On our second consecutive winter trip to
Europe (last year we went to
Paris), we visited a place that I've always dreamed of going:
London, England. I've always seen pictures and heard stories about this busy and cosmopolitan European city. I finally got to experience it for the very first time after 45 years during the Christmas season. It was magical, festive and busy alike Paris, and it was charming in its own way with so much rich history and culture. The food, however, is less than to be desired unless you want Indian food.
After shopping at
Harrods, the famous department store, we decided to find a local pub to experience pub culture. Across the street, we spotted
Tattersalls Tavern. At first, I thought it seemed touristy as it was across from Harrods, but after settling in and observing the crowd it was pretty popular with the locals.
The menus were standing on the table, so after ordering I waited until no one was looking (haha-I'm sure someone saw in this crowded restaurant), and since our Harrods shopping bags were near us on the floor, I grabbed one and slid the menu right into the shopping bag. The bag was big enough to fully cover the menu so that was a relief!
I was so excited to finally try
fish and chips, which is the national dish of
England, I think?
Mince pies are also big in England, which I didn't get to try. My meal came with peas, french fries, bread, tartar sauce, lemon wedge, and some interesting curry-like gravy. Honestly, the fish was pretty good and quite large and I did enjoy it with the curry gravy. As for everything else, well... again, the fish was good and so was my New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. The service was good, people were friendly and it had a good vibe.
The interesting thing about Tattersalls is that on the menu it says "
Taylor Walker". I wasn't sure who Taylor Walker is or why the actual menu didn't say "Tattersalls Tavern."
Spirit Pub Company, a hospitality company in the
United Kingdom, is the parent company (recently acquired by
Greene King) that owns over 750+ pubs throughout the UK, including Taylor Walker brand pubs, which there are about 120 mostly in London. The name Taylor Walker is taken from the famous London brewery founded in 1730.
Tattersalls Tavern, Knightsbridge Green
Knightsbridge, London SW1X7QA, UK
Website
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| Tattersalls Tavern |
At the end of our trip, I was really looking forward to
United's Global First Lounge at
London Heathrow Airport Terminal 2 also known as
The Queen's Terminal. It only caters to international first class passengers and Global Service members when flying business class.
The lounge is spacious. It had a circular enclosed dining area reserved for private dining, stylish curvy beds you can sleep on while waiting for for your flight along with curtains that you can use to shield yourself for total privacy, a ton of seating areas, professional and courteous staff, large bathrooms, a really good food and snack spread as well as top shelf beverages and spirits. On our visit, they offered take home popcorn with interesting flavors, which I took a few. I also took home a new beverage that I'm now a HUGE fan of
Schweppes Bitter Lemon.
We did informal table service and I ordered scrambled eggs with bacon. Thank God for the beautiful space and service because the food was so bland. The eggs needed a lot of salt. The bacon was alright. Mark ordered an omelette, which I should've ordered because it looked better than mine. His came with a hash brown, which was also bland.
The menu is small but covers enough and has a hard cover. It offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, starters and a wine list. Since the menus were standing up on most tables and it was pretty quiet, I had no problems collecting one. I simply stuck it in my backpack. I'm glad I did and I hope the lounge stays around forever. It was a first class experience.
United Global First Lounge, Heathrow Terminal 2
London, England
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| United Global First Lounge |
Cheers, mate!
