Circolo Popolare – London

You’ve probably seen it all over Instagram by now, but one of the hottest London restaurants right now is Circolo Popolare. The Italian restaurant is the newest by the Paris-based Big Mamma group, and it is near impossible to get a reservation. From the huge burrata bursting with pesto, the cheese wheel pastas with shaved truffle to the generous tiramisu and wild cocktails, you will understand what all the fuss is about.

The decor is incredibly Instagrammable with bottles of wine, limoncello and whiskey adorning every wall in the massive space, along with foliage decorating the ceilings and acting as the centrepiece in the second dining room. On a freezing night in late November it was warm and buzzing inside with people waiting out in the London cold for over 45 minutes for a table – that’s when you know it’s good.

We decided to go for cocktails to start off with and I ordered the Big Mamma, a vodka – lime cocktail but sent it back and got the Spritz Veneziano instead which was much tastier and based on Aperol. The menus are huge and everything has a funky name, all adding to the overall ambience of being loud and over the top.

For starters we shared the burrata which was truly one of the highlights of the meal. Bursting with pesto and pine nuts as you cut through the centre and served with super thin crisp breads, it melted in the mouth and was a flavour explosion. We also tried the mushroom bruschetta which was also delicious.

For main course, I ordered the truffle mafaldine, it came in a piping hot pan with mascarpone and truffle. The pasta was fresh made and perfectly al dente and considering the size of the restaurant, there was more fresh truffle shaved that I expected. I also tried the truffle pizza and a vegan pizza but the pasta was by far the best.

As you are enjoying your meal, waiters rush past with pecorino wheels with piping hot carbonara ready to be twisted in, soaking up all of the melty, gooey cheese. It is all part of the experience, feeling less like a fancy Italian fine-dining restaurant and more like a theatrical la dolce vita vibe.

As for the wine – we went for a rosé, apparently (Meghan’s favourite) it was dry and crisp but for wine by the glass, it wasn’t too generous and you’re better off just getting a bottle. Overall, the meal came to just over £100 for three of us, 6 drinks and so much food we could have burst.

If you’re in London, don’t miss it. It’s the hottest place in town.

Living The L.A Life

I hadn’t been to Los Angeles since I was about 7 years old and whenever I travel to the U.S. it’s either a city break in New York or to see family and friends in Miami.

But with a number of my friends living there, it was time to return. I was supposed to stay at my friends new home in Encino but something came up and she had to leave the country, so for the first part of my trip I stayed with friends in West Hollywood.

I’m actually very happy I got to experience two very different sides of LA, one in the middle of everything, and the other appreciating the quieter, scenic and residential side of the city. When staying in WeHo, I wanted to walk places as much as I could. Even though LA is very much a driving city, there were quite a few areas that I could walk around and get a better idea of the place.

I’m not going to write an entire post of everything I did in LA as it would be incredibly drawn out, so I’m just going through a breakdown of places that I would recommend or things to do.

Coffee:

Alfreds

But First, Coffee. You’ve probably seen this place all over Instagram but I have to admit I got pretty addicted to their oat milk vanilla lattes. The location on Melrose has a cute outdoor space where you can enjoy the weather and people watch or work. There are other locations all over LA.

Cafe Luxe:

If my friend didn’t swear by their coffee, I never would have known about it. Really great quality coffee and I highly recommend for on-the-go.

Cafes:

Croft Alley:

A really cute spot just off Melrose. It’s kind of small and the best spot there is in the shaded garden, LA summers can get quite shvitzing. The Kale salad (so LA) is really good, I added avocado for a light but filling lunch.

Joan’s on third:

Chinese chicken salad. It’s their signature, it’s their best, you have to get it. Not the healthiest salad ever but it is really delicious.

Health Nut:

Ever watched the Kardashians have those huge salad bowls they’re always shaking on the show? That’s Health Nut and their salads don’t disappoint. The chef salad and the Chinese chicken are both really good (and the dressing is even better). A great one to stop by and get takeout for a day at the beach.

Gjusta:

Right in the heart of Venice is the New York style cafe and kitchen Gjusta. You’ll walk in and be totally spoilt for choice – everything looks amazing. Be prepared to wait a while and then sit outside in the buzzing courtyard. The sandwiches are delicious, eggs runny, tasty ice teas and bagels to die.

Restaurants:

Mercado:

Delicious guacamole and house made tortilla chips. The cucumber jalapeño margarita hits the spot but the WeHo location is far superior to the Sherman Oaks one.

