London Calling

London remains one of my favourite destinations and I never tire of visiting this interesting city. Whether I am visiting colleagues, suppliers, customers or family I always leave feeling enriched and enlightened.

People always tell me that London is too far away to be a destination favourite but I actually enjoy long haul flights. Travelling with Cathay Pacific I get to experience the comfort of their Business Class cabins. The seat transforms into a fully flat bed which really makes the trip to Europe easy and enjoyable.
I also don’t have the feeling that my time in the air is wasted as Cathay offers Wi-Fi services onboard the A350-900 so I’m usually quite productive catching up on news and literally working in the cloud.

I travelled to London late last year and had a week in this great City.

The Zetter Group: Independently owned and managed this series of townhouses have been elegantly refurbished into boutique accommodation. The Townhouse in Clerkenwell features award-winning cocktails and is well situated on Saint Johns Square. Classic English cool mixing traditional and modern seamlessly.

Cecconi's: Situated in Mayfair and adjacent to Savile Row this Italian institution is a great base. Sit at the bar for a Campari and Burrata and watch the world pass you by whilst you contemplate Burlington Arcade and all its treasures.

Rochelle's Canteen in Arnold Circus is run by Melanie Arnold & Margot Henderson, it is also the home of their event catering company and offices.

Luca: Award-winning London Restaurant, Amazing Food (described as Britalian) and atmosphere and an all-conquering breakfast service. Make sure you go as you won’t regret it.

Wolseley: No trip to London is complete for me without a visit to this amazing space. They do a great high tea with an extensive tea menu as well as having one of the busiest (and smallest) bars in london. Situated in the original Wolseley showroom this grand space never fails to impress.

Harrods: The Harrods Food Hall is a culinary journey through continents and cultures. However obscure or ridiculous your quarry start the search here.

Chiltern Firehouse: A relatively new institution in the hip Chiltern Street precinct.

The Ivy: Modern British Cuisine since 1917. You are guaranteed rubbing shoulders with someone famous at this beautiful space. This Covent Garden Restaurant is world famous like its clientele from Film and Theatre predominantly.

London still boasts a large number of small and independent retailers, many are involved in Menswear so it is always a good place to visit. The Drakes store is a wonderful haberdasher that sells handmade neckwear and scarves. I always pay a visit to Trunk in Chiltern Street to visit old colleagues and see what they are doing. Monocle store and Cafe is also on my list. For big box experience it's difficult to go past Selfridges, Fortnum and Mason and Liberty, especially if your time is limited as it offers you the chance to see pretty much all major brands in one place.

The Tate Modern is literally and figuratively a powerhouse in the art world. If you want to immerse yourself in some the best contemporary art on offer anywhere in the world then visit the Tate.

The Imperial War Museum IWM is a family of five museums and historic sites covering war and conflict from the First World War to the present day. The sites showcase a unique collection of objects telling the human stories of lives engulfed in war and show how conflict has shaped the world in which we all live. Fascinating.