Dinner at Caxton Grill, London, United Kingdom

Leave a comment

Last week, I was going away to visit my parents, so we decided to go for a nice, romantic meal with my husband. We love eating out and both are massive foodies, so I was excited to try an award-winning Caxton Grill.

Location:
Caxton Grill is located inside of Westminster’s exclusive St. Ermin’s Hotel which was voted a ‘Top London Hotel’ in Condé Nast Traveller Reader’s Choice Awards. It is around the corner from St. James’s Park tube station, minutes from Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament and only a short 10min walk from Victoria station. It can be easily reachable by tube, bus or walking if you are exploring the central London.

Atmosphere:
The Caxton Grill has re-launched this summer with new interiors which are elegant and sophisticated. Wooden tables are decorated with candles and some simple flower arrangements.
Since the moment we walked through the hotel’s lobby until the end of our experience, all staff that were attending our table were professional and attentive.

The menu:
The Caxton Grill’s head chef – Alexander Boyd has launched a new menu inspired by plenty of organic herbs, vegetables, salad and fruit many of which are harvested from the hotel’s rooftop kitchen garden. All dishes are prepared from the top quality, locally sourced ingredients including the best 35-day dry aged British beef and sustainably caught fish. Many of the dishes are prepared at very high temperatures using a Josper oven.

To start with I had some pan-fried hand dived scallops with courgettes and their flowers. They were simply divine.
My husband had some cured sea bass with lemon purée, cucumber, kohlrabi and parsley. The dish was stimulating and refreshing.

Secondly, as I love seafood, I decided to have a mixed fish grill prepared from the freshest fish available that day. There was a nice selection of tuna, salmon, calamari and a prawn to try which was all cooked faultlessly.


My husband had some Prime Black Angus Sirloin steak which was prepared on the Josper over that retained moisture and added a hint of smokiness to it. We eat out at least twice a week and have been to many specialist steakhouses this year including Gauchos and Hawksmoor, but James described it as the best steak he’s had so far this year. Certainly worth trying and next time I will definitely want to try it myself.

98065B05-0117-42CE-81E3-9FA6ABAFB299
After our mains, it was time for a dessert. You can judge me, but I never say no to this final course of my dinner. I decided to have some toasted almond panna cotta accompanied by an apple sorbet, blackberry and rocket. James had a ‘mojito’- a dessert based on lime chiboust, brown sugar, rum and mint. Both of them were mouth-watering.

Overall experience:
The Caxton Grill is a perfect destination for a memorable meal in the central London. Whether you live here, travel on business or visit only for a few days to visit the key sites of London, you should definitely experience it yourself as all food we tried was outstanding. In addition, our table was attended to by friendly waiters that were happy to provide us with some suggestions and made us feel welcomed throughout the evening. To sum-up, it was a great meal and I will visit again. Truly recommended!

Website:
For more information and to book visit:
https://www.caxtongrill.co.uk

Address:
St. Ermin’s Hotel, Autograph Collection
2 Caxton Street
Westminster
London SW1H 0QW

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

Dinner at GLOBO Restaurant & Wine Bar, Bratislava, Slovakia

Leave a comment

I visited Slovakia on multiple occasions as a child when I travelled here often for my winter sport’s camps. My found childhood memories involve one of the signature Slovakian dishes – fried cheese with French fries and some tartare sauce. I haven’t visited Slovakia since I moved to the UK 16 years ago and lots has changed – many trendy eateries and wine bars emerged offering the best of local and international cuisine.
I came across a newly opened ‘Globo Restaurant and Wine Bar’ which prides itself in being: ‘an ideal place for memorable experiences’ and I decided to put this claim to test. We visited the restaurant for a dinner on the second night of our stay in Bratislava.

Location:
Globo Restaurant and Wine Bar is perfectly located in Hlavné námestie – Bratislava’s main, historic square with charming old buildings and a small fountain. It can be easily reachable by bus, tram or taxi.

C9AD0271-38BA-485A-A8D0-C9DCC3781171

Atmosphere:
The decoration of Globo Restaurant and Wine Bar is modern and elegant. Tables were softly decorated with some fresh flowers. From the moment we arrived we felt welcomed and were well looked after by our waiter and sommelier.

