A Malaysian meal in London (and a hotel or two)

I'd love to blog freely tonight but let's just say my internet connection leaves much to be desired.

I just wanted to share my dinner... Satay House at 13 Sale Place near Paddington A delicious Malaysian restaurant located just off of Sussex Gardens. I had a delicious dinner there... Udang Galah Goreng - king prawns sauteed in chilies, peppers, lime leaves, turmeric and coconut milk. Very good flavor - not at all spicy (despite what the waitress told me). Let's face it - spicy in the UK is not spicy in Texas. I also tried a Monarch beer (nice beer from Singapore) and some kind of special Malaysian coffee which tasted like... coffee. If you can, try to get seated in the basement... it is much nicer and hipper than the ground level. Trust me - it's like two different restaurants. Next door was a Lebanese place called Rotana... looked kind of plain and a bit empty but some reviews I found looked good.

By the way, I ended up really liking my Paddington area hotel... what a convenient neighborhood. There are dozens upon dozens around here, ranging in quality to meh to extremely nice (Hilton over Paddington). No idea what it was like but the Stylotel looked kind of call. Most of these hotels are small establishments and there all lined up like toy soldiers... one after the other. Usually train station areas are sketchy but this one seemed fine. There are probably 3-4 dozen alone along Sussex Gardens, not to mention other side street hotels.

Oh... and if you're in the area and want to try something different, walk along Edgware Road. It won't take long to realize that the area is a Middle Eastern community... stores selling Arab wares, food, services to Middle Eastern clients and many Persian and Lebanese restaurants, many of which have hookahs available for their primarily ethnic clientele.

An unexpected meal in London

Tonight I find myself in London... I'm staying at the Hyde Park Radnor, a quaint and affordable little hotel located a mere 2 minutes from Paddington station. The hotel is comfortable and reasonably priced - a mere 65 pounds for a room with a private bathroom. The room is a bit on the tiny side but, when you're traveling on your own, does it really matter? Everything is nice and clean and the location? Well, the location is ideal. Paddington is two blocks away and provides easy access to the tube and the Heathrow Express. Walk two blocks the other way to Hyde Park Square where 80% of the parked cars are Mercedes, BMW or Audis (not to mention a Rolls, two Bentleys and a Ferrari).

Now, for dinner I had planned on going to Crisitini. Unfortunately, the restaurant was hosting a private party and was closed. Edgware was only a few blocks away so my back-up plan was to go to Maroush, a local Lebanese chain. I never made it. While walking down Connaught, I spotted Arturo - a very nice and reasonable Italian restaurant and one that I would recommend.

Monday nights, one can order from the prix fixe menu at any time (otherwise only available as an "early bird" dinner). The three course prix fixe is only 16,95 pounds. I started with a carpaccio di tonno, followed by orata al forno (a delicious white fish) and had a fritella for dessert. I topped that off with a glass of white wine and paid a mere 20.95 plus service of 12,5%. A very good meal and an excellent value.

Tomorrow is going to be a crazy day... a meeting in Swindon, coffee with a partner at Paddington and then an appointment on Upper Thames Street. It will be a whirlwhind but hopefully it will bear fruit.

Hampton Court on Display

If you're in Houston, be sure to stop by the Starbucks at the corner of Voss and San Felipe on November 9th to see one of my photos displayed at a small local art show. Titled "Hampton Court Carousel", the photograph is a close-up of the horse depicted at the right. Given my love for travel photography, this is a small opportunity to show off a little bit of my work.

A local map will help you find the Starbucks where the show will be taking place.

Hampton Court with London Walks

Our December 2006 trip to London was relatively brief... enough to get out of town for a memorable New Year's Eve but not too long to get burned out. Given that we only had so much time to work with, we thought it might be worthwhile to take a little guided tour of something while in the London area. Now, mind you, we're not "guided tour" types. We're pretty much freespirits who, while relatively structured in our travels, do it all on our own.

