Aria Bistro @ The Hyatt Regency Birmingham, United Kingdom

During our stay at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham (Please see also review.) for one night in October 2015 we had dinner at Aria Bistro in the heart of the hotel.

It looked romantic with trees, colorful furniture, shelves with vases, the water feature and a wall depicting what occupations Birmingham had in the past, like Buckle Maker, Buttonier, Pewterer and Sword Maker.

The cuisine was modern with local and international dishes.

The staff was attentive and friendly.

We ordered a bottle of Belu water, one hot chocolate made with soya milk, smoked Duarte Salmon, blue figs and Stilton, two blackened Atlantic Salmon with Cassoulet and Chorizo and one panna cotta with raspberry sorbet to share.

A rustic fresh bread selection was served with salted and unsalted butter.

The food was delicious and the blue figs and Stilton starter especially interesting.

The Chorizo added a nice smokiness and spice to the Cassoulet.

There was a small mistake in the invoice (two hot chocolates were charged, but we had only one). It was easily corrected and no problem at all.

The bill came in at 67.85 GBP (ca. 85.80 Euro / ca. 94.50 USD).

When staying at the Hyatt Regency again we will return to Aria

©2016

Hyatt Regency Birmingham, United Kingdom

When in Birmingham we generally have stayed at the Hyatt Regency and this time around we had it included in our itinerary for a night in October 2015. This was our fourth stay at this beautiful hotel.

We arrived shortly before the official check in time. The hotel has changed and was fully renovated.

Check in was done by a trainee and took a bit longer than usual. The wait was worth it, because we were asked which preferences we had. They were all fulfilled. We had booked a Club Room with King bed. It was located on the 22nd floor, a corner room and near the club lounge. We had views - as requested - over the Alpha Tower and the new library. The building site opposite the hotel didn't impact us.

The room was large with a king sized bed, a white colored wardrobe and dark furniture.

The storage space is good for a short stay.

The club chair with ottoman and coffee table was comfortable.

We liked the orange colored upholstery of the writing desk chair, the grey blue carpets and the artwork depicting a Birmingham Canal and a sketch of a bridge in the city.

The flat screen TV offered regional channels, BBC24 or Sky News. There was no dedicated intern. business channel.

The mini bar was stocked with typical beverages, like Coca Cola (3.50 GBP / ca. 4.50 Euro / ca. 5 USD), water (2.50 GBP / ca. 3.25 Euro / ca. 3.60 USD), wine (5.50 GBP / ca. 7.10 Euro / ca. 7.90 USD) and liquors at 6.50 GBP (ca. 8.35 Euro or ca. 9.30 USD).

There were also tea/coffee making facilities and included a wide choice of Twinning’s Teas.

The bed was very comfortable and it was difficult to get out of it the next morning.

The full 24 hour in room dining was available via the TV.

The free WIFI internet access was fast.

The bathroom was large with a bath/shower combination, toilet and a sink. The bathroom amenities were by Portico (Verbena) Spa, made in Canada. We like the products, but they are a bit difficult to squeeze out of the bottles. Either I had too much or nearly nothing.

The public spaces have changed too. There is now a seating area near the reception. It is thoroughly contemporary and has also a small Shakespeare library.

Trees and shelves are used as dividers and Aria, the bistro, is in the center of the atrium. I will write a review about our dinner too, coming up soon.

There is also the spa and the Gentleman & Scholar Pub.

The club lounge offers breakfast Monday to Friday from 06.30 hours to 10.30 hours and on weekends from 07.00 hours to 11.00 hours. There is an evening service between 17.30 hours to 19.30 hours with canapés, desserts and a wide selection of wines.

During our evening we had the choice of stuffed zucchini with cheese, cakes, savory tarts, salads, olives, crackers and cheese.

It was a taste of what Aria had to offer, as the lounge staff explained to us.

Breakfast had a good choice of cereals, milk and soya milk products, eggs, cold cuts, bakery items, juices tea, coffee and much more.

We checked out soon afterwards, because we had a lunch reservation at Purnell's and a different hotel for our next night.

The concierge stored our luggage until our return from lunch.

We enjoyed exploring the nooks and crannies of the hotel, the dinner, club lounge, friendliness of the staff and comfort of the room.

When going back to Birmingham this will be our go to hotel.

©2016

1st Class Virgin Train Travel from London Euston Station to Birmingham New Street Station including visit to the 1st Class Virgin Departure Lounge in Euston Station

During our trip to the UK in October 2015 we bought one-way 1^st class train tickets online from London Euston Station to Birmingham New Street Station with Virgin.