5BAB66E6-AF7F-4CF1-804F-5D3632270B88

The menu:
The restaurant is managed by Dominik Baranek who worked in the well-known Savoy hotel in London. What’s more the kitchen is run by a renowned chef Branislav Križan who’s been recognised as a Vice President of the Slovak Association of Chefs and Confectioners in addition to being a Captain of the Slovak National Team of Chefs and Confectioners. His team includes professional and knowledgeable waiters and friendly sommeliers.
Globo Restaurant and Wine Bar offers 2 testing menus which are prepared mainly from local, fresh bio quality ingredients and it changes seasonally. If you enjoy quality wine, then you will have a plenty of choice as the restaurant offers over 150 types of local and foreign wines. In addition, diners have an opportunity to select a pairing of wines that have been carefully chosen to harmonize with the flavours of each course. We wanted to experience something new, so we decided to try some traditional Slovakian wines which were remarkable. We also found out that they won many prestigious awards at the wine festivals in France.
To start with I had some tomato, goat cheese, basil oil whilst my husband had a dish based on 5 textures of cucumber. Both dishes were all mouth-watering and delicious.


Secondly, I had some cream of Kohlrabi, Croquette with Blue Cheese which was enjoyable. My husband had some cream of roasted tomatoes with ricotta and it was divine.


Thirdly, I received some fresh fish from the market accompanied by zucchini, teriyaki and sesame seeds. It was definitely my favourite dish which was simply outstanding!
My husband had some scallops with carrots and fennel which he enjoyed. Moving on, I had a Veal Cheek accompanied by duck liver, celery, carrot, truffle whilst my husband had venison tenderloin with some sweetbread, pak choi and cauliflower.


As a final temptation, we received our desserts. I had a dessert based on different textures of raspberries with chocolate whilst James’s dessert was based on lemon, orange and yuzu. As I have a very bad sweet-tooth, I’ve tried them both and they were simply delectable.

Overall experience:
Globo Restaurant and Wine Bar exceeded my expectation and passed its test on being an ideal place for memorable experiences. We eat out at least twice a week and travel all over the world so I can truthfully say that this was one of the best meals we’ve had this year and I would recommend anyone to visit this charming restaurant. Our food was beautifully presented and flavoursome whilst all wines we’ve tried throughout the evening were full of aromas and nicely complemented our dishes. Our table was attended to by welcoming and knowledgeable waiting staff. To summarise, it was a perfect meal in a picture-perfect location so I would definitely visit it again when I am back in Bratislava.

Website:
For more information and to book visit:
https://www.globorestaurant.sk/

Address:
Františkánske námestie 7,
811 01 Bratislava,
Slovakia

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

Our stay in VISIONAPARTMENTS in Zurich

Leave a comment

We travelled to Zurich recently for a short, weekend break. We stayed in one of the luxurious apartments managed by VISIONAPARTMENTS. They offer over 1,800 tailored temporary living solutions in Berlin, Frankfurt, Lausanne, Warsaw, Vevey, Vienna, Zug and Zurich. The main clientele of VISIONAPARTMENTS are businessmen and young leisure travellers who collectively help to create a great atmosphere there.

Location:
VISIONAPARTMENTS Wolframplatz building is situated just a few metres away from the Giesshübel Train Station which can get you to the Zürich Main Train Station in a few minutes. It makes it a perfect location for whether you are there on business or – like us – travelling for a short city-break. The airport is only 40min away can be easily reached by public transport too.
You can also grab a bite to eat nearby, with the nearest restaurants located only a short walk away or go shopping at the Sihlcity Shopping Centre which is a 5min walk away from the apartments.

Apartment:
The concept of an aparthotel is one that offers most of the services of a hotel: rooms are regularly cleaned but rather than living in a room, you are spend your time in a fully-equipped apartment. VISIONAPARTMENTS units are available in a variety of layouts, styles and sizes and are competitively priced whether you are looking for a long- or short-term accommodation.


We stayed in a lovely, fully furnished Junior Duplex Apartment (No# WO010), split over 2 levels. On the ground floor, it featured a bathroom, living room area and a kitchen (with a small mini-fridge, microwave and dishwasher). A staircase lead us up to our spacious bedroom with its own en-suite bathroom.

