Category Archives: General

Taste of London Festival in Regent’s Park

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I have the intention of going to the Taste of London Festival every year, so was delighted when I was offered tickets for this year’s extravaganza. Every summer Regent’s Park is transformed for four days into foodie heaven, acting as a showcase for the best of London restaurants and the finest British produce. This year forty restaurants set up makeshift stalls, selling three of four specially designed starter-sized dishes. Amongst these exhibitors, other food and drink companies were tempting crowds with their wares.

The Regent’s Park setting was sadly less idyllic this year thanks to the endless rain – instead of bouncing across the green lawn between stalls, visitors had to wade through metres of mud and sludge; it made the whole experience rather less romantic. After fighting through the hordes to buy your favoured food, you had to then find a sheltered place to eat it away from the rain!

In the cause of press research, I tried a large range of the dishes on offer. First we headed to a cluster of Michelin starred restaurants: at Maze we ate glazed veal shin with white onion puree and rocket pesto, interesting flavours but a bit sloppy – a slightly disappointing first taste of Ramsay’s famous restaurant. However next door, from York and Albany (Ramsay’s Camden eatery), the chargrilled lamb cutlets with caponata and salsa verde were tender, crispy, flavoursome and delicious.

Next I couldn’t resist visited the Opera Tavern stall – it was swarming with eager guests wanting to try the celebrated Iberico pork and foie gras burger, we got one to share and savoured every morsel, it is the best burger out there, though it cost a ridiculous £7, more than they sell it for in the restaurant!

The best savoury food we ate was probably the chicken satay sticks and sauce from Malaysia Kitchen, warmly spiced chargrilled chicken with the most deliciously sweet chunky peanut sauce. On the sweet side my absolute favourite was the scrumptious freshly made ice-cream from Gelupo, I sampled a few of their exotic flavours and, after much deliberation, decided the refreshing coconut was the best.

There were a few enticing rum stalls offering fresh cocktails – we tried a delicious version of the familiar Mojito from the Pyrat Rum stall, a tangy and sweet concoction made with lots of mint and premium Caribbean golden rum. Aside from the cocktails, I was invited into the VIP area and kindly offered free champagne and a refuge from the rain.

The Taste of London Festival is geared towards a middle income demographic, and is certainly not a cheap day out. On top of the £26 standard ticket for admission you will need several books of crowns if you want to eat anything decent. Freebies can scarcely be found, and even when they are, the portions are meagre! One book of 20 crowns costs £10 (so 1 crown = 50p) and most of the restaurant dishes cost 10-16 crowns, so you can imagine that a single book doesn’t last long. Though the food itself is of high quality, the whole experience was dampened for me not only by the weather but also by the extortionate cost. I couldn’t help feeling that Taste of London is really a glorified farmer’s market, but without marketplace prices.

Chicken Soup with Barley at The Royal Court

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‘Chicken soup with Barley’ is a ferociously political play, a genre which the Royal Court Theatre seem to thrive off with their snappy sharp productions of controversial topics. This particular drama is set between in 1936 and 1956 – 20 years of great political unrest. We watch the affects of the clash between Communist and Socialists, as conflicting ideals threaten to tear apart a working class Jewish family.

‘Chicken soup with Barley’ is the first play from Arnold Wesker’s theatrical triptych. Dominic Cooke’s production is a stylish revival, so polished that harsh critic Michael Billington gave it a glittering five stars and pronounced it “flawless”. I enjoyed it, and could certainly notice its attributes though failed to really grasp the narrative due to my shameful lack of historical knowledge.

I have come to expect neat and impressive sets from the Royal Court, and here they didn’t disappoint. Set and costume designer Ultz has created two mundane and yet fascinating dining room settings, from which the action flits in and out. Each room (one for each half) holds significant reminders of the families struggle and story, with a central emphasis on food and mealtimes, as the play’s title also suggests.