Sugarfish:

The holy grail of sushi. Wow is all I have to say. Maybe the best sushi of all time. Ridiculously fresh, warm rice, crunchy seaweed and melt in your mouth buttery fish. 10/10 it’s worth the wait, the blue crab cut roll and toro handroll are the standouts.

Hotspots:

Soho House West Hollywood:

Good vibe and great place to hang out with friends. Picante de la Casa is always a winner. Food is always good there and a lot of options on the menu.

Chateau Marmont:

Date spot on the patio or join friends round the piano inside. Nice surroundings, calm but cool and a famous spot in LA.

Little Beach House Malibu:

Probably one of my favourite parts of the trip. Situated right next to Nobu Malibu, Soho House really got it right with this venue. Great service, food was good, tuna poke bowl and guacamole were the winners and about 4 picantes later, laying out in the beautiful blue surroundings of Malibu, I was loving life. (The eye candy there is pretty good too)!

Things to do:

Concert at the Hollywood Bowl: The venue is one of a kind and on a warm LA night it’s a fun thing to do with a great atmosphere.

The beach: Topanga beach in Malibu was quiet with a nice breeze and a relaxing day.

Runyon Canyon: Get moving on a hike which promises some of the best views of LA. Just don’t do what I did and go in summer in the heat of the day. Morning is prime time.

Palisades Village: The Pacific Palisades are one of the most scenic parts of LA. Close to the beach and a great village with everything from upmarket shops to movie theatres, cafes, bakeries and healthy grocery stores.

Workout classes: SoulCycle, Rumble and Trainingmate. All high intensity classes which promise to make you sweat a lot. If you want to laugh while you workout, the Aussie trainers at Trainingmate will have you in fits.

Shopping: Go straight to Century City. It has everything and you’ll have to stop yourself from maxing out your credit card.

Needless to say, I won’t be leaving it so long to go back to LA next time!

New York Minute – The Conrad Midtown

A couple weeks ago I spent the weekend in New York with my family before jetting to the west coast to visit friends and have a vacation in Los Angeles.

We were only in New York for 2 nights and stayed at the brand new Conrad Midtown. Formerly The London hotel, it has recently undergone a complete renovation to make it a part of the Conrad hotel group.

I have previously stayed in The Conrad in Battery Park, again, another new renovation and a beautiful hotel, but this time it was easier for us to be in Midtown for transport links getting in and out of the city.

The Conrad Midtown was so new that they hadn’t fully completed renovations on the restaurant and some different spaces, but the rooms and most of the amenities were there. Situated on 53rd and 7th, it is right by Central Park and the higher floors boast phenomenal panoramic views of the park and the Upper East Side.

The room itself was huge for New York standards. It is now an all suite hotel with a modern lounge and dining area with a large bedroom, king size bed and beautiful bathroom with a large rainfall shower and stocked with all the newest and best products.

The hotel gym is probably one of the best I’ve been to with plenty of different cardio machines, a weights area, Pilates machines and more. Kicking jetlag by doing exercise always seems to help the tiredness and sluggish feeling.

The location of the hotel was actually very ideal. Despite my favourite areas of the city being Chelsea and SoHo, it made sense for us to stay in Midtown. The subway is just one block away which takes you all the way downtown to Prince Street, Spring Street and so many other prime shopping areas. In just 10 minutes you can walk to the flagship Bloomingdales on Lexington and 5th Avenue is just two blocks away.

The only thing that the hotel needed to improve on was the service. We had to ask for more towels multiple times until they were finally brought up to the room and anything else we needed took more than two calls down to housekeeping.

I would definitely return to the hotel and the minor mistakes made in the opening few weeks are sure to be worked out as they become fully operational.

Next stop: LA

Tel Aviv’s New Sushi Spots

They say you should never eat sushi on Sundays, but this is a rule that doesn’t seem to apply in Tel Aviv…until recently. Being honest, sushi in Tel Aviv isn’t the best. There are countries and cities which are renowned for their fresh fish and phenomenal Japanese cuisine, but this is something Israel doesn’t exactly excel in, and Eyal Shani can sit quite comfortably on his food king throne.

Nevertheless, the general population here, my friends and I included, love nothing more than a good sushi roll. While the cheaper, popular ones in Tel Aviv include FU, Kanki, Moon and Yan, they’re still not great sushi. Putting one on blast in particular, FU sushi gave me the worst food poisoning from their spicy tuna roll. My friend got very sick from their salmon, and I have also heard of other people’s horror stories – so I will never understand the obsession with that awful place.

Kanki and Moon are basic, the tuna isn’t great and Yan is the best of this bunch. TYO and Dinings at the Norman are the more expensive Japanese restaurants but they’re still super expensive for what they are.

