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Westminster Review: Top Bars and Restaurants

Hi everyone,

So I recently had the pleasure of spending the day in London reviewing bars and restaurants for a neighbourhood project that I’m currently working on for The Culture Trip. I’ve never done anything like this before, most of my write ups have been based on internet research rather than personal experience as I can’t put too much first person writing into my Culture Trip articles! As you can imagine, I jumped at the chance to review some of the trendiest bars and restaurants in one of the best parts of London, the beautiful borough of Westminster. It’s no secret that I’ve always loved London and I have a particular soft spot for Westminster so was delighted to be able to take on this area for one of my neighbourhood projects.

I didn’t have long in the capital and knew I had to plan my day as best as I could so I emailed a few of my chosen establishments in advance to set up some meetings. To my delight, managers from my top 2 bars and restaurants replied and I set up meetings with them both; Didier Agueh (Executive Host & Artistic Director) and Gregory (Restaurant Manager) of Primo Bar, Park Plaza Hotel and Sergio of The Zander Bar, part of Bank Westminster. Both interviews went brilliantly and I was able to learn a lot about the establishments as well as get an understanding of the menus and the types of customers that pass through the doors. My friend and I were even treated to some lovely complimentary drinks- thanks guys! So without further ado, here are the big interviews …

Primo Bar, Park Plaza Westminster Hotel

When did you first open? March 2010

Most popular time of day? After work for business people, or after 9pm on events nights. Primo Bar is proud to host a number of events and music nights throughout the year, including shows from top tribute acts and jazz and soul artists.

Who are your target audience? We attract guests of all ages, but our main target audience are adults over the age of 25. Most are of course hotel guests but we do get large numbers of locals and tourists looking for a luxurious place to relax and unwind after a hard day at work, or to enjoy their Saturday night out.

Signature drink? We run a Cocktail of the Month promotion, and October’s special is a fantastic Spiced Rum Sour for £12.95. Alternatively we run a 2-4-1 cocktail deal every weekday from 5-8pm only.

Any famous celebrity spots? Bruno Mars, Nicole Scherzinger, the cast of Fast & Furious 7 and our very own Prime Minister David Cameron!

Brasserie Joel, Park Plaza Westminster Hotel

When did you first open? March 2010

Most popular time of day? Evening meal times between Thursdays and Saturdays.

Who are your target audience? Mainly hotel residents, it’s about a 75% to 25% split between residents and members of the public.

Signature dish? Chef Walter Ishizuka is known for his excellent Tournedos Rossini, a fillet of beef served in a truffle sauce.

Any famous celebrity spots? Jessica Wright (of hit TV show The Only Way is Essex) dined here last week actually!

The Zander Bar, Bank Restaurant

When did you first open? 2007

Most popular time of day? Straight after work for locals, and on into the early part of the evening. We run a Happy Hour promotion between 5pm and 9pm Tuesdays-Fridays.

Who are your target audience? Business people

Signature drink? Our cocktails and our selection of Martini’s

Any famous celebrity spots? Because of our close proximity to The Houses of Parliament we often attract many politicians, one of the most well known being Nick Clegg.

Bank Restaurant

When did you first open? 2007.

Most popular time of day? Early evening for after work locals and business people, where corporate events and meetings are often held in our private dining rooms.

Who are your target audience? Business people during the week, but we also attract tourists and locals during weekend leisure.

Signature dish? We serve a range of meats and steaks in our fantastic tandoori clay oven- they are always popular with our customers!

Any famous celebrity spots? As above, many politicians visit due to our brilliant Westminster location.

My published articles for Best Bars and Best Restaurants have just gone live, and I wrote a post on Top Things to See and Do in Westminster a while back. I’d just like to say a big THANK YOU again to Didier, Gregory and Sergio for having me- I’ll certainly be back! My next neighbourhood projects are Covent Garden and Canary Wharf so I’ll be heading back down to the capital for some more research soon and will be posting my reviews and interviews afterwards. I’m thoroughly enjoying my latest projects and cannot wait to share more of my handy tips with you and all of The Culture Trip readers.

Speak soon!

Love Jess x

October 19, 2015/by jessicalouise1601

Vimto Fusion Festival 2015 – August Bank Holiday Weekend!

Hi everyone,

So during the last August bank holiday I attended a huge music festival with my younger sisters in Birmingham’s Cofton Park. The event has been running at the venue for the past three years and hosts Capital FM had promised that this year’s festival would be the biggest yet and they certainly didn’t disappoint! With huge headline acts over the three day weekend, including Ed Sheeran, Rudimental and McBusted, Vimto Fusion Festival was one of the highlights of the 2015 music calendar so far.

