| Digital Detox? Finding Quiet & Calm At the Claridge's Christmas tree party before Christmas Olivia Colman, before her reading, asked the Burberry fashion crowd etc to put their 'phones away and in his Christmas message HM the King said "our world seems to spin even faster" quoted poet TS Eliot's words about finding the "still point of the turning world". A Snowy Shrewsbury Christmas Full of Love & Happiness It was the first Christmas where I woke on Christmas Day alone in our family's Georgian house. After all the frenetic excitement before Christmas, I found my peace for a few days. At a breakfast before Christmas mum's former hairdresser offered to cut & style mum' hair again. She did an unbelievable job and made mum look elegant over Christmas. Christmas Day could not have gone any better. It started with Veuve Clicquot champagne. I had lunch with mum at a table for two and she was so happy & relaxed. Wearing her new Chanel lipstick and spraying herself with her new Dior J'adore perfume, saying how much she loved it and me. The prize I got in my Dorchester hotel cracker (Aromatherapy Associates bath oil) was the best I have ever got in a cracker. On Christmas Eve I drank a perfect 'SF Martini' in The Libertine cocktail bar. Prestfelde Prep School, Shrewsbury School & Old Ford Road - A New Year Before Christmas there were drinks in The Benbow pub with friends from my school days and their talented children. On New Year's Eve one of my friends, who I shared houses with in London in the late 1980s & early 1990s, threw a dinner party. He, and his wife, are perfect hosts. His wife made one of the best pavlovas of my life. However, must also mention his legendary chilli, made from his mum's Barbados recipe. Brought back happy memories of Old Ford Road in London E2 for me. 'Real' Turkish Delight & Vodka Chocolates from Moscow My brother returned from Christmas in Istanbul with his daughter with gifts from him of authentic Turkish Delight from 'Hafiz Mustafa 1864' and vodka chocolates from Moscow from my niece and Russian family. I tried both once back in London and adore them. A Fascinating & Scrumptious Sunday Lunch with a Family Friend Sunday lunch at 'Rhubarb' at Drapers Hall (which dates back to 1483) with one of our best family friends was a perfect end to my Christmas & New Year in Shrewsbury. Our thick watercress & Shropshire Blue cheese soup, on a cold & snowy day, was divine and the roast beef melted in the mouth, with the vegetables cooked perfectly. There was even a story about a meeting with David & Victoria Beckham that illustrated what a genuinely nice guy Sir David is. Orthodox Christmas & Perfect Gifts from House of Maybourne I collected the gifts I was sent from House of Maybourne from the porter in my Barbican building the day before Orthodox Christmas. It was a canvas Claridge's bag full of Claridge's goodies. There were crackers to replace the ones I pulled with mum over Christmas & a large Signature Candle with the scent of honey, tonka bean & patchouli, which smells heavenly but is was a glass bauble painted with a teddy bear in a Claridge's Bell Boy outfit that brought me near tears. It was all pure class. Starting 2026 with Chef Elliott Grover's Melt in the Mouth Roast Beef at 45 Park Lane 45 Park Lane invited me for a complimentary 'Sunday Roast' to start 2026. It was such a special afternoon that I would recommend it to anyone needing a break from the stresses in this busy world. From the awesome singer; to shaved truffles on the sublime beef; Wagyu beef dripping; unbelievable cauliflower cheese and roast potatoes that cannot be beaten. I started with scallops with garlic & chilli butter. Sensational plump scallops cooked to perfection. Had to drink the butter from the half shells. It was too good. I finished with the banana cream pie. Delicious but I struggled to eat much of it. Sevice at 45 Park Lane is always flawless and friendly. Also Starting 2026 with a Revamped Legendary Coffee Table in My Barbican Place 45 Park Lane and Four Seasons at Park Lane were kind enough to provide elegant crackers to help me update/ slim down my legendary coffee table. Hope you all like the new look. It was a '8 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) period. Rocky family starts (involving our family lawyers), and ends, to Christmas (eg mum asking how my parents are, when I was leaving) were compensated for by my incredible friends. Hope you like the photos below, including two breakfast I made myself, one where I carved the smoked salmon myself. My 'House of Maybourne dream life' continues this weekend with Burns Night at The Emory hotel where I plan to toast my late Scottish father with The Macallan M 2023. I may even take a few puffs of a cigar, for the first time since Havana, Cuba in August 2018. |        |
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 The magnificent interior of the Trans World Flight Centre has to be seen I decided to make the best over being stuck at JFK Airport on a sunny picturesque day and went for breakfast at the TWA Hotel.
The Trans World Flight Centre at JFK Terminal 5 has to be seen. Designed by second-generation modernists Eero Saarinen & Associates, who also designed the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square. It leaves you speechless. The tunnel you enter by reminded me of the Concorde tunnel at JFK. TWA has a special place in my heart, as my father took us on TWA to California to visit Disneyland, when I was still at Prestfelde Prep School. The design is breathtaking and it has all been beautifully brought back to life with iconic music playing; a collection of crew uniforms, they were wearing Ralph Lauren when we flew with them; and red carpets everywhere that accentuate the fluid lines of the building. I tried the Jean-Georges Vongerichten breakfast buffet in the Paris Cafe. The food was exceptional and made even better by talking to Marco, my waiter from Ecuador, who now Follows me on Instagram. I bought a TWA carry-on tote bag before leaving but, unfortunately, the zip on this broke in Panama City the next day and the hotel has not replied to my numerous complaints, a sign of service issues? They were playing 'Moon River' (the 'Breakfast at Tiffany's theme music) as I was leaving, which I took to be highly auspicious Hope the photos below explain why this was a '6 teddy' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) experience, the problems with my TWA tote, & the lack of any form of reply to my related complaints, mean I am unable give it '7 teddies'. I am left with lingering service issue concerns. Tip:- you must visit their Paris Cafe.  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. Love Spending Time With My Incredible Family & Friends - Shrewsbury, Shropshire - April 201827/4/2018  I eat in some of the best restaurants in the world but my mum's Shropshire roast beef Sunday lunch still takes some beating. I provided the wine & my niece the company. A sublime afternoon. I am so proud to be a 'Shropshire lad'. Shrewsbury is such a beautiful historic town and I am so lucky to have been sent to Prestfelde Prep School & Shrewsbury School, with all the friends I still have from those places. It is amazing to think Charles Darwin also went to the latter.
During my time in Shrewsbury I got to spend more time with my incredible parents; ate in Darwin's Kitchen; Number Four; and The Golden Cross; helped my brother celebrate his birthday; went for drinks in The Three Fishes pub with friends; had lunch with a knowledgeable and sensible friend; had coffee with my marvelous artistic godmother and heard Charlie Adlard, Comics Laureate and artist for 'The Walking Dead', who I was at Shrewsbury School with, speak about this career. A memorably perfect week and I hope the photos below do it some justice. Well worth the 12 hour flight from Cayman Islands. Another 🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻(7 out of 5 ‘teddies’) stay in Shrewsbury. |
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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