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Tracy Halliwell – Director of Business Tourism and Major Events at London & Partners
My favourite spots in London:
Top three restaurants
Dinner Heston Blumenthal at Mandarin Oriental London is one of London’s hottest new restaurants from Heston Blumenthal and Executive Chef Ashley Palmer-Watts. Entitled ‘Dinner’ the menu is a mix of Britain’s gastronomic traditional recipes. Recipes served date back to the 14th Century with the year of origin detailed on the menu, along with the recipe book it was sourced from. The restaurant is luxuriously spacious and looks directly over Hyde Park which offers London’s finest al fresco dining locations.
The Riding House Café is an all-day bar-brasserie in Fitzrovia – which is an area just behind London’s famous Oxford Street. The menu includes small plates and mains like steak tartare; seared sea trout with crab and leek salad; and guinea fowl with Romesco sauce. Don't miss the quirky cocktail list which features 'drinks for two' like the Vicar's Tea Party – a blend of gin, raspberry liqueur, Earl Grey syrup, orange bitters and lemon.
Massimo Restaurant at the Corinthia Hotel is London’s new speciality fish restaurant and oyster bar. Crafted by Chef Patron Massimo Riccioli, their a la carte menu offers a tasty burst of fresh Mediterranean flavours with a London twist. The Oyster Bar is less formal, with a condensed menu focused on crudo, crustacea and antipasti – served in beautiful Italian-inspired surroundings. Perfect for business lunches or a treat after a long day!
Top three bars
Arch Gin Bar at the Intercon Park Lane London: Recently refurbished in a mix of deco/1950s design the new Arch bar oozes ‘business class’– complete with the promise of ‘unobstructed views of Wellington Arch’. Serving a fine selection of over two dozen gins & gin-based cocktails – try ‘old time tipple’ (basil-infused Berkeley Square gin muddled with fresh tomato & cranberry) or cherry-sweet ‘mother’s ruin’ complete with amazing dry ice.
Perrier-Jouët's latest collaboration with Dukes Hotel London is all about celebrating London’s unique design style and enjoying the finer things in life! Visitors can expect the house's full range including Belle Epoque, Belle Epoque Rosé and the super rare Belle Epoque Blanc de Blanc with house bubbles c/o Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut NV offered by the glass and five special Champagne cocktails including The Dukes Classic and The Flower of Champagne – the latter created using rose vodka and decorated with a rose petal.
The new Gilbert Scott Bar at St Pancras: If you’re looking for a bar which sums up the very best of London – then look no further than the Gilbert Scott Bar at St Pancras. Boasting amazing architecture, classic British design and the very latest concoctions from London’s top mixologist – the brand new bar situated in the Renaissance St Pancras Hotel in Kings Cross has it all. Through the revolving door The Gilbert Scott occupies the former entrance to the Midland Grand Hotel. Because of its close proximity to the Eurostar terminal this is a perfect location for a European business traveller!
Top three hotspots
The Box – London: “Life is a cabaret, old chum.” And London is now boasting a brand new kind of cabaret! British-born proprietor Simon Hammerstein brings his infamous and utterly risque club The Box – a cult hit in downtown Manhattan – to London’s Soho. With no reservations taken and the venue already visited by Royalty, The Box offers cocktails galore and titillating performances that go on until the early hours.
The Worship Street Whistling Shop is a unique Victoriana-inspired underground gin bar based in the heart of Shoreditch. But this isn’t just a bar – this is a event and one which you’re not likely to have ever experienced! The Worship Street Whistling Shop is the second venture from Fluid Movement, the collective of molecular mixologists and drinks enthusiasts behind the renowned Purl in Marylebone.
The Goring – where Kate ‘Middleton’ now Duchess of Cambridge stayed the night before her wedding to HRH Prince William – now boasts its very own beach!!! The new Basil beach bar at The Goring has tons of golden sand, three fishing boats, a palm-thatched roof and some serious cocktails. Basil's Bar is the social epicentre of Mustique, perched on stilts over the water with drop-dead views of the Caribbean, and is possibly the most famous bar in the world. What makes Basil’s really special is Basil Charles himself, who presides over his watering hole with legendary charm.
London & Partners is the official promotional agency for London – previously Visit London – and is tasked with attracting and delivering value to businesses, students and visitors. London & Partners is a partnership, funded by the Mayor of London and our network of commercial partners. www.londonandpartners.com