Yelp: The Time Traveller's Ball

The great time travelling discovery

On Thursday, 23rd of January, Yelp, an online urban guide hosted one of the most fun and eventful parties inside The Grand Ballroom in the Grosvenor Square Marriott. "The Time Traveller's Ball", basically, a giant party with plenty of food, drinks and entertainment with a time travelling theme, encouraged visitors to dress up in fancy dress outfits. We entered thought the ever elegant Luggage Room cocktail bar and were offered a glass of complimentary cocktails before entering the main hall to register ourselves into the ballroom. Already I could feel the atmosphere of time travelling with most people dressed in iconic historical outfits and some wacky costumes that I couldn't think of a word to describe it!

First I went back outside to get my hands on the hip Big Apple Hot Dogs' gluten free hot dogs just outside the hotel, the mini prime beef dog was so flavoursome and juicy, I was half shocked and half amazed how good hot dogs can be especially garnished with their home made kimchi! To pair with my hot dog, I headed back inside the ballroom and got myself one of my all time favourite craft beers, the Brew Dog Punk IPA. It had a lovely fruity hops note with a dry and bitter finish which was perfect with the robust profile of my Big Apple hot dog. 

party time!

Brew Dog

sumo action

To continue my time traveling adventure, I grabbed myself a glass of Jameson Irish Whiskey with ginger ale and got to understand how this iconic whiskey is produced, such as ageing and the blending process, explained by the brand ambassador which was all very interesting. I stopped by the Grosvenor Casinos and was very tempted to try my luck on the roulette table, but with limited time and still so much to see, I decided to carry on my travelling and discover Lushice cocktail sorbet, a cocktail product but in sorbet form, what a winning formula! Towards the end of the evening I stopped by the Rococo Chocolate stand and discovered some tips on the art of paring chocolate and drinks, what an eye opening party it was!

Jameson Irish Whiskey

Lushice cocktail sorbet

Grosvenor Casino

My greatest discovery on the night was the Harry Brompton's Ice tea and Briska Swedish Craft Cider, which you can find out more from here. Overall it was a very fun and engaging event, many thanks to Yelp, the Marriott Hotel and all the producers that took part for such a spectacular evening! Towards the end, Yelp announced the winners of their Best of London 2013 awards, which is listed below:

Best of North: Roundhouse

Best of East: All Star Lanes

Best of South: Brixton Village Market
Best of West: Outsider Tart

Best Burger: Patty and Bun

Best New Pop-Up: B.O.B.'s Lobster

Best Cocktail: The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde No 2 at Purl

Best Spot For An Awkwardly-Adorable Online Date: Roller Disco

Best London Hotel For A Staycation: The Hoxton Hotel

Best Cheap Eats: Beigel Bake

Best Music Venue: Roundhouse

Best Place To Work Up A Sweat: Brockwell Lido

Best View In London: Sushi Samba

Best Late Night Venue: Experimental Cocktail Club

Best Local Tourist Spot: The British Museum

Best London Market: Borough Market

Best Independent Store: Liberty

Best Vintage Shop: Beyond Retro

Best Overlooked, Underrated Hidden Gem: ScooterCaffé

FUTURE

Best 2014 Opening: Barrafina Covent Garden

Best Future Food Combo: Apple Pie Baked In An Apple!

Best London Event of 2014: Chinese New Year in London

Next Hot Neighbourhood: Peckham (It's the new Brixton)

Food Trend of 2014: Tea Cocktails

For more information about Yelp, please check out their website.

http://www.yelp.co.uk/