BBB’s Europe Food Tips for Summer 2019

Two things we all love are delicious tastes and the chance to escape from everyday life. So here we present to you five gems of places to experience both these things. Whatever you budget, near or far, we have some great suggestions of trips to tickle those tastebuds… First up we head to legendary hotel La Residencia in the stunning village of Deia, Mallorca. Now owned by iconic hospitality group Belmond, this incredible property is situated in glorious landscape between the Tramuntana Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. With breathtaking views, the hotel grounds abound with sweet-scented citrus trees and ancient olive groves, capturing the essence of Mallorca. Guests can dine on sensational cuisine at the hotel’s impressive El Olivio restaurant. The separate Tasting, A La Carte and Vegetarian menus are each complimented by wine pairings made by the sommelier from award winning wines from the hotel cellar. For a more casual meal, Cafe Miro offers diners the best in regional cuisine, from mountain cheeses to paella, with a mountain backdrop and amidst the private collection of 33 original Juan Miro paintings. There is a private dining spot, a short walk down a mountain path, with indescribable sea views and unsurpassable romance. Dining by candlelight with live guitar music and sunset vistas, this is the perfect spot for any special occasion. The hotel’s art collection, spread throughout the hotel, also acts as a guide for the ‘Art & Dine’ menu, where guests can move locations between courses, admiring the works and history of the property alongside specially crafted cocktails and food to match. There are a handful of other world-class restaurants close by, including Es Raco d’es Teix with its impressive 7-course tasting menu and beautiful landscape setting, and Sebastian, whose excellent food and perfect service make it a favourite for many. For those on a tighter budget, the area is also full of local restaurants, cafes and shops, abundant with mountain cheeses, local olive oil, regional specialities and of course, stunning views in every direction. Crossing back to the UK, we head to Seaside Boarding House on the beautiful Jurassic Coast. A relaxed property with a restaurant, 9 bedrooms and stunning sea views, we’re big fans. Run by an ex-manager of the Groucho Club, Seaside Boarding House offers excellent hospitality but remains welcoming and warm. The restaurant naturally specialises in the fresh seafood and local land produce on its doorstep, choosing the best ingredients to cover everything from a poached egg to a six-course banquet. In their own words, “We like a well-dressed table, but we don’t stand on any ceremony; if you want one course, three puddings, to work your way through the whole menu alphabetically or topographically, that’s fine. Our view is that dinner takes as long as you need it to.” This is exactly our kind of place and whether it’s a weekend getaway or a seaside private dining special occasion, we think you’ll love it too. There is also an epic seafood restaurant just 5 minutes’ walk away called Hive Beach Cafe. Located right on the beach at Burton Bradstock, with panoramic views to Lyme Bay and Chesil Beach, it’s a great spot to enjoy fresh, local seafood, homemade cakes or just a cup of tea. They also have their own micro bakery, ensuring all breads and cakes are fresh and delicious! Venturing further afield now, we head to FAENA in Miami. Voted Best Hotel in the World for the second year running by Conde Nast Traveler readers, this property is a Forbes Five Star Luxury Resort, the first hotel ever to achieve this accolade within its first year. Aside from the beautiful rooms, which you can see on the hotel website there are several exciting dining options…. Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann is an Argentine grill from the legendary chef famous for his live-fire cooking. The open-fire kitchen uses the best local ingredients and a gaucho’s touch to transform traditional rustic recipes into sophisticated, elegant dishes. Pao by Pail Qui is an award-winning modern Asian restaurant with stunning ocean views, serving fusion cuisine with Filipino, Spanish, Japanese and French influences. Mexico City has always been a hot destination, but for foodies, we can’t stop raving about Pujol, hailed as the best restaurant in the city. Blending classic culinary techniques with the best fresh ingredients and contemporary flavour combinations, Pujol is a must-visit (but you need to book!) They have various dining options… There are two Tasting Menus, Corn or Sea, each with 7 courses. There is also a beautiful private dining room, suitable for 9-14 guests, also with the tasting Menu but where the main course is served family style. Then there is the impressive Taco Bar with its mouth-watering 10-course menu, each dish selected by the chef! They cater for cocktails and drinks receptions on the Terrace and offer catering services. So for business or pleasure, this is a really fantastic option. For the visually inclined, their Instagram really is a thing of wonder too! But we can’t always travel so far, as much as we would like to – time and money restraints often mean we need to seek our joys closer to home. Therefore, our last recommendation is a casual, lesser-known gem in London. Sometimes you need even an hour’s respite, to get back to nature and nurture the soul with some delicious food.  Frizzante at Hackney City Farm does all this. Styled on the typical Italian agriturismo, where the meat, vegetables, oils and wine used in the cooking are produced on the farm, this is a great example of farm to fork dining (any ingredients they can’t produce are sourced from small and local suppliers and the wine, some biodynamic, is from Italian suppliers). Locally roasted coffee, community vegetable box schemes and independent fresh fish suppliers are more of the reasons we love Frizzante. Whether you’re after a coffee and cake, a quick lunch, Sunday Roast or a romantic dinner, they do everything. They also host private and special events with talks, themed evenings and lots more. When the buzz of the BBB phone gets too much, we also love going to visit the pigs, chickens and other farm life open to visitors. It’s great for kids too (although those looking for a quieter visit would do well to avoid weekends!). Easily accessible just off Hackney Road, it’s surprisingly quiet and really is a tonic for the stressed London soul. All details and opening times can be found here. If you’d like to visit any of these places, drop us a line on info@thebbbook.com and we’d be happy to help.

