Best Of London - Kelly Hoppen

Kelly Hoppen; MBE, Interior designer extraordinaire and the undisputed Queen of Taupe.

When not designing celebrities homes (or the interiors of their private jets... yachts...) or busy writing her 8th design book, Kelly also runs her own design school, has her own collection of home accessories, designs ranges of organic clothing for Earth Couture, has a super successful QVC range, oh – and has a new TV show helping five families create stylish interiors in their own homes starting next month.

Phew! This is one busy lady.

Surely Kelly, based in West London, has no time left to go out and about and enjoy London?! Wrong. This lady is nothing if not a serious multi-tasker!

Kelly shares with us some of her London favourites;

My Transport – Black Cab or I drive my Jaguar.

My Cocktail – A Caipirinha with agave at E&O - they have the best barman.

My Date Night – With my man - Big A, at J.Sheekey – Love, love, love! 

My Sunday Brunch – At Raoul's in Notting Hill Gate – Great food and happy, Spanish staff. 

My Boutique – The Cross, its small and full of unusual one offs.

My High Street Store – All Saints, I love their t-shirt clothes. 

London’s Best Kept Secret – The Idle Hour in Barnes; its cute, has great food and is tucked away. 

My London Icon (Past or Present) – Vidal Sassoon. A good friend, he is an extraordinary man and pioneer in his field – he was also so inspired by architecture – his new film is a must!

www.kellyhoppenretail.com

'Super Interiors with Kelly Hoppen' starts on Sept 21st at 8pm on Channel 5.

Lowry Baker

Yesterday my friend suggested we meet for brunch at Lowry and Baker at the end of the Portobello Road.
“Where?” I asked.
"Don’t you know it?” she replied.
No. I don’t. And I instantly get the feeling that I should. (I was right.)

Lowry and Baker, a one-roomed café with outdoor tables, near the Golborne Road, opened in 2010 and has a very loyal local fan base – who are pretty damn protective (one customer told me not to take photos… evidently incase the details of their secret sanctuary and refuge from the closeby chaos of Portobello were to ever be revealed.)

Coffees and a gorgeous menu of homemade food are served on mismatched crockery laid on wonderful, eclectic furniture (the lady next to me outside is eating some lavender shortbread off a child’s school desk.) I had the poached eggs with crushed avocado and parma ham on sourdough. Angels sang.

During my feast 3 friends of mine walked out… Errrrm… Does everyone know about this place?? Well they do now. Sorry locals - It’s time to play nicely and share.

A Big Apple Bite

With one day in Manhattan to spend after the festival before my return to London, after a flutter in the shops, I made sure to visit my three favourite Big Apple destinations with my sister and Jack;

1. Cafe Angelique on Bleeker Street

Founded in 2002, this little café brings a touch of Europe to New York and is one of the most relaxing and calm places to stop for coffee or lunch in the city. The menu is delicious (I had the chicken, mango and goats cheese salad) and the pastries, croissants and stuffed cupcakes (I know, who knew? Wow!) are just too tempting to ignore. The welcoming and friendly staff swirl adorable hearts on the tops of their frothy coffees (try saying that 5 times in a row…) and when my refreshing slushy iced mint lemonade arrived, served in a small carafe, my sister immediately grabbed it before I could – who could blame her?

2. The High Line - New York's 'Park In The Sky'

1.5 miles long, built 30 feet in the air in the 1930’s this structure supported the freight trains which transported meat and baking supplies from the (now very trendy) Meatpacking District in West Chelsea into the city. As no trains had run on the High Line since 1980 the structure was due to be demolished until the Friends of the Highline (including Diane Von Furstenberg and Edward Norton) formed a coalition with the City of New York in 1999 to preserve it and create an elevated public park in its place.

The High Line opened in June 2009 and every time I visit New York I love to take a stroll over the old sleepers above the city and its crazy hustle and bustle, and take a breather amongst all the lush flowers, grasses and trees that grew wild during its dormancy - this time I went at sunset - magical.

