London Called
and I answered!
Last week I had the pleasure of tagging along with my husband for the UK premiere of his movie, The Greatest Hits! It also comes out in select theaters TODAY so go get those tickets! It’s a perfect date night movie and here is the trailer! I will be shouting about this from the rooftops because I truly love it and think you will too.
I’ll give you some highlights of our quick trip which began at LAX in the Delta One check-in. (Thanks to the studio for flying us in style.) If I am lucky to fly in first class, it’s usually via a last minute upgrade, so I have never been through the Delta One check-in at Terminal 3 and it was prettttty fab! They have a small lounge where you can have a glass of Champagne, sparkling water, or a little snack while you’re checking in. Then you are whisked through a tiny, private TSA which was delightful. From there, you take an elevator that deposits you inside the lounge. I have to say, I was impressed! Most LAX experiences are umm… not so nice, so this was a big yes for me. If you’re flying in Delta One, make sure you get dropped off on the lower arrivals level of Terminal 3, as opposed to the regular check-in. Cue Fergie’s Glamorous and be on your way.
I personally think Delta One is the way to go for a long haul flight. Planes generally seem newer and nicer than American. You get a nice little suite with a door that closes so you can watch RuPaul’s Drag Race on your lie-flat bed in peace. I also watched Something’s Gotta Give which is 10/10. Ok enough Delta gushing. They still devastate me with their SkyMiles program changes, but I will happily accept sponsorship from them :)
Once we arrived on the other side of the pond, we headed to our hotel. The premiere took place in the theater at the Hamyard Hotel which seems to be a bit of a Hollywood in London spot. Lots of industry events and screenings and junkets etc. As I’ve mentioned before, my favorite hotel in London is The 22, but this was very comfortable, conveniently located in Soho and had great breakfast. The decor is definitely on the mumsy side, but the theater was really fun and perfect for the premiere.
Doen was kind enough to supply me with this gorgeous dress for the premiere. I am obsessed and felt really chic and comfortable despite it being completely see through! I can’t wait to wear it again. Currently figuring out what to wear to the final and most fabulous premiere in LA on the 15th! If anyone has suggestions, I am all ears!
We had a pretty jammed schedule with premiere stuff, but I had the chance to stop by my agency, The Hive and do some digitals and mosey around London like the good old days! Fun fact: London was my second home when I first started modeling. I love working there and I’ve spent 15+ years hitting the pavement going on castings and shoots so I know my way around pretty darn well. It was very nostalgic to do a bit of running around! I even took a bus from a casting to The River Cafe. I still got it, baby!
Now lets get onto the food…
Our first meal was an early dinner at The Dover - a swanky, newish spot in Mayfair. It’s a beautiful room with great candlelight, classic vibes and zero gimmicks. The service was perfect and and the spicy dirty martini is a revelation. We loved the lemon chili pasta and the branzino was great too. The Dover was a soft and cushy landing into London town. Definitely recommend for a date or a fun n fancy girls dinner. We kept wanting to go back for more spicy dirty martini’s throughout the week, but will have to wait til next time!
The day after the premiere, we had a celebratory lunch at one of the finest establishments on planet earth, The River Cafe. I haven’t been in a few years and it was divine as ever. The cheeriest room, thoughtful and kind service, gorgeous drinks and truly good food. We had a spritz made with a delicious aperitivo called Berto. I just ordered a bottle for springtime spritzing - its a lighter, fresher alternative to Aperol. We started with some perfect buffalo mozzarella with broad bean bruschetta. Then moved on to the nettle pasta cacio e pepe. O.M.G. Our main course was roasted monkfish with fritto misto of zucchini flowers and Amalfi lemons. Yum. For dessert we had a caramelized blood orange and polenta cake (WOW) and rhubarb sorbet. Dining here is a joy and it is infectious! Every table seemed to be celebrating something or just enjoying a fabulous lunch with a friend. In a world where everything seems to be ‘neutral’ the Yves Klein blue floor and iconic hot pink pizza oven feels optimistic, chic and 36 years after opening, still pitch perfect.
Our last dinner in London was at Duck Soup in Soho. There are so many exciting places to check out, but we were really happy to stay local to the hotel and have a very chill evening and Duck Soup was perfect for that. The space is very tiny and but in cozy Parisian wine bar way. We started with a couple of vermouths and very satisfying bread and butter. Followed by:
-pickled mushrooms
-fried purple sprouting broccoli with yogurt and chili
-cime di rape with feta, hazelnuts and blood orange (my fave dish of the night)
-the tiniest jersey royal potatoes with fresh peas, seaweed and buttermilk
-very good mussels with almonds and wild garlic
-lamb shoulder with a really nice shaved cucumber and pea salad which I will try to recreate
I was really pleased with our feast here and even more pleased at walking 5 minutes home!
The Suitcase Stars were:
This incredible leather trench from Madewell. Wow it is perfect and looks like a million bucks. It was the only coat I brought and I have zero regrets. Looks like its pretty sold out but they taking pre-orders to ship later this month! I have a size M and its pretty roomy and oversized.
Agolde 90’s pinch waist jeans in crushed. A great jean for any occasion.
Black Chanel slingbacks. I wanted these forever and finally treated myself last summer in Paris. They are they perfect shoe and I regret waiting so long to get some.
Jitrois leather mini skirt. I bought this maybe 10 years ago in Paris and rarely do I go on a trip without it. I’ve worn it 1000 times to dinner with a black turtleneck, tights and boots.
The coziest Ref cashmere sweater. I have barely taken this off since I got it! Size L.
Snake print tote from J.Crew. I love this bag and it looks $$$ but happens to be on sale for less than $200. Score!
Khaite Lilith bag. This sweet lady bag is so chic and flat, so perfect for packing. I also love in red.
We finished up our trip by joining our lovely friends in the countryside at the very fabulous Estelle Manor. I’ll be doing a full report as requested! Thanks again for your patience.
Til then, cheerio!
xx
Michele
P.S. If you make a purchase using the links above, I may make a commission, so thank you!