Samantha Spiro is tremendous as Sarah Kahn, the feisty Jewish mother desperate to hold her family together – the driving force throughout the play. Spiro gives a powerful performance and manages to age miraculously by almost twenty years between the two halves, with only a wig to assist her transformation. I was amazed by how human she appears, especially in the scenes between her and her incompetent husband, Harry Kahn (Danny Webb). Sarah is obsessed with making tea, in fact this action preoccupies her character throughout. A nice cup of tea seems to be her answer to any, and every problem. It is a tiny, insignificant motif that effectively ties the plays two halves together perfectly, giving some much needed continuity.

The cast was strong all round, each character with their own socialist opinion. Danny Webb is spectacular as the frustrating father and husband, particularly in the latter half when after two strokes he sits rotting away crippled in his chair, barely moving or muttering a word and yet always making his presence known. The enthusiast son, Ronnie Kahn, is played by a dashing Tom Rosenthal. He is inspiring with his upbeat optimism and romantic view of the crisis, until he returns home a few years later, aggressively confronting his mother after his complete loss of faith – an alarming and wonderfully commanding final scene.

‘Chicken soup with Barley’ continues until 9 July 2011, book here.

The Hoxton Hotel

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The Hoxton Hotel is slick, cool and efficient on every level, catering to every need ensuring an easy and enjoyable stay. This hip budget hotel is located on Great Eastern Street in East London, and promises style and comfort without rip-off prices. It is the genius idea from Pret-a-Manger co-founder Sinclair Beecham, a savvy businessman who seems to know what hotel guests want from a night’s stay away from home.

We arrived on a Saturday afternoon and already the venue was buzzing – lively staff welcomed us in the friendly reception area that leads into the trendy Hoxton Grill and bar hang out; it reminded me instantly of New York. We were allocated room 521, arriving via the lift you walk down a luminous orange corridor to reach your number. Hanging on the doors are Pret breakfast bags – brown paper carriers where you can mark the time you would like your free Pret banana, orange juice and yoghurt delivered the next morning.

The room exceeded all my expectations – stylish and smart, a far cry from budget. Funky cushions adorned the bed and a useful material ‘I love Hoxton’ bag had kindly been left on the table for me, complete with an extremely handy mini Hoxton guide (which we used later that evening). I immediately felt very at home, with lovely gestures from hotel staff evident everywhere. Complimentary water and milk is left in the fridge, free WiFi use is unlimited and in the bathroom Aveda toiletries are left for your comfort, along with a big bar of Pears soap which you are encouraged to take home. The room was perfectly functional, and is clearly intended to be that way, but there is also a sprinkling of unique additions that make you feel that little bit special.

The chic bathrooms at the Hoxton are all shiny and swish, with deep red tiling and wonderfully large mirrors. Heavenly white fluffy towels hang from the rail. An elegantly designed spacious shower is the best feature though, this wonderfully refreshing power shower was perhaps the best I have ever tried.

The Hoxton Grill restaurant, though in the vicinity is not part of the hotel. After a quick passionfruit Daiquiri in the bar, we decided to venture further afield to try out one of the Vietnamese eateries for supper, which we found directions to on our hotel guide.

Hoxton is a great area, with quirky restaurants and bars galore and it was lovely to explore, but I was relieved to get back to our hotel room that night, and lie back on the plush bed. Through our large window there was a spectacular view of urban London that made me oddly nostalgic. Our room was quite hot so we opened the window and unfortunately with the fresh air came a variety of loud city noises, but once shut again the room was blissfully silent, and conducive to a good night’s sleep.

Next morning, after sleeping for a full ten hours, we woke to find our healthy Prêt breakfast outside. With the little kettle and sachets of Lyons, I made some hot coffee and then enjoyed a lazy morning in bed.

The Hoxton Hotel gets it just right. Mr Beecham has cracked the formula for a great hotel and gives the guests exactly what they need and want, with an attention to detail on the things that matter, and a no fuss approach to everything else.

The nightly rate at the Hoxton varies from £49 – 199, with a limited number of £1 rooms available for the Hox Fan Club members. Business rooms and meeting areas are available at reasonable prices and come equipped with a larder of tasty snacks.

81 Great Eastern Street, EC2 (020-7550 1000, hoxtonhotels.com)