Fly by to London and beyond

I recently went to London for all of 4 nights - a fly by visit you could call it. It was for a good friends' wedding so it was worth it. Here is a list of the places visited including the requisite high (and low) lights.

BUXTED PARK, EAST SUSSEX

Buxted Park Hotel 

Buxted Park is about 1.5 hours south of London in East Sussex and the Hotel is set within the grounds. The Hotel is part of the chain known as Hand-Picked Hotels. The rooms had every comfort that a guest might require with attention paid to detail. For example, the teas and coffees were from Clipper organic and free water (still and sparkling) were provided in the room. The beds were very comfortable and on the softer side but still supportive.

I was there for a friends’ wedding and I can see why they host so many down here – everything ran smoothly and the food was pretty memorable. Breakfast included in the room cost was served in a lavish dining room and a hot and cold buffet was served. The fried eggs were cooked well without being overdone, a common problem at buffets and the freshly-sliced fruit selection included a range of seasonal items. They did not offer water at the buffet but a waitress brought some promptly on request.

Buxted Park Hotel Bistro

We celebrated with a pre-wedding dinner the night before and made selections from the Bistro menu (not the formal Restaurant). I requested the cod grilled with salad rather than deep-fried and served with chips. They met my request but the cod was over-cooked and not very fresh, possibly why it came deep-fried usually! They also gave my dessert to a different person at the table so that when I asked, they had to make a new one. When it came it was a large portion of cooked apple wrapped in filo pastry and served with cinnamon ice-cream.

Buxted Park High Tea

On the wedding day, we celebrated with high tea. Three-tiered stands came out with 1. Chocolate dipped strawberries and yogurt parfait with berry coulis; 2. Mini chocolate éclairs and raspberry tarts with custard; 3. Scones – cheese, sultana and plain. Plates of finger sandwiches also graced out table including smoked salmon and cream cheese; beef; ham and brie; and cucumber and cream cheese. There were also bowls of mini macaroons but the green and brown ones were hard/crunchy!?! Only the pink ones filled with jam were soft as they should be on the inside. The highlights were the salmon and ham sandwiches, the perfect sultana scones served with lemon curd as well as the usual jam and clotted cream, the chocolate strawberries and yogurt parfait! Highly recommended if you need a trip away from London or a stop on the way to Brighton.

BRIGHTON

OHSO Social is the name of a restaurant/bar/music hall on the boardwalk of Brighton Beach located right down one end near all The Artists’ Studios. There is a spacious indoor and outdoor deck, which we sat at despite it only being around 15 degrees and windy! The fish and chips with mushy peas were the signature dish and I could easily see why. I ordered the tuna nicoise salad to try something else but it was seared to the point of being almost overdone and served with very little salad. There’s a reason why you shouldn’t stray from the signature dish!

LONDON

Hilton Hyde Park - This place was reasonably priced for a centrally-located hotel in town. It's literally right next door to the entrance to Queensway tube (Central line) and Bayswater tube (Circle and District lines) and within walking to Knightsbridge for museums and Harrods. It's an older style but the rooms were clean and functional and they stock Peter Thomas Roth toiletries. The breakfast buffet was stock standard but they do have a real coffee machine there so you can request cappuccinos or lattes and even soy milk!

Tate Modern – I always go and check out this museum on the Thames. My efforts were rewarded as I got to see the first retrospective put together for American artists, Roy Lichenstein, who also happens to be one of my favorite contemporary artists. I arrived soon after opening time at 10am so I was able to purchase a ticket with immediate entry, otherwise it appeared to be timed every half hour during the day. There were 10 rooms which showcased his work in themes and time periods. It was well-curated and demonstrated that there was more to Lichenstein’s work than his most famous pop-art paintings.

I purchased a combined ticket to the other exhibition, Chocair (only $2 more with the purchase of 1 exhibition). Knowing nothing of her work, I was interested in her fascination with architecture and how it infused her own painting and sculpture art. Her most recent works of plexiglass and metal were amazing.

National Portrait Gallery – I also always go to the NPG if I can. They have the most amazing collection of portrait art focusing on famous or established English people. You can see Sam Taylor-Wood’s film of David Beckham sleeping or the more recent acquisition, a portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton.

Harrods – Harrods is always so crazy and busy and the Saturday that I visited was no exception. The food hall is the place to be if you’re interested in gourmet food. They have a whole hall dedicated to the finest chocolate. Harrods own brand of chocolates was sold alongside the world’s finest like Neuhaus and Godiva by the piece or boxed. I really wanted to try some imported dates. They had several varieties stuffed with different things like lemon peel, almonds, caramelized pecans, etc. However, they only sold them by the piece if you buy at least 100 grams which equated to around seven dates which I did not want to consume before dinner. Instead I bought a scoop of nuts, not just any nuts but cashews roasted with herbs and dried pineapple. They were delicious!

Tip: If you arrive at a non-peak time, you can try to eat at one of the many in-house bars including: sushi, antipasto and seafood bars.

Satsuma – After a day of walking around Soho, I found this modern-Asian spot and ordered a bento box with sashimi for GBP14.90. It came out promptly with fragrant miso soup, 3 vegetarian crispy dumplings with chilli and garlic sauce on the side, 3 vegetarian sushi rolls and pickles, 4 slices of salmon and tuna sashimi, rice and salad. The sashimi was the best part as it was thick cut, fresh and sliced well, followed by the dumplings. The sushi rolls were a bit stale which you could tell from the soft seaweed. Overall, nice atmosphere and place, good but not amazing food for a reasonable price in Soho.

Tip: They included a 12.5% tip onto the bill which seemed to be rather common here.

Flat White – This place is on Berwick Street in Soho and served a pretty awesome flat white, its namesake coffee. Service can be a bit slow but it’s worth the wait for a proper brew. I tried to order one of the salads at 2pm on a Saturday and after I was charged by the cashier, the man who looked like the managed told me that they had run out of all the salads so I requested a refund. Not a great customer experience.

Ladroke Arms – This local pub is a stone’s throw away from Portobello Markets and in between Notting Hill and Holland Street tube stations. It looks small from the street but the dining area extends down one side and to the back. We had dinner here one night and got to try a wide range of their meals. We started with some chilli marinated mixed olives (seeded and juicy) and smoked pistachios (in shell) that were average. I’m told the pea and mint soup, salad with beetroot, mixed leaves and parmesan and the fresh asparagus with baby burrata and tomatoes were all hits for appetizers. For entrée, I ordered the roasted cod fillet (GBP16) which was  thick and served with a wonderfully tasty and zesty salsa verde on top and a bed of puy lentils and sautéed carrots and celery in a herby broth. The cod was cooked perfectly except that the skin lacked crispiness. A side of chips (GBP3) worked well with pots of ketchup and mayonnaise. For dessert, I ordered the trio of home made sorbets (GBP7). The plum was a bit too tart and watery but the creamy coconut and the smooth mango scoops made up for it as did the crunchy, almond-studded tuille served with it. Great local pub with high quality bistro fare served at reasonable prices.

And if that photo isn't enough to entice you to visit The Ladbroke Arms, then check out the cute look of the pub from the outside below. It doesn't get more 'English' pub than that!