The newest sushi spots I recently tried are Selas in Jaffa and Kitto Katto by the Dizengoff Centre. Selas pride themselves on having the freshest fish possible and it is truly their specialty. The chef, Or Ginsberg has a pretty incredible Instagram, posting on his account and also on @tomysushi. You can see from the get-go that this fish and sushi experience is one of a kind.

The restaurant itself was modelled on his family home with Moroccan elements and a spices wall, it doesn’t resemble a traditional sushi restaurant at all. The waiters were attentive and explained everything with plenty of knowledge. We ordered a tuna tartare roll, tuna tataki, a white fish dish and chicken gyoza. Honestly, it was all art. Everything was presented in the most beautiful way and the taste was even better. All the sauces accompanied the fish perfectly and it was that kind of melt in your mouth, buttery tuna that is very very rare to find in Tel Aviv.

To add to the experience, the chef is quite happy to come to the tables, talk to you and ask how your meal was. A really nice extra touch. All in all, Selas is truly amazing and we all said we would go back without hesitation.

The second place I recently tried was Kitto Katto. Opposite the Dizengoff Centre in a private corner, the restaurant is mostly outdoors with big seating areas, a bar, covered with trees and adorned with fairy lights. Really pretty. We had an early dinner so didn’t get the whole buzz of the place but I quite suspect it will be a busy and popular hotspot. Just off the menu, a roll was on average around 50 shekels, around the same you’d pay at moon, Yan or FU.

We ordered the spicy tuna roll, a truffle soy salad and the edamame fried sticks. Everything was delicious. The truffle salad was basic but the flavour was great. The spicy tuna roll is exactly the same as the one you’d get at TYO, just 30 shekels cheaper and the edamame sticks weren’t what we expected, but almost like a really thin edamame spring roll.

It really wasn’t an expensive meal, and definitely would go back and make it a regular sushi spot. Hopefully this is the start of some better Japanese quality in TLV!

When In Rome, Eat As The Romans Do

Before going to Rome, I spent a while searching the best foodie spots in Rome on Instagram, TripAdvisor and other foodie blogs and magazines. I have a few friends that live in Rome so I also got a list of their recommendations and the authentic local spots. We only had three nights there, but wanted to get the best pasta and eat at authentic trattorias.

The first night we ate at Da Enzo al 29. The Roman trattoria was simple, authentic, no frills kind of spot. I was told to book a table in advance as it is tiny and gets ridiculously packed. 7.30 is the only time you can book for so that’s when we went. Upon arriving to the restaurant, there was already a line around the corner of people who didn’t book, which is always a good sign.

The restaurant itself had merch available to buy, another sign that it’s quite famous. Majority of the tables were tourists with a few locals scattered around. We ordered the Jewish-style artichokes to start and their fresh bread with rich, delicious olive oil. For mains we were told to get their famous cacio e pepe, it was huge a bowl of rich, creamy pasta, perfectly al dente. Give the dessert a miss, we ordered the wild strawberries, they must have been frozen as they were squishy so we sent them back.

The second night we ate at Taverna Trilussa. I had seen rave reviews of the restaurant and knew we had to try it, but my expectations were truly exceeded. We couldn’t get through at all on the phone to make a reservation so had our hotel do it for us, we were lucky to get a table. The restaurant is tucked away on a quiet street in Trilussa, we sat on the terrace at the front, surrounded by trees with heaters all around. We ordered artichokes, burrata and bread to start. The burrata was huge, creamy and perfect, the added aged balsamic vinegar made it even better.

For main course, we ordered the truffle linguine. Hands down this was the best truffle pasta I have ever had in my life. It came in a large steel pan to keep the pasta hot and the waitress shaved a generous amount of truffle over it tableside. The pasta was perfectly al dente, the sauce was the perfect amount of creaminess and the truffle was rich. Everyone agreed it was the by far the best truffle pasta (and we are a family of truffle enthusiasts)!

We decided to indulge and order a dessert, the tiramisu. It was absolutely heavenly. The cream was thick, the base wasn’t soggy, it had the perfect amount of coffee, just the best tiramisu in the perfect size which we absolutely devoured. Taverna Trilussa just did everything so right. The restaurant got packed very quickly, all with locals who knew the staff, and by the time we left the line out the door was huge. It was genuinely one of the best meals I have ever had and the owners told us we must come back in summer truffle season. Truly a gem of a restaurant it was 10/10.

