Iceland- Day 1

“I want to visit [fill in the gap] before I die!” is something that I hear all too often.

Plans are made, conversations over empty & rattled bottles of wine are had and hypothetical travel itineraries are thrown out into open air. It was upon one of these nights a few months ago that my trip to Iceland was booked. 

Like any pre-booked event, I had 4 months to prepare and the night before is when I found myself chucking all of my not so warm belongings into an industrial sized suitcase for my trip to the land of Ice. Luckily my friend H, who’s a regular ski bunny, assisted me in pulling together a warm and toasty wardrobe to keep me warm as I descended into the land of Santa.

3 hours and a strangely equal time zone later...

I landed in Iceland.

Fresh faced, dreams of Christmas in my eyes and a fur headband to keep me warm [really just a vague attempt to make my ski jacket look chic in Iceland as the hole in the headpiece is not so warming.]

After a battle between the bureau de change and myself, we headed towards The Hilton Reykjavik Nordica- our home for the next few days. The truth is, we primarily chose the Hilton because it’s a short 15 minute walk from the city centre but is still far enough to enjoy the scarcity and space that Iceland refreshingly provides to a London City girl- but it really is so much more than that.

The staff are ridiculously friendly and always at your beck and call should you need anything to enhance your trip. 

The general decor of the hotel is very minimalist and modern but brings a hint of homeliness with the strategically placed open fires and bar areas[ happy hours daily from 5pm-7pm for my friends that like to have a regular holiday tipple]. 

The rooms are extremely clean and simplistic which did just the trick seeing as we were barely present in our rooms [Reykjavik gallivanting is key in a trip to Iceland]. The on-site restaurant is called Vox and serves up a scrumptious balance of local well cooked foods heavily influenced by the local culture. The hotel boasts a wonderfully simple vibe improved by the vibrant crowd that this hotel attracts. 

Hunger Looming, we meandered down to the Hotel Lobby for some fantastic wine by an open fire accompanied by the Hilton Nordica’s delicious High Tea menu [forever a Brit.] 

Much to my surprise, Iceland apparently doesn’t produce its own wine but the imported stuff tastes just as good by an open flame. A delicious stand of meat infused sandwiches, the Roast Beef was a personal favourite, and desserts, the white chocolate mousse with berries is a must, appeared in front of us and disappeared in under 5 minutes- hungry we were.

Significantly wined and dined after an almost 24 hour day, we retired to our hotel rooms to sink our tiresome heads into the plump pillows that adorned our beds.

Having successfully taken over the hotel bars and eatery, we’d need a snooze to conquer Reykjavik the following day... 

Harry Gordon's Bar

My connection with Selfridges is that of a steady long-term relationship.

When times are good they’re really good, we may argue every now and again when I have to queue to demand his time or his service is sloppy but all in all I know I can bank on him when times are rough [or I’ve left gifts to the last minute!] and he will rarely lead me astray [floor plan memorized to a T.]

After whizzing around the store collecting a plethora of canary yellow bags and artfully balancing them on each shoulder, it was time to stop and refuel. My usual haunt, Hix, seemed to be bursting at the seams and in an attempt to spicing up the variety in my life- I went in search of a new oasis in which to quench my thirst and lift my spirits [lift and pour straight into a glass that is.] 

    

Tired with feet singing from the pain that taking my new moccasins out for a spin caused, in the distance swung a glimmer of hope.

Enter... Harry Gordon’s Bar.       

The bar is small in size and very understated, so it didn't blow my mind at first- but as any lady will know- the feet pain will not wait.

Thankful for finally finding a seat, the bags were dropped swiftly to the floor and I was ready to work my way one by one through each of the innovative cocktails. Our colorful attired friend came bounding over accessorized with a smile, and was absolutely delightful in helping us with cocktail selections.

Upon attacking the complimentary savoury popcorn [tomato and mozzarella flavoured- a cheats pizza in a small bite of air] we made our selection and the battle began:

Round 1: The Naked Blush and The Old Fashioned. [No prizes for guessing which was the male and which was the female choice!]

The cocktails were strong but definitely well disguised and smoothly mixed so we glugged away- only later feeling the true effects as the volume of our conversation went from 4 to off the scales as the measure on the glass got fainter.

Post shamelessly requesting consistent top up’s of the magical pizza popcorn, our amazing waiter did what we were all hoping he would and tipped the bag into a fish bowl sized vessel and left us scavengers to incessantly pick.  

Round 2: The House Gin Fizz and The Sparkling Belle- both of which were absolutely scrumptious! 

Someone else clearly caught the shutterbug too...

After sampling a good selection of the cocktail menu, I think it’s fair to say that I underestimated Harry Gordon’s Bar. The staff are extremely helpful and chatty, it’s not as noisy or busy as a few of the other eateries in Selfridges and the cocktails were delectable!  

A definite must visit!  

Old Macdonald and Chalk Farm

Soaring down the moving staircase, onto the cobbled streets of North West One, and hobbling, nude pointed court shoes in hand, towards an Uber London- this was the penultimate event of my night at Gilgamesh.

There is a place.

Adorning the corner unit of The Stables Market, the ornately carved entrance to this Pan-Asian restaurant is breath taking to say the least. Having previously visited Gilgamesh London a few times, particularly for its older boozy sister- The Babylon Club, I was determined to sample their updated menu courtesy of Executive Chef- Ian Pengelley. An email chain, sequence of girl squeals over Kimye’s baby name and four crammed schedules later- a Saturday night was fountain penned in to “Dine, Drink, Dance and socialize at London’s ultimate attraction”. I think it’s safe to say- The quota was fulfilled.

