ONE THIRTY BLOG

News & events from Kensington & London
6
Mar

MOTHER’S DAY IN LONDON

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Mother’s Day is fast approaching on the 26th March, and it is the perfect time to treat those special in your life. London is a great place to visit for Mother’s Day, with plenty of activities such as flower shows, afternoon tea, and theatre shows to attend. Here are some of our favourite events coming up on Mother’s Day.

3
Mar

MARCH IN LONDON

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With the first signs of spring beginning to appear, March is an optimistic and slightly warmer time to enjoy. This is one of the best times to visit many of the gardens of London, such as Kew Gardens and Kensington Palace Gardens, as many of London’s most vibrant flowers will be beginning to bloom.

2
Feb

LONDON FASHION WEEK 2017

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With London Fashion Week fast approaching, we wanted to highlight what to expect from the spectacle taking place from the 16th February.

Current Trends

The fashion scene has become remarkable international over the past few years, with street style dominating the market. New collaborations such as the Louis Vuitton x Supreme, and Nike x ACRNYM, have highlighted the going forward trends for a mixture of stylish yet functional wear. However, this year diversity is at an all time high.

25
Nov

OXFORD STREET’S CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

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The Christmas season is very near and the Christmas light decoration is a great addition for this kind of seasons. Because of this, Oxford Street is now starting to sparkle due to their beautiful Christmas light that provides the whole city achieve the instant Christmas makeover. London always provides some great plan to amaze people before the Christmas time. Most of these decorations are located in some festive spots such as Christmas shopping malls or ice skating. Due to this, it makes the City of London become amazing when it comes to their main lights.

Once you decide to visit London, Oxford Street’s Christmas Lights can ensure you that you will witness its glow and spark in a very beautiful manner. All the lights you will see has 1778 snow ball – like decorations and at the same time it contains of almost 750,000 of LED light bulbs. The entire road has been beautifully decorated to showcase the festivity season.

It is one of the amazing things that you need to witness once you visit this place. They can ensure to you that this place has the best Christmas light that is being installed in the whole street of Oxford. Most of the tourist who already witness this kind of festivity, considered this place as the brightest places during Christmas. With its very impressive and amazing Oxford Street’s Christmas Lights, you will have assurance that you will feel the true spirit of Christmas.

Everyone in this place are very excited about this festivity and don’t want to miss out every single event such like this in London. In this year, the legend Craig David is the one who will be responsible in turning them on.

The Oxford Street’s Christmas Lights will have its schedule on when it will be turn on and it will start between 2pm up to 6:30 pm. This place is truly amazing when it comes to different kinds of activities and festivity. Choosing this place as you destination will ensure you that you will experience the best vacation ever in your whole life.

Aside from this, Oxford Street’s Christmas Lights can provide you lots of great hotels nearby that you can choose from. They can provide you great comfort of stay in while you are exploring the great things in London.

All the decorations in this street will surely remind you that the Christmas season is coming. Thus, you will have the great opportunity to discover lots of fun things to do until the Christmas period in the city. So if you are now planning to visit this place, you can now start making good plan ahead of time to ensure you will have good list of things you need to do. This place will ensure to you that you will feel more relax, enjoyable and provides you wonderful experience of visiting such place.

Oxford Street’s Christmas Lights will help you feel the true essence of Christmas and make your Christmas season become remarkable.

16
Nov

THE BEST TOY SHOPS IN LONDON

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Children are sometimes very demanding and always want to keep track with the latest toy available in the market. Luckily, there are many of famous toy shops in London that can provide you interesting and trendy stuff. Most of these stores are very dedicated to provide your small love ones with all of their needs that they can truly enjoy.

So if you are planning to visit London together with your kids, it is your great opportunity for you to treat them with the toys they like the moat. This will guarantee you that your kids will have real fun in most of the city of London since there are lots of best toys shops available. You will find famous stores in the entire capital wherein they can ensure to you that they will meet all of your needs most especially your kids.

Here are some of the most famous toy shops you will find in London:

Trotters, Kensington High Street

This is one of the famous store you will find in the city that is located in Royal Garden Hotel. Many people considered it as fantastic store since it specialises in clothing’s of children and Barbie doll. Aside from this, it can offer you wide range of toys option that is why it is best place for you to visit.

Hamley’s Regent Street

Another best store you will find in London is Hamley’s Regent Street that is very much popular toy shop in the city. It is one of the most visited shop by tourist since this store can provide you wonderful experience of toy shopping. You can bring your kids here and find the kind of toy they want and also you can find here some good souvenirs. They can sell all toys and other outdoor game toys.

The Disney Store

This store is very popular to children since they have the chance to own one of their favourite Disney characters from their favourite film. This store is located at Oxford Street and has the ability to supply you even the current and trendy toys from the latest movie.

Science Museum Shop

One of the top family attraction in London is Science Museum Shop that is located in South Kensington. For many people, it is one of the best toy shop in London because they can sell all kinds of toys that are made from high quality materials. Thus, you can find all the educational toys your kids will love and will provide real fun.

