this again. The rhubarb sparkling wine is not an English wine but sourced from Latvia and tasted amazing as an alternative to champagne.

…Brilliant for a special occasion or for whenever you need to feel better about your situation in life.

Food at the Artesian

We were surprised at the variety and quality of the bar food menu. You could almost say our snacks comprised of a mini meal that perfectly accompanied our drinks. Expect plump chicken gyozas, bite size ham and cheese toasties and specially cured gravadlax salmon on rye bread.

Meet me at the Artesian Bar

Get a feel of the vibe of this place.

Prices at the Artesian

Chicken Gyozas 9 pounds

Whiskey cured salmon on pumpernickel bread 9 pounds

Ham and Cheese toasties with tarragon 10 pounds

All cocktails are 20 pounds.

There are non alcoholic versions available too.

snacks are served from 5.30 to 1.00am

Location

where is the Artesian Bar

very near Oxford Circus tube

This review was written in conjunction with the Langham Hotel London. Would I spend my own money for a cocktail and a snack here? Yes absolutely, without a doubt, and I would highly recommend the experience. Thank you to the Langham for introducing me to the Artesian.

Monica Kapila

as seen at the Artesian

Passing shot

If you want to know what it would be like to stay at the Langham, then read our review of a stay at the Langham in London.

Note: They also have a cookery school called Sauce where you can learn the building blocks of excellent cooking.

Thank you Monica.

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August 25, 2019 by monica 1 Comment

COOKING LESSONS in LONDON SAUCE by the Langham

Immerse yourself in some cooking lessons in London Sauce by the Langham.

A classy, interactive, fun, cooking workshop where you’ll hone your culinary skills regardless of the level you’re currently at.

Building Blocks of Good Cooking

The cooking school is called Sauce and the lessons are all about the building blocks of good cooking. I tried their Stocks and Sauces course one Saturday in July.

The workshop includes lunch with wine, a tour of the Roux at the Landau kitchen, all your instruction, ingredients to replicate everything you’ve watched being made and you get to take home your creations too.

Coffee and gorgeous snacks are also included to help you get through the day.

What do you learn in your cooking lessons in London Sauce by the Langham

We learnt how to make chicken stock, chicken jus, a sauce Antiboise, Hollandaise sauce and variations on that as well as a superb Crème Anglaise sweet sauce.

How do they teach you

We watched a very informative, practical demonstration by the Kitchen Manager Millie Simpson for each dish and then returned to our fully equipped cooking stations to replicate what we had seen but under some expert guidance. We didn’t have to clear anything away or wash up. You do need to keep your station tidy though.

Do you need to know how to cook

No, you don’t need to know how you cook, but you must have a keen interest in cooking and you probably do cook a bit yourself at home. Millie showed us classical, but accessible French methods to make our stocks and sauces. There aren’t really any short cuts. You do have to be quite energetic, not be afraid of sharp knives and quite quick at your workstation. There is a fair amount of cooking involved in the workshop so you get great value for money.

I learned how to:

expertly cut onions (banana shallots, always hold at the root)

concasse tomatoes (blanche with a slit, peel, petal and dice)

make a good crème anglaise from scratch (and I know how to rescue if needed)

make a chicken jus

make a sauce Antiboise

we were shown MUCH MORE than the above, but I am confident at trying all I have listed having done the lessons with Millie!

What was the most impressive dish

The brown chicken jus:
I would never have believed such a tasty, classy chicken jus could be made by simply starting to roast chicken wings in their own fat in the oven, lot’s more to do after that of course, but that’s how you start.

The crème anglaise:
Even the one I made (that needed rescuing in a water bath) was a good French restaurant quality custard. Creamy, not too sweet, milky and infused with vanilla pods, I served mine cold the next day with warm rhubarb crumble dessert.

I have also learnt that there is a logical order involved in sauce making:

It’s Alcohol followed by Stock followed by Fat

REMEMBER

ALCOHOL THEN STOCK THEN FAT

Course details

The class started at 9.15am with a light breakfast. It finished with lunch and wine at about 2.15pm.

Cost £150.00 per person.

It’s a great, group activity. Go with some mates and combine with a cocktail at the award winning Artesian bar on the ground floor before you leave.

Sauce is located on the first floor of the Langham hotel in London.

Disclaimer: This post was written in conjunction with the Langham but the views are all my own. Would I do a class here again? I would definitely do the pasta making cooking lessons for sure. Some of the participants in our class had already done it and highly recommended it.

