lifeofyablon.com

by yablon | June 11, 2014

CUBS shoe shop to the rescue

Kids who wear uniform don’t need a wardrobe full of glad rags. Mine (rather glamorously) live in trainers and tracksuits, when they’re not barefoot in uniform after school. Of course, I am exaggerating slightly but … faced with an OCCASION, I find myself scratching my head. And then panicking…

The panic for Lord and Lady Y’s massive party weekend was perfectly justified when it came to Small. One arm in a sling and naked was as far as I had got until the week before the big event.

courtesy of Clare Walsh Photography

But, in the end, he looked totally brilliantly handsome. And played the piano (alongside Mini) – which was another story – even more brilliantly.

small foot being fitted at CUBS Shoes, Hampstead

Jenny – owner of Cubs Shoes – in her Hampstead shop

A huge thank you to CUBS Shoes in Hampstead for rescuing the no-suitable-shoes issue. Jenny fitted him and found the perfect shoe for an 8-year-old who doesn’t really enjoy being too smart: a ‘Jackson’ deck shoe by Step2wo in tan leather.

CUBS 42 Heath St, London NW3 & 21 Church Road SW19 (Wimbledon branch)

The team at CUBS is fully qualified and accredited by The Society of Shoe Fitters and the Children Foot Health Register.

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Filed under Exclusive to website, kids, shopping

by yablon | June 9, 2014

Fischer’s. The latest Corbin & King.

Those of us who love to eat –in pretty lavish surroundings – have a lot to thank Chris Corbin and Jeremy King for. Over the last 30 years their partnership has created some of this city’s most iconic and best-loved restaurants: The Wolseley, The Delaunay, Brasserie Zédel, Colbert and – as of last Thursday – Fischer’s.

Sniffed out by truffle dog @BuildingFeasts, the two of us hopped, skipped and jumped through Regent’s Park exiting at 50 Marylebone High Street, the site where Corbin & King have recreated an early 20^th Century Viennese cafe/restaurant.

Our booking was for 1230pm and, seeing as it was Day One for Fischer’s, I expected it to stay as empty as we found it.

45 minutes later… it was packed with lunchers.

Including a slightly moody looking Mr Jeremy Paxman.

We ordered a table full of food. One of each of the Brotchen (a little larger than an amuse-bouche on rye sourdough), beetroot cured salmon, sweet mustard herring and beetroot and goats’ curd and chopped chicken salads.

Fischer’s Brotchen

beetroot cured salmon with nordic bread

the Corbin/King stable: chopped chicken salad

Clearly we slightly over-ordered in our Corbin-King giddiness. But the issue was that there is SO much on that menu which hits the spot. Schnitzels, wurstchen, chopped liver and herrings (my weakness) galore….

The atmosphere is all pretty much part of the duo’s formula too. Swish but not stuffy, a treat but not ridiculous prices together with above average service and some damn fine silver wear to boot.

Wien was our desert. Coffee and milk ice creams, whipped cream and espresso anglaise. Before a long waddle back through the park.

Fischer’s 50 Marylebone High Street W1

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Filed under food, friends

by yablon | June 5, 2014

Tetsu Sushi. The forbidden fish.

TETSU 12 Jerusalem Passage, EC1

Warning. This is the oddest food review you will ever read. I was only allowed to pass the threshold of Tetsu on the basis that I don’t encourage any of my readers to try and book. (I secured 2 seats simply based on luck. Twitter-timing-luck.)

First, some basic facts: Tetsu is a sushi bar. Down an alley in Clerkenwell. With 7 seats. And it only serves sushi and sashimi. No miso. No tempura. No hot food. JUST FISH (sourced largely from Billingsgate Market).

Digging a bit deeper: The bar is owned by ex-Nobu Toru and his wife Harumi Takahashi. It is open for lunch and dinner.

Toru Takahashi preparing our lunch

Booking: is impossible. Just take a look at the site to see the issues any hungry sushi-seekers face. The 7 seats are either already booked or not available to book. Long instructions inform you of the booking policy. Read and scream.

Bookings are taken on the first and third Monday of each month for the following month. Customers who are successful on the first Monday will not be able to re-book on the third. ?On the first Monday we will take bookings up to the 15th of the following month. ?On the third Monday we will take bookings for the remaining days of the following month.

A reliable source told me that bookings for the following month sell out within an hour. The phone didn’t answer whenever I tried. Apparently it’s best to drop in…

The bit you don’t want to hear: this sushi is far superior to any I have ever tasted before. Beyond taste-explosion delicious. With rice the right side of ‘just warm’. The experience is pure, theatrical and authentic – although a little unnervingly controlled.

medium fatty tuna on a banana leaf. We were instructed to eat it whole. no chopsticks allowed. soy sauce not advised.

Bottom line: If you are a die-hard sushi fan, with relatively deep pockets and the patience of a saint – then give up your day job immediately and get on that booking line. The way I see it, there is no better sushi in London.

Now delete ALL this from your memory.

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by yablon | June 3, 2014

Kit Kemp’s Ham Yard Hotel

Right, I’m packing my bags. That’s it! He and the Smalls can follow me but I’M MOVING OUT. I’m moving into London’s hottest, lushest, most colourful, newest hotel.

Yesterday I dropped by for a tour – oh and to choose my room. And there I found a 4-lane 1950s bowling alley from Texas, a spa (almost finished) complete with hypoxic chamber for altitude training (still dreaming of that family hike in Peru), 176-seater cinema, 91 individually designed room (all with stunning headboards) and a library full of REAL books and a waving Queen.

a hater of knick-knacks but a lover of this queen

Kemp designed wallpaper – inspired by a French poster in a school

the headboard/bedroom I’ve chosen at Ham Yard Hotel, Soho

and the view from the bedroom of my suite

and the view of my suite from the bedroom

London didn’t know what it was missing until, last weekend, Ham Yard Hotel flung open its glass doors. A ¾ acre site, located between Soho and Piccadilly, is where the power couple, Tim and Kim Kemp, have struck gold. Five years ago they discovered what was probably one of the city’s last remaining bomb sites before building and then designing a luxury, elegant home-from-home residence as the 8^th venture by the Firmdale Group.

the luxurious library where I would read all day long

Kemp’s interiors are brimming with texture, colour, textiles, patterns and a very on-trend mix of antiques with modern artwork.

French stone fireplace alongside Kemp’s vibrant designs

Originally a graphic designer, Kit turned to interiors as a way of being a part of her husband’s ventures.

Alongside her own fabrics and wall coverings, Kit has also commissioned young artists such as Martha Freud.

Martha Freud porcelain bowls decorate the walls

Martha Freud’s porcelain bowls decorate the walls

A bar, a restaurant, a leafy outdoor café, a dance floor, a spa, 13 retail spaces, a roof top (guest only) bar and lounge with views of Soho and a sumptuous but vibrant mix of colours everywhere you look. I’d gladly call this place home.