Mounting the escalators that ascend to, what can only be described as a parallel Narnia, you’re met by a plethora of colours, textures and authentic furnishings which add to the vibrant atmosphere that Gilgamesh hosts on a Saturday evening. It took us a total of 3 minutes, as observed by our clever waiter, to decide exactly what we wanted for this three course fanfare.

Roll in course number one: the ‘party in my mouth’ - Duck & Watermelon Salad.

The duck was crisp and succulent, accenting the watermelon incredibly. So what started off as a “dish to share” became more of a strategic movement to wharf down all duck pieces before my beautiful friends had the chance to lift their forks (Sorry ladies!)

The wine continued to flow as we continually glanced over to the kitchen eagerly anticipating our mains, we decided to tide ourselves over with a quick taster of the Salmon Sake.

With considerable “oooo ahh” factor- the dish arrived and disappeared almost seconds after touching our hand carved table. Most definitely signs of a good dish.

Due to it being a Saturday night we had a considerable and painstaking wait until our main course arrived, but when it did- OH did it arrive.

Beef Bulgogi. A Fillet of succulent beef smothered in Bulgogi sauce (don’t let the name put you off- it’s essentially the equivalent of Korean BBQ sauce) that prompted my palette to croon the sweetest sounds, ascended upon a heap of Japanese Chive Mash.  

Accompanied with an order of The Prawn Tempura, you know...just in case...

Endless amounts of wine stimulated gossiping later, we shimmied over to The Babylon Club for a night of cocktails and some of the best 90’s music I've heard in a while.

Definitely recommended for a fun Saturday night accompanied by the girls, however do be prepared to wait- especially if you’re famished (as we were). With news of a new tasting menu for the month of July hot of the press, it’s the perfect opportunity to sample some of London’s finest pan-asian food. And what’s more- I hear the roof of the restaurant retracts as the temperature soars; perfect for the summer!

Gilgamesh- it was a pleasure as always... 

The Bar-Strut

It started off so simply.

“Let’s meet for a quick drink, I haven’t seen my best-friend since you’ve been back!”  

A hop, skip and intensive karaoke session on the streets of St James later- Alice fell down the rabbit hole of wonderment.

At Dstrkt we began. Having power walked from Holborn to Piccadilly at peak rush hour times, it only seemed right to reward ourselves with some delicious treats. We shimmied our way , with caution, down the dimly lit staircase into the main dining room and took our seats with an effervescent  smugness as the waiter brought over the holy scripture encased in fine Italian leather- The Wine List.

The Wine List at Dstrkt is one of my favourites. Pages of foreign wines imported from Italy to the tail end of nowhere often muddles me, so what should be a quick “yes, I’ll take the Woody Cabernet Sauvignon...” amalgamates into an exhaustive geographical study of wines from around the world. Dstrkt solves this problem. Divided into taste brackets, whether you prefer your glass to be fresh & delicate or rich & powerful, there’s a wine of choice for you!

Much to the amazement of our wonderful garcon, who was extremely attentive as we nattered away for a solid hour prior to even glancing at the menu, we were ready to order. Oxtail Sliders, Grilled Octopus and Wild Sea Bass & Confit Baby Fennel- “portions at Dstrkt aren’t sizeable- so let’s order one extra dish just incase” was the justification- really we were just hungry little piglets.

The Oxtail Sliders are a seasonal winner for me. Whenever I have ordered them the meat has been extremely succulent, the slider bun always has a winning ratio of crunchy to flavoursome soggy dough and the crunchy chorizo pieces make me want to swing from the suave light fixtures that hang above us in the interior.

  

The skin of the Wild Sea Bass could’ve been slightly crispier, in my opinion, but that aside the dish was fabulously presented and extremely flavoursome. 

What was, essentially, the wild card of our meal, the grilled octopus was lip-licking good! So much so that the extra juices were mopped up by the new season bread board from Chef Yaneff at Dstrkt!

Stomachs content and brains ever so clouded from vino abuse, we meandered across the square to The W Hotel for a round of speedy cocktails- wishful thinking as ever. 

The Wyld Bar is, perhaps, my new hangout of choice these days, particularly on a Wednesday evening. Having visited when the bar had first opened, it is safe to say that The Wyld has developed into what can only be fittingly described as “A Smooth Operation.”  Greeted by the beautiful host it promises Breezy interior, brilliant live-acoustic sessions and bountiful cocktail lists. It is the perfect place for catching up with friends (or for cocktail sampling in our case.)  A rock-tea-ni and a round of Wyld shots (Tequila, Kaffir lime sugar syrup and fresh watermelon..oh my!) later, our quick drink had turned into a cultured bar-strut. 

Fuelled by The Wyld wind beneath our wings, we bounded through the sleek black lobby interior, out of the hotel’s opulent doors and proceeded to destination unknown. When undecided on where to visit in London, I have but one simple rule- Just head north. Try it sometime! I’m not sure whether it’s the straight-up “duh!” factor or an actual geographic subliminal decision making process- but you’ll always end up somewhere brilliant! 

.

Our somewhere brilliant happened to be The Mayfair Bar at The Mayfair Hotel

Feet throbbing from our marathon bar-strut, we retired with a round of, much recommended, Watermelon Martini’s and soaked in the buzzing atmosphere of the quintessential London bar.