Monica

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July 10, 2019 by monica Leave a Comment

SHORT BREAK IN BUDAPEST

Why consider a short break in Budapest

A short break in Budapest is an easy 5-hour flight away on Emirates. English is widely spoken there and your money goes a long way in this historic city with gorgeous architecture. It’s a very walk able city and nowhere near as crowded as nearby Prague. No visa requirements for British passport holders unlike St Petersburg which was our first choice.

Where to stay when on a short break in Budapest

We stayed at the Marriott Budapest hotel as it was reasonably priced and well located. A rate of roughly 812 Euros for 2 people for 3 nights is what we got in June 2019. We booked directly over the phone.

Our rate included breakfast and taxes. The Marriott is also a brand we’re familiar with. It’s on the Pest side of the city, definitely the side you want to stay on. It’s more lively and easy to get to most of the city from Pest.

The hotel is on the river Danube and close to the Intercontinental and the Four Seasons. Just in the same line. You have good views of the river from your room and there are also clubrooms that offer you a beautiful terrace with stunning views.

The outside of the hotel is quite boxy though and not very attractive, but you’re only sleeping there. Breakfast is very good and the whole hotel has quite a contemporary feel. There are 3 Marriott hotels in Budapest, this is the Marriott Budapest that is located on the Danube. Tell that to your taxi driver.

Getting into town from the airport

Take a taxi from the official stand at the airport and clearly tell them your hotel, also ask how roughly how much it will the cost to get there. It should be around 9000 Hungarian Forints or 27 to 30 Euros.

WARNING A note on taking taxis on your short break in Budapest

We generally had good experiences taking taxis from hotels and we always asked roughly how much the fare would be to our destination. We were unaware that simply hailing a taxi on the street could result in much higher fares as these are run by sometimes unscrupulous companies, try to avoid this, go to a hotel and order from there or walk back!

Which currency to use in Budapest

The local currency is the Hungarian forint and everything is priced in local currency. So change money early on and try to pay in forints. You’ll pay a better rate for anything you buy. Credit cards are widely accepted. There is a little exchange near the Marriott Budapest hotel that gave us 310 forints for a euro and didn’t charge commission. That’s pretty good.

Ideas for a 3 day itinerary for your short break in Budapest

The Castle Complex in Buda, allow at least 3 hours for that trip. But do see our note below on best way to do this outing

A walk down Vaci street and surrounding roads, allow at least 2 to 3 hours

The main synagogue and walk in the Jewish quarter, allow about 2 hours. See our notes below on where to eat around here

A drink at the High Note Skybar at the Aria hotel, allow about 2 hours for this but you MUST BOOK

A drink and a pre dinner snack at the Parisi Udvar hotel, allow about 1.5 hours. This is a gorgeous building and has a great history

Dinner at Aszu restuarant, ideally on the pavement; we spent about 2 hours here. Great food and good wines

A trip to the Ludvig museum, it has some Picassos and lot’s of contemporary art. Walk back along Rada street

Factor in time for resting at your hotel and enjoying the steam, jacuzzi, sauna and possible pool dip. You’ll be doing lots of walking so you do need to rest a bit too. Also factor in time for taking loads of stop and stare photos, popping into churches, drinking glasses of chilled, cherry beer and hot cappuccinos.

This is how best to do the castle trip

Walk across the Chain bridge to the Buda side of the city and you’ll be met by the official Castle shuttle buggy bus service (blue and white) that offers you a circuit of 4 stops where you can get on and off as you please. Take this shuttle, it’s worth it and very convenient as there is a lot of walking involved.

When you get to the St Mathias church, the tower and Fisherman’s Bastion (stop 2), buy the combined ticket that allows you in to all the attractions. It’s only worth it IF you are going to go up the Mathias tower, beware though; it’s a very steep staircase with 200 steps. Coming down was more challenging for me than going up.

Pay in FORINTS as we have said already; if you are accompanied by school or college aged kids ask for a STUDENT PRICE for them, they rarely asked for student cards as proof. Note you do have to pay to use the toilet, in forints of course.

But the castle complex is gorgeous and well worth the trip. St Mathias church was converted to a mosque for 145 years then back to a church!

TAKE NOTE: There is a posh looking café called Felix at the end of Stop 4 of the buggy tour, we were desperate for a coffee and snack so we popped in.

