House punch

Imagine a hotel where you can spend a few hours freshening up after a long journey, preparing for a business meeting or engaging in a romantic tryst without have to spend the whole nightly rate. Day Use Hotels makes the ‘mini stay’ possible at a negotiated rate in some of London’s most exclusive hotels.

Already popular in Paris and cities around Europe, Day Use offers a new hotel experience, made easier by its quick, discreet and easy-to-use website. Founded by five friends who met and worked at Andre Saraiva’s Hotel Amour in Paris, Day Use was inspired by guests wishing to book rooms by the hour.

As the creator of Love Graffiti and a generally amorous kind of guy, André must have been happy to support the combination of love and hotels proposed by his colleagues. Co-founder Thibaud d’Agrèves told me: “We all worked for and with André for many years. André has these skills to support all new project and as we worked together, he made us a little clip art which represents his vision of our concept and offered us that as a gift to begin our new adventure.”

‘Love hotels’ have been a part of life in countries such as Brazil and Spain, where people often live with their parents longer and want some privacy for their love lives.

Thibaud explained: “This practice has existed for years, today we are modernising it with the internet. It becomes even trendy, glamorous and modern to offer a dayuse. Attitudes are changing.”

Town Hall Hotel

I visited the Town Hall Hotel in Bethnal Green to see just what this cheeky little 11am-5pm visit would inspire. Don’t expect all the details of what goes on behind my closed hotel door, but I can tell you I left feeling rejuvenated and relaxed, without the need to even stay the night.

Town Hall Hotel is a luxury boutique hotel and residence with 98 rooms in the East End. The Grade II listed Edwardian former council building is full of character, with Art Deco interiors at play with cutting edge design and vintage furniture.

The Lobby

Town Hall Hotel has invested in some intriguing art works by six East London artists, which you can discover around the hotel. Some of my favourites were the vault at the entrance, a giant Victorian dolls house and a mounted moose’s head covered in a Persian rug.

The Studio Room

Our Studio Room was very spacious and a stunning mix of polished wood, wool and felt furnishings in neutral and green shades. The room was filled with a mix of designer furniture and vintage pieces, with original artwork on the walls.

The Kitchen

Unlike most hotel rooms, ours had a fully-appointed, partitioned kitchen with a Musetti espresso machine and selection of teas, cooking utencils and crockery and a fridge stocked with fresh milk and bottle of complimentary mineral water.

The Bedroom

It also had a separate dining table and a living space with a stack of magazines and a large flat screen TV. The bedroom had a partition to change the energy of the room and an incredibly comfy double bed with sumptuous linen and plenty of pillows. I loved the double sheepskin rugs by the sides of the bed.

The Bathroom

The open glass bathroom was a cool design feature and had tiny mosaic walls and a powerful shower. Bathroom amenities were by Rituals and there were embroidered bath robes and slippers, plenty of fluffy towels and a cute rubber duck in the shower.

Floor to ceiling windows provided plenty of natural daylight and the decorative aluminium grate cleverly shields the room from the view of nearby residents.

A Welcome Treat

We were welcomed with a delicious exotic fruit plate, which we grazed on throughout the day. During our six hours at the Town Hall Hotel, we made use of the complimentary wifi, took a dip in the stunning pool and managed to squeeze in a long afternoon nap.

Viajante Bar

After checking out, we made use of our welcome drink voucher at the ever so stylish bar of the Michelin starred restaurant, Viajante. We sipped on the House Punch and did a spot of people-watching, as Viajante chef Nuno Mendes spoke to journalists at the next table.

The Corner Room

There really is no need to leave the Town Hall Hotel, as Viajante offers experimental cooking to impress, while The Corner Room is great for more informal food with a daily changing menu. The Town Hall Tea Lady comes by the rooms with her martini trolley in the evening, should you want a cocktail in the privacy of your own room and there’s even a room service menu by The Corner Room.

If you’re staying for longer, you can book the spectacular De Montfort suite, which spans three floors, or arrange a private dinner with a chef in your room.

Location

With Day Use, you’d be tempted stay all day in your room, but should you wish to pop out for some air, there are some great local restaurants and cafes such as Bistrotheque, Ombra, E5 Bakehouse and Mare Street Market. Also worth a visit are the art galleries on Vyner Street and the weekend food markets on Broadway Market and leafy London Fields.

With the fleeting, romantic nature of Day Use, surely the co-founders have come across plenty of secrets and juicy gossip. Thibaud said: “Secrets should stay secret, but I can tell you that we helped a lot of people, couples in their construction of relationships and themselves. Of course we have a lot of spicy feedback and romantic story to tell you but that something we keep for ourselves.”