On our last full day, my Mum and I had walked around 20,000 steps by lunchtime and wanted a small snack to keep us going. Walking through the Borghese gardens I googled the best local pizza spot serving pizza by the slice. Turns out we were around the corner from it. Pizza Rustica on Via Flaminia is a totally unassuming spot. Almost cafe like with a pizza bar at the front serving square slices. We chose to share a tomato base pizza topped with mushrooms. It was absolutely delicious and exactly what we wanted in a slice of pizza. The crust was almost cracker-like and the mushrooms piled high on the top. It was true Roman-style with only three other locals in there quietly eating pizza. A great place to grab a bite if you’re on-the-go but have a pizza craving.

That night, we had a dinner reservation at a restaurant called Dilla, a place my friend had recommended. It looks like a wine bar inside, a great list of local wines and tasty italian food. We started with a bread basket (I don’t recommend, it wasn’t good bread) and the plate of porcini mushrooms, so big we questioned if they were actually porcini but they were and were great. For main course I ordered the truffle tagliatelle, it was good, but still nowhere near as good as Trilussa, and not as generous on the truffle shavings.

My mum ordered the aglio e olio, it took over half an hour to come after everyone else’s. Very disappointing considering it is such a simple dish and shouldn’t have taken so long. The restaurant ended up giving us a limoncello at the end to apologise. Overall, a good meal, the spot was a mix of locals and tourists, dimly lit and a nice ambience.

We left full of carbs and pasta, ready for a detox back in TLV!

Rome For The Weekend

A couple of weeks ago my Mum, my Auntie and I decided to take a long weekend trip to Rome. Although I have travelled to many other parts of Italy, I had never actually been to the capital so we found a great time to go in May.

After arriving on Thursday morning, we dropped our bags at our hotel, The Glam Rome, on Via Nazionale in the heart of the action and walking distance from almost everything and headed out sightseeing. Our first stop was the Ghetto and Great Synagogue, a must-see in Rome. The synagogue was the most spectacular I had ever seen, built in 1904 in an eclectic style with Greek and Assyrian architectural motifs. Every inch of the interior was ornately decorated with stunning gilded gold accents, and a majestic, multicoloured dome.

After strolling around the Ghetto and learning about the history of the Roman Jews, we headed towards the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. The lines outside the Pantheon were absolutely huge and me being the impatient person I am, walked straight to the front of the line, pretending to be a part of this huge Asian tour, my Mum and Aunt following behind. Somehow it worked and we got in and out the Pantheon in a matter of minutes. The Trevi Fountain was about a 6-minute walk from there but as we approached my crowd anxiety set in and I would advise going nowhere near it in the afternoon. I can only liken it to Disneyland at peak hours, you won’t get near the fountain and are better off going first thing in the morning.

Late afternoon was our slot at the Colosseum (which we didn’t realise was just around the corner from our hotel.) Walking towards it, you can feel its great stature, presence and sheer imposing size. Our skip the line tickets got us straight in and our Lonely Planet guide book gave us all the information we needed to know about the Amphitheatre. When you listen to what actually took place in the Colosseum, it puts chills through your spine standing in a place where gladiators and slaves had to fight to the death for the entertainment of the Emperor and the people, almost like a real-life Hunger Games.

Having completed our tour, Mum and I spotted a small bar overlooking the Colosseum and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to sit outside in the sunshine drinking a cold Peroni and just relax while taking in the surroundings. After that, it was back to the gorgeous hotel rooftop bar for an aperitivo Aperol Spritz before dinner in Trastevere.

Friday morning we woke up early, had breakfast on the roof and got to the Trevi Fountain, even before the had switched on the waterfalls. We snapped a few pictures before the crowds started to come in their droves, at which time we decided to walk through the stunning Borghese gardens on the way to the Vatican. We walked for around 30-minutes before realising we would miss our slot at the Vatican, so hopped in a taxi. Needless to say, the Vatican was absolutely packed and the wait to get into the church was 3-hours long! Thankfully, Mum and I had only booked the Sistine Chapel as the crowds were already becoming quite overwhelming.

I recommend doing the Sistine Chapel, you don’t really need a tour if you’re just there to appreciate the artwork. Each of the rooms they take you through are even more ornate with awe-inspiring ceilings and renaissance art. We were quite surprised that there was no temperature control for these pieces that dated back centuries (some of it was fading). If you’re not one for crowds either don’t go in or be prepared for the worst. It’s massively overcrowded to the point of a health and safety issue and people walk at a snail’s pace. We finally got into the Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo’s ceiling really is magnificent. Again, our Lonely Planet guide told us the inspiration behind each of the murals and despite the guards shouting to take no photos, I sneaked a few!