It’s beautiful and food was very good and not too expensive but it was clear that they would rather we had not stopped at their establishment, at all.

Not sure why this was the case, we weren’t shabbily dressed, just a little hot from the 35 degrees walking around. Maybe you will be more warmly received!

More ideas for outings

What we didn’t do but you could try

A trip to Margaret Island

Swimming in any of the pools and spas

A trip out to a vineyard in the countryside

A visit to Parliament Building and Heroes Square

Taking a tram ride

Riding the funicular up to the Castle

If you'd like to eat and drink well in Budapest read on

For a quick, good quality, casual vegetarian meal or snack while shopping, try Fruccola just off Vaci street. Vegan options here too. Ice cream cones on the go are about 1 Euro from most stalls around here, but they don’t fill to the top, just one small scoop.

For an idling in-between meal snack break on a pretty square, try Gerloczy and order cherry beer or a lemonade with some pickles. Probably good for breakfast if your room rate doesn’t include it. Pop in to the flower shop on the corner and buy some beautiful Meraki candles and lavender to take home.

For a great cup of coffee and a cake in the Jewish quarter go to Magveto café. But wait till 12ish for the fresh cakes! Dreamy, warm, home made cherry pie with perfect pastry, very cool bookish café.

For a good lunch in the Jewish quarter with a nice vibe, try Mazel Tov, a large contemporary terrace type café/restaurant serving Middle Eastern food. Book if you can, but we just walked in.

For superlative pastries on the go and a take away coffee try the Nordic style Norma coffee shop, smells divine and Budapest’s answer to Ole and Steen! Try the cardamom and or cinnamon buns.

For a very good dinner, not expensive by Dubai standards try Aszu restaurant. You must book before hand though; I loved my trout fillet and rhubarb dessert. Try the Hungarian wine as well. Service was very good. I would go again.

For pre dinner drinks and a snack try the bruschetta at the Parisi Udvar hotel, fabulous customer service too! And they had a very helpful and knowledgeable concierge. This is a heritage hotel that is part the Hyatt Unbound collection.

GOOD TO KNOW
We wanted to go to Dobrumba restaurant for dinner but it was totally booked out, interestingly our hotel concierge had never heard of the place!

Do have a pre dinner drink at the High Note Sky bar roof top at the Aria hotel, we loved this. But you MUST BOOK before hand.

Remember it’s absolutely fine to order tap water for free at any restaurant or café in Hungary so that’s a good saving.

Less than happy f & b experiences on our short break in Budapest

Late morning coffee at the Four Seasons Gresham Palace.

Coffee and lemonade late morning at the Four Seasons should have been a relaxing, cool experience in a heritage building. But we received a why are you coming in here at all if you’re not staying here attitude and generally unfriendly and cold vibes. Amazingly good prices though! Less than Euros 3 for a good cup of coffee, but spoilt by the snotty, bad service. It wasn’t busy either.

Snack lunch at the Felix restaurant in Buda.

We’re not sure what we did to upset them, but they clearly weren’t happy for us to be at their very empty restaurant! Our food and drink was very good though, but the service and attitude left a bad taste in our mouths.

Drinks and snacks at the bar in the Marriott Budapest hotel.

We were made to feel rather silly for asking if there were crisps or peanuts at the bar that we could have along with our wine at about 5.00pm in the evening.

We moved to the next bar just a few steps along taking our drinks with us and ordered some crispy squid. Rubbery, chewy squid fried in processed breadcrumbs for almost 8 euros and very slow service. This was a shame as the views are so nice from this hotel. Do not even try to order anything off menu such as some Hungarian pickled vegetables; great with drinks, as the staff will be completely flummoxed!

Parting Shot

Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our short break to Budapest and would highly recommend it. But don’t go there if historic buildings are not your thing and you’re not keen on walking around. Good food is available as is lovely service but don’t expect it as routine in what is a city that is geared to tourists.

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Image of drink at High Note Sky Bar hotel short break in Budapest

Monica Kapila as seen in Budapest

September 16, 2018 by monica Leave a Comment

THE ONE BARCELONA

Location of The One Barcelona

The One Barcelona hotel is conveniently located for exploring the best bits of the city. It’s on a section of the Carrer de Provença and despite it being at the heart of great shopping, restaurants and cultural sites, it sits quietly and elegantly a few minutes away from the bustling crowds.

