| 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 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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