| Celebrating VE Day at Peninsula, London with Beef Wellington with Black Truffles I watched the VE Day flypast from the Concorde themed Brooklands Bar at Peninsula, London, which looks over the gardens of Buckingham Palace. Quite a place to watch it from. Then I went down to The Lobby to eat Beef Wellington, with black truffles, personally cooked by Chef Saravanan Chamy, who previously worked at The Dorchester. It was better than Chef Gordon Ramsay's Beef Wellington at The Savoy. Never thought I would be able to say that. Later in the month Wiltons matched Peninsula, London's Beef Wellington but they have been perfecting their dishes since 1742. Lunch at 45 Park Lane & Dinner at The Aubrey at Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park With a Friend From Rome At lunch at 45 Park Lane with my friend from Rome, Chef Elliott Grover and his team treated us as VIPs. From Ruinart champagne, to too many Wolfgang Puck signature snacks to count and a Passion Fruit Baked Alaska that was dreamily refreshing. My face, in the cover photo, says everything about our dinner in The Aubrey. It was such a beautiful room and the bone marrow rice was even better the second time. Romain, and his Mandarin Oriental team, spoilt us with double portions of Iberico Pork etc. My Rome friend is a joy to spend time with & I was so glad to try to help her with her daughter's 18th birthday celebrations. GM of Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair Leaving During May 2025 Susanne, GM of Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair, emailed me that she is moving within Mandarin Oriental Group. We first met when she was GM of Mandarin Oriental, Manhattan. It was another month where I had a flawless breakfast at their Mayfair hotel and was even given the scent of that hotel, to add to my expanding hotel fragrance collection. The New Patisserie at Pan Pacific, London Pan Pacific, London are always so kind to me. They give me champagne each time I go for breakfast. However, on my May 2025 visit, their new Patisserie had opened. I selected cakes and macarons and, even I, was surprised when they then said "no bill for you Mr Frew". The cakes were light and delicious and the macarons so fresh they reminded me of ones I had at the Four Seasons George V in Paris. Flowers Inside & Outside My Barbican Place. Philip & Bruce Are Floral Geniuses May 2025 was the month my Barbican window boxes were redone in the style of a pre-COVID-19 Four Seasons at Park Lane design, with lavender & rosemary to provide fragrance this summer. The weekend of the work I ordered Dorchester hotel flowers from Philip Hammond again, including purples to celebrate 45 Park Lane and Dorchester hotel roses. I was so thrilled with them and the work Bruce has done on my window boxes. Perfect Four Seasons in London I visited the breakfast buffet at Four Seasons, Tower Bridge twice in the month, it is so good. At Four Seasons at Park Lane Peter made Issy an 'SF Martini', with the special vermouth from The Lana Hotel in Dubai (part of Dorchester Collection). I almost cried over this thoughtful surprise. Foodie Shrewsbury & Mum Looking So Healthy From a seasonal asparagus breakfast at C Sons; to mouthwatering steaks & fun cocktails at The Ol'Chemist; to the melt in the mouth roast beef at The Golden Cross, food in Shrewsbury keeps getting even better. It should also be noted that the Wagyu Oxtail & Bone Marrow Fried Rice we ate in Knightsbridge cost £26, while Bone Marrow Mash at The Ol-Chemist costs £4. It has to be another '8 teddies' score (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) for May 2025. I have not even mentioned my night at The Waldorf Hilton with one of my best friends from Qatar. Another evening with him I will never forget. If you click 'Read More' there are photos from that night. The fact mum is cared for so well is another factor in this high score. |      |
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 I was introduced to Wolfgang Puck at 45 Park Lane. I met Anthony Bourdain at the Ritz-Carlton in Cayman Islands; Marco Pierre White at the Threadneedles Hotel in the City of London; Gordon Ramsay at the Four Seasons in Doha; Tim Raue in Berlin; Antonio Guida from Mandarin Oriental, Milan at the Mandarin Oriental in Taipei; Eric Ripert at the Ritz-Carlton in Cayman Islands again; and was introduced to Wolfgang Puck at 45 Park Lane last week. I wonder which chef I will meet next?!
This evening I travel to Shrewsbury, Shropshire again. Family matters call.
 I think my charming & beautiful niece has my eyes. This photo was taken after we went to see the leaping salmon on the River Severn in Shrewsbury. October 2020 was the month when my friend Will Lyons, The Sunday Times wine critic, featured my photo in The Sunday Times Wine Club blog and my Yayoi Kusama designed La Grande Dame 2012 Veuve Clicquot arrived & it looked even more spectacular than I had hoped for.
