QUINTESSENTIALLY | Insider | London

Join Us

- City Guides
- Newsletters

Member Login

Posts Tagged ‘London’

The Orange

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

One of the most beloved places from the popular Cubitt House group, The Orange occupies that curious area between Victoria and Chelsea where it’s hard to get a decent and unpretentious meal at a reasonable cost. Thankfully this high-class establishment offers well-heeled locals and casual visitors alike somewhere of a decent standard to quench their thirst and sate their hunger. This might describe itself, perhaps knowingly modestly, as ‘a public house and hotel’, but rest assured the usual images of dank, depressing rooms and frowsy bar that this summons up couldn’t be further from the truth.

The ground floor offers a busy, boisterous neighbourhood pub, with a good wine list and a range of beers and ciders on draft. The first floor offers a stylishly decorated restaurant which manages to be both approachable and in keeping with the salubrious area that it’s situated in.

The food is superb, offering a Mediterranean twist but not labouring too slavishly under that particular yoke . Our starters of aubergine and tomato terrine with soft, creamy mozzarella and oysters were both excellent, the terrine in particular seeming to follow in the footsteps of Elizabeth David to winning effect. As it was Sunday, we eschewed the tempting-looking pizzas and pies in favour of roast beef and pork, which came served up as enormous slabs of delectable meat with all the trimmings that you could imagine. Washed down with a decent bottle of Chianti, these superbly cooked monsters were as filling and satisfying as any to be had in London today.

Thankfully dessert, so often a disappointment, lived up to expectations. A chocolate and cherry roulade managed to wittily subvert the usual expectations of a black forest gateau, and a baked cheesecake proved altogether lighter and tastier than others of its wont. The staff were superb throughout, even when I had to entertain myself in my guest’s temporary absence – the weather outside might have been atrocious, but the warmth of the welcome inside more than made up for it. We’re looking forward to our next visit to this lovely place extremely soon.

37 Pimlico Road, London SW1. www.theorange.co.uk

Tags: gastropub, London, restaurant
Posted in Blogs, Food & Drink | No Comments »

Men At Arms

Friday, July 29th, 2011

You may not have heard of the brothers Tom and Ed Martin, but you’ve almost certainly been to one of their venues, which are conquering London at an almost frightening rate. From the ever-popular Botanist on Sloane Square to the excellent Docklands establishment The Gun, they have a group of extremely upmarket establishments, pitched somewhere between gastropubs and restaurants, which offer superb food, well-chosen wine lists, friendly and accommodating staff and quirky touches that elevate them far above the norm.

The Cadogan Arms, situated on the Fulham side of the King’s Road, is no exception to this tradition. Formerly the sort of down-at-heel pub that the sane would avoid before venturing into, it’s been given a sympathetic and fun makeover to give it a sort of ‘urban rustic’ feel, complete with stuffed animal heads on the wall, a large open fireplace in the dining room and cosy wood panelling. If you’re after something more alternative, upstairs boasts the Billiards Room, where there are American 8 ball pool tables, and for a reasonable cost one can have a drink, some nibbles and play pool.

The downstairs dining room is where the culinary action is, and on our recent visit it was firing on all cylinders. We popped in on an especially wet and stormy Sunday for lunch, but thankfully we were soon pepped up by a couple of excellent glasses of Prosecco, and delicately presented starters of scallops with sweetcorn puree and a half pint of prawns. My guest was initially hesitant about whether a half pint would be enough, but the enormous main courses – leg of lamb for me, rib of beef for her – soon changed her mind. Off the top of my head, I can’t remember having a bigger roast, complete with all the trimmings, and even my hearty appetite was defeated. The quality of everything was, as you’d expect, exemplary. An excellent bottle of 2008 Patagonian Malbec complimented both dishes beautifully.

Atypically, the thought of dessert terrified rather than excited me, but needs must, and I was very pleased that my white peach and passion fruit sorbet was both delicious and, thankfully, light. My guest’s lemon posset looked heavenly, but I felt that it would be too much of a good thing to sample any. And so, sated, we eventually rolled out into the afternoon. The sun was shining, at last, and before I began a lengthy trek home to walk off my lunch, I felt able to say, with confidence, ‘That was really very good indeed.’

And so it is.

298 King’s Road, SW3. www.thecadoganarmschelsea.com

Tags: Chelsea, gastropub, London, Malbec, restaurant
Posted in Blogs, Food & Drink | No Comments »

Strawberries & Cream

Friday, June 17th, 2011

It’s Wimbledon fortnight and right on cue, the weather vein is threatening raindrops on roses.

But who needs Centre Court when you can be sipping Champagne in the garden at Home House? Nibbling cakes disguised as tiny courts at the Dorchester? Or ordering empanadas, hand delivered by a girl in her whites at Gaucho?