The bedroom had a large, comfortable king size bed, flat screen TV and handy night stands. There was a selection of toiletries available in our master bathroom in addition to comfy robes and slippers.


After long days of sightseeing, I really enjoyed coming back to our apartment and relaxing on the large sofa watching some news before going to bed. As our apartment had a fully furnished kitchen – we prepared our breakfasts there, trying some locally produced goods.

Overall experience:
We stayed at the VISIONAPARTMENTS in Zurich for 2 nights and we really enjoyed it. The complex is super modern – you do not need to even check in/check out as you get an access code to your apartment on the day of your arrival. I was impressed with how spacious and stylish our apartment was. There is no restaurant onsite but if you do not mind preparing your own breakfast or having it at one of the nearby cafes then that shouldn’t be an issue. I would definitely recommend it to all travellers who like to stay in beautiful modern surroundings that offer an excellent price to quality ratio.

Address:
Wolframplatz. 1,
8045 Zürich, Switzerland

Website:
https://visionapartments.com/en/

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

Our lunch at BeAbout Burger, Bratislava, Slovakia

Leave a comment

I normally focus on fine-dining and top-end meals we’ve had. Having said that, today I would like to tell you about BeAbout Burger which we visited for a quick lunch whilst in Bratislava as it is definitely worth a visit. The restaurant was recommended to me by one of my Slovakian friends as: ‘the best place to have a gourmet burgers in.’ 

Atmosphere:

When we entered the restaurant, it was already buzzing with many dinners. We sat in the middle of restaurant and were welcomed by a waiter who kindly brought us English menus.

When you enter BeAbout Burger it feels a bit like being in an American dinner and the place has a vibrant atmosphere. The dining room has a contemporary, simple décor.

Food:

The restaurant serves a selection of starters in addition to their signature burgers. All dishes are made from high quality, fresh, local ingredients. There is also an extensive cocktails menu on offer in addition to a wide selection of local and imported alcohol being served.

We were quite hungry when we arrived so we decided to order 3 sides to share:

  • Buffalo wings & rings – barbeque glazed chicken wings, onion rings, BBQ a Blue cheese sauce.
  • Papa T’s chicken pieces – crispy chicken breast in homemade coating and Ranch sauce.
  • Crispy chicken strips – crispy chicken coated in panko mixture and Honey-mustard sauce.

All starters were tasty and tender. I really enjoyed our crispy chicken strips which were delectable.

For my main I decided to have a ‘Maple Syrup Burger’ with guacamole, bacon
beef meat, cheddar and mayonnaise. My husband decided to have ‘Tex Mex Burger’
with beef meat, cheddar, nachos, chilli beans, jalapeño peppers and Mojo sauce.

Both burgers were served with fries, onion rings, tomato, red onion and pickles. The portion sizes were very generous and unfortunately after finishing our starters and mains we were unable to have any desserts so I hope that I will be able to try some next time we are around.

Overall experience:

If you like burgers then you should definitely visit BeAbout Burger for a lunch / dinner.  Our food was served quickly, was tasty and the service was good so I would definitely recommend it. What’s more, all dishes were reasonably priced and we could customise our burgers which is always a plus.

Address:

You can experience BeAbout Burger at one of these two locations:

Prešernova 4, Bratislava / Dulovo Námestie 5/A, Bratislava

For more information and to book visit:

https://www.beabout.sk/

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

Holiday destinations: Bristol, UK

Leave a comment

Last month my mum visited me in London and as I wanted to spend some quality mother-daughter time with her I booked us a weekend trip to Bristol. I was there last year after we got engaged so I have many happy memories in that city. We left London at 11a.m. and after a couple of hours on a train, we arrived in the centre of Bristol.

Bristol is a city in South West England with a population of almost half a million inhabitants. The Bristol metropolitan area is the 12th largest in the United Kingdom. The city buzzes with lively students and it is built on the creative media, electronics and aerospace industries. Bristol is one of the UK’s most popular tourist destinations, and The Sunday Times named it as the best city in Britain in which to live in 2014 and 2017. The city has also recently won the EU’s European Green Capital Award.

