A day in the CITY
On Thursday I had the opportunity to go to London yee haw, my favourite city. I had an interview for UAL Chelsea college of art, its such a beautiful place right opposite the Tate Britain next to the River Thames. I felt a bit of an odd ball as everyone who goes there is either super hipster or foreign(an accent makes anyone cool).
In the past I have always visited London with my ex boyfriend it was our 'thing' so it was really strange going it alone. Fending for myself and actually paying attention to which tube line I was getting on 'is this north or southbound?' I have a few favourite places in the capital so with only one day I wanted to crame as much in as possible with most of my day being filled with the interview and travel I could only check into a few places.
Tapped & Packed
After dropping my portfolio off at Chelsea I had an hour or so to myself so I headed to Tapped & Packed No.193 Wardour St, the latest T&P to open in central London. The biggest of the three stores its situated just off Oxford St and like the other two its beautifully designed, I had a flat white and prosciutto, brie and basil baguette (it was lunch time I was hungry). When the barista came over with my drink I thought I'd drop in about their switch from Has Bean to roasting their own coffee, I was intrigued by their new milk blend as I was a big fan of Has Bean 'the cat that got the cream' milk blend, on one trip to No. 114 I think I even suggested it was the 'best flat white ever'. I was fortunate as he was learning to roast himself, he did tell me what was in the blend but it all went over the top of my head (he was quite pretty). I did however definitely notice the natural coming through in the milk, I still think they have a little way to go to meet HB standards but nay to bad on first impressions.
| Image source: http://caffeinemag.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/new-tapped-and-packed/ |
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| Illustration by Katie Glover-Price @cody_sunday http://ketandtea.tumblr.com/ http://www.tapcoffee.co.uk/ After T&P I returned to Pimlico for my interview it was all done and over in ten minutes, tbh it wasn't my finest interview and i'm doubtful about getting a place but we shall see next week. Fingers crossed.
Fernandez & Wells
My next stop was to one of the most recent additions to the Fernandez & Wells family at Somerset House situated in the west wing its the largest of the five stores with big tall ceiling and light airy spaces. The large David Tremlett painting fits in well to the gallery style space and who doesn't love hanging hams? Here I had a stumpy, F&W own creation named after the stumpy sized glass its served in. I also had some type of Portuguese tart which I couldn't pronounce. The stumpy was lovely and silky and the tart as equally tasty. Again I had a chat to the barista at the bar who was very welcoming he even made a point of enthusiastically waving goodbye as I left. Everyones always commenting about how pretentious and rude baristas are in London and how you have to have an attitude to serve quality coffee. I do think thats part of the attraction however everyone I spoke to on Thursday was delightful and I didn't feel out of place once, maybe its all a myth.I later returned to F&W in the evening as my chosen venue to 'waste time'. Their customer base is a lot different from the other independent coffee shops in London, that aim their product at young hipsters who know the values of a quality beverage as aposed to the stale espresso roast you'll find in your local Starbucks. The clientele was more business based perhaps they found themselves in there by accident as they visited the latest show but I think this reflected in their prices. However i'm not complaining as I am willing to pay for quality even as a poor student. On returning around 18.00 the place was still jam packed I even struggled to find a seat, on this occasion I had a Camden Wheat Beer and a prosciutto meat plater (I was loving the ham that day). I had tried the Camden Town Brewery Wheat before so knew it was toffee hoppy goodness in a bottle, I like anything that smells of bananas. I soon guzzled that down I think the lady opposite me was in shock at how quickly I consumed it but it was the perfect pairing for my wafer thin stained glass window prosciutto.    http://www.fernandezandwells.com/ http://www.hasbean.co.uk/ In between my second visit to F&W I checked out the Valentino: Master of Couture exhibition before it ends on 3rd March. The exhibition showcases the life and work of Valentino show casing 130 of his haute couture designs. Dressing women for over fifty years according to his own vision of elegance beyond fashion. "My private world is a simple world. I thank heaven for the life it has given me. I have a great appetite for splendour, but at the same time very simple tastes" Valentino Garavani I most enjoyed the second part of the show when the exhibition was set up almost like a catwalk with Valentino's gowns either side. I was astonished at how current some of his earliest designs were and the sheer detail and quality of craftsman ship in each garment. You can see why they are couture. I did feel inspired and definitely want to take my textile design down the fashion path there is so much more of a current industry in fashion. Unfortunately you weren't allowed to take photos, something that always annoys me at galleries or exhibitions how the hell are you meant to remember them. So instead I sketched some of my favourite designs now I mean quick fashion illustrations with the only biro I could find at the bottom of my bag, nothing fancy. 
My own image
  And that was my day in London, after fighting men with briefcases for a seat on the train I headed back to Cardiff and reality. |
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