Learning all the best toy shop in London can ensure you that you will purchase toys that are worthy for your investment while your little kids are having real fun with their new toy. In addition, you have the assurance that you are in a trusted place and will be provided with plenty of toys options. All of this stores are very reputable and already earn the trust of the people. Whatever toys your kids want, finding the best toy shop in London will serve as your great option to make.

5
Oct

10 BARS TO CHECK OUT IN LONDON

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London is one of the best places in the world to have a good time. If you are with your friends on a weekend night in search of a pub, there are top 10 bars that will provide you with all the excellent service that comes with a cold glass of beer. This will provide an exciting way in making the weekend hang out more fun and captivating. If you are fond of drinking beer, the following bars are the ones you should check out.

The Prince

This bar is located in the neighbourhood of London and hosts the best events a customer would want. The fancy lit rooms and the colourful decors add to the great ambiance of the place. The foods that are served are well prepared and served by diligent waiters. You will have a great time hanging out in this bar.

Earl of Essex

If you want an excellent type of beer served at the dinner table, this bar has all the great stuff of cold beer that customers like. A wide selection of foods is served in an effective manner. The foods are served in a delicate way that is complete with garnishing.

Mayflower

The offers a great view of the city of London. The ambiance is very relaxing and the cooked foods are great. The amazing things such dancing and singing could be done in this bar. The foods are well served and proven great.

Hawksmoor Spitalfields Bar

If you want to eat the great steaks for the evening, this is the best bar to visit. The authentic steak menu sets you to a mouth-watering appetite. The entire great cocktail is served at an affordable price. A good time is sure achieved by each customer.

Zetter Town House

This bar is inspired by the Clerkenwell beauty and has an interior made up of antiques. The design concept of the bar is made up of the most authentic design concepts.

French House

This bar reminds people with the good old days of having a drink in London. Today, Bohemian drinkers are mostly found in the place. The menu is great as well as the services made in it.

Railway Tavern

This bar is authentic due to the excellent cuisine it provides. The bar sets the best parts in making each hang out more fun and inviting. The dark and cosy place sets the right mood for fun.

Southampton Arms

This amazing pub provides a delicious beer and a menu of scotch eggs and pork pie. The menu is great as well as the service it provides.

Pride Spitalfields

The old-fashioned pub house is still great amidst the passing of the decades. The bar provides the best deals that serve many London citizens who want to have a drink.

Wenlock Arms

The bar can easily be found on the streets of London. The placed has proven to provide the best services that you would want.

Each of these 10 bars provides an excellent selection for a place to hang out. All the merriment is here.

21
Jul

4 MUST-TRY RESTAURANTS IN KNIGHTSBRIDGE

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If you are staying in Knightsbridge and you want to try the best dining opportunities here, then you should know what restaurants you should visit. Knightsbridge has a lot of great restaurants, so choosing the best one can be hard. To make your choice a bit easier, here are four must-try restaurants in Knightsbridge.

Outlaw’s at The Capital

If you love seafood, you should definitely visit the Outlaw’s at the Capital. The seafood they serve is mostly caught at the coastline of Cornwall. Outlaw’s at the Capital was established by Nathan Outlaw who has received 2 Michelin stars for the other restaurant that he owns in Cornwall.

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal 

Dinner by Heston has 2 Michelin stars. Most main courses cost 30 to 40 pounds. The set lunch costs 38 pounds for 3 courses, but contains Dinner’s signature dish – the Meatfruit.

Marcus

Marcus is not only known for its delicious food, but also for its friendly and attentive staff. The restaurant holds 2 Michelin stars and serves large food portions. The staffs also consider allergy notices or special requests throughout their guests’ dining experience. There is a lunch menu that costs 49 pounds, but you can also indulge yourself in various dishes such as black pudding, chestnut, venison and Muscat.

Zuma

Zuma is the ideal choice if you want to enjoy some good Japanese food. You can choose from various dishes, but sushi is one of their best offerings. The atmosphere in the restaurant is great and the food you ordered will come out on time. While the price of food is not exactly cheap, it is certainly justified by its quality as well as the ingredients used.

Other Mentions:

Another restaurant that is worth mentioning is Koffmann’s. Pierre Koffmann is among the most respected chefs in United Kingdom. He has received 3 Michelin stars at La Tante Claire. Pierre Koffmann was also a mentor to culinary stars Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White. The chef has abandoned extravagant gastronomy to focus on simpler dishes. Koffmann’s is a great place to eat before or after visiting the theatre. The set lunch at the restaurant costs 26 pounds for 3 courses. You can try their pistachio soufflé and pig’s trotter.

If you’re craving for some French cuisine, you can visit Petrus. The lunch menu costs 37.50 pounds for 3 courses. You can enjoy dishes like Anjou pigeon, pigeon pie, ginger jus and glazed turnips.

Bar Boulud is a great place to visit for a burger, beer and cocktail. It offers a French brasserie menu with excellent charcuterie. The set lunch costs 17 pounds for 2 courses.