So, we thought... what the heck... let's see how we can find a tour that will shed a little more light on the sites we see. After doing some research, London Walks came highly recommended. As mentioned on their own web page, Fodor's claims, "London Walks was the first and is the best of the walking tour firms." Wow... that's some endorsement... and we're sure that in many ways, it's probably true. I just don't know how true it was for us. Let me explain...

I printed out a few tour options before we left for London but we didnt' decide on what tour to take until we arrived. We opted for a tour of Hampton Court - the royal palace of Cardinal Wolsey and, eventually, King Henry VIII. We met Hillary, our guide, at Waterloo Station. What we envisioned to be a tour of ten, maybe twelve people turned into a tour of over forty people.

I don't have to tell you how well that worked for us... forty people? This isn't going to be very personalized, we thought. Indeed, it wasn't. Not only did we find that everything took longer (getting tickets, going into the palace), it was just hard to hear since we were in a crowd. Another big drawback was the guide. Yes, she was quite nice but her proper English voice lacked in the volume department. Not only that, her pace was dreeeeadfully slow. Not glacial... but certainly not brisk enough to keep our attention.

This commentary is scintillating!

In fact, the pace and the process was so hard for us to handle that, well, we left the tour. Granted, we ate the 15 pounds or so (I think) that it cost each one of us but we just didn't want to waste our time. We wandered to the Tudor kitchens and enjoyed the rest of the grounds on our own... and you know, we had more fun.

BUT... that was our experience. It could be that we just picked a busy tour or just had a guide that, well, we normally wouldn't pick. You'll have to find out on your own but, for us, it's either a "one on two" guide or we're on our own. Sooner or later, I'll post an entry on Hampton Court. London Walks aside, we highly recommend visiting. It is a splendid palace.

Dropping Cash in London Town

Yum... the food in London is delish!? Yet, that great food keeps getting more and more expensive. The exchange rate in London is a killer and you'll definitely notice the hit when you go out for a bite. I've mentioned in a previous entry that there are ways to get around this so you don't break the bank when visiting London.

Now, if money is not an object, one great place to eat delicious Indian food in London is La Porte Des Indes. We ate a scrumptious New Year's Eve meal at La Porte Des Indes on our past holiday trip to London (above). The total bill was pricey... yes, but the prix fixe menu stuffed us to the gills. Prix fixe menus are not limited to holidays as a Menu Maison or a Royal Vegetarian Menu is available regularly from 32 to 38 pounds per person plus 12,5% VAT.

The opulent restaurant is located around the corner from Hyde Park and the U.S. embassy. Reservations are highly recommended. For those who can't visit the restaurant, a cookbook of the same name with the restaurant's French-influenced meals is available online.

More privacy issues in London

No sooner did I post something on privacy issues in London that another article came out about additional camera concerns. Amazing what's happening in London - people are apparently quite upset about it but the public seems powerless to stop it. Scary.

"Big Brother" plans to automatically hand the police details of the daily journeys of millions of motorists tracked by road pricing cameras across the country were inadvertently disclosed by the Home Office last night.

and...

Shami Chakrabarti, the director of Liberty, said: "It is one thing to ask the public for special measures to fight the grave threat of terrorism, but when that becomes a Trojan horse for mass snooping for more petty matters it only leads to a loss of trust in government."

Scary

Privacy Falls Down in London

Is privacy becoming a thing of the past in Britain? The number of closed-circuit cameras in the UK is actually stunning...

Britain is already the most tightly surveilled country in the world, according to civil liberty groups and security experts, with an estimated 4 million closed-circuit television cameras spying on roads, buildings, stations and shops.

Not only does that equate to one camera for every 14 people, it also means that in a major city like London -- where CCTV is ubiquitous -- people run the possibility of appearing on camera up to 300 times a day as they move around.

During a business trip to England in 1998, I remember my colleague pointing out all the cameras in his small town. I was surprised. Others have been for a while, too. Unfortunately, it looks like these issues may be coming to the U.S. as New York prepares to roll out 115 cameras that report to a central surveillance facility.

