noplasticshowers

It has been some years since we visited the stuffed cat in the Zetter Townhouse in London, and lo and behold, the cat is in full on Christmas mode.  More about that soon enough.

In town for business, we reinhabited the old haunt (the Zetter Hotel), this time in room 503.  This is one of the three rooms on the fifth floor with an excellent outside deck.  Of course it was rainy and cold the entire time, because London.  But we actually used the deck!

NPS still believes the 50X rooms need refurbished bathrooms.  The showers are long in the tooth, unsatisfying, and involve climbing into a tub.  A complete revamp with some glass showers would do everyone good.

The rest of 503 is great.  Be aware that the stairs down to the bathroom can be hazardous in the middle of the night.

Looking in on 503 from the deck.

Two views from the Zetter (up and down).  The blue sky was extremely temporary.

Now look at that tub!  We’re going to need to try that (but only after a visit to Callooh Callay.

The blue is still around.

Hopefully this shower is not long for the world.  The bathrooms are small but could be laid out much more reasonably.

Of course, the main draw of the Zetter is the Townhouse next door.  Yes please.  We had them fetch the Amer Picon from downstairs.  The visit featured many a Picon cocktail, including the Liberal, the Brooklyn, and Picon Punch.  I never make the latter because it takes way too much rare (in the US) Amer Picon.

Things were Christmasy all over London.

We returned to the Zetter Townhouse multiple times.

But first a quick note about some restaurants we did business things in.  Quo Vadis is an outstanding location for a private dinner.  And the Quality Chop House is unbelievably great.  Seriously, best Pheasant we have ever eaten.  Best Ramen in London at Mohonon.

Fun?  At Quo Vadis.

Picon Punch looks like coke.

Noel was let out on good behavior.  It did not last long.

Guilty as charged.

This South African gem was a perfect match for game.  The Norwegians were in the house!

Romey arrived bright and early and looking very stylish.

A quick hit at the Tate rounded out a full day.

More Townhouse late into the evening.

A new thing?  A visit to the London Eye.  Been there.  Done that.

The band.

A visit to the Churchill War Rooms was stuffy and a bit of a disappointment.  The Ivy, on the other hand, did not disappoint.

Martinis for the band at the Dorchester Bar (the Connaught was packed).  This round did not do much to improve the theater.  We saw A Single Man at the Park Theater. It was OK.

Martinis were not a sufficient dinner.  So we made a late night run to Chinatown.  It was also packed.  Where did all these people come from?

In other news, the Victoria and Albert has a design exhibit that is interesting, the South Bank Christmas market is a bust, Bengal Village is really nothing worth writing home about, and Callooh Callay remains a blast (thanks for the good conversation Charlie).

The Industry Sour cocktail made several appearances during this trip:

equal parts green chartreuse, lime, fernet, and simple syrup (1:1).  surprisingly great.

Always Negroni.

And that tub?  Yup!

A very nice visit to the Zetter again.  We’ll probably be back.  Because.  Four showerheads and a hope for new bathrooms in the near future.