It’s a 5 star hotel at the top of its class and is perfect if you’re working or holidaying in Barcelona. It’s also worth noting the hotel is under half an hour’s drive from Barcelona’s El Prat airport. A taxi would cost you around 35 to 40 euros at the most.

Art at The One Barcelona

Expect to see plenty of well positioned, original, yes original pieces of art while you walk around the common parts of The One Barcelona. An eminent Spanish family who’ve been in the hotel industry since the 1980s own the hotel, but they’ve been collecting works of art from way before then. So luckily for us, some of their collection has found it’s way onto the walls of their H10 group of hotels.

Why H10?

Different countries have various ways of rating hotels, and in Spain the highest score a hotel can achieve is a 10 – hence the name of the group – H10. They aspire to and I think achieve a perfect 10 score for The One Barcelona. But I also think their Hotel Casa Mimosa just across the road deserves that score too, especially for lunch in the courtyard.

The Rooms

The rooms are in line with the very comfortable but contemporary style prevalent throughout the hotel. We loved our teal blue velvet chairs and cool white marble tables with Spanish blue water bottles on them. While there is some opulence evident in the brushed gold taps at the basins and wardrobe handles, it’s that stylish, quiet kind as opposed to the loud, sometimes brash kind. It is a five star hotel after all; so a little gold is a good thing.

The Roof Top Mood

All our meals were superb at the hotel and Barcelona really is a foodie city. But don’t leave without experiencing dinner at the very atmospheric Mood Rooftop Bar restaurant at The One Barcelona. Sure, the pool is a little on the small side relative to what we’re used to in our part of the world, but the style and ambience of the roof top more than make up for that inconvenience! Do note that the Mood Rooftop Bar is only open in summer.

In fact we really thought we were in a European version of Bali while we were up here! The talented designers have been very clever with their planting schemes and outdoor furniture, but still manage to give you a sense of where you are by incorporating both historic and modern Barcelona roof tops into your experience of the terrace.

Try a couple of oysters with a glass of something cold and fizzy to begin with and then order anything you like off the menu, it’s bound to be good. We liked all our food, but recommend you start with some classic Crystal Bread and Tomato then try the lobster and avocado rolls to follow.

Sister hotel for lunch

Try a couple of different tapas plates and something cold to drink after a morning’s shopping at the lush, hidden courtyard at the Casa Mimosa hotel. That’s also part of the H10 group. We loved our crispy squid served with black squid ink and burrata salad. The smaller plates of tapas or half portions as they are sometimes known in Spain are such a sensible way of trying a variety of different dishes without feeling too full or spending too much!

We were always impressed with the quality of food in Barcelona and especially at this particular lunch at the Casa Mimosa. Take some time out to indulge yourself and catch up with your travelling companions Spanish style, or simply do some people watching!

What’s nearby The One Barcelona

The hotel is actually based a few minutes walk away from the Passeig de Gràcia – the wide, tree lined avenue that has every major shopping brand you can think of. I suggest you stock up from the stylish and not yet everywhere Spanish fashion store Bimba y Lola. It’s known for it’s accessories and contemporary women’s fashion.

The architecture of the city really is treat to be around. Don’t miss the iconic Gaudi house on the Passeig de Gràcia itself and you can also visit Gaudi’s La Pedrera (Casa Milà) house on the same road as the hotel.

Both the Gaudi park known as Park Güell and the Sagrada de Familia are also nearby, but definitely take the short taxi ride to these two attractions especially if it’s hot!

You will need to book in advance for both of these sites. Remember though there is a free section of the Park Güell that is really beautiful, so see this bit before hand. Do wear comfortable walking shoes and have a bottle of water with you if you’re there in the summer.

Barcelona really is a beautiful city, and our experience was made all the more pleasant by the kind and considerate staff at The One Barcelona. We were really impressed by their concierge service as well as all their in house facilities.

Thank you Monica, who shopped a alot at Mango and Zahra in Barcelona and of course Bimba Y Lola. But wait that’s not all.. need a good restaurant tip while in Barcleona? Read on

Hotel Website

Google Map showing location of hotel

We travelled to Barcelona from London on this trip via Vueling and then went to to explore San Sebastian.. a city by the sea and a real foodie destination.

We loved our dinner at Tapas 2254 walking distance from the One Barcelona hotel and recommended to us by their concierge service.

Price range: About Euros 70 for 2 people sharing 4 or 5 dishes including 2 large glasses of home made sangria and an incredible cheesecake.