 

It meant we had access to the 1^st class departure lounge in London and the arrivals lounge in Birmingham.

 

Euston Station was at the time going through a renovation, so there were some building sites, but I guess the end result will be a more beautiful building and better infrastructure.

 

The Virgin 1^st class lounge was located on the 1^st floor, airy, contemporary with some unusual design elements and colors. We felt welcomed and right at home. It was already busy, but not noisy.

 

There was a quiet area to work and a central point for magazines, newspapers, snacks and drinks, like orange / apple juice, soft drinks and hot beverages. There were also snacks (biscuits, Uglies and fruits).

 

We spent around an hour there, before making our way to the train. The interior was kept mostly in brown, blue and some signature Virgin red.

 

The seats had been already selected for us. We had a table which could be used/seated by four people.

 

The air conditioning was over our head and on full blast, which we didn’t enjoy that much.

 

The table and one of the seats were unclean and full of crumbs, but I assume the turnaround times for the train are too short to properly cleaned by the staff.

 

The seats were comfortable.

 

The journey began on time, and we really liked it, watching the English countryside pass by.

 

Soon after leaving London behind lunch service arrived with juices, other cold and hot beverages, beer, wine, snacks, chocolate and a choice of Mediterranean Vegetable Pastry, Potato and Bacon Salad and Poached smoked salmon sandwich.

 

He had the salmon sandwich, while I had the pastry. Both were good.

 

We also arrived on time in Birmingham. The journey had passed very quickly and it was pleasant.

 

New Street Station was unrecognizable. It has been completely renovated and looks stunning.

 

We would take this train trip again. Service was friendly, the seat comfortable and travel time not too long with ca. 1.5 hours.

 

©2016

Cellar Bar @ The Merrion Dublin, Ireland

We decided more or less spontaneous that we wanted to have Sunday brunch again at the Cellar Bar at the Merrion Hotel in the heart of Dublin and reserved a table for two the evening before having the meal. Most time slots were already gone, so we took the one at 14.00 hours. We were also advised that we had to vacate it within 2 hours.

Arriving a little bit after 2 PM we were asked by the Maître d' if we had a reservation and brought immediately to our table.

The bar was busy with a large group and a few couples.

The staff was overall attentive and could remember us from a previous visit, even though that was around a year ago.

We ordered a large bottle of still water, two hot chocolates, one Charentais melon with ham, a super salad, available as starter or main course, two portions of scrambled eggs, smoked salmon and bagels with butter and one Banana Salted Caramel Sundae.

The water was filtered by the Merrion and treated with UVB before being bottled and sold.

All dishes were very good and we enjoyed the atmosphere and the meal.

The only criticism we have is the cream on top. It was too much and less would be nice, but our shared sundae was tasty and moreish at the same time.

The bill was 74.50 Euro or ca. 82.75 USD.

The bar had quietened down even before we left more than two hours later, so we assume some guests didn't show up. This was maybe due to the weather. It was raining and windy outside.

After paying we explored the hotel a bit further and used the public toilets, which are worth mentioning, because they are decorated with old photographs of Dublin landmarks and streets and display stamps (gentlemen) and Irish bank notes (ladies). The hand wash and cream are by Asprey Purple Water as on the rooms.

We noticed the hotel has new carpets, the artwork seems to have changed a bit and the way to reception is better signed than before.

We can also reveal that there will be a garden restaurant added, which is at the moment under construction. We look forward to it, but sadly the garden and courtyard will have a somewhat reduced size, but they're beautiful and a real one of a kind asset to this gorgeous hotel in the heart of the city.

We will explore the hotel more and let you know about our experiences, when staying at the Merion in the very near future, so there's no question we will return to this gem.

©2016

Theo Randall at the InterContinental London Park Lane, United Kingdom

When we booked our stay at the Intercontinental Park Lane for October 2015 we also decided to reserve a table at Theo Randall, having passed it a few times while previously staying at the hotel and having heard many good things.

 

We were greeted warmly when entering the restaurant for dinner. The center piece is a desk with Theo Randall cook books and the earned AA Rosettes clearly displayed. We were asked if we wanted to have a drink at the bar first, before having dinner. We declined, since we had an early start, catching our train from London Euston Station to Birmingham New Street Station. The Maître d’ seemed, at least in our opinion displeased with our decision, but brought us to our table.

 

It was a relative private space and only a table seating four other diners was in the same area.

