Cheval Life

Intrigued by the concept of Ziferblat, London’s first pay per minute café, we decided it was worth a visit ourselves! At first glance the entrance seemed obscured, concealed from those not in the know. You cannot merely stumble across it therefore everyone who is inside chooses to spend their time coexisting with likeminded others. We were greeted in a most friendly manner before being introduced to the Ziferblat way. We scrawled our names and entry times on paper before fixing it to a tree of colourful bull dog clips; a holding place awaiting our exit to clock back out. We were intrigued to find a fully equipped kitchen complete with selections of tea, an intricate coffee machine, homemade lemonade and even bread to toast with a selection of tasty spreads. I opted for an orange and lotus flower tea with a scrummy slice of chocolate cake. The kitchen also housed an interesting communal art project allowing visitors to donate unwanted fresh produce on the verge of spoiling for ...

We all know time is money especially when staying in a busy metropolis. Cue ‘Ziferblat’, an eccentric pay per minute café experience offering free coffee and wifi in exchange for a mere five pence per minute. The quirky East London café obscurely named after ‘clock face’ in Russian, requires guests to borrow an eclectically quaint alarm clock, take note of arrival time and set the alarm for the desired ‘clock out’ time before paying their pennies on exit. Seen as a social experiment, ‘Ziferblat’ aims to build a community of people who want to use their space ‘to create something interesting’, allowing customers to do whatever they like as long as they respect the building and the people within it. Consumers are encouraged to be themselves; to work, to create art, to read or to get acquainted with likeminded people. The café aims to be a home away from home just like us at Cheval Residences with each visitor devel...

A quick taxi ride east from Cheval Three Quays will bring you to The Princess of Shoreditch, a refurbished and award winning 270 year old gastro pub in the heart of Old Street. Renowned for their Sunday menu, The Princess offers five choices of roast dinner ranging from Kentish lamb to roasted free range  guinea fowl .  All varieties are served with duck fat potatoes, seasonal vegetables and a delightful Yorkshire pudding topped with gravy. Those with a sweet tooth, the pub also offers a range of classic British deserts including apple crumble and sticky toffee pudding. If in need of some after dinner drinks or a well-deserved break, a lively basement bar operates on a ‘first come’ basis. A quality guest wine rotates monthly with some bottles also being sold at Michelin starred restaurants than other modest gastro pubs. For beer drinkers, three ales are also constantly interchanging. Cheval would recommend The Princess of Shoreditch for a quick catch up with f...

Hispania Cheval Calico House is near Hispania Restaurant in The City. Hispania is a new, high ceilinged, vault-like restaurant in the centre of the Square Mile, and yet it has captured the comfort and warmth of an intimate, long-time favourite taverna. The dining room is beautifully lit and a golden glow fills the space; seating is spaced in that way that makes you feel in the middle of the buzz without being overlooked or overheard. The menu politely carries some reliable tapas dishes, but doesn’t shy away from bolder choices and the less familiar. The Ibérican ham is sublime – opt for the hand carved when you order, and the cheese board is a really strong selection of fine Spanish cheeses. The team advises that we try both the Ham and Hispania variants – the latter a punchier, meatier version but both fried golden brown with a delicious crunch. The Gambas Al Ajillo are crispy and pungent with the garlic – really addictive. But here is the shining star: Arroz...

standart.uk Cheval Thorney Court is near Gymkhana Indian Restaurant Gymkhana is inspired by the Colonial Indian gymkhana clubs, and this is certainly reflected in the colonial style interiors of dark wood, marble, ceiling fans and black and white photographs of proud looking Indian businessmen from the time. If you’re visiting Gymkhana for dinner, insist you sit downstairs where the clubby, subdued lighting really comes into play. Pick a booth and look out onto the bar sending out beautifully coloured cocktails from a creative list on ornate silver trays. The menu consists of bar snacks, Kebabs and Tikkas, Game and Chops, Curry and Biryani and Sabzi (side) dishes. The impressively large-scale menu allows for lots of ordering, and sharing is definitely the way to go here. Highlights are plentiful, but particular stars are the Keralan Moilee Mussels served with Curry Leaf and Garlic Naan – so good we had to order a second naan to soak up the sauce. Lasooni Wild Tig...

Cheval Residences, just like a Bentley, is elegant with a British soul. Bentleys and James Bond are two of the most British names you can find. Both are full of charm, elegance and history. True British icons.  It is hard not to love them both. And when they get together. is impossible to resist.  Bentley Motors and Vintage Classics are partnering for a 500-copy limited run of James Bond debut “Casino Royale,” pricing the leather-cased copies at £750 apiece. The Bentley link is in reference to James Bond’s affinity for the performance cars, and Random House furnishes the limited edition accordingly. Its hand-bound beluga leather case comes from the same tannery as Bentley’s interiors, the metal spine is reminiscent of Bentleys tread plates, and a secret compartment hides a set of playing cards. The Bentley edition of “Casino Royale” is to go on sale from November 1, exclusively from Random House, and is available to customers globally, excluding t...

The Gilbert Scott is a true British classic. Set in one of the most architecturally dramatic buildings in London, the dining room has an overwhelming sense of grandeur and occasion, yet manages to be elegantly casual at the same time. Although located in the same building as the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel at St Pancras International station, this is not a pit stop, a conduit or the start of a journey: this is a destination in itself. The Gilbert Scott is the second restaurant from celebrated chef Marcus Wareing, but don’t expect Michelin-style finesse and ceremony – this is a British brasserie, with a menu of historic and nostalgic British dishes. The starters include Brown and Forrest smoked salmon with oatmeal soda bread, crispy pig’s head with laverbread mayonnaise, pickled cockles, and sea herbs and venison terrine with Somerset cider chutney. Highlights from the main courses include an intensely flavoured braised oxtail and nutmeg mash, veal schnitzel with fr...

Cheval Calico House is a few metro stops from New Oxford Street. You may even have already seen or gone into some pop-up bar (we love pop up things in London) but this is certainly different. For the London Design Festival , a pop-up bar in New Oxford Street, themed as a metro station will serve London's Camden Town Brewery beer, but there will be some other foods and drinks as well, all in designjuction . Obviously, the nerd within us is excited about the prospect of drinking in a bar as a tiled subway station. Camden Town Brewery already has its own bar in Kentish Town and will soon have a microbrewery on site, so if you like the beer brand, you know you will be in good hands. But the pleasure is not just in beer. An Italian coffee directed by the ice cream vendor Gelupo, which recently named as probably the best gelateria in London, will also be on site. Enjoy a gelato with a prosecco or coffee La Marzocco in your corner on designjunction, which will be furnished...