Lyle's. Shoreditch. London. England. 9.22.2015.

My friend Claire at Violet Cakes suggested this over another restaurant I was going to check out. I am so glad I went to Lyle's instead. Perfection. And the perfect end to a great holiday.

Spaghetti Squash, Egg & Chestnut
Pollack, Fennel & Nasturtium
Aylesbury Duck, Sweetcorn & Blackberry
Fig Leaf Ice Cream, Figs & Verbena

Lyle's
Tea Building
56 Shoreditch High St
London
E1 6JJ
United Kingdom
+44 20 3019 2468

Ladurée. Harrods. Knightsbridge. London. England. 9.22.2015.

I have only been to Ladurée in Paris for their famed macarons. I wanted to have a quick look at Harrods and Ladurée happened to be right there, so I decided to do a lunch there. It was magnificent. That omlette was the best I have ever had and that tea is spectacular and one of my favorites of all time.

Omlette Ladurée
mushrooms, cheese, ham, tomatoes and fine herbs

Ispahan
smooth rose flavored macaron biscuit, rose petal cream, fresh raspberries and lychees

Thé Mélange Spécial Ladurée an elegant association of Black Teas from China and Sri Lanka, citrus fruit, flowers, sweet spices and vanilla

Ladurée
Harrods
87 Brompton Rd
London
W1X 7XL
United Kingdom

Natural History Museum. South Kensington. London. England. 9.22.2015.

In case you haven't noticed, I am quite fond of natural history museums all over. This is my favorite one to date: the building, the collections, the first edition of Origin of Man, etc.

Natural History Museum
Cromwell Rd
London
SW7 5BD
United Kingdom
+44 20 7942 5000

Dismaland. Weston-super-Mare. Somerset. England. 9.21.2015.

I tried going to Dismaland on 9.11.2015 when I was in Bath. Online tickets were impossible even with my alarm set. Even with showing up early and standing in line, I would have had to wait 6 hours before I was able to get in, so I gave up and decided to enjoy scenic Bath and Cotswolds instead. Thankfully The Selby Studio got an extra ticket for me while I was in London and we all went together. It is just as abysmally dismal as you can imagine, and much MUCH more. Suffice to say that with Amanda's hazmat orange jacket and The Selby's neon green beanie, we got extra dismal attention.



Dismaland
Weston-super-Mare
Somerset
Marine Parade
BS23 1BE
United Kingdom

The Selby x Dismaland
http://theselby.com/galleries/the-selby-x-banksys-dismaland-2/














Image below courtesy of Dismaland.

Image below courtesy of The Selby.

Liberty London. West End. London. England. 9.20.2015.

My trip would not be complete without a trip to Liberty London. One can certainly leave a small fortune there. That half timber building is beautiful, as are the things inside it.

Liberty London
Regent St
London
W1B 5AH
United Kingdom
+44 20 7734 1234

Hyde Park. London. England. 9.20.2015.

I really loved the parks in London. They are extremely lush, beautiful, and filled with critters. As one would expect, The Royal Parks would be quite a sight. I got to hang out with my friend Wayne and his family and we went to the Peter Pan's Playground for kids. What a perfect afternoon that even included a chance encounter with some friends shooting the Vivienne Westwood's SS2016 show for London Fashion Week!

Hyde Park
London
United Kingdom
+44 300 061 2000

Mari Vanna. Knightsbridge. London. England. 9.20.2015.

I was going to hang out with my friend and his family in Hyde Park, so I got near there early to explore. So I looked on my map with pre-approved places to eat and see what would be good near by. That is how I ended up at Mari Vanna. Their afternoon tea is supposed to be excellent. It's a beautiful space and is amazing for people watching. It is definitely on the spendy side.

Borsch
Beef Stroganoff with Buckwheat and Mushrooms in Truffle Oil
Traditional Russian Honey Layered Cake

Mari Vanna
116 Knightsbridge
Wellington Court
London
SW1X 7PJ
United Kingdom
+44 20 7225 3122

Morito. Clarkenwell. London. England. 9.19.2015.

Morito is a tiny space and their tapas were amazing.

padrón peppers
spiced lamb, aubergine, yoghurt & pine nuts
clams, parsley & lemon zest
malaga raisin ice cream

Morito
32 Exmouth Market
London
EC1R 4QE
United Kingdom
+44 20 7278 7007

Ai Weiwei. Royal Academy of Arts. Piccadilly. London. 9.19.2015.

China has not established the rule of law and if there is a power above the law there is no social justice. Everybody can be subjected to harm. I'm just a citizen: my life is equal in value to any other. But I'm thankful that when I lost my freedom so many people shared feelings and put such touching effort into helping me.
-Ai Weiwei

Royal Academy of Arts
Burlington House
Piccadilly
London W1J 0BD
United Kingdom
+44 20 7300 8000

https://www.artsy.net/artist/ai-weiwei

sketch. Mayfair. London. England. 9.18.2015.

sketch wins for my best dining experience on this trip in London. If you do just one afternoon tea in London, this is the one you do. Yes, it is spendy, but well worth every penny. Each room has been thoroughly designed to every detail by a different artist. The food is excellent. And you MUST use their bathroom; it's out of this world. You will need to make a reservation.

sketch
9 Conduit Street
London
W1S 2XG
United Kingdom
+44 (0) 20 7659 4500