Inspired Destinations: London

Our two-week summer adventure through Russia and Italy’s sublime Tuscany was a dining odyssey marked by several memorable menus and wine lists, some described in earlier Vintelligence posts. By the time it was over in mid-August, the beginning of the trip — a brief stay in London — was more or less overshadowed.

Unless you are a business traveler with a benevolent accounting department, London is not an obvious choice these days. It is easily one of the world’s most expensive cities, a reality only magnified for American visitors because the British pound-U.S. dollar exchange rate is about 2-to-1. But London is a great city (the Olympic Games host in 2012), nonetheless, and a perfect starting point on the way to the European continent and beyond.

A couple of highlights from the notebook:

- The Pelham Hotel on Cromwell Place in South Kensington, a prime location because of its close proximity to tourist attractions and chic, casual dining. This is a boutique property occupying several Victorian-style townhomes. It is low key, well appointed and staffed by professionals.  Ran into a very chatty woman, her college aged son and his girlfriend, all from the States, in the lounge (an open “honor” bar). A couple of young men from L.A. were staying at The Pelham, too. Movie special effects guys from Hollywood. One mentioned doing some work in the so-called thriller “Snakes on a Plane”. (If the airlines thought snakes would pay, I’m sure they’d gladly sell them overhead bin space).

- Tom Aikens, a frequently lauded upscale eatery not far from South Kensington on Elystan Street. We took our well behaved 10-year-old along and the chef graciously accommodated her by assembling a broccoli rissoto. The menu is a fixed price experience; one side is a soup-to-nuts marathon, while the other is a bit lighter. The lesser fixed price a la carte menu was about $135 per person. Remember, this is London.

The formal staff moved about the rather intimate room like the cast in a well choreographed stage show. A lot of flair. We began with three spoons, each containing a yummy concoction. One was a celeriac (turnip rooted celery) mousse with duck jelly. Another offered a taste of crab soup with a citrusy infusion (very good). The starter was delicate sea scallops with dollops of sinful cream. My entree was sensational — braised lamb medallions with flavorful sweetbreads strategically positioned on the plate.  I paired that with a half bottle of 2001 Chateau Vieux Sarpe St.-Emilion Bordeaux ($72). The two were a good match.

In under 48 hours, we managed to:
-Drop in on Trafalgar Square (just in time for a well attended Hare Krishna rally). They were literally drinking what appeared to be Kool-Aid. You can’t make this stuff up.

-Stroll through Hyde Park as locals in native attire were celebrating Iraq’s big soccer victory against Saudi Arabia in the Asia Cup.

-Have dinner at Kemp’s in the lower level of The Pelham. Casually elegant. Excellent pork chop.

-Tour the state rooms of Buckingham Palace (now partially open to the public).

-Do the photo ops in front of Big Ben (right) and Parliament.

-Shop Harrod’s and stop in the bustling food court to have a fabulous bowl of chicken soup at Harry Morgan’s.

-Hit Jermyn Street to see the menswear at Turnbull & Asser, and the like, before having tea at the renowned Fortnum and Mason.

A whirlwind, but well worth doing. (And the weather was, shockingly, sublime).

– Steve Woodward