Wilde Aparthotels, London Liverpool Street Review

Wilde Liverpool Street is the latest opening from the chain which seamlessly bridges the divide between apartments and hotels. I am fortunate enough to have stayed with the group in Paddington and Berlin, but if anything, the recently opened Wilde Liverpool Street exceeds the other three.

The check in was both hospitable and efficient, and included a brief introduction to the shop tucked away behind the bar. The whole lobby area is decorated with rich autumnal colours – with brown and orange featuring strongly. It creates a warm feeling that encourages guests to stay.

Staying is a feature of the Wilde group, as the hotel rooms double up as apartments, ideal if you are planning more than a single night dash as was the case with me. It has top of the range kitchen equipment as well as a Nespresso coffee machine. Intriguingly in addition to the complimentary water there was an inviting tin of gin and tonic. The gin was London dry, needless to say, from the Portobello Road company which was mixed with Franklin & Sons premium tonic water, also from the UK capital. It was a most welcome welcome gift.

The theme of local produce is continued throughout the shop where possible – there are not too many olive groves in the capital, but who knows the ongoing climate crisis might all change this. Unfortunately, I did not have sufficient time to do this justice as I had already arranged to meet one colleague for a beer around the corner, before heading to the west end for dinner with an old friend.

Excellent Location

This is a further strength of the Wilde Liverpool Street. Its location is prime. A few minutes’ walk from Liverpool Street and the City, Brick Lane and Whitechapel are an equivalent distance away in the opposite direction. The options and transport connections, especially with the advent of the Elizabeth Line are limitless.

So, within twenty minutes or so of bidding adieu to my colleague, I was settling down to a pint of Sam Smiths in Fitzrovia. This has always been one of my favourite parts of town, especially as family tradition has it that my great great grandfather used to drive a hansom cab here. In the 80s and 90s this part of town was dominated by Greek restaurants, but now the area has more cosmopolitan offerings.

Avoiding the pan Asian and Italian offerings, we opted for Peruvian. Lima Fitzrovia proved an admirable choice. To start we shared a mixed ceviche that combined octopus, prawns and bass with tiger’s milk, and a red quinoa salad with passion fruit. The combinations worked well, and as always with good ceviche there was an invigorating zest to the dish, although I pitied the person who had to milk the tiger. This we followed with quinoto del mar – we both rather boringly plumped for the same dish – which included sea food and more quinoa. All was washed down by a very palatable Peruvian shiraz, which was a first for me.

A Wilde Breakfast

With no hansom cabs available, I took the tube back to the Wilde London, where I slept as soundly as a tiger.

The breakfast at Wilde London matched its welcome. In addition to be aesthetically pleasing, the lobby area is also extremely comfortable. I chose some homemade hummus which came with sourdough bread, with a side of haloumi. It was the perfect way to kick off the day.

In fact, I was so comfortable in the reception area that I stayed here for the rest of the morning, while catching up with some emails, before checking out as seamlessly as I had arrived.

Look Back in Anger

Part of the reason for my stay in London was to see Look Back in Anger at the Almeida Theatre. Arriving early, I picked up my tickets and sat in the theatre’s cafeteria enjoying the excellent carrot and coriander soup. For me this is one of the pleasures of the Almeida, settling down and waiting for everyone to arrive, while reading a book – in this case Paul Lynch’s Prophet Song, which scooped the 2023 Booker Prize.

While Lynch depicts a totalitarian Ireland in the not too distant future, John Osborne’s 1956 play of an angry young man seems most definitely set in the past. It is part of the Angry and Young series at the Almedia, running with Arnold Wesker’s Roots (1959). Fortunately, my stay at the Wilde Liverpool Street did not leave me angry, although sadly neither did I feel any younger. However, what did Oscar say about youth? Well. Precisely.

Verdict

The Wilde Liverpool Street is most definitely a winner. Its location, staff and décor set it apart from other hotels in the capital of a similar budget. It now appears on my fictional list of places to stay while on a trip to the capital.

Prices for a studio apartment for two start at £180. To book, go to: http://www.wilde.com.