 

Unfortunately the group of business men and a woman was fairly loud.

 

The restaurant was full and the atmosphere was lively and didn’t match the fine food. Sometimes it was so loud we couldn’t hear what the waitress or the significant other was saying.

 

We started with a large bottle of still water and an Apple Martini for him. He enjoyed the Martini very much. It was soon followed by a greeting from the chef, bruschetta with tomato and cheese. This was really excellent and enjoyable.

 

We had already sent an e-mail with our food intolerances/allergies and dietary requirements, so I was a bit surprised when we were asked for them again by our waitress.

 

We ordered the insalata di pomodori (tomatoes, cheese and thin bread), as main course the large portion of ravioli filled with Delica pumpkin and Ricotta and as dessert originally cheese cake and black berry sorbet.

 

We liked the salad. It was refreshing and the bread added nice crunch. The ravioli were one of the best, but we made a mistake by ordering the large portion, which was slightly too much. It would have been better to take the appetizer sized dish.

 

The desserts and his drink, an Amaresso with espresso, Amaretto and cream, arrived at the same time.

 

To our dismay we realized the cheesecake contained raisins. It hadn’t been mentioned at all on the menu, so it was a total surprise. It wasn’t possible to pick the raisins out, because there were so many and they were incorporated in the dough. Since he is allergic against them we couldn’t accept the dessert. It was also overlooked by the staff, who had been advised months before and when ordering.

 

Of course mistakes can happen and when we told a member of staff, we received a few very sincere apologies, the cake was taken away and replaced with a Panna Cotta with raspberries soaked in Grappa without any quibble. It arrived fast and I was still eating my sorbet – I couldn’t wait, since it was melting away -, so we could at least enjoy part of the third course together. We don’t know if the Panna Cotta is normally presented the way it was, but it was delicious and made him happy.

 

We suggested that some dishes should be described in greater detail in terms of which ingredients are used.

 

My sorbet was full flavored and tasty. He liked the Amaresso. It was very generous, rich and bitter-sweet.

 

The bill came in at 129.38 GBP (ca. 166.10 Euro or 185.10 USD).

 

We will return, because the cuisine was excellent, the staff was friendly and the recovery quick and satisfactory. Hopefully next time we arrive at a slightly quieter time too.

 

©2016

 

The Intercontinental Park Lane London, United Kingdom

Our first port of call in October 2015 when arriving in London was our hotel, the Intercontinental Park Lane, where we stayed for a night on a points and cash rate. This was our third stay in three years.

 

We were recognized by the greeter and at check in as returning guests. To our big surprise we were upgraded to a London Room on the 8^th floor with courtyard view. We had considered booking this room type for some time now, so we were very happy to have received the upgrade and we weren’t disappointed.

 

The room was medium sized, but very detailed furnished and beautiful throughout.

 

There was dark wooden furniture and the color scheme was grey, blue, brown and gold tones, which was a nice contrast and added elegance.

 

The carpet had a beautiful plant print.

 

The large and extremely comfortable king size bed took in most of the space.

 

There was also a seating area with a coffee table and a club chair, a writing desk with a leather chair and stylish lamps.

 

Artwork depicted Apsley House and the Wellington Arch and reading material was the Where in London Magazine, which we enjoy.

 

The bathroom was small but well thought out with a sink, toilet, shower/bath combination and Agraria amenities.

 

The minibar was fully stocked and the Flat Screen TV offered regional and international channels.

 

We had ordered our lunch from the in room dining menu. It had changed since our earlier stays and was getting more health conscious and exciting. We had of course to try out the Wellness – “I’m worth it” by Neuropath Elisabeth Peyton-Jones Spa Bento Box. It included grilled chicken on Baby Gem, lemon and yogurt dressing, watermelon, mint and feta salad, salmon sashimi and couscous with moutabel. We also had drinks from the range, the Stamina and the Vitamin Shot. All was beautifully presented and tasty.

 

Later we had dinner at Theo Randall’s. A review is going to follow about it at a later stage.

 

The next morning it was hard to get out of the comfortable bed. Our next adventure was waiting, though, and we had to get ready for breakfast and our train journey to Birmingham.

 

We shared a Wellness “I’m worth it” Healthy Start breakfast with green tea, an Energy Jolt, a fruit salad, granola and bran flakes with soya milk and wholemeal toast. It was delicious.

 

Afterwards our check out was quickly dealt with and we were on our way.

 

We are looking forward to stay at the Intercontinental Park Lane again in the future.

 

 

©2016