Gillray's Steakhouse and Bar, London

I've been wining and dining and even spa-ing in the County Hall Marriott Hotel for more years than I would like to mention so I was really looking forward to a return visit, especilally as I was here to try out the new menu at Gillray's Steakhouse and Bar!  County Hall has a prime site next to the London Eye and across from the Houses of Parliament and fascinating history as the former home of the Greater London Council and its leader Ken Livingstone before it was abolished in 1983. 17 years later he become the first Mayor of London but a new City Hall was built by Tower Bridge so this magnificent building could be taken on by the Marriott group who luckily kept many of the original features such as the wood panelled corridors and bar. 

However, I was here for food and cocktails and so skipped up the less well know sneaky river front entrance and was soon above the madding crowds on this busy stretch of the Thames You feel miles away from the noise and the bustle below you as you enter the glamorous bar. 

River entrance to Gillray's

The gorgeous bar

The restaurant and its bar are named after the famous 18th century caricaturist James Gillray who was the master of the political cartoon, acknowledging the building's political history.  You can enjoy his prints along the walls as well as more contemporary cartoons from the era of Margaret Thatcher in the restrooms - well they are in the Ladies, I cannot speak for the gents!.  

We started our visit with a refreshing cocktail from the excellent list . They use home infused gin to create unique drinks and Gillray's are proud to part of the current gin revival, stocking a wide range of familiar and new gins, Sam Mitchell, the Head Bartender chose a strongly Gillray referenced cocktail for us called Drawing Out A Batch of New Kings after his famous cartoon. Our cocktail however was rum based, a fresh and easy to quaff mix of homemade bacardi carta blanca spiced rum, lime juice, orgeat syrup, passion fruit and mint leaves. 

How fresh does this look?

Moving through to the wonderfully open, light restaurant with more great views we settled down to test out their good looking menu. As there was a group of us, we were able to try out a range of starters from juicy scallps to the hearty terrine and the healthy deep green pea soup. My favourite was the watermelon with goat cheese and pistachio for its fresh, clean taste of the melon against the tart goat cheese.

                                                               The dining room 

Pea soup and goat curd

Goat cheese, watermelon and pistachio 

Quinoa and chicken salad with courgette

Scallops, apple, vanilla and dates

Chicken liver parfait, pear and gingerbread

Confit salmon, fennel, pollen, dill and beetroot

Old spot pork terrine and piccalilli 

Given a choice of main courses, it had to be rump steak and triple cooked chips and a wonderfully soft and generous sized steak appeared with Bearnaise sauce and portobello mushroom with heritage tomatoes.  No one stepped up to the 1 kilo Bull's Head steak as it seemed a challenge too far!  I asked for the cooking to be medium rare and it turned up just a fraction too rare for me so I asked if they could cook it just a little more and without any fuss, they whisked it away and returned very shortly with a new mushroom and the steak 's cooking perfectly adjusted. Excellent service.  

Jiuicy steak, sauce and mushroom 

Large, crispy chips 

Was there some space for dessert? Of course there was!  Luckily as we were a small group, we could, again, taste a range of options and here they are. My favourite by far was their unique take on a sherry trifle. The multilayered trifle arrives in a jar with an accompanying glass of sherry.  Using the long spoon you make a space down the side of the jar and 'just add sherry'.  It was very creamy and luxurious and got top marks for taste and presentation. 

Rather special chocolate bombe and raspberry sauce

Beautifully served sorbets

Gillray's sherry trifle 

Gillray's sherry trifle 

Although I was sorely tempted I could not return to the bar after lunch to taste more of their inventive cocktails and anyway,  I was rather full by then so I waddled off home!

If you want to read more about James Gillray here's a link.

Bye for now. 
Sue
@itsyourlondon
www.itsyourlondon.co.uk

Full disclosure: as is usual for these events, my food and beverages were paid for by Gillray's, however the views expressed are all my own. 

Flying into London.

As many of you will know I've been in Africa for 9 weeks working on a voluntary project in Ghana and then joining a tour of West Africa. It was an amazing adventure and I feel very happy that I played my part in building a primary school in a very hands-on way! Our tour took us on the roads less travelled in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia and Senegal and there are many stories to tell about these dusty red roads but they are for another time...

I always love flying back into London as it's one of the great sightseeing landings you'll ever experience. It was a clear and sunny day and I was lucky enough to get some photos to share with you. I had made sure I had a seat on the plane with a best views - always ask to be seated on the right side of the plane When you are landing at Heathrow, the usual route is across south England and then a left over the 02 dome, following the river Thames all the way to your landing at the world's busiest airport. It really makes me feel like I am home again as I check off all the famous landmarks of London from the Orbit, Tower Bridge, and St Pauls, along to the London Eye, Houses of Parliament and the massive expanses of London's green royal parks. 

Join me for the last 10 minutes of my flight as we head into Heathrow.

