London was as exciting as ever, and I had the opportunity to visit The real Van Gogh, the artist and his letters‘ exhibition at the Royal Academy, which was extremely interesting and well presented. This is a landmark exhibition not to be missed.

As usual, I stayed at The Langham Hotel, the place that  I call “home” now in London. This is a wonderful hotel with excellent service and attention to detail.

Of my latest culinary finds, there’s the Japanese restaurant Chisou, off Oxford Circus, so a convenient 5 minutes walk from The Langham. The decor is nothing fancy or elegant, actually it’s just basic Japanese, but the food is extremely fresh. I usually sit at the sushi counter, have a nice spinach salad together with some daily special sashimi — of course, all washed down with a nice bottle of cold sake.

The Greenhouse is a real gem,  delighting me with one of my most memorable meals of the year. Firstly, they take late orders, a real rarity. I booked a table for 10.30pm as I had a concert to attend beforehand, and the booking was taken without difficulty or comment.

As a starter, I had the black truffle risotto, which is a seasonal dish. Usually I am not a fan of risotto, but the smell from the next table was so tempting that I succumbed — and I must say, without any regret now. For the main course, I had the best pigeon breast I have ever had, served “saignant”, almost rare, and it was so special in taste and texture that I am already thinking of going back for an encore.

Lastly, I made a stop at  Cecconis, an elegant and delicious Italian restaurant that I have been visiting quite often lately. I love their starters and salads: their calamari fritti is tasty and crispy yet not oily at all; while the veal Milanese is probably a must-have, most diners ordered this dish and the portion is extremely generous as the veal can be as big as the plate! Cecconis is also conveniently located, a five-minute walk from the Royal Academy, where before the intellectual food, our other appetites can be soothed and satisfied.

And next to the restaurant, there’s the Abecrombie & Fitch’s flagship store, where besides shopping in the dark for some overpriced tees, you can also have your picture taken with the half naked muscular young thing from the entrance. You will have to guess what I did after my lunch……

Photo credits: infobritain.co.uk