Tag Archives: breakfast

Honey & Co, Warren Street

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I am always on the lookout for exciting breakfast venues in London. Honey & Co is the first solo venture from husband and wife team Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer. Both trained as chefs and have gained experience and inspiration working in kitchens around the world.

The little cafe on Warren Street offers Middle Eastern delicacies that evoke memories from the couple’s childhoods. It is the food they grew up with, whether recipes learnt from their mothers or the street food they adored as children. Honey & Co is conceived as an extension of their home, a comforting place to feast on food, chat with friends and relax.

It is a far cry from the croissants and fry-ups available at other breakfast hang-outs. Here you will find Ljje (herb, feta and buttered leek frittata), Roasted pepper and muhamra lahma, Merguese sausage roll with spicy tomato and harissa as just a few of the morning specialities. At the weekends diners can feast on Poached legbar eggs on spinach and yoghurt or Turkish smoked urfa chilli butter and potato bread soldiers, which has become a favourite with regulars. It is all delicious, carefully seasoned and using the best ingredients. Alongside the food, Honey & Co offers the sweetest freshly squeezed orange juice and good coffee.

Honey & Co has produced a vibrant cookbook with tempting recipes and alluring photography. It brings some Middle Eastern exoticism to my kitchen and reminds me of the delicious breakfasts I have enjoyed in the characterful café.

More information here: honeyandco.co.uk

Four Seasons St Petersburg

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When I heard about the new Four Seasons opening in St Petersburg I knew it was reason enough to visit Russia. The Lion Palace, as it is now known, was built in the 19th century for the royal family in the neoclassical style. The grand main entrance is marked with an eight column portico and guarded by two white marble Medici lions by Italian sculptor Paolo Triscorni. Like many of the Four Seasons hotels, an historic building has been transformed into a luxurious place to stay, eat and relax… embracing its former features and adapting where necessary to ensure guests have everything they could require.

The hotel is located in the Admiralteysky district, close by to the Hermitage Museum, Nevsky Prospekt and Mariinsky Theatre, perfect for tourists hoping to see all the sights. There are 183 guest rooms including 26 suites; we were in a lovely terrace room with a balcony overlooking the magnificent St Isaac Cathedral. The room was subtly decorated in sophisticated shades of cream, brown and pale blue, with a huge plush king sized bed, a dark wooden desk for business needs and an armchair for relaxing. Thick white curtains concealed the cold outdoors. The bathroom was spacious and indulgent, clad in marble with a huge bath, power shower and ‘his and hers’ sinks. The toiletries were of a really good quality and smelt wonderful, coming all the way from Lorenzo Villoresi in Florence.

The food at Lion Palace will satisfy the palates of the prestigious guests and also wow visitors who are not staying at the hotel. We sampled the fine Italian restaurant, Percorso which is headed up by acclaimed chefs Andrea Accordi and Valerio Andrisani who create modern creative Italian dishes. This eatery is impressive especially in comparison to St Petersburg’s other fine dining establishments. We indulged with delicious cheeses, top quality meat dishes and authentic desserts. I can still recall my tender roasted lamb with pumpkin, pecorino, mint and Avola almond.

We also ate in the Tea Lounge where breakfast is served. This gorgeous open plan parlour is decorated in bright pastels – yellow, green and pink. It is the perfect place for a tea party. We tried lots of intriguing Russian specialities here, including the tasty little Sirniki (farmer’s cheese pancakes) made with cottage cheese or ricotta. I can also recommend the French toast dusted with icing sugar and accompanied with caramelised baked apple segments.

For the ultimate relaxation there is the four storey Luceo spa, with a small pool, eight treatment rooms and a VIP couples suite – the talented therapists here look after you from head to toe. We had massages on the final day, a relaxing conclusion to three days of frantic sightseeing! Walking in such cold weather definitely builds up tension in the legs but I felt the knots melt away with the masseur’s skill and warm aromatic oils.

Russia can be a daunting place, and knowing where to start is tricky. Four Seasons St Petersburg will be your guide, your friend and your concierge, guiding you towards the sights which make this city so special. It was a palatial home for us for three days and I breathed a sigh of relief every time I stepped from the cold street into the lovely Lion Palace lobby.

More information and book a room here: www.fourseasons.com/stpetersburg/

Flushing Meadows Hotel, Munich

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Wandering around the traditional Marienplatz market you would not be a fool to assume that Munich is an old-fashioned German town, but head to Glockenbach and the Flushing Meadows Hotel and your mindset will change completely. This hip design hotel is housed on the top two floors of a large 1970s building. Previously a post office, the façade has remained unchanged, only now it is lit with dazzling flashing lights which read… FLUSHING MEADOWS. Before even stepping inside I loved my home for the night.

The unusual name was acquired as a result of the area being surrounded by lush fields, and the River Isar is close by. The inconspicuous entrance is guarded by a concierge/bouncer who will assist you with your evening plans to ensure you are visiting the hippest joints. Although if you can’t be bothered to venture out, the Flushing Meadows rooftop bar is very cosy and is always filled with creative people, and the barmen serve up a mean aperitif. This area is a marriage of industrial and eclectic design, much like the bedrooms, with luxurious velvet clad furniture and signature lighting by Lebanese firm PSLAB. Open from 7am to 2am, it doubles up as the breakfast parlour, and when the air is clear you can even see the Alps from the terrace.

Flushing Meadows has three owners; architects Sascha Arnold and Steffen Werner and gastronomy and marketing consultant Niels Jager. They are a dream team of style and innovation, and inject their knowledge and experience into every aspect of the venue. There are eleven loft studios and five slightly larger penthouse studios, some with private terraces. The rooms showcase the work and imagination of eleven artistic locals, we were staying in room 305, a loft studio designed by the local techno musician, DJ Hell.

The hotel only opened in July 2014 so our room still felt brand new. The techno DJ vibe can be seen throughout, with a monochrome scheme the walls are harshly contrasting black and white. Above the huge bed a metal skeleton band stand in an alcove ready to rock, and on ground level a vinyl record player is poised for action. Other additions include a Nespresso coffee machine, complimentary Aqua Monaco water and a pile of trendy magazines to flick through. The bathroom is a sleek combination of white tiling and copper detailing with a large bath and powerful shower, thick and fluffy branded towels and invigorating Walachei shampoo and shower gel. I also found the ‘Outside’ Flushing Meadows essential guide to exploring Munich. I used this book religiously while out sightseeing, shopping and eating in the city.

Aside from the hotel the FM owners have various other food and drink establishments around town to discover – I particularly enjoyed the stylish Stereo Café and tiny juice bar Super Danke!

Original and unconventional, Flushing Meadows is undoubtedly the coolest place to stay in Munich.

More information and book a room here.

Thanks to the Munich Tourist Board for their help with this trip.