The Langham Hotel, London

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The Langham is one of London’s most celebrated hotels. It is located on Regent Street, seconds away from fabulous flagship stores and beautiful boutiques.

Grandiose and imposing, the entrance filled me with excitement. I had heard ravishing rumours about this English institution but never visited before. On this calm Sunday night business guests were systematically checking in ready for big meetings the following morning, while leisure guests and tourists checked out, sad to be ending their sojourn. We happily handed over our heavy bags and went straight to the renowned cocktail bar to sample the concoctions.

Inside, the Langham is very civilised – visitors mill around in smart suits and stylish outfits. Our lavishly decorated suite was sumptuous and stunning, I spent at least ten minutes exploring every feature and marvelling at the fine detailing. The muted pink and cream traditional décor is uniform throughout the hotel and is elegant and attractive. Decorative artwork adds flourish and pattern to the walls, whilst the carpet bears an ornate design. The formal desk is business-like though the writing equipment is very floral!

The bathroom was regal and indulgent, marble everywhere polished and glinting in the light. There was a huge bath to soak and a powerful shower for a quick cleanse. I loved the Chuan Spa toiletries which are made specially for the hotel.

Thoughtful touches could be noticed elsewhere in the room too: fruit, macaroons and flowers all for our enjoyment. Everything is pretty and immaculate, but the Langham also ensure service and quality is of the highest quality. The bed was huge and blissfully comfortable and the towels soft enough to cuddle.

Breakfast is served downstairs, white tablecloths and fine cutlery dress the tables, small bunches of pink roses adding colour. Croissants were flaky and buttery and the coffee suitably strong. I was happy to stick to the buffet array though the cooked breakfasts smelt delicious as they wafted past to nearby tables.

Memorable and magnificent… the Langham is traditional but trendy, the management obviously feel it is their duty to provide every guest with the most luxurious stay London has to offer.

More information and book a room at The Langham: london.langhamhotels.co.uk

Hot on the Highstreet Week 206 – Sretsis

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If you love shopping Bangkok is the ideal place for you, many tourists visit Thailand’s capital city JUST to shop. The huge, shiny, air-conditioned shopping malls Siam Discovery, MBK, Central World, and Siam Paragon are all found in the Siam district, connected by convenient walkways. Others centres such as the more boutique Emporium is found in Sukhumvit. I was initially put off by these overwhelming stores housing many international designers, but if you look hard you can discover local brands that are inspiring and interesting.

In Paragon Department Store, within the Paragon complex, I found Sretsis… Sretsis is a collaboration between Pim Sumhahuta and her two sisters, Kly and Matina. The brand name is sisters spelled backwards and represents the strong bond they have. Sretsis creator and lead designer Pim Sukhahuta graduated from the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York in 2003 already with a store, two fashion shows, and a covetable internship with Marc Jacobs to her name. Her achievement with this successful and innovative brand is testament to her talent and vision.

Pim’s eclectic East meets West background and studies are realised in her colourful and imaginative designs. The flamboyant clashing patterns and excessive frills of previous collections reminded me of the bold but pretty designs by Brit, Luella. This season Sretsis presents ‘Children of the Stars’ for Spring / Summer 2014. A collection of quirky and girly ready-to-wear clothes and whimsical, imaginative accessories. Thin tops are adorned with glistening chunky rhinestone crystals, whilst flimsy playsuits are made from tropical exotic silks and edged in lace. The shop was quite simply my dream wardrobe. Accessories can be found in one corner of the shop, heart shaped sunglasses, and studded sparkling rings. I couldn’t resist getting the green heart ring, which seemed reasonable, costing £40. Most garments cost between £70-200.

Sretsis is a breath of fresh air in the suffocating streets of Bangkok. Psychedelic prints, delicate designs and a lot of personality… I fell in love with the whole collection.

Visit the Sretsis website for more information and to see the whole collection: www.sretsis.com

THOROUGHLY MODERN MAN: Sakura at Sake no Hana

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London was conspiring against me last Tuesday. From tube strikes to bus blockades to Boris bike bedlam, and then a small slip up on my part (there is a Japanese restaurant called Sakura at number 23…of a different street), the signs were telling me not to turn up to this lunch. But I’m awfully glad I did.

‘Sakura‘ (translated as ‘cherry blossom’) is the name of a springtime menu at the restaurant Sake no Hana, created to celebrate the start of spring, and specifically, the cherry blossom season in Japan. The theme is clear as soon as you enter the bar on St James’s Street; beautiful blossom arrangements designed by florist Veevers Carter adorned the space from floor to ceiling, and a quick look at the menu leaves you in no doubt of the central ingredient.

Cherry blossom tea, fragrant and subtle, cleansed our palettes at the start of the meal, followed by a perfectly adequate white miso soup with shiitake mushrooms. Both were enjoyable, but the anticipation really kicked in when our centrepiece bento boxes arrived. Sweet sticky seven-spiced chunks of chicken thigh were accompanied by a fresh salad of asparagus and tenderstem broccoli with sesame dressing. The chicken was well cooked and the salad provided enough crunch and freshness to compliment the soft heady sweetness of the meat. The second layer of the box was sushi and sashimi. Our rolls were expertly constructed and the balance of heat and flavour in the spicy tuna was exemplary. The star of this layer, however, was the sashimi. Wonderfully soft, each piece melted in the mouth and I was blown away by a cut I had not eaten before: Chu-toro, or tuna belly, is a rich, fattier section of the fish than the conventional steaks to which we are accustomed, and the flavour is bigger and better as a result.

Thoroughly content with our meal up to this point, desserts arrived to put the cherry on the top, so to speak. Macaroons are one of life’s great treasures when done well, and I will add Sake no Hana to my treasure map after sampling their offerings. Light and meltingly delicate, with a rich cherry ganache filling and a beautifully decorated crispy shell, these macaroons come in bowls of five, so when it comes to dividing up these treats, make sure you don’t have any underlying tensions with your fellow diners. The co-star of our final course was a plate of delights; variations in colour, texture, and taste. A rich chocolate dessert with sharp cherry centre, delicate ginger jelly cubes with pear, pistachios and a cherry blossom ice cream all came together to deliver a wholly satisfying finale. The (you guessed it, cherry-themed) cocktails which were served alongside our lunch were fine, if potentially overshadowed by the food.

I would seriously recommend a trip to Sake no Hana. You need to move quickly though as this seasonal menu is available only for the next two weeks. You could even find yourself celeb-spotting: as we tucked into our sashimi, along came Rosie off of Made in Chelsea. Higher quality of food than the clientele, in my opinion.

Special menu continues until 19 May, more information on Sakura at Sake no Hana here.

Written by a Thoroughly Modern Man, James Bomford.