It’s that time of year again… the season where we eat our own body weight in mince pies, have one glass too many at the office party and no doubt don a dodgy jumper or two. If you’re organised (which as superstar PAs, we know you are!) you’ll have almost completed most of your personal shopping by now, have sent out the cards and are already thinking about the dreaded New Year’s Resolutions… But no matter how well you plan and how far in advance you start shopping, there is always that one person who is almost impossible to buy for. It might be your other half, it might be that uncle you see once a year or it might just be your favourite teenager. Sadly, we dont know Uncle Henry (and we still find teenagers a mystery) so we can’t help you there…. But we can offer some advice on gift giving for the person who has it all. Perhaps your principal has asked for inspiration…. Here are our top suggestions on what to give to the person who has everything…

Let’s start with an easy one – a watch. But this is no ordinary watch. Meet Dutch watchmaking house Christiaan Van der Klaauw, who allow you to totally customise your luxurious timepiece. This incredible company made the two best ladies watches for Van Cleef & Arpels and are regarded as one of the top  watchmaking houses in the world. These pieces are also highly exclusive – they only make around 50-60 timepieces each year worldwide, so only 60 buyers in the world maximum have the chance to own one! In case this wasn’t enough, through our special connections BBB is pleased to offer an amazing 10% off the total price and give buyers the chance to meet with the owners either in Amsterdam or London to collect their piece! Check out the incredible configurator now for some inspiration (if you’d like to discuss further, contact us.

Secret Cinema has for years been a hot ticket and nothing has changed with the latest production of ’Stranger Things.’ Immerse yourself into Hawkins, Indiana and lose the stresses of everyday live whilst wandering the mall and uncovering what really happened… A lesser talked about but highly reviewed show right now is Bjork’s Vulnicura VR. Located in Hackney, step outside yourself into 55 minutes of Bjork-inspired beauty, Vistiors will step into Bjork’s creative genius, exploring the Icelandic locations that inspired her music in a utopia of sound and colour. The otherworldly experience is available for just a few weeks, so book in fast to give the music fan in your life a gift to remember.

If you’re looking for an experience, but something longe than a night, we can’t recommend highly enough some of the fantastic once-in-a-lifetime trips from our travel partners. For example… ‘Vinotherapy’ is an invitation-only discovery trip of Bordeaux, where guests can stay in at a private wine estate, explore a host of vineyards and sellers, meet growers and producers, spend the day aboard a private Riva and even meet an oyster farmer, followed by a tasting… how romantic! In ‘The Keys to Vatican City,’ travellers discover everything this incredible place has to offer, with exclusive access to miss the crowds and queues. A private visit to the Vatican Library, a blessing from the Pope, off-limits areas of the Vatican and a private Mass are just some of the highlights. Or for the something truly unique, perhaps the ‘DestiNAtion You’ experience is the one…. The incredible opportunity sees your DNA being processed by some of the most highly skilled geneticists in the world, to determine your precise ancestral origins and genetic history. Our travel team then tailor-make a trip for you based exactly to your DNA, taking you to discover the places where your ancestors came from and essentially, what makes you, you! If you’d like to discuss any of these incredible trips, please email us.

If your person is keen on ancestry, but doesn’t have the time to cavort around the world, perhaps Genealogica are more up their street. They undertake intensive ancestral research over many months too build up a comprehensive history of your origins, more along the family tree vein than DNA… coming from the team behind one of the world’s most well-known productions, with access to some of the leading experts in geneology, this really would make an exceptional gift!

Christmas is also a time to be thankful though for all the many ways in which we are lucky, and to remember those less fortunate than ourselves. For some who have it all, the best way they can celebrate is to spread the joy and to give. There are a number of organisations out there offering help (and requiring donations of money or time), as well as gifting sites that give back to the community. Some of our favourites are Good Gifts who allow you to buy something much needed in the name of someone you love (and you’ll get a card to present to the lucky friend), Oxfam Unwrapped who do something very similar and Crisis, where you can sponsor the Christmas of a homeless person, offering them a hot meal, a shower, a health check and a bed. BARTS Christmas Appeal is also quite special, asking people to give a gift to someone in hospital over this season. It shouldn’t be so, but many older people have no families or visitors whilst they are in hospital, which at any time of year is horrible, but especially at Christmas – not to mention the stresses of children and their families. Many hospitals accept donations, both in form of gifts or money, and we think any form of support for these initiatives is excellent.

Overall this Christmas, when trying to avoid the trappings of Amazon and the stress of Westfield, we hope this has provided some interesting food for thought, if nothing else. If you’d like to discuss any of these ideas with us, or anything else, please just get in touch. And Happy Christmas one and all, see you in 2020!