It is best that you book in advance for all these restaurants if you want to secure a table and enjoy good food during your stay in Knightsbridge or London. The cost of meals offered in these restaurants may not be cheap, but it is definitely justified by the taste and quality of food as well as the service of the staff.

10
Jul

SOME AMAZING BARS TO TRY IN LONDON

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London is full of some of the world’s quirkiest bars, and it is sometimes very difficult to find some of the best ones. Here is a selection of some of the quirkiest, offering some of the best cocktails this city has to offer.

Lounge Bohemia

This bar just around the corner from Old Street boasts the appeal of an old Czech bar. They have a selection of alcohols you’d not often find in London, as well as a variety of cocktails which are weird and funky with perfume bottles, bubbles, and more.

This is a must-visit if you’re in the area, and bookings can be made via the website.

Black Rock

This whiskey bar is truly one of a kind. A large 185-year old oak tree has been taken, cut in half, and has two types of whiskey flowing through, a house blend and the American Cherry River.

If you’re not a whiskey fan, don’t worry. They have a variety of bartenders able to make you a sweeter cocktail to your taste.

More information is available on their website.

By Appointment Only

This subterranean bar is set inside a Victorian Bath House and is one of the most beautiful entrances to a bar in the city. This small entrance has a Turkish bath feel, but once you walk in you see the true opulence; Arabic tiles, marble floors, and stained glass décor surround the interior.

They have a wide selection of cocktails and food, and if you’re looking to celebrate they have a bath tub dedicated to champagne. What more could you want?

More information is available on their website.

Ropewalk Bar

This neighbourhood cocktail bar fuses classic cocktails with local beers, and also is amazing with having an ‘open food’ policy. This means you can grab food from the local Maltby Street Market and enjoy it within the bar alongside a cocktail.

They also have a selection of rooms, the Textiles room which is filled with cushions and curtains, and the Eisenhower Room which is built using old wooden panels from the US Naval HQ.

More information can be found here.

5
Jun

THE ICED COFFEE TREND HITTING LONDON

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With the heat of summer, there is nothing more refreshing than a cup of iced coffee. Unfortunately, iced coffee can be easy to make bitter if you brew it improperly or use low quality beans. There are two schools of thought on how to make delicious iced coffee. The first one is brewing it hot over ice or brewing it cold from the start. When it comes to iced coffee, you need to start with high quality beans and top quality filtered water. As much as possible, it is important to fresh-grind your beans just before brewing them in order to get their maximum flavour.

Brew it Hot

The basic idea behind brewing hot to cold iced coffee is to start with a hot double strength coffee concentrate and dilute it over ice to instantly cool it. While this may seem like an easy “brew coffee, pour over ice” method, it is a little more complex than that. For the best cup of hot to cold iced coffee, you want science to be on your side. Use a scale to weigh the ice that you will use. For one total cup of iced coffee, you will want four ounces of ice and scale up from there per cup. From there, you will want to brew your hot coffee at double strength from what you would normally like. Switch your scale to grams and use around 1.8 grams of your freshly ground beans for every ounce of iced coffee you will want. Use the rest of the water you want for the final volume to brew the coffee. If you can, brew the coffee directly over the ice. However, it won’t hurt the final product to take brewed double strength coffee and pour over ice. Sweetened if desired and served.

Brew it Cold

If you have more time to let your coffee brew before you will want to drink it, a cold brewing might yield the results you crave. Use a container like a French press or Mason jar to steep the coffee in. Once you have the technique down, feel free to adjust this ratio to your preferences. Put both the coffee grounds and water in your chosen container and gently shake or stir until all of the grounds are wet. Let this mixture sit for 12 or more hours on the counter or in your fridge. This will let the coffee steep without having to use heat, which often can burn the delicate coffee and destroy some of its complex flavours. Once time is up, filter your steeped coffee through cheesecloth or a pepper filter into another container. To serve, pour this filtered coffee over ice and sweeten if desired.

If you want to try something new, you can create a coffee dessert by chilling your much loved brew in your ice pop mould. If ice pop mould is not available in your kitchen, the best thing you can do is to freeze the plastic spoons in your ice cube tray. When the coffee pops are completely frozen solid, this is the time you need to get rid of them from your tray. Don’t consume your chilled treats too quickly since it can cause brain freeze.

1
Apr

THE ROLLING STONES: EXHIBITIONISM, SAATCHI GALLERY

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Following the wondrous success of the ‘David Bowie Is’ exhibition, this exhibition flaunts all the successes and gatherings, and clears a few cobwebs, of the history of The Rolling Stones.

This is a major exhibition at the Saatchi Galleru, with over 50 years of memorabilia, including personal items, photographs, films, costumes, guitars, and personal diaries.

This is definitely well worth a visit for any avid Rock and Roll fans, as The Rolling Stones were one of the most iconic bands for paving the way not only musically, but culturally as well.

Tickets are £19-£21 (£12-19 concessions), and the closest tube station is Sloane Square (District & Circle Line).

Read more here: http://www.stonesexhibitionism.com

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