Spot the 02 dome as we take the big left turn to follow the Thames as it curves around the Docklands. 

Below us is Greenwich Park where you can stand on the Meridian line
 

The tower blocks and waterways of Canary Wharf sitting on the strangely named 'Isle of Dogs' - theories abound as to where that came from!
 

Our first sight of the iconic Tower Bridge and the Tower of London to its left
 

The new buildings of the City are clear to see - the Shard (bottom left) and the Walkie-Talkie (the dark fronted, white rimmed building to the mid left of the photo)
 

Can you make out the dome of St Paul's Cathedral? Once the tallest building, it's now dwarfed but still an incredible building 
 

Another big curve of the Thames brings us to the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament
 

Here's a great view of Buckingham Palace, set in green parkland - I wonder if the Queen was at home?
 

London is one of the world's greenest cities and in the next 2 photos you can see the huge expanse of Hyde Park which runs into Kensington Gardens which were too big to fit into one photo, even from the air!

 

The Royal Albert Hall has an unmistakable round shape with its accompanying monument, also celebrating Prince Albert's life. His death left Queen Victoria devastated and she sought many ways to keep his memory alive.

We are about to land when a final great sight comes into view - the magnificence of Osterley Park and House.

We landed safely and I was home. London kindly greeted me with sunshine and warm weather and she was looking her very best. I was good to be home....

Bye for now.
Sue
@itsyourlondon
www.itsyourlondon.co.uk 

How much can you squeeze into a day and a half in London?

As you'll know from my bio I offer private tours of London for small groups and they all want to see loads of stuff in London without feeling like they have been rushed from one place to the next. So, I though I would share with you my most recent tour which lasted a day and a half so you can see just how much you can pack in without exhausting yourself!

My guests were staying in Earl's Court so on day one we set off from there by tube to St Paul's Cathedral which is an amazing church although I can never decide which is my favourite, here or Westminster Abbey. On the way we saw the blue trees, one of London's temporary art moments which we kept bumping into during our travels.  My guests were an energetic pair and wanted to climb to the very top so 365 feet later we emerged onto the very small platform of the Golden Gallery and enjoyed the view. We also loved seeing the display of donkeys in the cathedral - a visual art exhibition of 25 life sized differently decorated donkeys called Caravan 2013 highlighting interfaith co-operation. St Paul's is an enduring symbol of London and the blue trees and donkeys show how there is always something new to see even when you think you know a place!

View from the top of St Paul's

Bright blue trees

Painted donkeys

We strolled over the Millennium Bridge to the Tate Modern and explored a couple of the permanent collections, catching some Rothkos and even a Monet before a much needed coffee with a view back over the Millennium Bridge.  The Turbine Hall is closed as the Tate builds a massive extension so it's not as impressive as usual as I love the grand entrance into that massive space but it's definitely still worth a visit. Outside the Tate is another temporary art installation, the Endless Stair, a wooden structure based on Escher's work. It's fun to run up and down the stairs and take photos from all angles!

A walk along the south bank of the Thames gives you a chance to enjoy part of the Thames Path, voted second in a poll of great city walks by Lonely Planet readers, so that's a major endorsement. Our destination was the London Eye for a 35 minute ride of changing views and perspectives. It's such a smooth operation as you get on and off without it missing a beat and my guests certainly thought it was worth the ride.

A stroll over Westminster Bridge gives great photo opportunities of Big Ben and from there we had a good look at the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey and I went through some of the stories associated with both buildings including setting the record straight on what exactly is Big Ben. Everything looks so much more impressive and huge close up so it's always walking right up to these historic sights. 

Houses of Parliament and Big Ben

 We reckoned that was enough for one day, as the lights were coming up to display Big Ben beautifully, so we headed back to Earl's Court for a  meal and a rest! 

Day two saw an early start to catch the 9.30 Thames Clipper boat from Embankment to the Tower of London. Passing the sights we had seen from the bank yesterday, we saw these from a different angle and sailed beyond, passing close up to HMS Belfast with its huge guns.  It's best to arrive at the Tower by boat, just as people have for millennia, especially those entering through Traitors Gate which always gives me a bit of a shiver as once in you'd not be coming out again - alive!  We were lucky enough to watch a Tower Bridge lift from our vantage point on the massive defensive walls by the medieval palace. Some days there are several lifts but some days none at all so I was very pleased to show my guests another of London's iconic sights.  Our lunch stop was the Dickens Inn where they serve a decent fish and chips among the boats in St Katherine's Docks.

The Tower of London from way up high

 

Tower Bridge lifts to let a sailing barge through

We hopped on the tube to Green Park to take through the greenery past many folk enjoying a rest on the deck chairs but we were on our way to our timed entry tickets for Buckingham Palace so no sitting for us. When the Queen goes on her summer holidays to Scotland, she allows her subjects, and other visitors, to have a look round the incredibly grand state rooms and galleries of fine paintings.  Each year there is a special exhibition and this year it is, of course, a celebration of the coronation which took place 60 years ago in 2013. As we'd visited the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London, we could join up some of the dots having seen the coronation crown and film of the event itself. In the palace they have her coronation dresses and robes and the crown wore as she travelled to Westminster Abbey,  a beautiful sparkly piece which you can see on the Queen's head on every UK stamp, though I have to admit I'd not noticed it before I went to this exhibition.....

