Wine, Food, Golf & Fun
Fabulous London 2019: Food, Golf and Fun By Mike L. McColgan, Resident since 1990
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ecently our family had the pleasure to visit the fascinating city of London, England. London is the largest city in England and is also its capital city with over 8 million people. It is also one of the most popular tourist cities in the world. Highlights of the trip included an elegant opening lunch at famous chef Alain Ducasse’s 3-star Michelin London restaurant in The Dorchester. We had the pleasure of dining at his Eiffel Tower restaurant in Paris a few years ago. Featured was a 3-course lunch that included 2 glasses of French wine. As a special treat after our lunch and before dessert, we enjoyed the famous ”English Stilton Cheese” served table side and paired with a Madeira port. Executive Chef Jean-Philippe Blondet gave us a tour of his elaborate kitchen and served us his famous baba rum cake with Earl Grey tea to complete this fabulous foodie experience. We took a unique London Rock Music Tour which was great. From David Bowie to Pink Floyd and the Kinks, London has been home to some of the biggest rock bands in history. The tour featured Tin Pan Alley, where The Rolling Stones cut their first record, the famous Abbey Road Studios and the road crossing from the famous Beatles album cover Abbey Road. Paul McCartney’s house, Ringo Starr’s House, Jimmy Page’s house and local pubs and recording studios where many of the famous London Rock Bands hung out were also part of the tour. It provided a full picture of the London Rock scene. Highly recommended if you’re looking for a different perspective of London.
Brabazon Trophy. The London Golf Club has also hosted Regional Open qualifying and the European Tour qualifying school. They have tees to challenge all skill levels. The club prides itself with an ‘attention to detail’ and also features an excellent restaurant and practice facility.
Several other places we visited included The Churchill War Rooms, Buckingham Palace and the Royal Mews, the Thames River Cruise, which has a view of all the sites of London. The cruise is a hop on hop off tour allowing you to spend more time on various London sites that interest you. We also attended the theatre to see Tina, which was fabulous. Finally, shopping at Harrods is of course another ‘must do’ experience.
We concluded this fantastic trip with dinner at famous Michelin chef and TV personality Gordon Ramsey’s ‘Lucky Cat’ Restaurant.
Just 25 miles from the center of the most-visited capital is the London Golf Club in the heart of the beautiful Kent countryside termed the “Garden of England.” It is the home of 2 world class courses. The Heritage and The International which are masterpieces designed by Jack Nicklaus and his design team. The courses opened in 1994 with a sensational skins match between Jack Nicklaus, Britain’s Tony Jacklin, and Spanish legend Seve Ballesteros. Seve was the winner with 10 skins. The International Course has hosted many professional and amateur tournaments including the 2014 Volvo World Match play and 2017
If you are a Golfer, we would highly recommend a break from the hustle bustle of London and visit the scenic Kent countryside at the London Golf Club.
For more information and to make a tee time go to: www.londongolf.co.uk
Located in Mayfair, and a short walk from The Grosvenor House where we stayed, this Asian inspired restaurant is one of 15 Ramsey restaurants located in London. This restaurant just opened in June and has an elegant and modern decor. The food is made in an open kitchen and designed to share with your friends. We especially enjoyed the short rib buns, pumpkin tempura, pork belly, shiitake and pork kamameshi and assortment of unique and tasty desserts. We truly felt like 3 ‘Lucky Cats’ after enjoying an exciting full week in the fascinating city of London. By the way, it never rained the entire week we visited the city. September is prime weather time for touring. “London Rocks” with a worldly energy filled with lots of history, restaurants, shopping, tour attractions and classy kind people. We definitely will return soon.
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NOVEMBER 2019