Champagne & Cupcakes

Never doing anything by halves, Home House wouldn’t dream of passing on strawberries and cream season. Alongside your Moët et Chandon Rose Imperial and a soundtrack of the pick-pock of tennis balls streaming live from SW19, four cupcakes arrive, piled so high with frosting and soft fruit that you’re instantly reliving that childhood horror – ice-cream toppling helplessly from its cone and a pesky sea gull getting lucky.

If nothing else, it’s an excuse for why the little beauties don’t last more than three minutes. Forget the tennis – Murray might be having a fist fight with Federer, collapsing the net and tearing up the court but we’d not notice – Home House have hit on the match of the tournament.

Home House will serve four strawberries and cream cupcakes with each bottle of Moet et Chandon Imperial Rose at £75 per bottle.

20 Portman Square, W1H 6LW www.homehouse.co.uk

Wimbledon Afternoon Tea

There are few things more British than a cup of tea and a generous slither of cake, and few places more British to enjoy it than in the company of one of London’s finest octogenarians, the Dorchester.

It’s a little surprising though that your Lady Grey arrives with a teeny tennis court, that turns out to be bursting with fresh citrus, while across the table perfectly round tennis ball (also teeny) has enough coconut flavour to take you straight to the Jamaican Open – if only there was such a thing – let alone London’s suburbia.

And that’s after the rounds of finger sandwiches – crusts off – still-warm scones and an extra little smidgen of a course of strawberries and cream. Oh, and the Laurent Perrier, darling…

We’ve got our rackets at the ready to nab a table.

Traditional Wimbledon Afternoon Tea at the Dorchester Hotel, including strawberries & cream, and a glass of Laurent-Perrier BV is from £48.50 per person, incl. VAT and a 12.5% service charge.

Park Lane, Mayfair, W1K 1QA www.thedorchester.com

Tennis on Swallow Street

So now you’re a little caked-out by now and craving something a little on the less sugary side of things.

‘Taxi! Swallow Street – if you please!’

It’s pretty hard to miss your destination – a huge great green thing in the street, glowing with the early evening city light. Gaucho Piccadilly’s very own tennis court is in town and the cocktails are flowing.

Ball boys are nipping between Pashmina draped shoulders and sharp suits delivering bar treats – all Argentinean empanadas, juicy Ceviche and sausage platters – just as Federer walks all over an overly optimistic wild card in the fourth round.

Middle Saturday might be for catching lost play at the All England Club, but the crowd will be gathering at Gaucho as their own tournament starts hotting up – better get perfecting that backhand.

Swallow Street Tennis court will be open throughout Wimbledon Fortnight, 20th June – 3rd July 2011

Gaucho Piccadilly, 25 Swallow Street, W1B 4QR www.gauchorestaurants.co.uk

Tags: Champagne, Food and Drink, London, Wimbledon
Posted in Blogs, Culture, Food & Drink | No Comments »

A Fine House

Thursday, June 16th, 2011

The first impression that most people have when they approach the effortlessly elegant 18th century facade of Cannizaro House, located a short but extremely pleasant walk from the centre of Wimbledon over the common, is to gaze at it in admiration, and then saunter onwards, presumably to walk with the Wombles, or to take in the tennis. This is something of a pity, but it does at least mean that the manifold delights of this exquisite property remain somewhat exclusive, at least until the world and his wife descend on it for that short period in June and July each year when this small, upmarket borough becomes one of the most scrutinized places in the world.

Yet Cannizaro House offers so much more than just a base for sports fans once a year. The first thing that you note upon entering is that the style – country house chic meets designer cool – is sufficiently idiosyncratic to beguile both fashionistas and traditionalists alike. Plonk yourself down in the oh-so-sophisticated bar with an unmissable amaretto sour, or wander outside into the vast, scenic grounds, which apparently stretch to an impressive 34 acres and offer panoramic views, the perfect spot to enjoy a pre-prandial glass of champagne.

They’re justly proud of their restaurant here, especially the newly opened Loggia extension, which boasts fabulous views over the sunken garden. The chef Christian George is especially interested in supplying food that’s British and organic, and highlights of the menu include foie gras, ham hock and chicken terrine to start or pan-fried scallops with mushroom puree, followed by cutlet of Herdwick lamb with goat’s cheese soufflé or an envy-inducing galantine of free range duck with morel and pistachio mousse. It’s a fine line between high-falutin’ and delicious, but the talented Mr George more than pulls it off – and the ever-popular ‘simply’ menu offers equally excellent fare at a very reasonable prix fixe. The wine list is compendious, weighty both in appearance and size, and formidable. A quick dash in to sample a superb Marlborough 2008 Pinot Noir proved a wise decision.

