O perfil de minkymoos

Me encanta el amplio, grandioso paseo hasta el Pendley Manor. La habitación era espaciosa, lujosa (con cama de cuatro postes) y el baño tenía una ducha potente más toallas esponjosas. Al levantarme por la mañana, miré por la ventana y vi un pavo blanco, ¡no es broma! El desayuno fue delicioso, volvieron a llenar los platos y irnos vimos un pavo color azul oscuro mirándose en el reflejo de un taxi. Caro pero vale la pena por esa sensación de lujo que tienen en lugar y sus alrededores.

J'ai adoré l'allée imposante qui mène à l'entrée du manoir de Pendley et ma chambre était spacieuse et luxueuse (avec un lit à baldaquin), avec une baignoire dotée d'une douche puissante et de serviettes duveteuses. A mon réveil le matin suivant, j'ai regardé par la fenêtre et j'ai vu un paon blanc, non, vraiment ! Le petit déjeuner était ravissant (après que le personnel ait rempli les plats assez vides du buffet) et nous avons vu un paon bleu nuit admirer son reflet dans un enjoliveur de voiture peu avant de partir. C'était cher mais cela le valait bien vu le charme ancien de l'endroit et les beaux jardins.

My husband and I ate here last night and we were both very impressed. I loved the huge skylights in the main dining area. Nice touch was the complimentary bottle of sparkling water as we sat down. I had trouble deciding between the smoked jellied eel starter and the potted crab, decided on the latter and was not disappointed - bursting with flavour! My husband’s ham hock terrine was also delicious. My main course of pork belly, apple puree, roquefort mash, black pudding and watercress was one of the most delicious plates of food I have had in ages - the flavours all worked together perfectly! The pork belly was melt-in-the-mouth tender! Impressive selection of wines and the very welcome wine by the 25cl and 50cl carafe meant we could have white with our starters and red with the main. We shared a tangy, creamy velvety tangerine creme brulee to finish! Not a cheap meal out but we thought it was good value because of the quality of the food and service. No hesitation in allocating five stars!

inspirationjunkie’s review below sums up the Big Chill Bar eloquently. I agree about the overcrowding (my experience of this bar has only been at the weekend) and the posing. I would add that the queueing times at the bar are achingly drawn out. You almost need to buy two drinks at a time to justify the time it takes to get through the throng gasping with thirst. The times I’ve been here, the music has been a little hit and miss, sometimes with volume up to very unpleasant levels (conversation nigh on impossible!).

I’ve met friends for drinks in Ember a few times, more because for convenience of location near Farringdon station than for any other reason. Bar service was friendly and reasonably quick, even when busy. I’ve only ever eaten the mixed bar snacks platters after a good few drinks and they were okay, nothing memorable but topped up a booze-filled gap. We’ve never been lucky enough in the summer to get seats on the teeny-tiny terrace. Ember’s not a bad meeting place but I always prefer to get to Vinoteca early and bag a table there.

The Hyde Park Winter Wonderland does light up this corner of Hyde Park in the run up to Christmas. This year, there were a few additional rides, including a roller coaster. The mulled wine, while expensive, was deliciously warming after the hour spent whizzing round the ice rink (well, we’d like to have thought we could whizz around the ice rink!). I love ice skating and the Winter Wonderland rink is supposed to be the largest in London but I find it too narrow and very crowded! Next year we’ll book much earlier and hopefully this time get tickets for the Somerset House rink.

While I’ve had some amazing nights out at Brixton Academy, I have some mixed feelings about it as a venue. I love the art deco feel to the place and the sloping floor (as I’m short and usually can’t see over the heads of anybody at gigs!). However, I don’t rate the sound system - the higher registers can often be so sharp they’re painful. In spite of this, I’ve attended some great gigs here, Goldfrapp, The Prodigy (who were awesome!), Mylo (bit of a letdown), Chemical Brothers, amongst others. One thing I can say about Brixton Academy is that the atmosphere is always fantastic and the light shows impressive. Tonight, I’ll be there to see Pendulum - can’t wait!

Breathing Space is located in the little alley next to the lower level of the Sainsbury’s car park and promotes itself as a day spa. I attended a few drop-in yoga classes there and while the classes were not cheap (£10 a pop), the yoga teachers were skilled and friendly and the studio space is very pleasant. The Ashtanga yoga class I attended was very busy so the studio felt a little cramped and the class was probably a little advanced for me (although I felt fantastic afterwards). Breathing Space also offers Pilates Courses and a range of other treatments, including acupuncture and massages and lots of lovely products on display in the window. Overall, I would have awarded 4 stars but Breathing Space is quite expensive and seems to be pitched at “Ladies that Lunch”. Not that this is a problem by any means, but I tend to prefer somewhere a little more down-to-earth. Worth a vist and vouchers would probably make a very good gift!

This is a fantastic salon in Liverpool Street. The stylists are all Japanese and I’ve been getting my hair cut here for nearly ten years. The stylist who has been cutting my hair for the past 5 has done a fantastic job each time. He cuts my hair so skillfully, I can sometimes go up to 10 weeks between cuts and the style keeps its shape. The added bonus of coming here is a head and shoulder massage after the wash and before the cut. The decor is tasteful and chic and the price of a wash, cut and blowdry is £40 - pretty standard for London. The salon is open till 10pm during the week but is not open at the weekends. Worth every penny!

Pad Thai serves up a high quality variety of Thai dishes at very reasonable prices and whenever I’m in Finchley Central, I eat here for lunch. The prawn green curry with jasmine or coconut rice is fiery, fragrant and loaded with vegetables although not enormously generous with the king prawns. The chicken red curry is slightly milder and the sauce is a little sweeter but also very tasty. I’ve also had a very good chicken pad thai here when I’m not in the mood for a fiery curry. If you order green or jasmine tea and you’re a student, the tea’s free. A great little place!