| Busy, Busy... Uploading more than 60 photos reinforced what a full month May 2026 was, with visitors from Qatar, Panama & the US; saying goodbye to David Cerezo at Peninsula, London; seeing mum & her friends etc etc The Lord Mayor's Appeal "This Is Me" Mental Health Initiative at the Bank of England ('BoE') It was almost ironic that I felt stressed finding time to attend a mental health awareness event in the Bank of England, that was talking about people being overwhelmed by the pressures of life. I left wearing my green ribbon with pride and being aware I must be better at genuinely asking people how they are doing & listening to their replies with empathy. 45 Park Lane Consistently Impresses Me A steak & salad lunch at 45 Park Lane, with one of my best friends from Qatar, became so much more. 'Free' champagne and desserts and food, & company, from heaven. Staff there are incredible. Forward Global UK's (Well Timed) Spring Drinks These were held in the stunning Library Room at L'Oscar (hotel) London in Holborn. I spent most of my time chatting with Lord Ali & Lord Joe Docherty. Also got a chance to talk to Alex Just and, of course, John Watts. Wes Streeting resigned as Health Secretary two days later. Is The Emory's Breakfast Better Than Claridge's? The Financial Times claim Claridge's is the best hotel breakfast in London. I think The Emory's is better and so had breakfast there with Ian. We were both on the board of Jordan International Bank Plc here in London. The Emory; Peninsula, London; The Chancery Rosewood; Claridge's & The Red Room at The Connaught I managed to show my Uruguay friend, who I spent a month in Panama with, many of the London hotels I love. Special mentions must go to Elisabeth (the Art Concierge at The Chancery Rosewood), Daniele (the new F&B Director at Claridge's) & the staff at Brooklands Bar at the Peninsula, London. Must also thank Alejandro again for my Geisha Coffee, & chocolate, from Panama. Formidable Mei Ume & Cooper's Cut at Four Seasons at Tower Bridge I was spoilt at the Saturday Dim Sum Brunch at Four Seasons at Tower Bridge at the start of the month & then again in Cooper's Cut at the end of the month. Both experiences were unforgettable & demonstrated Four Seasons service at its best. New York's Legendary Magnolia Bakery at Raffles, London at The OWO Cafe Ciel, & Raffles, London at The OWO, made another of my dreams come true. Finally, eating Magnolia Bakery's scrumptious Banana Pudding, that I saw on 'Sex & the City' in the early 2000s, was so special. Hot Shrewsbury & My Loving Mum I squeezed in a quick Bank Holiday trip to see mum. Loved the quiet room The Prince Rupert Hotel gave me on the 'last' night and the lady who serves their breakfast is a star. It was so good sitting in the garden with mum telling each other how much we love each other. The Incomparable 'Sunday Feast' at The Ned Was a Perfect Way to End the Month Brilliant live music at The Ned and a warm welcome from Adam. The food was sublime (eg devilled eggs, fresh oysters, fresh lobster, incomparable roast beef and roast pork, melt in the mouth profiteroles stuffed with chocolate etc). It was another '9 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) month. A poor breakfast at Gordon Ramsay's 'Bread Street Kitchens' at 22 Bishopsgate meant I was given a £50 voucher, which I used to extinguished it from my mind with a sublime ale & treacle pork chop at lunch at Gordon Ramsay's Grill at The Savoy. Been so busy I have failed to arrange coffee with Dainyah, a barrister I also met at the Forward Global party. In June 2026 I have the 'invite only' Soho Mews House; fish & chips on the Terrace at 45 Park Lane; breakfast at St Clement hotel, Nick Jones' latest venture & A VIP Event at Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair to launch the SOFOS Associates Brain Gym (all about cognitive performance & modern wellness). |  Inside the Bank of England being told stories of attempted suicide.  My face says it all about my hotel packed two days with Alejandro. This photo is in The Emory.  The Oscar Wilde 'playing cards' at The Chancery Rosewood. Designed by Kieran, Hormazd Narielwalla's partner.  The Sticky Toffee Pudding specially created for London, I still preferred the Banana Pudding version.  Rick met me, despite him still dealing with Alaska Airline's inaugural flight to London. This photo was taken at Four Seasons at Tower Bridge.  It was so good to spend time with mum in the garden in Shrewsbury. The hot weather meant staff brought us cold drinks. |
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 I returned to London, after New Year, to find my Dorchester hotel hamper. It was a month dominated by the reopening of the ground floor of this iconic hotel.
