A couple of weeks ago, Ellie & I got invited by Murger Han Mayfair, to try their food. This is my review. Murger Han, ‘London’s first authentic Xi’an restaurant’ (their slogan), operates at three other locations in London: one in the City near London Bridge, one at Euston, and one at Elephant & Castle. CUISINE FROM “NORTHWEST” CHINA AT MURGER HAN RESTAURANT, LONDON Xi’an is the capital of Shaanxi Province in central China. Interestingly, most Chinese think of it as Northwest China, even though strictly speaking, it is closer to the Southeast than the Northwest of China. Presumably this is because the cultural, economic, and political elites in China – apart from Beijing, Chongqing, and a few other cities – live mainly in the Southeast of the country in a bulging triangle vaguely between Qingdao in the Northeast, Chengdu in the Northwest, and Hainan Island in the South. The […]
The Exhibitionist Hotel, London – Quirky & Affordable
A few weeks ago, Ellie & I decided that as London travel bloggers, we should probably make more of an effort to check out London hotels. Neither of us had stayed at one for the past 25 years or so. When we saw an offer for The Exhibitionist Hotel, an upmarket boutique hotel in South Kensington, for £135, we booked ourselves in for one night in a standard double. That night was last night. ROOMS AT THE EXHIBITIONIST HOTEL START FROM £125, SUITES FROM £275 During the season, the price goes up to well over £400. Larger-size (but still very small) doubles with balcony have a price range from £170 to well over £500. The suites range from £275 to well over £800. While the hotel is listed as five-star on booking websites and called five-star in previous independent reviews, in fairness, they do not mention five stars on their […]
Fine Dining in Salzburg: Michelin-Starred The Glass Garden
During our recent stay at the fabulous Hotel Schloss Moenchstein in Salzburg, we had dinner at the hotel’s own Michelin-starred restaurant, The Glass Garden. Apart from the prestigious star, the hotel received an impressive rating of 17/20 from Gault Millau. The restaurant is small, with space for a maximum of 40 guests. A huge glass sculpture by one of our favourite artists, Chihuly, dominates the dining room. There are floor to ceiling windows throughout, with magnificent views over town and the other nearby hills. Part of the restaurant is covered by the stunning L-shaped, hose-like glass and steel structure, which also covers some of the outdoor seating area of the hotel (not The Glass House, which does not have outdoor seating) and the very stylish Apollo Bar. NEW CHEF AT THE GLASS GARDEN RESTAURANT SALZBURG 32-year old chef Simon Wagner, who became a father a few months ago, previously […]
One of the World’s Best Luxury Hotels: Schloss Moenchstein, Salzburg
Two weeks ago, just before the Christmas holidays, Ellie & I spent a night at the absolutely outstanding luxury hotel Schloss Moenchstein in Salzburg. Apart from a last-minute short stay in Paris with friends, this was the first trip together since my return from the Arctic, so we thought we’d splash out a little (€620/£515 for the cheapest double room). All pics (c) BerkeleySqB except last three pics in this blog post, which are (c) Hotel Schloss Moenchstein. HOTEL SCHLOSS MOENCHSTEIN WON BEST LUXURY CASTLE HOTEL IN THE WORLD 4X We had done our research and our expectations were sky-high. During the last year, Hotel Schloss Moenchstein won prizes in several categories of the World Luxury Awards, including Best Luxury Castle Hotel in Western Europe (previously: 4x best in the world) and Best Luxury Romantic Hotel in Western Europe, as well as Best Luxury Small Hotel in Austria. Moreover, […]
Hold On To Your Butts, the Play, at the Arcola Theatre, London
Ellie & I have recently watched the play Hold on to Your Butts at London’s Arcola Theatre, and we absolutely loved it. This is my review. The play was one of the most hilarious plays we’ve ever seen anywhere. We laughed so much. More than once it was the kind of laughter that is almost hysteric. Laughter that is out of control, an urge that you can’t stop. It was clear that the rest of the audience was equally enthusiastic about the performance, with many laughing even more heartily than us. HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS IS A PARODY OF JURASSIC PARK – OUR REVIEW The premise of the play is simple enough to explain. In a style reminiscent of ultra-low budget improv theatre and physical comedy, all major scenes from Steven Spielberg’s original 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park are re-staged by just two actors, Jack Baldwin & Laurence Pears, and […]