Could this be London’s best new Japanese restaurant? We urge you to give it a try.
Yes I’ve gone crackers for crackers as early as November, but you don’t want to miss decorating your Christmas table with these. Plus arm decorations (only the finest on rotation, read more to find out), Louboutin’s mindfulness retreat and my favourite hotel expands their skincare line. This is what I’m loving in the first of our November hotlists.
EAT HERE RAI, London
RAI is the Bloomsbury spot to add to the top of your wish list. You can leave any preconceptions of the flashy noise of large, central London spots at the entrance, as a calming setting of fresh plants and a trickling water fountain greet you inside; RAI is cathartic for the palette and the senses all at once. There are three menus to choose from: Tasting Menus, perfect for trying a seasonal variety; the À La Carte Menu if you’d like to taste a variety of Chef Padam’s best; and the popular Omakase Sushi Experience with an option of nine, eleven, or thirteen courses. Expect only the very best ingredients, including fresh, hand-dived scallops in Scotland, Sapuku – the finest nori from Japan’s Ariake Sea, Koshihikari rice, freshly grated wasabi, and five-year aged soy sauce. There is an acute attention to detail from the growing, sourcing, harvesting of the ingredients right up to the presentation and wine pairings. There are too many menu highlights to name, however the three types of tuna sashimi served with a fine aged sake as well as the Japanese brioche bread served with honey fermented butter and jalapeño are both standouts. There are also supplements available to choose from if you so wish to take the courses just that one step further, including A5 Kobe or Kagoshima Wagyu. The best seat in the house? At the chef’s counter, where you can watch Chef Padam at work. While each person perched around the counter is a slightly different stage of their tasting experience during the evening, Chef Padam moved between guests and courses with the natural ease of someone who not only knows what he is doing, but thoroughly enjoys it too.
BOOK THIS Hotel Vermelho, Brain Edit Retreat
Christian Louboutin’s First Hotel, Vermelho, launches a Brain Edit Retreat. From the 24th – 26th November, this charming 13-room hotel set in the Melides in Portugal is welcoming guests for an exclusive Mindfulness & Meditation retreat hosted by Terrence the Teacher, Christian Louboutin’s personal trainer and acclaimed expert in wellness and mindfulness who has made a name for himself in the fashion world with models, designers and editors seeking help for anything from anxiety and panic attacks to insomnia. This retreat offers guests a chance to embark on an extraordinary journey of self-discovery and mental rejuvenation. What can you expect? A comprehensive programme which features science-backed mindfulness techniques and practices to enhance personal empowerment. This retreat will teach you how to harness the power of your mind, cultivating lasting change and help you to understand the true value of meditations. Experiences include morning yoga classes, evening guided meditations, 1-on-1 sessions.
USE THIS Seed to Skin Haircare
Forever one of my favourite hotels, Borgo Santo Pietro, has now grown its skincare range to haircare. The passion project of creative director and naturalist, Jeanette Thottrup after her struggles to conceive, she collaborated with pharmacist and cosmetologist, Anna Buonocore, to bring to life Seed to Skin Tuscany. Thottrup built a custom-made state-of-the-art laboratory within the 300 acre estate of the family’s boutique hotel Borgo Santo Pietro, with an entirely natural skincare line with the philosophy from soil health to formulation. The hotel itself was in fact once a healing stopover for medieval pilgrims – and is now an all-encompassing sanctuary for modern souls. The new haircare line includes the Revival Hydro-Luminous Shampoo and Hydro-Nourishing Conditioner using wild-harvested ingredients and natural extracts harnessed by cutting-edge Green Molecular Science to guarantee purity, efficacy, and safety. Free from SLS, SLES, and sulfates, the shampoo and conditioner revive the natural beauty, strength, and health of both hair and scalp. Ingredients include silica-rich horsetail extract, hydrolysed quinoa, moringa, rich blueberry and raspberry extracts, hyaluronic acid, and verbascum flower – all a potent mix for revitalised, resilient, and radiant hair with a glass-like shine.
TREAT YOUR GUESTS WITH THESE ARgENTUM apothecary Luxury Dinner Party Cracker
I’m always late for ordering the most beautiful Christmas crackers in time, but I won’t miss the boat this time. ARgENTUM has created luxurious Dinner Party Crackers each containing an eau de parfum treat from the ARgENTUM archetype fragrance collection les parfum infinis. The collection explores 0 through to 12 archetypes – creator, sage, magician, caregiver, hero, jester, innocent, rebel, explorer, ruler, everyman and lover with twelve symbolic images captured in scent to reflect inherent energies common to us all. Each cracker also includes playful prompts for conversation around each archetype and its energies, for your most memorable dinner party yet. The gift of fine fragrance isn’t just for the festive season. Shop from the brand’s Notting Hill flagship store or online.
TRY THIS OUT Cocoon Club
The pull of a designer handbag is often huge, and if you fancy treating yourself there’s nothing better than a new-to-you bag. Resale sites are often a way to go if you don’t want to invest too much, plus it’s a clever method for shopping sustainably. But rental sites are also a great option for a seriously impressive rotating handbag wardrobe. Cocoon is a luxury bag rental service offering memberships so you can regularly swap designer bags and always been seen with the latest arm candy. But they also offer resale of some iconic styles which have been retired from the rental game with members getting even more discount on the prices. The platform offers a variety of flexible memberships to swap and change your luxury handbags whenever you’re ready for a refresh. You can choose a full-time membership that offers both a monthly and quarterly payment subscription plan, or you can opt for the Flexi Membership allowing you to borrow the handbags for just a week at a time. Whether you’re testing out the designer bag you’ve had your eye on before investing in it, or you want to elevate your day-to-day looks, from Chanels to Bottega Venetas, Celine to LOEWE, COCOON will keep your wardrobe fresh all year round.
Lead image credit: Rixos Premium Göcek
We may earn a commission if you buy something from any affiliate links on our site.
Any Questions or Tips to add?