Image courtesy of Google Images

We visited on the Sunday, 30th August, to see supergroup McBusted as the headliners along with a host of other stars including British pop princess Jess Glynne, US rocker Adam Lambert, hit boybands The Vamps and Union J and teen heartthrob Conor Maynard to name but a few. We arrived at the festival shortly before the gates opened at midday so didn’t spend much time queuing. Our transport was courtesy of a brilliant Fusion package put together by the festival in conjunction with National Express. Our ticket price was £79pp including entry to the festival and a return coach journey from Cheltenham which worked out brilliantly as the coach stop was virtually opposite Cofton Park. The event was very well organised with each act on stage at an allotted time and intervals in between each one so there was plenty of time for toilet, food and drinks breaks which was essential!!

The layout of the festival was brilliant, the site was enormous and there were plenty of food and drink outlets offering almost every type of food you could think of; from pizza to pancakes and curries to candyfloss there really was something for everyone! There were a couple of bars on site and drinks prices were about what you would expect to pay at a pop up event but there were also free wine samples being handed out which me and my middle sister took advantage of… much to the dismay of our disapproving 16 year old sibling!

As well as food and drink outlets there were also a range of pop up shops selling sweets, confectionary and typical festival items including flowery headdresses, glow in the dark boppers and, of course, the trusty pac a mac’s and ponchos that have been seen everywhere during this rainy summer! Although it did rain most of the day, it was warm and humid and was lovely when the sun was out! The umbrellas and wellies were out in full force though and this added to the festival vibe that was present throughout the event- think Glastonbury but without the tents and communal showers!

As the event was sponsored by Vimto and Capital FM, there were free goodies being handed out throughout the day along with various competitions and prizes up for grabs. Vimto staff members were handing out as many free drinks bottles as you could manage, whilst Capital FM were giving away free ponchos (extremely useful as mentioned above!!) and were mingling with the crowds taking professional photos for their online social media gallery. Huge loudspeakers blasted out the latest chart tunes across the park whilst the entertaining Dance Cam was on hand to capture the audience singing and dancing along to the music before projecting their beaming smiles on the large screens on stage. There was also a large bouncy castle and a fairground for the kids (and adults) which was a great way of passing the time before the show started at 2pm.

We had been sitting on our coats up on a hill a short distance away from the stage and were getting up and dancing along with fellow crowd members before we walked down towards the stage to get our spots prior to the larger acts being introduced. Blankets and coats were allowed but deck chairs were forbidden so be mindful of this if you are hoping to set up for the day! Capital FM DJ Christian Williams did a warm up to the concert shortly before 2pm, playing new music and chart hits to get the party started before fellow DJ act Gorgon City opened the show. They were followed by teen sensation Conor Maynard and Youtubers Alexa Goddard and Karen Harding along with new Irish boyband Hometown before the bigger acts appeared on stage from around 5.30pm until 9pm. Union J and The Vamps both played brilliant sets and really got the crowds going – there were hundreds of screaming girls everywhere we looked! Adam Lambert was brilliant and Jess Glynne was incredible, both of their voices sounded amazing with the live music!

Finally, just after 9pm, headliners McBusted graced the stage and kicked off their show with hit song Air Guitar. They sounded brilliant together and it was easy to see why the newly formed super group had been such a hit with audiences. They proceeded to delight the crowds with Busted classics including You Said No, Crashed The Wedding and Thunderbirds Are Go along with McFly chart toppers Five Colours In Her Hair, Obviously and All About You. The set was brilliant and I have never danced so much in my life! I saw McBusted in July when I went to their outdoor Concert at Westonbirt Arboretum so the set was virtually the same, but seeing my sisters faces light up when all our childhood classics were played was an amazing moment and made for a fantastic concert. McBusted bowed out to the hugely popular Year 3000 which we were singing all the way back to the coach and was a perfect ending to the show.

For our first experience at Fusion we all had a wonderful time and categorically agreed that we would all be back next year without doubt! The festival was great for adults, kids, groups and families alike and there was something on offer for everyone. A big thank you to all the organisers and the brilliant acts for putting on such a fantastic concert, we will certainly be back!

Have you ever been to a music festival before? How did you find it, and was it worth being out in the rain all day?! I’d love to hear your experiences!