Beautiful coronation robes

Sparkling crown

 A well deserved coffee was on offer at the cafe in the Buckingham Palace gardens where they dust the cappuccino with a chocolate crown and decorate the cakes with chocolate crowns - nice touch!  The exit is via the excellent shop and the extensive gardens. 

Fancy cakes and coffee at the Buckingham Palace cafe

To complete the London Transport experience for my guests, we grabbed ourselves a trip on a red double decker bus along Piccadilly, past the Ritz and along Pall Mall before hopping off to enjoy a wander through St James's Park and Horse Guards Parade. There is always something happening on the streets of London and we were not disappointed as we bumped into the Round Britain Tour Cycle and saw one group whizz past us at speed while trying to grab their drinks!

Tour of Britain

A short walk up Whitehall took us to Trafalgar Square to see Nelson's Column - I'd told my guests all about him when we saw his grave in the crypt of St Paul's - and to climb on the lions for the essential photo. We enjoyed the temporary art work on the fourth plinth which is a massive blue cockerel, the same blue as the St Paul's trees strangely enough. We had just enough energy to pop into the National Gallery to see the impressionist rooms and marvel at the exquisite work by Van Gogh, Monet, and Degas.

The brilliant blue cockerel

As Covent Garden with its plentiful bars and restaurants was just next door we headed up to the balcony bar at the Brasserie Blanc for a well earned glass of wine (or 2!) and a snack as the sun went down.   

Phew - I must admit it was tiring but we saw so much and didn't have to rush around to fit it all in. My guests were full of energy and enthusiasm and really enjoyed their experience of London and the opportunity to some of the top sights that it has to offer with their own private tour from It's Your London.

What would be your favourite day and a half in London?

Bye for now,
Sue
www.itsyourlondon.co.uk
@itsyourlondon

In praise of St Paul's, one of London's greatest buildings

St Paul's Cathedral has been the scene of some great events in British history: the funeral of Winston Churchill, the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth 11, the funeral of Wellington, the bombing of the blitz in the Second World War.

We watched the Diamond Jubilee service take place in St Paul's last week so I thought it was time for another visit to this wonderful building and although I know it well, I was bowled over again as I explored it. There are no pictures allowed inside but the exterior is so grand, iconic and beautiful that it is hard to stop snapping!

The first thing I saw before  I entered the church was a great reminder of the Diamond Jubilee history of the church as there is a stone recording Queen Victoria's visit in 1897.

There has been a church on this site since 604 and the current church was built following the destruction of the previous one in the Great Fire of London in 1666. It is a masterpiece by Christopher Wren who was the architect for many post fire buildings. This one is an iconic part of the London skyline with its instantly recognisable dome. One of the amazing facts you find out on your visit is that the dome is actually 2 domes, one on top of the other, because the full dome would be too high to see properly when you are inside, so the smaller one inside brings the paintings within sight. Clever bloke that Wren! 

Make sure you allow plenty of time for your visit as you'll want to spend time seeing the wonderful interior, the huge crypt with Wellington and Nelson's tombs as well as plaques to a wide range of famous people. You get an audio guide as part of your entry fee so do use it to give you lots of good info as well as a guide through the various places to visit. 

For the energetic there are the 3 galleries to climb up to.  The famous Whispering Gallery is 257 steps up and is a fun visit as if you stand on one side you can whisper something and another person across the dome can hear you. You'll see lots of people trying. As well as this you get great views of the dome and down into the cathedral floor. For those with a head for heights and good legs there are 2 further galleries, both on the outside of the dome. The Stone Gallery is 121 steps up from the Whispering Gallery but the Golden Gallery right at the top is the one to go for if you are up to it - a further 152 steps and 365 feet above the floor of the cathedral! The view is 360 degrees and incredible -  down the river through Tower Bridge and to the nearly completed Shard tower, to the City across One New Change shopping centre's roof, up river to the London Eye and curves of the river Thames. the 'Wobbly bridge' with the Tate Modern and the Globe theatre and way over in the distance to the Olympic park and the Orbit red tower.

Towards the Shard and Tower Bridge

The City and One New Change roof in the foreground

Upstream along the curve of the Thames

'Wobbly bridge', Tate Modern and The Globe Theatre

Hopefully you will want to visit St Paul's Cathedral, or revisit it as a second viewing is well worth it.  I have one more photo before I sign off as I want to show you this wonderful building at night when it is magical.

Bye for now,
Sue
www.itsyourlondon.co.uk
@itsyourlondon