IMG_4678

My mum was super excited about our trip and discovering the city.

The city is steeped in history and there is something spectacular everywhere you turn. Here is a short list of my suggestions of places worth visiting whilst in Bristol:

  • Bristol Museum & Art Gallery – located a short 10 min walk from the city centre this museum exhibits some outstanding collections of art, archaeology, Egyptology and natural history in a magnificent building.
  • Bristol Cathedral – England’s only hall church Cathedral
  • Clifton Suspension Bridge –  a suspension bridge spanning the Avon Gorge and the River Avon, linking Clifton in Bristol to Leigh Woods in North Somerset
  • Cabot Tower & Brandon Hill – set in the parkland and provides priceless views of the city.
  • Pero’s Bridge – pedestrian footbridge in honour of Pedro Jones.

I hope you enjoyed reading this review 🙂

X

Pauline

Dinner at Cantinetta Ristorante & Bar in Hamburg, Germany

3 Comments

If you are adventurous then there are a lot of traditional dishes worth trying when in Hamburg including fish sandwich with pickled herring, labskaus served with fried egg and herring or kale served with fried potatoes and sausages. Don’t judge me but I love Italian food so on the second day of our mini-break, we decided to visit Cantinetta Ristorante & Bar and I really enjoyed it so I would like to share our experience with you all.

Location:

Cantinetta Ristorante & Bar is located in Ameron hotel in Hamburg’s Speicherstadt which in the heart of the port city. It is only a short walk away from one of the city’s main attraction – Elbphilharmonie Hamburg a modern concert hall in the HafenCity quarter of Hamburg built atop old warehouse.

Atmosphere:

We booked our table for 6:00 p.m. We were greeted by a friendly waitress who made us feel welcomed took us to our table.

The restaurant has a modern and stylish décor which keeps the tradition of Speicherstadt. It features mid-century style stools and a library with a fireplace whilst the tables have a minimalist look with some fresh flowers featured. There was some soft Italian music playing in the background.

The menu:

Cantinetta Ristorante & Bar offers its diners famous Italian specialities with a twist which are creatively and perfectly prepared by chef Christopher Gieritz and his team. During the lunch, you can order from ‘Pranzo con espresso’ menu which changes daily in whilst it’s dinner à la carte selection of dishes changes seasonally.

We commenced our evening with a refreshing aperitiv. Our waitress also brought us some complimentary bread and olive oil.

To start with, I fancied some beef tartare with avocado cream, guacamole, fried garlic bread & herb salad.

AFD25B8C-62BE-44A5-B1B2-323567FDCEE9

My husband had some Vegetarian soup with fresh vegetables, Grana Padano & chili.
Both dishes were tasty and nicely seasoned.

Secondly, I had some fried halibut fillet with creamy truffle risotto & fresh truffle
which was mouth-watering. My husband decided to have fillet of beef, truffle jus, Mediterranean leaf spinach & gorgonzola gratin. It was exceptional.

Lastly, it was time for some dessert. My favourite Italian dessert is tiramisu so surprise, surprise – I ordered TIRAMISÙ ALLA CANTINETTA which was served with white coffee ice cream. Delicious!

My husband ordered arachide – a peanut brownie served with peanut ice cream, marshmallow & peanuts. It was scrumptious.

Overall experience:

We really enjoyed our meal at Cantinetta Ristorante & Bar. All dishes were tasty, nicely presented and the service was faultless. I would definitely recommend this restaurant if you are a fan of Italian food with a modern twist.

Address:

Speicherstadt
Am Sandtorkai 4
20457 Hamburg

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

2019 Travel Must Haves

Leave a comment

Happy Tuesday my lovelies! The weather has been so good recently so I was spending some time in my garden. I have even planted some colourful plants, can you believe it? Living in the countryside is definitely having a positive effect on me. Nevertheless, today I put together a short ‘2019 Travel Must-haves’ list. My aim was to give you some inspiration on the products worth getting this season. Most of them are a great investment and you will be able to benefit from them throughout a year – not only during the summer.