Day Use has a great selection of London hotels, including Ten Manchester Street, St John Hotel and The Beaufort, and will gradually expand to other cities in the UK and soon New York.

Chérie City was a guest of Day Use and Town Hall Hotel.

Upper Saint Martin’s Lane seems to be going through a food renaissance at the moment, with a number of new restaurants opening this year. Dishoom holds court as the most talked-about one of them all, and with good reason too!

Dishoom fills a void in the London restaurant scene – a Bombay cafe. Moti Mahal covers fine dining cuisine (one of my favourites) and most of us have our own favourite local Indian restaurant, but London has definitely been lacking an all-day, central cafe for Indian snacks, light curries and chai.

I brought my half-Indian friend Emily to samples the delights of Dishoom, as she’s a fellow curry connoisseur and straight-talking as they come. A below-par roti would not pass her scorn.

Dishoom has a bright, airy feel and the interior is designed like an old Bombay railway cafe with brass rails, low lighting and a chequered floor.

The cafe is full of personal touches such as original photographs of the owner’s close family and relatives on the walls. It feels like a real labour of love – warm and totally unpretentious.

Our waitress was super friendly and helpful, recommending dishes that complimented each other and telling us the specials of the day.

We started by sharing a plate of Vegetable Samosas (£2.90), which were nicely spiced with a dense, satisfying filling and not at all greasy. They cames with three glass ramekins of chutneys and minted yogurt.

After a hard day’s work, we couldn’t resist a couple of cocktails and started with a Bollybellini (£5.70) – a rose, lychee and raspberry bellini. They were sweet, fragrant and not overly strong, with the fruit perfectly balancing the champagne.

For our next course, we ordered the Murgh Malai (£6.50), the chicken curry special of the day (I forget the name) and a bowl of House Black Daal (£4.50). These were accompanied by a selection of sides – Plain Naan (£1.70) Steamed Basmati Rice (£1.90) Roomali Roti (£1.70).

The Murgh Malai was skewered pieces of chicken breast chargrilled in the tandoor and served with lime and coriander. It was tender and delicious and came sizzling hot and generously sized.

The chicken special was a delicately flavoured tomato and onion based curry that was light and non-greasy. The black daal was worth ordering and came with lots of sauce and tiny, dense black lentils.

Emily gave her Rotis the seal of approval and I loved the soft, chewy naan bread with melted butter (you can have it without) served in a bread tin. The Basmati rice was as light and fluffy as it should be.

For our second cocktail, we ordered a St. Martini (£5.50) – pomegranate and home-made chili syrup shaken with gin – and House Punch (£4.90) – a blend of exotic fruit juices, coconut and rum with a dash of Darjeeling tea. Both were slightly stronger and less sweet than the Bollybellini but it’s pretty hard to decide a favourite.

We then ordered a House Chai (£1.90) to let everything go down. The chai tasted fragrant and slightly malted, as though it contained condensed milk. Our waitress told us that they make the chai base fresh in the morning and keep batches of it simmering away during the day.

After the curries, we were too full to try a heavier dessert, although Chocolate Fondant and Seasonal Fruit Crumble with a glass of Chai would make a scrumptious afternoon treat, getting away from the winter chill.

Instead, we went for Kulfi on a Stick (£2.50) in chocolate and pistachio. The pistachio was subtle and creamy while the chocolate was deliciously sticky, caramelised and rich. The perfect way to finish the meal.

Dishoom’s concept of small plates and lighter curries makes it a must for those who like a bit of everything with their meal. For the quality and of the food, g0od portion size and the prestigious location, the dishes and the cocktails especially are well priced. The only thing is, you could be tempted to try almost everything on the menu, so approach with restraint.

For breakfasts, Dishoom offers classic breakfasts with a spicy or fragrant twist such as Breakfast Lassi, House Porridge with dates and bananas, Granola with cinnamon, fresh fruits and Madagascan vanilla, spiced Bombay Omelette or a Sausage Naan Roll.

At lunchtime you can order roti wraps filled with tandoor grilled chicken, lamb and paneer, or a selection of small dishes such as Chilli Cheese Toast, Bombay Sausages and Desi Fish Fingers.

While some central London restaurants can leave you feeling detached or apathetic, Dishoom has the kind of warm, inviting atmosphere that makes you want to come back. Every meal of the day is taken care of at Dishoom and you can even have a glass or a bottle of Moët with your dinner.

While the original cafes of Bombay may be rapidly disappearing, at least in London we can get a piece of the legacy on our doorstep.

* Chérie City was a guest of Dishoom

A Great Stay at Town Hall Hotel London