A Midsummer Night's Feast at The Montagu and an Uber car ride

Last night I found myself transported to a Shakespearean spectacle of an evening at The Montagu Restaurant, Hyatt Regency, London.
However, I didn’t get there on horseback. Naaaaayyy. (Sorry). I got there via the whizz bang services of Uber, whom I had never used before but thought I’d try out as it was very rainy and very cold and, um, I was running late.

Uber is an app that enables you to request a car at the push of a button – pretty much like having your own private driver and this was very appealing! You can split your fare, it’s a cashless experience, so there’s no fumbling about for loose coins at the bottom of your bag, (just me?) and you can receive a quote before you commit to booking. ALL THESE THINGS I LIKE.
I plugged in where I wanted to go, received a quote and was told that my knight in shining armour, (literally – the car could not have been more gleaming) would be there in 8 minutes.

Here’s some very wobbly footage of my Uber LUX car arriving!

I jumped into my shiny BMW (uh huh) and off we zoomed. “To The Hyatt, my good man!” I boomed. (I didn’t. But I thought it.)
What a super swanky ride. Bottles of water in the door compartments, any radio station I desired and when I lifted up the arm rest in the back of the taxi, this is what I found…

I could have happily stayed in the car all night. So comfy.. so stylish.. so lux, so ME. (Snort.)

And then I was safely deposited at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Portman Square.

In I walked and met Kbosh in the lobby, who’d sunk so deeply into one of their sofas I could barely see her. (She’s rather little.) We made our way through the grand lobby and into The Montagu, for our Shakespearean adventure.
The Twelfth Night in June saw the first in The Montagu’s series of Shakespearean evenings, which are in celebration of the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth (that’s a lorra candles) and include all kinds of merriment, feasting, competitions and theatrics. (Yes. Theatrics.)

Our evening began with a special cocktail created by the Churchill Bar and Terrace team – “Love’s Labour’s Won.” Served in a glass tankard and garnished with a guinea fowl feather quill, the cocktail was a blend of nettle infused malmsey, Clouded Yellow wheat beer mead and Bushmill’s Irish whisky – a combination of decadent flavours from the Bard’s era – he’d no doubt have been mighty impressed.

We then perused our menu, (pictures at the top of this post) and selected our dishes  from the Elizabethan table. We chose from urns of soup, cured meats and smoked fish, rustic breads and patés to start, then salt-crusted sea bass, roasted leg of succulent lamb, or a medley of fresh, summer vegetables encased in a light pastry…

All’s well that ends well – (boom) – for the grand finale there were spiced honey cakes, fresh berry fools, and sumptuous boards of cheeses and fruits…

And then the entertainment began! Tom Grace, Charlotte Newton John and Crispin Hunt threw themselves into character and performed extracts from many of Shakespeare’s famous sonnets and plays. If they’d had more charisma they would have exploded – they did a great job. To deliver their lines while wandering around a restaurant full of diners is no easy task, I’m sure.

They performed two acts.. and then it was time for dessert…

This event is taking place every Thursday until the 31st July at The Montagu – if you’d like to reserve a table just email montagu.hrlondon@hyatt.com or call +44 (0) 20 7299 2037.
AND, if you’ve never used Uber before, for £20 off, just download the app and enter the promo code POPPYLOVES. A little gift from me to you. (Beep beep – this promo code will only work if you’re an Uber virgin…)
Until next time, this fair maiden is signing off coz she has to go and clean the dishwasher filter.
The glamour NEVER ENDS.