Night out in London Tatra Restaurant – 23rd Jan 2011-02-01

Tatra Restaurant – 24 Goldhawk Road, Shepherds Bush 

Tatra offers modern Polish and East European cuisine and a vast selection of vodkas including fantastic home-made flavoured vodkas.

 Decor – (7) Tatra has got a modern and stylish interior, a mixture of brick, leather and wood.

 Atmosphere – (7) nice relaxed environment to get away from the busy London streets

Food – (8) polish and east European, a nice dumpling based starter was very filling, the main was very tasty. We finished our dinner with home-made Vodka J   

My main – Schabowy: Breaded Pork Escallops with Mash Potatoes and Mizeria

Service – (8) amazing service with a waitress who was very knowledgeable of the food and made excellent recommendations 

Value for Money – (7) moderate prices in a relaxed atmosphere

Overall score = (37/50) 74% amazing food for something out of the ordinary, would strongly recommend

Hilton London Kensington Hotel - 23rd Jan 2011

179-199 Holland Park Avenue London W11 4UL, United Kingdom

Located in the leafy district of Holland Park and only 5 minutes walk from the Westfield London Shopping Centre, the Hilton London Kensington hotel has excellent transport links to central London. Savour contemporary European cuisine in our West Eleven Restaurant or enjoy an informal lunch in the Am Pm Lounge Bar. Work out in the gym, unwind in the sauna.

Grounds – (4) good access to the tube located within the shepherds Bush Westfield centre, but the overall appearance of the building was much like a standard concrete 60’s construction. 

Reception – (9) a very professional and welcoming service from the hotel reception

Bedroom – (7) although a very nice room, it was on the smaller size as I am sure is common within  London hotels as compared to those in new hotel in other cities.

Hotel facilities – (7) include restaurant, bar, gym, sauna & steam room, all of which were of high quality

Breakfast – (9) an amazing range of options available on a full buffet system, from cooked to cold food, and omelettes made to order

Value for Money - (7) at around £100 pound a night, it’s not bad for inner London, however any extras to the basic come at a large cost  

Overall Score = 43/60 giving 71.7%  

Shepherds Bush Westfield centre: 

London Area – Smithfield & Spitalfield - 23rd Jan 2011

Spitalfields is located in the East End of London, near to Liverpool Street stations and brick lane. The area is home to many markets, including the historic old Spitalfelds Market, founded in the 17^th Century.

Golden Boy of Pye Corner: small monument located within Smithfield, erected where the Great Fire of London (16) is believed to have stopped.

Covered Market: Smithfield area is dominated by the imposing, Grade II listed covered market 

William Wallace monument: Smithfield was for centuries the site for public executions of heretics and dissidents, in particular there is a monument to the Scottish patriot William Wallace executed here in 1305.

St Bartholomew’s church: one of the oldest churches in London, it was founded in 1123 as an Augustinian Priory and has been in continuous use as a place of worship since at least 1143. It is an active Anglican/Episcopal Church in that part of London known as the City.

Barbican Centre: The building is open all day, 363 days a year, with bars, restaurants, bookshops and free foyer music and exhibitions.

Museum of London: documents the history of London from the prehistoric to the present day. It forms part of the barbican centre, and overlooks the remains of the Roman city wall on the edge of the oldest part of London, Known as City (now the financial district). 

Inside the Museum: 

Photo exhibition – Images of possible futures:

Bletchley Park – 10th Jan 2011

Bletchley Park, also known as Station X, is an estate located in the small town of Bletchley, now incorporated within the boundaries of Milton Keynes. During WWII, this was the site of the UK main decryption establishment, the Government Code and Cypher School.  Ciphers and codes of several countries were decrypted here, most importantly those generated by the German Enigma machines.  

Main house: The Park is now a museum run by the Bletchley Park Trust and is open to public. The main manor house is also available for functions.

 Bombe rebuild project:  A faithful reconstruction of the machine that made breaking large numbers of Enigma messages possible on a regular basis.

 

 Bletchley Park Post Office:  tell the story of Bletchley Park using postage stamps and original artwork.

Colossus Rebuild project: an authentic rebuild of the world’s first semi-programmable computer