| I am spending US Thanksgiving on Thursday at 45 Park Lane. This has made me think I must post something about their 'Too Many Cooks' dinner and meeting Baroness Floella Benjamin & Jo Brand at the Christmas Tree Lighting Party. 'Too Many Cooks' Dinner With One Cook Missing The 'Too Many Cooks' dinner was a legendary evening. Tom Parker Bowles was absent but the horrendous attack on his sweet Jack Russell Maud that afternoon makes that completely understandable. Before the dinner I met Chef Mitch Tonks & Chef Mark Hix. I have hoped to meet Mark Hix for years and Mitch Tonks (of The Seahorse) was a kindred spirit and we immediately bonded. The guests (eg Digital Creator Rob Bentley, Social Media Star & TV Personality Henry Southan etc) were as fascinating as the cooks and the food next level. Must thank 45 Park Lane Bar Manager Enrico for making an emergency batch of the 'SF Martini' special vermouth on the evening. The 45 Park Lane Christmas Tree Lighting Party; In My 50s But Still One of Floella Benjamin's Playschool Babies Meeting Cliff Richard was incredible but finding Baroness Floella Benjamin was the guest of honour this year was a dream come true. When Floella held my hand you could feel her warm & positivity. Then realising Jo Brand was a fellow guest blew my mind. Chef Elliott Grover's light as air Yorkshire Puddings, with mouthwatering beef and horseradish cream; smoked pigs in blankets; & runny Scotch eggs were the foods you hope to find in heaven. A fabulous speech from GM Lee; magnums of Ruinart champagne served by brilliant staff you could chat with; Tanja as my guest; the Ian Turnock's Christmas trees; connecting with Hormazd Narielwalla again; & meeting Stewart Lee, CEO of Savile Row Gin made is such a memorable evening. Both of these evenings were '9 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) events I will be talking about for years to come. 45 Park Lane is such a special Dorchester Collection hotel. |      |
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 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 steak tartare with sourdough; oyster on ice with condiments; & grilled scallop with piquillo chili pepper salsa amuse bouche, with a fan hand-painted with my name behind On my first day staying at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong I decided to try their Ruinart champagne Sunday Roast.
For Chinese New Year the Sir Terence Conran blue upholstery has been covered in good luck red. Sofia was my brilliant server and it turned out she had worked at Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and so we chatted about my friend Mr Simon Casson. A sublime start to lunch. The entire lunch was divine with a myriad of amuse bouche; attentive & entertaining English Sommelier Lee; succulent chunks of lobster flesh in the lobster cocktail; salmon that had been smoked in-house carved at my table; roast beef carved from a trolley that melted in your mouth; and a chocolate portrait of Issy to end. A '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) 50th birthday year continues with a lunch using the finest organic ingredients that I will never forget. Hope the photos below help you appreciate this. |
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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