Gin Tasting at City of London Distillery

The city of London might have been littered with gin distilleries during the gin craze in the 18th century, these days there is only one. And one that is worth a visit. I was recently invited to come to the City of London Distillery for a gin tasting and a tour.

An Autumn Walk in Richmond Park

It may sound weird, but autumn is my favourite season of the year. It's the time of year of admiring colourful trees, searching for mushrooms and finding acorns and conkers. Living in a city like London can make these things a bit more of a challenge, but an autumn walk in Richmond Park is a good place to start.

Staying at the Yotel at Gatwick

After a longish weekend with my folks in Andalusia last weekend, I opted for staying at the Yotel at Gatwick this morning, rather than trawling around Victoria looking for a cab to Battersea.

I wrote a wee blog post about it for Booking Buddy, but I hadn't actually had the pleasure to stay at one. I'd read that it had been copied from the Japanese capsule 'hotels' used by mostly drunk Japanese men who miss their trains.

Bond in Motion at the Film Museum

The film museum in Covent Garden has extended their Bond in Motion exhibition indefinitely and I went to see it on the weekend. It’s apparently the largest collection of James Bond cars featuring motorised vehicles that featured in James Bond films spanning over 50 years from Dr No to Spectre.

Totally Thames Festival

September is the month that celebrates all kinds of fun things around our beloved river Thames during the Totally Thames festival. It is actually a collection of 150 events ranging from walks, movies, music performances, exhibitions, dining experiences and lots more. All taking place on or around the Thames of course during the full length of the month September.

Mercato Metropolitano in Elephant & Castle

Elephant and Castle is probably the last place you’d call a foodie destination, but last night I found a reason to head to this forgotten bit of London’s zone 1. Elephant and Castle is now home to a Milan style food market called Mercato Metropolitano.

A Cruise on the Thames

Having access to the Thames on a daily basis, kind of makes you take this beautiful piece of London for granted. I cross it every day, walk along the Thames Path a lot, but in the 13 years I have lived in London, I haven't been on it very often. So this weekend I signed up for a cruise on the Thames.

Farmopolis in Greenwich

Plants need homes too, which is exactly what the people behind Farmopolis in Greenwich must have thought. Farmopolis is a pop-up urban garden on a jetty jutting out into the river Thames in Greenwich where people can go to and enjoy some green space, great (locally sourced) food and cultural events.

Pergola on the Roof

When spring comes to town so do the roof top bars. Today I had a peek at the brand spanking new Pergola in the roof in Shepherd's Bush.

Pop Brixton

Anything North London does, the south can do better. So if Shoreditch has its Boxpark, the south has got Pop Brixton.

A Float Session at The Floatworks

Do you recognise this? Work has got your stress levels up to your eye balls and your next holiday isn't due for another 6 months. I  might have just found the next best thing to floating on an air mattress in the Med. A float session at the Floatworks in London.

The Jack the Ripper Museum

Okay, so the Jack the Ripper Museum in East London is a bit controversial. It was apparently never supposed to be about Jack at all, but about the plight of women in the 1800s. So imagine the surprise of local residents on opening day. Even though the owners added a barely readable byline under the museum's name, that states that it is also about the history of women in East London, don't be fooled; It is all about Jack and his antics.

Cocktails at Dandelyan Bar at the Mondrian Hotel

When a bar is awarded with the title 'Best New International Cocktail Bar in London' you just have to go and see it for yourself, right?

So we did.

And we agreed.

A Valentine's Dinner with Nordish

The way through a man's heart goes through his stomach. And that goes for women to. So what better way to celebrate Valentine's with a love themed supper club? Last night I was delighted to be a guest at an dinner created by the girls from Nordish, a supper club that dishes up Norwegian/Italian food.

London Grace Nail Bar

I'm not a girlie girl, but when a friend of mine organised a baby shower at London Grace Nail Bar last weekend, I was really looking forward.

Cocktails at Cahoots

I love a good themed bar, and had been dying to go and check out Cahoots, an old WWII air raid bunker turned 40s style cocktail bar. I think everyone else in London loves it too, asyou have to book a couple of weeks in advance to get in. But finally I managed to secure a table.

Wandering Around Wapping

When you look at a map of London, you'll see that it's really just a cluster of smaller towns that were gobbled up by a growing city. One such village is Wapping in East London where I happened to be visiting a friend. She took me on a lovely wander around Wapping, which somehow made me think a lot of home. I will show you why in this blog post.

Visiting Eltham Palace

Last week was a bit of an Art Deco weekend. Not only did I go on a Art Deco tour with Yannick's London Unravelled walks, the weekend also saw me visiting the magnificent Eltham Palace.

How to Chase the Winter Blues Away

If things were up to me I would abolish January and February. How nice would it be to go from New Year's eve straight into spring? No grey skies, Blue Monday and failed detox attempts. If you're like me and only really would like to go into hibernation for two months, I've got something to chase those winter blues away: Eat.

Through my 'Eating Around the World Without Leaving London' blog series, I've been introduced to the ever so popular phenomenon of supper clubs. It's a really fun experience which combines trying delicious food and meeting new people in relaxed settings. There are several sites where you can find supper club events and one of them is the website Tabl. They've got some great events coming up that will certainly make January and February go a lot faster.

Mad Hatters Brunch

Expect weird and wonderful food combinations served on hand-painted china in a fantastical setting with humongous playing cards and enormous bouquets of flowers at this banquet style supper club. Of course there will also be lots of tea and apparently a sweeping view of the Regent's Canal.

Art Deco Tour with London Unravelled

Art Deco might bring to mind images of pastel buildings in sun drenched South Beach or NYC skyscrapers rising up into the clouds, but if you look up now and again here in dreary London, you might find some real gems as well. Even more so after today, as I went on one of Yannick's London Unravelled Art Deco walking tours.