After an exhausting morning, Mum and I needed some alcohol by 2pm so it was a glass of rosé in a quiet street near the Spanish Steps. It was a beautiful day so we thought we’d have a slower afternoon and do some shopping. Before we knew it, it was almost time for dinner and the truffle pasta of dreams (full food blog coming soon)!

Saturday was our last full day and although the rain had pushed us back a few hours in the morning, we were able to get out around 11am. After much debating what to do and no real plan, we decided to go to The Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome. Honestly, give it a miss – we stayed about five minutes. From there, the skies had cleared so we took a long walk through Villa Borghese and went into the Galleria Nazionale. If you’re into art and galleries, I recommend this one. By the afternoon, we ventured back to the Spanish Steps, had an Aperol Spritz in one of the local trattorias and took advantage of the shopping district. Dinner was in the same area, but we went back to the hotel which wasn’t far to freshen up and have a pre-dinner aperitivo.

After averaging 30,000 steps a day, Sunday was a good time to head back to Tel Aviv. All in all, our weekend in Rome gave us a real flavour of the city, doing the perfect amount of sightseeing, balanced out with plenty of time to enjoy Rosé and Aperol Spritz (and a bowl of pasta or four)!

Until next time Italy, we’ll be back for more next year!

The Jaffa Hotel-Tel Aviv

Jaffa is truly reinventing itself as one of the up and coming hotspots in the Tel Aviv area. After a number of cool bars and authentic restaurants opened up, hotels soon joined the party. First, The Setai hotel opened it’s doors to guests in September 2017, and last year, The Jaffa hotel followed.

The Jaffa is owned by the Marriott Luxury Collection and is set in an abandoned 19th-century Ottoman building. I had been looking forward to visiting the hotel for some time as I heard great things and the perfect opportunity came when my Dad was visiting.

We booked brunch in the hotel’s answer to Sadelle’s in New York (owned by the same group) called Golda’s. However, we experienced a mix up by the hotel upon arrival and it turned out that the deli wasn’t open until 12 pm. Instead, we ended up eating in the courtyard at the other restaurant, Don Camillo. Surprisingly, for Israeli service, the hostesses couldn’t have been more accommodating in finding a table for us and offering half price on the brunch menu considering we got there at the end.

The breakfast menu was 145 shekels per person, included a buffet with cheeses, meats, breads and salads, along with pastries, cakes and other sweets. In addition, there was the menu to choose eggs any style or french toast. All in all, a pretty decent spread and the coffee was great.

Probably one of the most appealing parts of eating breakfast at the Jaffa is sitting out in the courtyard. Surrounded by troughs of lavender and trees, taking in the 19th-century building was calm and relaxing, getting an hour or two away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

As for the hotel itself, I have to say it’s probably my most favourite hotel in Tel Aviv right now. The interior is sleek and modern with orange seating areas against muted furnishings in the lobby area.

Best of all, the pool area is gorgeous. Unlike many of the other big hotels, it’s calm, relaxing and quiet! If you’re looking for the best hotel pool in TLV, this just might be it. It has an exclusive and intimate feeling, something that is quite hard to find in the Middle-Eastern city.

If you’re not on a budget, I’d highly recommend staying in this hotel. It doesn’t even matter that it’s not central, if you can handle a 25-minute walk to Banana Beach (or 10 minute Bird) it’s a great hotel.

The Jaffa is also home to The Chapel bar, I haven’t tried it yet but it’s on my list so I’ll keep you posted!

Taking Off

After plenty of procrastination over when to start this travel blog, I finally did it!

About me:

My name is Charley, I am 24-years-old originally from London, now living in Tel Aviv, Israel. Having travelled to all different corners of the world including Asia, Africa, North America, the Middle East and Europe to name a few, I have always loved a holiday. The gloomy London weather never really clicked with me so when the idea came up to live in Israel, immerse myself in the culture, live on the beach and study in English, I couldn’t really say no! Fast forward 3 years later with a 7-month stint back in London in the middle, I’m back in this beautiful but crazy country.

After working as a travel writer for various online publications, I felt it was time to create something of my own and give personal experiences of destinations I have travelled to. Having lived in Israel, friends are always asking me for the best places to go and what’s new so it kind of made sense to create this blog and tie everything together.

Expect tips and tricks to places I have travelled, with a focus on Israel’s best hotels, restaurants, bars, hotspots and everything in between. If you love a glass (or few) of rosè, appreciate a good sunset, and are looking for some cool new places to go, this blog will go a long way for you.

Looking forward to starting this journey and hopefully racking up some more air miles in the process!

The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

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