Nobu Hotel, London

Do you remember me banging on about my visit to Ace Hotel in Shoreditch a few weeks ago? I had a decent stay, but I did mention at the time that there was something missing - I guess it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

While in the area I reached out to my mate Jordan Bunker to see if he had any cafe and coffee shop recommendations. Word of mouth is so valuable, especially from the people who "get" you. He suggested I take a five minute walk from Shoreditch High Street to the recently opened Nobu Hotel - a little Japanese haven in the centre of London.

As soon as turned the corner to approach the entrance of Nobu I knew this would be a steller experience. Although I wasn't here to stay this time, if the lobby, cafe and restaurant are anything to go by then the actual hotel rooms will be on another level. I can't recall a time that I have been so bowled over by the attention to detail of an interior. Clear Japanese design influences took centre stage; from the vertical wood panelling, woven cane space dividers, consideration to natural light vs artificial lighting, and smaller details such as the choice of drip coffee machines + cups. A tactile experience really do make a difference.

For full disclosure I didn't stay this time (it's mega bucks), but I would love to in the future. In the cafe a black coffee costs around £3.50, which on the surface does sound quite a lot, but for the fact that I stay here over an hour with my buddy Luke, and left feeling like I'd had a pretty outstanding experience, I think it was money well spent.

Nobu Hotel, 10-50 Willow St, London EC2A 4BH.

Jonah's Coffee Bar, Preston

 

A recent visit back to my old uni city of Preston turned out to way more fruitful that I could have imagined. With a few hours to idle around before I went to see illustrator Mr Bingo give a talk at UCLan, I did a quick Instagram search to see what was new in the city. 

Preston has really tucked its shirt in over the last five years, with the city centre + university area being heavily invested in. Lines of trees have been added to the highstreet, the once-tired flag market is now a bustling hotpot where traditional butchers and antique sellers are knocking elbows with microbrewing start-ups and local ceramicists, and small business ventures are starting to pop up in disused retail units which have been left behind by the decline of the British high street.

The old Fish Market hosts another new venture for the city - Preston Box Market; a canopied row of tidy retail units ready to be occupied by local entrepreneurs. Coffee is always on my research list, and when I came across Jonah's Coffee I put it as top priority. 

Jonah's Coffee originally started as a mobile coffee cart business, by Adam "Jonah" + friends, serving the local area, and in the summer of 2018 the guys decided to take the next step. The idea was to bring a speciality coffee experience to Preston - with a level of service, knowledge and enthusiasm we associate with the more established guys around the country. This little place really does stand out in the city, with the striking wooden coffee bar being built by hand, bespoke typeface + hand lettering seen across the menu and signage, and an extensive selection coffee, tea (as well as soft drinks + locally baked cakes) being sourced from as far as Texas, to as local as Atkinson's from Lancaster.

Two hours later and I felt like I'd known Adam for years. It turns out we have friends in common, both share a keen interest in DIY, and within an hour he was showing me how to work the equipment. What a find!

Jonah's Coffee, Preston Markets - Box Market, Earl Street, Preston, PR1 2LA

Ace Hotel, Shoreditch, London

January was a weird month. Chugging along at a snail's pace, paid opportunities were few and far between, and it felt like every day was an admin day. But saying that, I did manage to travel around to the usually cities a few times (London, Manchester and Liverpool) - seeing friends, meetings with potential clients and generally trying to make things happen for myself.

You know I'm not a negative person, far from it, I don't tend to dwell on the slower times. If anything I make good use of them. Two weeks in to 2019 and I managed to tick off one of the goals I set myself this year; to run 10k without stopping. Nailed it!

On a round trip to London last week I booked myself in for an overnight at Ace Hotel in Shoreditch, as I was visiting for an event just up the road. It was a decent experience, with everything I need from a couple of hours of laptop club, a short but solid kip and comfortable surroundings. Tbh a highlight for me was the patchwork denim APC blanket, which can be seen adorned across each low-set king size bed in the hotel. True, a blanket doesn't make the hotel, but it did stick in my mind as being one of the more memorable features (along with the army green storage cabinet at the side of the bed, I dig).

Maybe I've been spoilt by the quality of design (especially for the price) at Whitworth Locke in Manchester, because for me, the rooms at Ace were lacking something. It has got some major ups though; the Shoreditch Highstreet location is pretty spot on for local restaurants, cafes etc, it's two mins walk from Redchurch St, and Ace's own restaurant Hoi Polloi is stone cold stunner.

So to sum up, would I recommend Ace Hotel? Yes, but only if you can get a decent deal.

Ace Hotel, 100 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6JQ