Kitschy Name but a Nice Hotel

Wrapping up New Year's Eve at The Sherlock Holmes Hotel

During our January visit to London for New Year's Eve weekend, we stayed at a boutique hotel in Marylebone called The Sherlock Holmes. Despite the somewhat kitschy name due to it's convenience to Baker Street, the hotel provided us with a reasonably priced and very convenient stay. Below are my notes from our stay at the Sherlock Holmes.

The Location. You simply can't go wrong with the location - right in the middle of Marylebone and a short walk to Marylebone High Street (pictured to the left) with its countless shops, restaurants, markets and pubs. Next door to the hotel is a supermarket, liquor store, magazine stand and ac couple of casual eateries. For those who need their fix, Starbucks is one block north and Nando's, an excellent Portuguese chain, is right across the street. Several buses run in front of the hotel and the Baker Street tube stop (Picadilly line) is about two blocks to the north. Pretty much everything you might need is within a five minute walk. Slightly further afield are Oxford Street and Bond Street. Excellent nearby options without some of the absurd prices found elsewhere (relatively speaking, of course).

The Hotel's Common Areas. The front entrance leads directly into the hotel bar where a dozen or so groupings of tables and chairs are usually filled with hotel guests or patrons enjoying a drink or tapas served from the bar. The atmosphere is lively when the bar is busy - otherwise, it is quite comfortable and soothing. Just past the bar is the front desk.

Sherlock's Grill is to the left of the desk. We're not sure about the food since we didn't eat there save for breakfast (which was pleasant enough but not splendid). Hotel guests can opt for a rate that includes continental breakfast - fruit, cereal, breads, pastries/crossaints, yogurt, cheese and meats. Also included are coffee, tea or juice. You can order from the a la carte menu, as well. Service is a bit sketchy but since the food is self-serve, you don't need much once you order coffee. Adjacent to and behind the grill is a second, quieter lounge. This area is usually empty or, in some cases, occupied by small groups. There are couches, leather-back club chairs and upholstered armchairs. Walls are decorated with original art interspersed with tasteful Sherlock Holmes memorabilia. A great spot to chat or read a book. The piped in music can be a bit distracting if you're trying to read. Bar service is also available.

The basement level had a gym with two treadmills, an EFX, a recumbent bike, dumbells and exercise mats. Down the hall were a sauna and steam room. By the gym was a computer that could be used as an Internet point for 50p a minute (!)

The Room. We paid 114 pounds (about $220) a night for an executive room. The rate included continental breakfast, a welcome tray with wine, water, snacks and an upgraded room. If this is an upgraded room, I'm not sure about their regular rooms. The room itself was oddly-shaped... long but somewhat narrow. It had plenty of space, though, particularly by European standards. The full-size bed was also very comfortable - a rarity in many European hotels (and now, it wasn't two twins pushed together). The room also included a writing desk, two high-back chairs with a table and a limited amount of storage space. The closet was tiny as it was. This was made worse by the ironing board and in-room safe.

The bathroom was quite nice - well-appointed and spacious with the nice materials used were starting to show their age. Rather than the ubiquitous European glass partition, the tub/shower didn't have anything to keep water from splashing all over the floor and walls. Toiletries were by Moulton and Brown.

Overall. We were really happy with the location because we felt like Marylebone High Street offered so much. The hotel was nice enough - the amenities served us well and, yes, the room wasn't ideal but we did have space and, for 114 pounds a night, who can complain. Would I recommend it? Yes... just double-check your room.

Cheap Eats in London

If you've ever traveled to London, you know that the city is dreadfully amazing. This applies to everything - hotels, petrol (boy does it apply to petrol!), food... just about anything you can imagine. Let's think about food... a $9 burger and fries at a restaurant in the States would run you 9 pounds in the UK - essentially $18! That $3.00 Starbucks latte in the States? 3 pounds in UK... and easily found now that Starbucks is everywhere in London.

Really "Cheap Eats"... a Picnic in the Park

Any help you can get when it comes to saving on food in London is welcome help. When we went over New Year's Eve weekend, we found the Time Out Guide to Cheap Eats in London to be a true blessing. Of the restaurants we tried, as recommended in the guide, all turned out to be a good value.

