| When I visited Bangkok in 2018 I met with GM Lubosh to discuss the plans for the new Four Seasons, Bangkok, this hotel, therefore, had to be part of my 'Epic Trip'. My Spectacular Welcome You will see from the photos that my welcome could not have been more impressive. GM Lubosh was on a well deserved vacation with his family but Manager Simon handled it all perfectly and there was even a 'cut out' of the GM for the photos. Walking through the hotel the monumental scale of it all took my breath away. The End of Buddhist Lent, 'BKK Social Club' & The 'Epic Trip Martini Challenge' All the bars in Thailand were closed for The End of Buddhist Lent on the day I arrived but 'BKK Social Club' was recreated in my spectacular suite to make me a perfect martini. Must thank Bar Manager Ferdia, and Director of Guest Experience Killian, for all they did to arrange this. 'BKK Social Club' & 'Four Seasons, Bangkok' came a close third in the 'Epic Trip Martini Challenge' for the effort this took. Celebrating 10 Years of www.sifrew.com with 'Palmier by Guillaume Galliot', 'Yu Ting Yuan' & Champagne at The Pool My Guest Experience person was named Dream and she certainly lived up to her name. She made arrangements just as easy/ smooth as the butlers at Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok. The food at Four Seasons, Bangkok could not have been better. From the super fresh scallops at 'Palmier' that were exquisite with just lemon juice, to the best balanced hot & sour soup I have ever eaten from Chef Tommy Cheung & caviar on my dim sum and fresh from the oven egg pizzas at breakfast with the most delicious fresh melon juice I have tasted. Everything was sublime. Four Seasons, Bangkok also rates an unprecedented '8 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) score. More handrails on stairs is the only area that needs any improvement. All this is even more impressive for a hotel still so new. Sean being part of my leaving photos was the icing on a perfect cake. Tip: you must have a cocktail in the award winning 'BKK Social Club' . |     |
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Mandarin Oriental, New York - One of the World's Great Hotels - New York, USA - January 20248/2/2024
Charismatic GM Thomas Carreras & Four Seasons, New York, Downtown - New York, USA - January 20247/2/2024  On this trip I not only met Thomas but had the honour of meeting Russky too. Although I decided to stay in Manhattan on this trip, I had to see GM Thomas Carreras at Four Seasons, New York, Downtown.
I was so glad I made this trip. Chatting to the front desk staff, while waiting, reminded me of the quality of this hotel. Veuve Clicquot Champagne & Wolfgang Puck Food The bar was very busy but a special table had been reserved for us and we drank Veuve Clicquot champagne and snacked on Wolfgang Puck food, while chatting. We both agreed Chef Elliott Grover at 45 Park Lane is a rising star. Simon Casson came up in conversation and the next day his new role as CEO of Corinthia Hotels was announced. Meeting Thomas would always be a '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) experience but drinking Veuve Clicquot with him, with Russky with us, was even more special.
 My face says it all. Adam from Four Seasons Gresham Palace in Budapest preparing cocktails at Four Seasons at Park Lane & eating Hungarian/ Asian fusion food in the hotel's elegant new private dining area. November 2023 was another unforgettable month in my life. My relationship with Four Seasons at Park Lane resumed and my welcome back was beyond belief. I now have green velvet Four Seasons slippers, to wear with my Mandarin Oriental, Msheireb Downtown Doha yukata (robe).
It was a month of more sensational food. The quality of the ingredients in the Claridge’s breakfast could not be better. As an LVMH Ambassador, It was also a thrill to see their Louis Vuitton trunk Christmas tree. Chef Elliott Grover, at 45 Park Lane, astonished me with Beluga caviar & UK Wagyu beef smoked with wood chips from a Jack Daniel's cask. The same day as that lunch, I had a white truffle dinner at Four Seasons at Park Lane. There were some mouthwatering pasta dishes from Chef Yannick Alleno but I now know I am not keen on white truffles in my ice cream. It was an month when Issy's tropical waistcoat from Mandarin Oriental, Miami was shipped to me & The Dorchester gave him a Dorchester Collection staff pin. I also met Sir Cliff Richard, while easting Wolfgang Puck canapes, at 45 Park Lane's Christmas tree lighting party. On the work front, I attended Grant Thornton's 'Banking & Capital Markets Conference 2023' and it was a pleasure to reconnect with Jordan International Bank Plc's new CEO. We worked together in Qatar. Hope the photos below evidence another ''7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) month. I move to Shrewsbury for Christmas on Tuesday 12 December 2023. Look forward to explaining these photos to people I meet. Still hopeful that my niece Maria, who lives in Moscow, will be in Shrewsbury for Christmas.
 It was another dream come true to meet the legend that is Chef Alain Ducasse and Chef Wolfgang Puck & now knows each other. What a month. From a moving Shropshire funeral, funerals of younger people are always particularly difficult; to one of the most elegant weddings I have ever attended, you could feel the love at both events; to Chefs Alain Ducasse & Wolfgang Puck preparing a 'Four Hands Dinner' for me at 45 Park Lane.
45 Park Lane also produced a cocktail for me from The Beverly Hills Hotel, that was not on their Sunday lunch menu. As that meal, the black truffles on Chef Elliot Grover's sublime roast beef tasted better than ever. I also got to eat in Chef Yannick Alleno's Pavyllon at Four Seasons at Park Lane, before it opened to the public and was back on Four Seasons at Ten Trinity Square's roof sipping a cocktail. Must also mention Chef Tom Booton's revolutionary breakfasts at The Grill by Tom Booton at The Dorchester again. Finally I have to talk about mum & the excellent food scene in Shrewsbury. As part of the two weeks I spent in Shropshire during the month, I tried to spoil mum with meals out. My hake at La Piazzetta in The Square was sensational, our steak frites at Cote were delicious and the spicy cooked breakfast at C Sons, Shrewsbury is still morishly good. A family friend also took mum and me around his stunningly beautiful garden. Mum was almost back to her old self, talking about garden design, that afternoon. Hope you enjoy the photos below and they demonstrate what a memorable month June 2023 was in my life. |
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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