Love Jess x

September 15, 2015/2 Comments/by jessicalouise1601

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SPECIAL BIRTHDAY POST: JOURNEYS WITH JESSICA TURNS ONE TODAY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

It’s finally here, my blog turns the big one year today! This time last year I had just started my first ever post, the ridiculously titled ‘Hello!’ with a big smiley face on the front page! The first trip I blogged about was a weekend city break to Barcelona, and since then I’ve been to Prague, Reykjavik, Majorca and tonnes of UK cities. It’s crazy to think how much I’ve grown over the last twelve months. Back then, I could count the number of readers I had on my hand, and now I have over 1700 followers on my combined social media channels and over 43,000 readers on my expanding Trip Advisor account, quite an achievement I feel!

So to celebrate my blog being a year old I’ve decided it’s time to have a complete re-shape and have totally edited the look of my website. I have been bored with the layout for ages so a makeover was well over due. A long running debate in my mind has been the question of should I stick with my free WordPress.com template or take the plunge and create a brand new site from scratch? I can now say I have FINALLY decided and I’ve gone for the former, to stick with my trusted WordPress template. There are few reasons for doing this, and I’ve outlined them below:

– WordPress is free (bonus!)

– It allows me to easily link all my social media channels

– The brand new Cube design theme is a winner (where have you been all my life!?)

– WordPress has been with me from the start, I wouldn’t be where I am now without it!

I know what you’re thinking, soppy Jess doesn’t like change! But seriously I’ve found a brilliant theme on WordPress, I absolutely love the cube design and hope you do too- it’s something I’ve envisaged for a while and I’m so glad it’s a workable, easy on the eye template for me to use.

I just have a few questions that I hope my lovely readers can help me with…

1) Should the layout be a black background with white writing and blue highlight?

2) or should it be a white background with black writing and green highlight?

3) Should I create separate Twitter and Instagram from my personal accounts or keep the current large following I already have and stick with those? I want to be seen to be professional but also friendly and real!

So what’s next on the 1 year forecast for Journeys with Jessica? Well, I’ve got loads of trips planned with my friends and family and cannot wait for all my adventures. I’m heading to Royal Ascot on 19th June, followed by a trip into Oxford the next day and a theatre show in the evening, and then on 21st June I’m travelling to London for the British Summertime Festival at Hyde Park! I’m also going on a family holiday to Cornwall for a week and then potentially a quick city break either to Budapest or Berlin at the end of July which is super exciting but nothing’s been booked yet so watch this space!

I’ve also got a special birthday announcement to make… I’M ATTENDING MY FIRST EVER CONFERENCE AS A TRAVEL BLOGGER NEXT SUMMER! AHHHH! I’ve bitten the bullet and booked a space at TBEX Europe 16 which takes place next July- I’ve been wanting to attend TBEX for the last year but haven’t had the confidence to do so until now! The conference is taking place in Stockholm, Sweden and I’m joining loads of fellow bloggers so here’s hoping that my first ever conference will be a success! It’s over a year away so I have plenty of time to plan, but I’m so looking forward to meeting new people and learning lots of new travel blogging techniques. If anyone has any advice on how to get my blog ready for TBEX please please get in touch as I’m eager to prepare as much as I can!

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Thanks as always for your continued support, and here’s to another year of Journeys with Jessica!

Love Jess x

May 27, 2015/9 Comments/by jessicalouise1601

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EXCLUSIVE: INTERVIEW WITH AWARD NOMINATED BLOGGER TAYLOR HEARTS TRAVEL!

Hi everyone,

As mentioned on a few of my previous posts I am delighted to bring you an exclusive interview with Char from the award nominated blog Taylor Hearts Travel which was carried out recently! Char has been blogging for the past year and has already built up an impressive social media following as well as being shortlisted as Best Female in lowcostholidays Best Blogger Awards 2014. You can view Char’s website here: http://taylorheartstravel.com/

It was an absolute pleasure to interact with Char, she was very professional but extremely down to earth and gave me a real insight into her exciting life; I even picked up a few blogging tips for my own site! So here’s the interview in full.. enjoy!

Q1) Hi Char! When did you know you wanted to start travel blogging, and how did you take that first big step? Did you work in the travel industry previously or have a completely different job? I note that you have a full website for Taylor Hearts Travel rather than just a WordPress or Tumblr blog – are there larger benefits for doing this? Did you have a small blog to start with and then grow it from there?