Oscar Wilde, a former guest of Cannizaro House, wrote in The Importance Of Being Earnest ‘Indeed, when I am in really great trouble, as anyone who knows me intimately will tell you, I refuse everything except food and drink.’ Anyone coming to this fine establishment, whether or not they are in great trouble (and trying to acquire debenture seats for Wimbledon with anything other than the help of Quintessentially certainly qualifies), can rest assured that they are going to be in extremely good hands indeed.
Cannizaro House, West Side Common, Wimbledon SW19 4UD.

www.cannizarohouse.com

Tags: hotel, London, restaurant, Wimbledon
Posted in Blogs, Food & Drink, Travel | No Comments »

London Pride

Thursday, June 2nd, 2011

If you wanted to define ‘Quintessentially British’, then sooner or later after you’d been through the usual suspects (Beefeaters, cups of tea, endless Jordan autobiographies) you’d soon come to Noel Coward. Famous for some of the wittiest plays ever written, including Private Lives, Blithe Spirit and Design For Living, he was also a fairly considerable singer-songwriter, responsible for such standards as Someday I’ll Find You, Mad Dogs and Englishmen and London Pride.

Yet perhaps because he’s seen as ‘old-fashioned’, his work isn’t performed nearly as often as it ought to be. Therefore, we should all welcome the return of the revue Cowardy Custard, which was first staged in 1972. Of course, portmanteau shows of this nature are quite common now, but this one is infinitely classier and more subtle than the norm, as well as much, much funnier, thanks to the performers, Dillie Keane from Fascinating Aida and the wonderfully witty piano-playing duo Kit and the Widow. It promises to be a stirring, hilarious and even moving romp through Coward’s enviable career.

Kit Hesketh, of Kit and the Widow, says: “The show is such a fantastic introduction to Coward because he was such a rich and varied songwriter and covered everything from heartbreak to really funny stuff. Coward was just brilliant and I don’t think there has been his equal before or since. It was not just a case of combining his talents as an actor and playwright, but he was also a composer, lyricist, spy, man about town and a brilliant diarist. People said that his was a typical upper class, right-wing, out-of-date Englishness, but in fact he was a lower-middle class boy from Teddington who kept his finger on the pulse – and that can be seen in songs like London pride which he wrote in the war. He knew how people felt.”

It’s nearly finished a hugely successful tour across England, but there’s a final chance for those living in London to see it, as it’s coming to the Richmond Theatre for a very brief appearance from June 2-4. So get your cravat out of the cupboard and head down (to what is, coincidentally, one of the country’s loveliest Frank Matcham theatres) for what promises to be a splendid, and highly civilised, evening’s entertainment.

The Green, Richmond, TW9. www.ambassadortickets.com/

Tags: Dilly Keane, Kit and the Widow, London, Noel Coward, Theatre
Posted in Blogs, Culture | No Comments »

Tommy Nutter: Rebel on the Row

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

Tommy Nutter produced bespoke tailoring with a particular brand of eccentricity that can only be described as ‘English’. A generous smattering of the witty but perfectly formed creations he produced during his twenty year career, can be seen at the Fashion and Textiles Museum all summer long.

The museum has been transformed into Savile Row circa 1969 with iron railings and sketched building facades framing Nutter’s distinctively cut and flamboyant suits. His tongue-in-cheek approach offset with masterful cutting dragged Savile Row, kicking and screaming (perhaps), into the modern age.

Accompanied by a host of celebrity clients, Nutter blew the cobwebs out of the corners of a cloistered world and thrust it into the limelight. The exhibition features suits worn by Mick Jagger, Elton John, The Beatles, Charlie Watts and Robin Gibb, which make the descriptive labels read like a rock-and-roll Hall of Fame.

The exhibition is co-curated by Timothy Everest who trained with Nutter in the late 1980s and provides us with an invaluable insider view on Tommy’s world. Everest’s personal memories of working with Nutter have helped recreate the ambience of the Nutter atelier, with both the studio and shop floor having been authentically replicated, giving the visitor an idea of what went on behind the shiny black doors and big brass door knockers of Savile Row.

The flair and individuality of the clothes on display is a testament to bespoke tailoring which can realise personal taste in a way no other mode of fashion can. So if you fancy yourself a dramatic black and white all-in-one pantsuit then get yourself an appointment at Savile Row.

The museum are also running a range of events, so if you, like a certain young gentleman I know, think that you can make a dazzling pair of suit trousers by drawing around your legs and sewing it together, then you might just learn a trick or two by booking into the tailoring workshops on offer during June and July. For more information click here.

The Tommy Nutter- Rebel On the Row exhibition is at the Fashion and Textiles Museum, near London Bridge. Opening times Tues-Sat 11am- 6pm.

Tags: bespoke tailoring, Fashion and Textiles Museum, London, Savile Row, Tommy Nutter
Posted in Blogs, Culture, Style | No Comments »

« Back

	Harry Hughes Editor-in-Chief
	Alex Larman Executive Editor
	Lauren Clarke Deputy Editor
	Laura Tonkinson Asia Pacific
	Mia Harlock US Lifestyle
	Tom Valeur Smith UK Lifestyle