However, it was also the month of my niece's 10th birthday & I am even more proud of the job we did making that so special and to ensure her half-term was full of fun, despite her mum having to be in Moscow & her dad in Dublin. A special mention has to go to Kerry Jones at Bloom for Budding Artists in Shrewsbury for her Yayoi Kusama inspired Halloween pumpkin prints workshop. I took it as a fortuitous omen that this was being run! Despite two trips to Shropshire to support family, ladened down with Hamleys and Fortnum & Mason gifts, I did manage to try the London 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' experience in Harrods. The room is exquisitely decorated and the staff better than in New York but the food disappointing, compared with my scrambled eggs with truffles in Manhattan. It did not help that, as the first booking of the day (10am), I had to wait outside in the cold rain for the doors of The Tiffany Blue Box Cafe at Harrods to open at 10am. I also bought Lebanese wine again in October and would encourage people do what they can support that beleaguered country. At the same, I did all I could to promote The Market Hall Shrewsbury, with its high quality fresh local produce. Before 'Lockdown 2' was announced I also managed to squeeze in a delightful afternoon tea at The Wolseley, with one of my most legendary hotel contacts; a sublime Gordon Ramsay Sunday lunch at The Savoy Grill; & collect more superb Dorchester hotel flowers from designer florist Philip Hammond. While collecting the latter, I was able to have long chats with Robert (GM of The Dorchester) and John (GM of 45 Park Lane). All this means I am now 'ready' for the next 4 weeks without visiting a hotel. With England now in COVID-19 'Lockdown 2', & the results of the US Election still uncertain, hope my photos from last month below help to raise everyone's spirits a little. Good luck to us all!  I was elated to find the High Court case I have been working on reported in the Financial Times. September 2020 was a monumental month in my life with my new Banking Consultancy company 'Si Frew Consultancy Services Limited' being incorporated & the Lebanese banking case I have been working on reported in the Financial Times.
At the same time it has been a whirlwind on the travel blog side, with more iconic London hotels reopening, while the Mayfair hotels continue to surprise & impress me. Four Seasons at Park Lane allowed me to try vodka infused with caviar, not yet on their menu; Michael (Managing Director of Rosewood, London) sent us champagne to celebrate the reopening of his elegant hotel; had a drink with Robert (General Manager of The Dorchester) to honour the busy reopening of his historic hotel; I discovered Porsche must be the 'official' car of my Barbican building; I savoured another sensational Tom Booton Sunday lunch at The Grill at The Dorchester; and also got to enjoy a drink with Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park's fabled General Manager Amanda, in their reopened Mandarin Bar. It was also a month where I had the best dover sole of my life at Parsons in Seven Dials; had a memorable Wolfgang Puck brunch at 45 Park Lane, having the pleasure to be joined by their General Manager John & viewed 'FAME at 45 Park Lane' with photos of Coco Chanel, Brigitte Bardot, Faye Dunaway etc I will never forget; 45 Park Lane staff sent me more of their Noble Isle shower products that I adore; & I continued to be impressed by breakfast & service at Millie's Lounge at The Ned. I also visited the enchanting garden at The Goring for martinis with a friend from my Prestfelde prep school days. There I met their charming new General Manager Michael and had forgotten how beautiful their new bar is. I was also blown away by the steaks at Hawksmoor, Seven Dials in September. I ended the month eating Eggs Escoffier (with lobster meat, caviar & gold) & drinking champagne at breakfast at Gordon Ramsay's reopened Savoy Grill at The Savoy, London and being entranced by the 'full French' breakfast & staff at Anthony Demetre's Wild Honey at Sofitel London St James. On top of all this, I managed more trips to Shropshire to support my indomitable parents. In September my personal training also moved to Energie Fitness, so I can remain with legendary Bart but I still try to swim at Virgin Active each day too. I must also mention my new The White Company electric diffuser I was thoughtfully given by one of my best friends that is now an important part of my night time ritual, along with my Frette sheets, Dorchester hotel bed & Aromatherapy Associates shower oils. Finally I should mention that an incident that I experienced at one of my favourite Mayfair hotels last month, & some that have happened to my caring mother (even at church), have me thinking about Four Seasons' Mr Sharp's mission statement based on The Golden Rule "To treat others as we'd wish to be treated ourselves." again. I fully appreciate that issues related to COVID-19 have left us all very frazzled but I think it is even more important to take the time to talk to people and be compassionate, understanding & flexible. Hope the photos below help to make people feel better at what continues to be such a difficult time for so many people. |
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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