A) It was just after I returned from Peru. I’ve always, always loved travelling and friends have often said I should work in travel. The idea of a travel blog pinged into my head and I decided to do it! There are no major costs in starting a blog, it can fit in alongside a full time job and it’s a great way to document travels. It was a no brainer for me – I had nothing to lose. My memory isn’t the best, so I love being able to keep track of my favourite travels and recommendations. I work in the sport industry, so it’s very different to travel. I started my contacts list from zero and have really enjoyed meeting fellow like-minded travellers. I started on a WordPress hosted site and then moved over to a self hosted one after a year or so. To be honest I wish I had started on the self hosted one, but at the time I had no idea how long I’d be blogging for or what would come of it. If you host it yourself you have more say in terms of creativity and advertorials.

Q2) How important is social media for generating interest on each of your blog posts? I can see that you are using Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram etc and I wondered whether or not this was the single most powerful way to grow your online presence? I’m thinking of getting an Instagram account for my own blog so I’d love to hear your thoughts on this particular app.

A) I think social media is really important. It allows me to share my posts to my audience, but also a wider one if I use hashtags or someone shares/retweets it. It all moves very, very quickly and I love that aspect of it. I’m quite a visual person and people often comment on my photos, so for me Instagram is a dream. I love seeing other people’s pretty pics and again, using hashtags, it allows me to meet more people.

Q3) Are you blogging full time and getting paid for it, or do you have another job on the side as your main source of income? Many bloggers I have spoken to simply blog as a hobby but I’d love to know the percentage of bloggers who actually get paid to travel and review their trips as this is the sort of industry I would like to start getting in to. I currently have over 27000 readers on my Trip Advisor account and was voted in the top 2% in Oxfordshire so I’d like to put that to good use!

A) Like most, I currently have a full time job, as well as another full time job (my blog!). I probably spend more time than most on mine, but that’s just down to my personality. If I’m going to do something, I do it 110%. I really go for it. I have no patience whatsoever, so I’d rather do it, than spend years planning it or worrying about what-ifs. I’ve made a lot of contacts in the industry and have worked with some amazing brands. Sometimes they might approach me and other times, I pitch to them. I think it’s all about being professional, committed and reliable. If you deliver what you set out to do, then chances are people will notice and existing clients will come back again. One of my favourite quotes is ‘Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground’. Well done re your readers on TripAdvisor! I was also really into that site and wrote loads of reviews, earning the badge of being in the top 3% on the site. Now that I document my trips on my blog I don’t really write as many for TripAdvisor, as I don’t have time, but also because as far as I understand you’re not supposed to write a review if you have a business relationship with the company.

Q4) How often are you posting updates to your blog and social media outlets? I try to aim for once or twice a week with a few tweets/status updates in between but I realise that perhaps this isn’t enough. Do you also have any tips on the best times/days to publish posts so I can increase traffic to my blog?

A) Again, I’m probably in the minority here, but I aim to publish a new post at least four – five times a week, if not every day. I try to write the blog that I like to read. I hate it when I go to one of my favourite blogs they haven’t updated it, so I like to keep mine fresh and varied. I don’t think there is any right or wrong approach though. If there was, we’d all be doing the same and then that’d be boring! I think if you have an editorial schedule that works for you, then go with it. Don’t be distracted by what everyone else is doing (though it’s obviously helpful to learn from others). You can look at the analytics within Facebook/Twitter etc to find out what time of day most of your audience is online. Once you’ve worked that out, aim to share your info then. I think it’s also important to not run away with pre-programmed stuff. Yes, it’s helpful and time saving, but people also want to talk to a real person and see interactions. Keep it real!

Q5) Finally, where are you currently blogging from at the moment? Are you all cosy back at home in the UK or are you on the move again?

A) I’m at home at the moment after returning from a weekend break in Paris and then one in Madrid. It’s only for a few more days though, as I’m off to San Francisco very soon. I’m manically trying to wash and repack everything! I note that your most recent trip was Madrid so I’d love to hear a short summary on the city – I was thinking of heading there earlier on this year but ended up in Barcelona instead! I’m sure Madrid would have been just as good though! Do you have any immediate plans for your next upcoming trip?I’d heard mixed reviews before I went, with the majority being quite negative. However, I absolutely loved Madrid. There are so many pretty cafes and restaurants, like the gorgeous ones you always see on Pinterest. Two days was definitely not enough – Madrid, I’ll be back. If you get the chance to visit, you should. The flights from the UK are so unbelievably cheap.

So there you have it, my interview with the wonderful Char from Taylor Hearts Travel in full – I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed putting it together!

Love Jess x

December 10, 2014/by jessicalouise1601

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