London Diaries: My Favourite Places to Stay, Dine and Spend
March saw me travelling a little - which was thoroughly lovely. A quick 5 day trip to London followed by a whistle stop 48 hours in Switzerland. It was one of those fun quick trips that didn’t involve a whole heap of thinking. Here is where I went, what I did and what I bought.
stay / eat / shop
Stay - Soho House 76 Dean Street
The perfect buzzy location to stay as a couple - Soho House Dean Street is in the heart of London’s network of streets where fun can be found 24/7. Located in an old Georgian mansion, Soho House Dean Street is an intimate and personal boutique hotel where you are treated more like a friend than a guest. ‘Medium’ rooms are just right for a couple - comfy super king bed, a well stocked bar and my favourite tea set with a proper china teapot and pretty cups and saucers for an afternoon cup of tea curled up on one of the sink-in-deep armchairs in the room - a quick respite from the hustle and bustle of London before rousing for a night out in Soho. Soho House always have the most stylish bathrooms as well - freestanding clawfoot bath and a walk in shower room with the kind of water pressure that London rarely delivers.
Tip: Ask for a room located at the back of the building to avoid the noise of revellers on Dean Street.
Eat - My favourite places from this trip
Granger & Co: A stalwart in Notting Hill - I love that you always know what you’re going to get and what it does, it does well. Come here for brunch, lunch or breakfast. Always busy but tables turnover quick enough that generally you don’t have to wait too long. I caught up with a good friend here for brunch and while we chatted we also got a chance to glimpse at all the young Londonites with their extreme lips and face fillers! (The ‘lip flip’ was a new one for me - I’d never seen it and I couldn’t stop staring at the extremely glossy ginormous pout of the young girl sitting beside us).
Doppo: A tiny Italian restaurant over two floors. Downstairs sit in the window and watch the crowds on Dean Street pass by - or head upstairs to the intimate dining room with just a handful of tables (tables are really close to one another because it really is very tiny). Some of the best Italian I’ve had - fresh pasta and the most delicious mini aracini to begin with. Service was impeccable with little touches like a glass of Prosecco to kick things off and a dessert wine and little petit fours to finish - all on the house.
Soho House Dean Street: Just next door to the boutique hotel and part of the same building is the ground floor restaurant which is honestly a great place to eat day - through to night. But if you want a comfy, clubby feeling place for breakfast, head here. The breakfast menu covers everything you could want and the comfy club chairs mean that breakfast can turn into lunch if you are sitting with good friends and catching up on all things. (You can book a table here without being a member).
Barra Fina: Located on Dean Street - perfect if you’re staying at Soho House - the freshest of ingredients prepared with care. A small tapas joint. Sit at the bar and watch the chefs prepare delicious morsels. Every dish is exceptional - nothing is a miss. Buzzy, busy and the perfect place to pop in for a quick delicious dinner.
La Fromergie: Head to Marylebone for a spot of shopping and pop into La Fromagerie for a cheese platter and glass of wine (or two) with girlfriends. An intimate place with just a handful of tables just off Marylebone High Street. Exceptionally fresh produce. A good place for a quick breakfast too - but for my money, come mid-afternoon for the cheese and wine post shopping.
Shop - Where I shopped and what I bought
Covent Garden (the little cobbled streets behind the main thoroughfare) - so many great boutiques to pop into. I popped into Mejuri to buy this tiny pearl necklace which I’ve had my eye on forever - they don’t ship to Singapore so this is definitely a great place to visit while you’re in London for pretty jewellery.
Selfridges - no trip to London is complete without a shopping trip to Selfridges. I went with girlfriends - we hit up the beauty hall and the shoe department for fresh new kicks. I had been waiting to go to London to get my hands on some Victoria Beckham makeup and it doesn’t disappoint. The ‘satin kajal liner’ in the most flattering glittery olive colour is so good. I am an instant convert. I also bought the longwear eyeshadow stick in Oyster - very similar to a Bobbi Brown one that I’ve been using for a long time. In a world where everything is available everywhere, it is kind of fun to buy Victoria Beckham Beauty while in London when it’s not available in Singapore.
Ahead of my London trip I hit up a couple of shops in Singapore for some basics - Mango where I bought two blazers - I predict this white one in linen will become a staple for overseas trips. And I have become obsessed recently with oversized t-shirts and navy blue, so this H&M t-shirt ticked both boxes.
