“Beyond the throb of the engines is the throbbing heart of all.” John Betjemen St. Pancras station in London is quite the most amazing space, a vast vaulted ceiling headed by a gold clock, set high above a fleet of sleek Eurostar trains. The station dodged the Luftwaffe’s bombs, but fell out of favour during [...]
Eating breakfast in a hotel is a tedious, expensive and predictable business, to be avoided when possible. I discovered The Troubadour about a decade ago whilst wandering round trying to avoid just this problem, and I’ve been back there every now and again ever since. Opened in 1954, The Troubadour is the last remaining of [...]
Let’s start at the end. “Please could I have the bill?” “Yes, of course.” The bill arrives, with a generous service charge added. Fair enough. The service had been OK. The waitress returns with the card machine and prints off a receipt with a space for a tip and a final total. She gives it [...]