Tagged : London

in Travel, Wine & Food

The Booking Office Cocktail Bar London

Located in London’s St. Pancras station, The Booking Office Restaurant & Bar is a swank lounge known for serving up a mean old fashioned punch, and artisan crafted cocktails.

The ceilings are high, as you can imagine they would be in a train station built in the 1800′s, the bar is set against the narrow office that would have been the ticket booking office back when this wing was in operation, and little wicket windows are still visible behind the rows of small batch spirits.

The menu is an eclectic mix of classic cocktail fare, with many drinks either originally created or inspired from classic London hotels like the Savoy. I managed to squeeze two drinks in, one being the Tiger’s Milk, a sweet milky cocktail with egg whites, and the other being a classic punch called the Glasgow. Both were top shelf by my palate.

According to my mate Stephen, The Booking Office is quite renowned for their punches, for which they have a full page dedicated on the drink list. Let’s say mine didn’t disappoint.

The area around St. Pancras might not be on the hot spot list of places to check out for London nightlife, but if you are up for a quiet evening of cocktails, chat, and sultry piano music, The Booking Office is well worth a visit.

in Travel
airplane-windo

One Night in London

Arrival
Luckily was bumped to first class on the way over so I took full advantage of the fast track customize lane at Heathrow Airport. Air Canada also has an arrivals lounge at the airport which allowed me a quick shower, cappuccino, and email check. It was nice to start the morning fresh.

Lunch
I met up with my good mate Stephen in advertising central, not the area’s official name, but certainly apt by my account. A quick perusal of Charlotte Street (near Goodge Street Station, and a short walk from Oxford Circus) reveals the London office of Saatchi & Saatchi and a host of other agencies and media related companies. We hit up a local pub for lunch and have an A Spal cider and Fish bap sandwich. After I make my way up to Willesden Green where Stephen & Morgan are now located and promptly conk out for a 2 hr nap.

Dinner


I wake up late and gather myself for dinner in a hurry. On the way out of the house it takes me about 5-10 minutes to figure out how to use the British locking mechanism on their door. Pull the handle up once the door is closed to engage the deadbolt, then turn the key around to lock. In the meantime one of the cats have escaped. I chase the pesky little bastard across the yard. He hops up onto the fence, shoots me a mischievous glance, and disappears down the alley. I realize I’ve forgotten my Oyster transit card inside. Upon retrieval the other obedient cat decides I’m an idiot and bolts out the door in chase of his buddy. Continue reading “One Night in London” »

in Travel

What’s in a Bag?

Paul Smith Luggage

Paul Smith is a designer and brand that I have a strong affinity for — despite not owning any article sporting his name. Unfortunately at this point in my life it’s out of my budgetary diet, but I do aspire to filling my entire bachelor closet with Paul Smith stuff.

Today in London I went to the Mecca of all things Paul in Covent Garden and found a piece of luggage that made me think in ways that luggage really shouldn’t. I saw myself stepping off a plane in Lisbon with the perfect manbag luggage. In my vision I was portrayed by a GQ model with aviators, the perfect amount of stubble, and a wicked scarf. GQ me steps off the plane, perfect manbag slung effortlessly over shoulder, heading straight into the streets of cosmopolitan Europe.

The bag is nothing fancy. In fact, it’s plain and simple. Black or brown leather, shoulder strap, outer pocket. It’s a throwback to a time when a man’s life was simple enough to fit in that bag — I want my life to fit in that bag. I spent a good amount of time sizing it up. Can everything really fit in there? What do I need to ditch in order to fit my life in the bag. Surely there’s room for my 8 plain black t-shirts, 8 boxer briefs, 8 socks, 2 jeans, Macbook, SLR camera, thin travel towel, light fleece hoodie thing, and toiletry kit. I really want to find out, but at a pricey £500 the transformation to GQ me will have to wait…well maybe.