  1. Gate8 cabin bags and accessories

As a frequent traveller, I wanted to get a new, innovative travel bag that would be suitable for most of the airlines whether I was flying business or economy. Prepare to take off onto a new journey with Gate8. The brand has recently won the Best Travel Product from British Travel Goods & Accessories Association and it has been invited by Etihad, easyJet, Oman Air and Titan Airways to design their crew and pilot luggage so I wanted to check it out. The company vision is to make every journey as hassle-free as possible – be it air, rail or road, business or leisure. I decided to order the Spin MATE Plus. I travel a lot and spend a lot of time in airports and hotels so has this bag passed my test? Oh yes! I absolutely love it!

Spin MATE Plus comes in an upright, hard-wearing ballistic nylon shell and has 5 years guarantee. Its design was planned to make every journey as hassle-free as possible. As you are most likely aware the hand-luggage restrictions vary from airline to airline and Gate8 luggage can help anyone to avoid baggage check-in fees due to its smart design and detachable backpack. This zip-off removable backpack is perfectly sized to store under your seat for take-off and landing or to keep your tech and valuables secure and close to you.

I travelled with RyanAir to Hamburg last week and took Spin MATE Plus with me. I simply removed my backpack before I boarded the plane, put my wallet and laptop inside and took it onto the plane with me avoiding being asked to pay extra for my hand luggage. I was very impressed by it.

What’s more, Spin MATE Plus is super easy to navigate due to its 4, 360° spinner wheels. The inside of the bag, again has been beautifully designed with a netted panel on the left site of the bag and tie-down compression straps to reduce creasing on the right.

You can personalise the bag for no extra cost whilst ordering. Isn’t this great?

Lastly, Gate8 offers a range of handy accessories – I’ve tried their PACKER mate – a handy luggage organiser set that helped my packing to be organised and protected without adding extra weight. In addition, I got Shirt MATE – a perfect shirt carrier & folding board. It’s perfect for when I am travelling on business and need to wear a shirt as it enables me to store up to 5 shirts or trousers almost crease-free. There are some more, very handy accessories and you should definitely check them out yourself.

To discover the whole range and order visit:

https://www.gate8-luggage.co.uk/

Prices range from £15 for accessories to £159 for cabin bags.

     2. Jet candy 

Jet Candy is a new, homeopathic remedy developed to help combat jet lag. It spent over 10 years in development and was launched in Cannes in 2017. For all of you taking any intercontinental flights this summer, you should definitely consider getting it as jet lag catches us all regardless where we are going and in what direction. ‘Don’t take the time zone hit: take Jet Candy.’ Wouldn’t it be great to reset your body clock and enjoy the destinations you are travelling to? Jet Candy helps with fatigue, dehydration, disorientation, mental sharpness and other symptoms associated with the disruption of the circadian rhythms. What’s more, Jet Candy allows the internal body clock to function during long-haul flights. It comes in a practical pill distributor cap and has enough pills for 8 long-haul flights in it.

Available from http://www.jet-candy.com

Price: only £19.99 for 100 pillules.

I love all products featured in this review and if you decide to get anything from my list then I hope that you will enjoy them as much as I do 🙂

X

Pauline

Our stay at Regnum Aparthotel & Spa in Bansko, Bulgaria

Leave a comment

A few weeks ago, I was in Bulgaria with my husband to resolve some issues with my parent’s holiday home. We spent a few days in Bansko and a couple of days in Sofia. I love travelling to Bulgaria and today I would like to tell you about our stay at the Regnum Apart hotel & Spa in Bansko.

Location:

Regnum Apart hotel & Spa is based in the popular town of Bansko at the foot of the Pirin Mountains, in southwest Bulgaria. It is only a few minutes’ walk from town’s high street on which you can find many nice restaurants, clubs and a gondola. The hotels location is perfect – no matter whether you are in Bansko for skiing, hiking or just passing by.

Atmosphere:

Regnum Apart hotel & Spa has a classic and sophisticated décor. Its guests can enjoy many common areas such as an outdoor swimming pool, spa, bar, reading room and a large lounging area. All staff members we spoke with were helpful and accommodating.