3. La Esquina - Between Kenmare & Lafayette

Hidden below the neon lit, corner taco deli, beyond the toothless, dismissive doorman, through the small door stating ‘Employees Only,’ through the kitchens, you will eventually arrive at a dungeon like, speak easyish, Mexican restaurant.

This place is great and I try to visit each time I go to NYC. Wrought iron gates, waxy candelabras, colourful Mexican tiling, great music, great food… And a selection of over 100 types of tequila… Another Margarita anyone?? Yesh Pleash…

I can sleep on the plane tomorrow…

Bleeding Heart Restaurant

Ooh La La...

Knowing my penchant for Tudor History, Paris and all things heart shaped, my boyfriend took me and my glittery shoes to dinner at Bleeding Heart in Hatton Cross.

There is a restaurant, a bistro, a tavern and a crypt (where King Henry VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon held their three day wedding feast) all spread over a secluded cobbled courtyard – the same courtyard where the murder of Lady Hatton took place in 1626; Her jealous lover left her body lying in this courtyard, "torn limb from limb with her heart still pumping blood into the cobblestones...” Hungry?!

Jack, or in this case, Jacques, chose this particular location to give me a beautiful, Topaz ring (found in an auction by our friend Charlie Goode, of Goode and Son.)

Given that The Times voted Bleeding Heart as London’s most romantic restaurant and one of my girlfriends was recently proposed to here, so there could be no misunderstanding as to the ring’s purpose (can you imagine?!) upon presenting me with the aforementioned sparkler, Jacques loudly and slowly accompanied his gift with “THIS.. IS.. FOR.. OUR.. ONE.. YEAR.. ANNI.. VER.. SARY..”

With such clear instruction and stage projection our nearby neighbours will more than likely have assumed I was deaf or foreign.

“MER…CI… JACQUES... I... LOVES... IT!” ;)

Honestly Healthy

Yesterday saw the launch of Honestly Healthy in the Selfridges Food Hall, the joint venture of Natasha Corrett (health retreat organizer and vegetarian chef) and Vicki Edgson (nutritionist and original co-founder of The Food-Doctor.) Their range of freshly prepared gourmet vegetarian food promises to help balance, alkalise, calm, revive and revitalize you.

As a nutrition novice (chocolate raisins count towards your 5 a day surely?!) Natasha explained that adding alkaline into your daily diet helps to calm nerves, focus your mind, replenish your skin, improve your digestion, reduce the toxin levels in your body and considerably reduce the risk of cancer.

A salad encompassing a range of ingredients from quinoa, feta and tofu to bok choy, red rice and chickpeas, and a series of ready to cook dry mixes including risottos and tagines are available to buy from today.

I left with a jar of ‘Rise and Shine Muesli,’ which I have been promised that it is so delicious and naturally sweeted from the dried fruits inside, I will not have to add any of my usual morning time spoonfuls of sugar, dollops of honey or sprinklings of chocolate…

If anyone can challenge my sweet tooth (teeth… mouth... body...) its these ladies. Honestly.

Pizza East Meets West

The ever-expanding Soho House Group has once again added to its empire, this time with Pizza East Portobello, the sibling to Pizza East Shoreditch. Towards the end of Portobello Road, the restored Georgian pub is now a light, airy, hip New York style restaurant, takeaway and deli.

With wooden floors and antique café style furniture, the atmosphere is laid back and perfect for dinner with friends; its been an instant hit with the Yummy Mummies and Beautiful Young Things of Notting Hill.

I visited last night with my girlfriend Beatrice - we met early for a school-like tumbler of prosecco, some green olives and a good gossip before her husband and Jack joined us. 3 tumblers later (they were late!) we were ready to attack the menu. Despite their wood-fired Pizza being the obvious lure (toppings include crispy pork belly, tomato and mushroom) it was the antipasto menu I found truly delicious and would recommend.