The Pierre Yves-Rochon refurbishment of the Dorchester lobby & Promenade has to be seen to be believed. From Lalique glass columns under the Promenade's Artists' Bar; to Liberace's piano being played; to stunning original art from various exhibitions I have attended at 45 Park Lane. I found seeing it all the first time almost overwhelming. It was a month where I met Chef Elliott Grover at 45 Park Lane & Dorchester Collection artist Jill Berelowitz. I also attended a Shrewsbury School (Old Salopian) Epiphany Service at St Mary-le-Bow in the City of London; met with the City of London Police again, as part of my Barbican role; had lunch with colleagues I worked with at the Bank of England in the 1980s; ate Louis Vuitton Yayoi Kusama from Harrods and savoured a delicious bacon chop at the Mount St Restaurant surrounded by Matisse, Lucian Freud, Picasso, Warhol etc, before a tour of their exceptional private dining rooms. Chef Tom Booton at The Dorchester Grill's stuffed chicken; Chef Elliott Grover's Sunday lunch at 45 Park Lane; the Wolfgang Puck crispy fried beef & prawn wontons with honey spiced mayonnaise at 45 Park Lane; & the cream tea from Rick Stein at Home must all be tried. Hope the photos below do justice to an unforgettable start to 2023. I am off to Shrewsbury again tomorrow, to help mum again.  Hair by Gino at Truefitt & Hill; tie from Hermes; shirt from Turnbull & Asser; suit from Ede & Ravenscroft and experience from the Bank of England; Bermuda; Qatar; Cyprus; Cayman Islands & at Citi I am proud to be able to announce that in July 2022 I joined the Board of Jordan International Bank Plc. As an Independent Non-Executive Director, I Chair this UK bank's Audit Committee & also sit on their Risk Committee.
I view this as a great honour and a chance to fully utilise the experience I gained at the Bank of England; in Bermuda; Qatar; Cyprus; Cayman Islands and at Citi. Next week I head to Panama; Colombia & New York. In Bogota I will stay at Four Seasons and in New York at Four Seasons, Downtown and Mandarin Oriental, Manhattan.  Another dream came true being in the Buckingham Palace gardens with mum. Dad's rapid decline from Parkinson's disease is something my whole family is struggling to cope with. It has forced me to give up my new role at the Bank of England after only 4 month, to enable me to deal with this myself and support my family more. The Bank have been so kind and said I should be able to rejoin them for a third time, once my family life stabilises again.
I first started working for the Bank of England when the Rt Hon Robin Leigh-Pemberton was Governor; worked with the present Governor, Andrew Bailey, when we were both in Chief Cashier's Office; and Andy Haldane, former Chief Economist, was my manager in Monetary Analysis, during the period of 'the Ken & Eddie Show', before The Bank was given independence over the setting of interest rates. All this history with The Bank, combined with my experience working in Bermuda, Qatar, Cyprus & Cayman Islands should have made me ideal to help The Bank with its work and it was painful to have to resign. However, it did free me up to take mum to see the gardens at Buckingham Palace. The Farmers' Club made the sublime rare roast beef sandwiches, and Rosewood, London the Yayoi Kusama cakes, for this picnic. I have also been to a Beverly Hills Hotel pop-up on the roof of The Dorchester, where I was presented with more Philip Hammond flowers. Dorchester Collection know when I need cheering up. In a similar vein, I was given 'free' Ruinart champagne at Four Seasons at Park Lane and friends from my Bermuda days sent me Concorde tags from our New York trip on that supersonic jet. I also got to try the new NoMad hotel in Covent Garden. I need to make it clear that I cannot recommend Oystermen in Covent Garden enough, after an unforgettable dinner there with mum. Last week I was taken to a Test Match at Trent Bridge by friends from my Shrewsbury School days. I am so lucky with the friends I have. I am going through an extreme difficult period in my life at present but hope the photos below illustrated there are still some very happy moments within it and my friends are being too kind.  The reopening of Four Seasons at Park Lane allowed me to try a new lobster dish personally prepared by Executive Chef Henry Brosi & there was complimentary Ruinart champagne to celebrate. During August my Middle Eastern banking work was overshadowed by the tragic explosion in Beirut.
