Summer Soirée at Le Méridien Piccadilly

22-06-2016 Local Black Bookantipasti, bar, French, French Riviera, Green Park, Le Méridien, Le Méridien Piccadilly, London, Mayfair, Piccadilly, recommendation, Restaurant, review, Starwood, summer1 Comment

When it comes to summer holidays, you can’t beat the French Riviera.

With blue sea, blue sky, picturesque villages, quiet beaches and fantastic food, no wonder it’s been the playground of the rich & famous for so long!

However, no need to be rich or famous (or even to face the dreadful summer holiday airport check-in lines) to experience this little piece of Summer heaven, because Le Méridien Piccadilly is bringing Nice to London for the Summer!

Nod to the French origins of the brand, Le Méridien Piccadilly’s restaurant, Terrace Bar & Grill, has been transformed into an idyllic coastal resort.

Le Méridien Piccadilly Summer Soirée | Cake + Whisky

Complete with striped sun loungers, sun umbrellas, blossoming climbing plants, espadrilles and a spot of apéritif…

… and even a pétanque field!

The iconic French sport is a favourite at family gatherings and a classic beachside hobby.

The rules are really quite simple: you throw the small ball (the ‘cochonnet‘) first, and then it’s all about getting the big, metal balls as close as possible to it.

Whether you play in a tête-à-tête (one-on-one) or in teams, it’s always great fun and perfect to work up an appetite!

Which you’ll most definitely need to make the most of the antipasti menu, all inspired by classic Niçois dishes.

Beautiful Artichoke Barigoule with creamy aioli.

Mini pots of melt-in-the-mouth Daube Provençale with carrots and olives.

Pan Bagnat (a tuna-filled bun & Nice’s answer to burgers!) and Pissaladière mini Tarte Tatin.

Niçoise salad (of course).

And the cutest little macarons!

All washed down with icy glasses of Sifflet cocktails (martini Bianco, Champagne, mandarin syrup & citrus zest).

And a glass or two of crisp local wine (when in France…)

… or, get two birds with one stone & indulge your French fashion fix with the Cocktail Espadrilles.

The perfect summer drink + the perfect Summer shoes? Summer packing’s never been that easy!

Which means more time to soak in the sunshine of the French Riviera!

So gather friends, book a nice big table, put on your stripy Tees and enjoy the Summer vibes!

The Palomar

10-08-201511-08-2015 Local Black BookJerusalem, London, London restaurant, Piccadilly, Restaurant, review, small plates, The Palomar6 Comments

I’ve wanted to visit The Palomar ever since it opened back in April 2014. But just like another one of my recent discoveries, I’d been discouraged by the queues and hadn’t managed to get a table.

But apparently, the gods of restaurants and good food have been rather kind to me lately and as we passed by on Wednesday night and took a peek through the window, we spotted a couple of free seats. We jumped on it and started perusing the powder pink menu… Making a choice wasn’t easy as everything looked so incredible, so it took us a while… or maybe it’s because I couldn’t take my eyes off the cooks workings their magic in the kitchen! God, I love those counter-tables restaurants!
One thing I knew I absolutely wanted to order was the Kubaneh, which is a traditional Yemenite Jewish pull-apart yeast bread. It basically the perfect cross between a brioche and a croissant and absolutely delightful. Looking back at it, I wish we had ordered more of it so we could use it to mop up all the sauces from the other dishes we got!My favourite dish that night was the Beef Tartare. Served with burnt aubergine cream, toasted almonds, pickled garlic and a tomato dressing, it wasn’t quite the traditional version I’m used too, but delicious all the same. The Aubergine & Feta Bourekas divided opinion around the table. I wasn’t so keen on them but it was my BF’s favourite, so it might just not be one for me. But you cheese-lovers around there are probably going to love it! It was totally fine though, as not being fighting for the last bits of that dish (for a change) did give me the opportunity to take a peek at that glorious cauliflower steak roasting away in the Josper Oven…… and generally enjoying the buzzy atmosphere. Everybody’s jocking around in the kitchen, signing, waving, and generally having a great time cooking, which made The Palomar the most fun restaurant I’ve ever had dinner at.I was back to business as soon as this dish was put in front of me though! It was the most delicate Seared scallops with lemon beurre blanc, swiss chard, Jerusalem artichoke and hazelnut tuile. Apparently, it’s the head chef’s favourite dish, so I knew it’d be a cracker!Another must-order is the Shakshukit, which is basically a deconstruted kebab. But this refined version has very little in common with your usual, middle-of-the-night kebab… It must be eaten to be believed! I’m still not entirely sure what to think of the Jerusalem-style polenta. I loved the texture of the polenta, which was perfectly soft, almost like a corn-based risotto. But I wasn’t quite as excited as I thought I would be by that dish. Maybe I’m just not that much into truffle…
We were ~~about to implode~~ getting quite full but the dessert menu was so perfectly named that it finished convincing us that no meal’s complite without pudding.
I’ve only heard good thing from everyone who’s had dinner at The Palomar and I’m going to join in with the fans and urge you to get in line for a table! I can garantee it’ll be worth the wait

Plus if you try the Pork tagine, please let me know how it is… I might be using that information as my excuse to go back!

The Palomar, 34 Rupert St, London W1D 6DN

Smith & Whistle

06-08-201506-08-2015 Local Black BookArt Deco, bar, cocktails, detective, Green Park, Hyde Park Corner, launch, London, Mayfair, new, Park Lane Hotel, Piccadilly, review, themed bar4 Comments

I’m always on the lookout for a great cocktail bar. So when I was invited to the launch of Smith & Whistle, I grabbed my magnifying glass, put my bowler hat on and jump in the nearest cab (aaaaah, isn’t the Tube Strike a blessing?). To Piccadilly please, Driver!I followed the light beams to the scene of the crime…Or rather, the most stunning modern Art Deco bar I’ve ever seen. Nestled in the Park Lane Hotel on Picadilly, the newly opened Smith & Whistle masters the mix of genres. I’m happy to report that my investigations made me discover that it also has a very well stocked bar indeed! What I truly fell head over heels for was the decor. And those delightful blue-green-gray chairs!
My sidekick and I started the evening with a glass of Chapel Down Brut, a wonderfully British sparkling wine. Smith and Whistle bar launch party | Cake + Whisky Just as we were getting cracking’ on some urgent matters (us detectives don’t have an easy life!), we were offered some extremely crunchy pork crackling, which led me to do that epic face (and consequently ruined any chance of us getting onto any serious matter that evening…).
Instead, we investigated the cocktail menu in search of our next tipple. Which was more complicated than we thought it would be. Not that the menu was long (it was refreshingly short), but it was very interesting (I might even have used the word ‘bulls-y’). We finally made our choice, placed our order and indulged in a bit of people-watching while the bar team got busy doing their thing… Huge silver trays crossed the room, full of glasses in all shades of yellow, from the pale gold of sparkling wine to the bright orange of those cute bottles.The Detective Inspector Smith (Jameson, lemon, simple syrup, Angorusta bitters and beer foam) was obviously a must-order (the bar was named after him after all)! The perfect cross between a whisky sour and a pint of beer. Which gave my rather smug-looking sidekick the perfect opportunity to practice his best pub-buddy smile. I truly recommend you give this a go (both the cocktail and the smile!) as it truly is on of the most balanced cocktails I’ve had in a while.
I went for another crowd-pleaser, The Fuzz (Havana Rum infused with rosemary, Cocchi Americano, Aperol. Carbonated). I mean, who could not like such an Instagram-worthy cocktail?One by one, people started to leave and the atmosphere went from buzzy to cheerfully relaxed.Brilliantly crafted cocktails, smiles all round and classy hats… I miht just have found my new Mayfair local!