Divertimenti, at 33-34 Marylebone High Street, is kind of like a small Crate & Barrel, sans the furniture. In the back is a small cafe that is nice and casual but offers a selection of healthy sandwiches, wraps and salads.

Nando's, a British chain found throughout London (we visited the location on Baker Street), offers great affordable Portuguese food. The concept is reminiscent of Houston-based Cafe Express. The Peri-Peri chicken combinations are a good value.

All in all, you'll find over 300 restaurants, all of which can be visited for under 20 pounds per person. Yes, that's $40 a person . South of that is considered cheap in London. You'll be sure to find plenty of options that will be pleasing to your palate and your wallet.

While you're online, check out a recent article from Time Out on 20 Cheap Eats.

The New World Capital?

London is starting to stake it's claim as the world capital of the 21st century, a claim actually being made by New York Magazine, not the British.

Indeed, London is a fascinating place - a big melting pot brimming with culture, excellent food (imagine saying that about London a decade ago) and fascinating architecture. The city, like Gran Canaria (the Little Continent) seems to be the "Little World", even mirroring some of the more disconcerting social issues in Europe and globally.

We loved our last trip to London (over the past New Year's Eve weekend). The weather actually turned out to be relatively cooperative (cold, of course, but not much rain) and we found ourselves overwhelmed with options of what to do. Our food choices were endless and, in retrospect, we barely ate anything English, opting instead for Portuguese, Italian, Indian and other international cuisines. The Brits were exceptionally friendly and found that the only occasional gruffness we encountered was from Eastern European workers whose command of the English language was somewhat lacking. Unfortunately, our trip was short - a mere five days - but we would go back to London in a heartbeat. If only the exchange rate was more favorable... I guess that's what Argentina is for.

Taking Advantage of Your Hotel's Concierge

You’ve seen them before at your hotel. Some are seated behind elegant desks with a computer screen at their ready. Others are just a few paces down the counter from the reception desk. Concierges are there to help hotel guests and often provide an invaluable service. Indeed, many travelers don’t understand or, in some instances, aren’t willing to pay for what a concierge can do for them. Prior to last year, I probably fell into this category. I might ask for directions or a local map but that was about it. That changed when we stayed at the BoBo Hotel in Buenos Aires.

In May of 2006, my wife and I were planning our second trip to Buenos Aires and other parts of Argentina when I decided to surprise her by taking her to see Cirque de Soleil’s Saltimbanco. Not only had we never seen a Cirque de Soleil show, the opportunity to do so in another country seemed irresistible. Besides, thanks to the exchange rate, tickets in Argentina would probably come at a discount.

Rather than navigating through Ticketek’s local web page and potentially messing up my order due to a language misunderstanding, I decided to let Julia at the BoBo take care of purchasing our tickets. She easily arranged for the right night, the perfect seats (about a dozen rows from the ring, as the picture to the right attests) and transportation to the show near Puerto Madero. The evening, paired with a one AM dinner at Bice, was one of the highlights of our trip.

For a recent trip to London, we enlisted the services of the concierge at the Sherlock Holmes Hotel for tickets to Wicked. I had difficultly locating decent seats on December 30^th – an awfully tough time to land tickets for a hot West End show. The concierge contacted a local ticket agent, handled payment and arranged for two seats in the stalls – Row K, Seats 24,25 – arguably two of the best tickets in the house. Sure… I had to pay a premium for the seats but nothing extravagant. The concierge’s great work was well worth a comfortable gratuity.

On that same London trip, while visiting The Chesterfield Hotel in Mayfair, we had the hotel's conciege work with the concierge at The Sherlock Holmes to arrange for transportation to Gatwick. Honestly, this concierge took service to a different level and my wife and I still talk about the way he treated us. Well worth a reasonable gratuity!

Concierges can help with difficult restaurant reservations, transportation or other hard-to-come-by tickets or tours. If you’re planning on simply taking in the sights and not arranging for any special events, their assistance may not be necessary. However, if you want to arrange for a truly memorable evening or want to make your trip smoother, make it a point to use your hotel’s concierge. Don’t forget to compensate them for their hard work. A good gratuity may continue to pay dividends for the remainder of your stay.