The UK Government's 'Eat Out to Help Out' initiative meant I had the best (steak) burger for years at Paternoster Chop House, with a breathtaking view of St Paul's Cathedral; drunk Thums Up Cola at Dishoom for the first time since my India trips, while working for the Bank of England; ate truffles at breakfast outside at The Connaught & saw their new 'coffee foam art'; ate Dim Sum from heaven with caviar, edible gold & black truffle at Hakkasan, Mayfair; ate Mark Hix's exquisite food again at 1 Lombard Street, with their sublime service; & ate the best cooked rump steak of my life, with anchovy hollandaise & triple cooked chips, all for GBP10 at Hawksmoor. At the same time I was honoured to be invited to revisit the Four Seasons' Private Members' Club in London. This gave me the first chance to view Four Seasons' 'Lead with Care' global COVID-19 safety program formulated with Johns Hopkins Medicine International's assistance. I also managed to visit my indomitable parents in Shrewsbury again & see my exceptional Qatar friends at the Everyman Cinema at King's Cross before they, finally, headed back to Doha. Hope the photos below, which include ones of my niece (now an elegant young lady), my dashing godson & legendary parents, put smiles on your faces & illustrate what a busy month it was. It was also the month where my face was the first thing you saw on the Virgin Active website!  The monumental view from Helix at the top of The Gherkin; the song sheets from my unforgettable Gray's Inn dinner; and me in my new Ede & Ravenscroft suit and a Turnbull & Asser shirt at Four Seasons at Park Lane. November 2019 was the month where I began working as a Banking Consultant again, as the same time it was a month crammed full of unforgettable London experiences.
There was lunch with an exceptional friend from my Bank of England days in Helix restaurant at the top of The Gherkin building, with awe-inspiring views. A Shrewsbury School drinks party in the Cavalry & Guards Club in Piccadilly and a Christian Louboutin Christmas tree at Claridge's but it was a dinner hosted by The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn that was a highlight of a spectacular month. I was invited to this Inns of Court dinner by a barrister I first met during my Qatar days. It took place in 'The Hall', which dates from 1559, under a portrait of the President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, Lady Hale of 'prorogation fame' and I sat next to a judge who presides over criminal cases. It seemed fitting that I wore my new Ede & Ravenscroft suit and it was also a chance to wear one of my new Turnbull & Asser shirts & Gucci shoes. I even joined in with the singing at the end of dinner! Hope the photos below evidence why November 2019 was a '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) legendary month.  My stunning McQueens flowers, with my spectacular Nurture Landscapes window boxes behind. I just got back from weight training with my personal trainer Bart at Virgin Active & felt I must write something about my gorgeous flowers from McQueens. I love the work these florists undertake at Claridge's and, as my neighbour said, "the arrangement is so Barbican".
This month I have booked to join my mum & dad on an 8 day Sunday Times Wine Club cruise featuring Oz Clarke & Will Lyons. I have questions to ask the former about Jilly Goolden, from the time when I worked at the Bank of England. I must also mention incredible breakfasts at the Fox & Anchor in Smithfield & The Ned and a green Negroni in the refurbished bar at The Goring, with their excellent young bar staff. Hope the photos below evidence the '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) month September 2019 has already become.
Spending Quality Time with my Exceptional Parents in Shrewsbury - Shropshire, UK - October 201819/10/2018  The 'Shropshire Frews' at a dinner I hosted while in Shrewsbury. You would smile like me if you were seated opposite my niece. Completing my 18 months in Cayman Islands gave me a chance to spend some quality time with my incredible parents, before another big adventure in. the Far East.
During my time in Shropshire my brother hosted an impressive family birthday Sunday lunch; I got to have lunch with my awe-inspiring godmother; went on a Tanners Cellar Tour with dad; visited Chester with mum & day, including lunch at The Chester Grosvenor; had lunch with a special family friend who got me thinking about Bank of Bermuda (now part of HSBC) etc; squeezed in a day in London to see the Bank of England & Annabel Shaw (Four Seasons Director of Residences Twenty Grosvenor Square - the former US Navy building) and I had drinks with friends from my Prestfelde & Shrewsbury School days. Hope the photos below help you understand what an unforgettable time I had. 🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻(7 out of 5 ‘teddies’) - spending time with my unbelievable parents is always a '7 teddy experience' but so much else during my time in Shrewsbury & London could not have been better (eg lunch with my indomitable godmother). What UK memories to take to the Far East with me. |
The AuthorsSi Frew has lived in the UK, Bermuda, Qatar, Cyprus & the Cayman Islands. During this time he met Whoopi Goldberg (in Claridge's), Mike Tyson (in the Concorde Lounge at JFK) , Gordon Ramsay (in the Doha Four Seasons), Chris Eubanks (in The Dorchester), Cherie Blair (in Bermuda & again in the Doha Four Seasons) etc. There are funny stories attached to all these interactions, feel free to ask Si about them when you meet him. Archives
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