Room:

We stayed in an Executive deluxe suite which consisted of two rooms, bathroom and a balcony with stunning mountain views. We enjoyed relaxing in our spacious living room with kitchenette which was fully equipped with a kettle all plates, cutlery, mini-fridge, safe box, and oven. We didn’t cook whilst we were there, but it would be handy for anyone who fancy preparing their meals whilst away from home. Our bedroom had a stylish décor and a comfortable with king size bed and a flat-screen TV.
Our bathroom had both shower cabin and bathtub and again was finished to a high standard. A selection of complimentary toiletries was also provided.


My favourite space in the apartment was our balcony – the view was simply stunning and as we were in Bansko in June it was perfect to lounging on with a drink after hiking all day.

F3AAB699-E234-4074-9AF7-E50BFF83EC8A

Overall experience:
We enjoyed our stay in Regnum Apart hotel & Spa and I would recommend it to anyone travelling to Bansko. In addition, the hotel has recently opened its own thermal SPA in a picturesque village of Banya. Regnum Banya Thermal features an outdoor swimming pool with mineral water which is complimentary to use for all hotel guests and can be easily reachable in 10min by a free hotel’s shuttle bus. The SPA has great facilities including a steam room, sauna and if you fancy you can have one of beauty treatments or a massage whilst in there.


The only let down was hotel’s buffet which we decided to try on one of the nights. All food was bland and overpriced for Bulgaria as it was around 20euros per person. It was a canteen quality food which I would not expect in a 5-star hotel.

Website:

For more information and to book visit:
https://www.regnum.bg/en/

Hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

Holiday destinations: Hillwood, Washington D.C., USA

Leave a comment

As some of you might know, I traveled to Washington D.C. a few weeks ago. During my stay, I decided to visit some historic homes and gardens. Today, I would like to tell you about my visit to Hillwood Estate, Museum and Garden.

Museum

Marjorie Merriweather Post bought Hillwood in 1955. She was a daughter of Ella Merriweather Post and Charles William (C.W.) Post, who founded the Post cereal empire. She decided that she would like her home to become a museum:

“I want young Americans to see how someone lived in the twentieth century and how this person could collect works of art the way I have… I want to share this with the rest of the world.”
—Marjorie Merriweather Post

Her estate holds the most comprehensive collection of Russian imperial art outside of Russia, a distinguished eighteenth-century French decorative art collection, and twenty-five acres of serene landscaped gardens and natural woodlands for all to enjoy. It was firstly opened as a public institution in 1977 to inspire and educate the public.

Gardens:

Marjorie designed the gardens to flower in the spring and fall however nowadays they are open to public all year round.

Visitors can walk through some beautiful paths that lead them to:

  • Rose Garden
  • Four Season Garden
  • Japanese Style Garden
  • French Parterre
  • Lunar Lawn

Location:
4155 Linnean Avenue,
NW Washington, DC 20008

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

Holiday destinations: Heurich House, Washington D.C., USA

Leave a comment

As some of you might know, I traveled to Washington D.C. a few weeks ago. During my stay, I decided to visit some historic homes and gardens. Today, I would like to tell you about the Heurich House Museum known also as the Brewmaster’s House.

Heurich house 1

The Heurich House Museum is a well-preserved Victorian mansion previously owned by Christian Heurich, a German immigrant that left his country to start a new life in Washington, DC. It is located near the trendy Dupont Circle.

 

The Heurich House Museum.as built from 1892-94 by German immigrant, local brewer Christian Heurich (1842-1945). He lived with his family in Dupont Circle from its 1894 until 1956. He was terrified of fires and the mansion is notable for its fireproof construction. It has original interiors that still look amazing due to the shade and lower temperature of the house.

The Heurich House Museum offers guided tours that last approximately 1 hour on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. I’ve joined a tour on Saturday and it was great to learn about the history of the house, its owner and what currently happens there. We walked through the rooms with a knowledgeable guide and admired lots of beautiful antics inspired by French style.

What I found interesting was that the Heurich House Museum, runs a monthly History & Hops event every third Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30pm. During that events the museum partners with a local beer insider for house tours and beer tastings so if you enjoy trying some local beers then you should definitely book yourself in on one of these evenings.

I loved the quotes that were displayed in a drinking room of the owner where he would meet up with a group of friends to try his locally-brewed beer.

Heurich house 10

Address:

Heurich House Museum

1307 New Hampshire Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20036

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline