London Brunch & The New Hub Hotel
Do you know what the best birthday present is? The present that involves more than one person!! This year for her husbands birthday, Emma bought all 4 of us tickets to a show. What show? You ask, A musical? No! A Play? No! A Concert? No, No, No! Why, dear readers the 4 of us have become quite enamoured of a Podcast this year and Emma bought us tickets to see it LIVE. I wasn't sure how a live podcast would work exactly, especially this one but it was an absolute riot and much fun was had by all.. but I'll get to that later.
Since we don't get out much Lee and I decided to make a night of it and stay over in London. Premier Inn's have been our go-to in years gone by but they're getting as pricey as a regular hotel now and so we thought we'd try something new. Not quite a Premier Inn but Premier Inn adjacent. The Hub (by Premier Inn) is a modern little compact bedroom/bathroom combo that feels very Japanese. They've fit as much as they possibly can in to one space and yet it didn't feel at all cramped.
The bed is a small double and is not going to be for everyone but I've moved our bedroom at home around a million times since we moved in last December and my side is currently next to the wall anyway so it was no huge adjustment for me. The bathroom has everything you would need, the shower was lush and there was plenty of counter space for toiletries. There were hidden cubbies to store luggage/clothing but I think I'd feel the space if we had been staying for more than a night or 2. If you're a solo traveller or on a tight budget then ok but if you're here as a tourist and looking for a base for a week I would say it may be a bit small.
All of the lighting was controlled via panels in the headboard and the TV options were more extensive than a regular Premier Inn, with On Demand Movies etc, so there's that. There are no tea & coffee making facilities (a running joke between us as it's something I really miss as a tea obsessed Brit) but there are some downstairs and they're all free for guests so you can't complain much. The one we stayed at (King's Cross) was also right by a Pret and had a couple of new restaurants under construction below it . We will book to stay again for the right price for sure.
Once we'd checked in we went to meet Chris & Emma for brunch at Sea Containers. I've wanted to go for ages but it's pricey and a little out of the way. Since we were already on that side of the river for the show later on it made sense to fit it in while we were there and we were all glad we did. Possibly the nicest roast potatoes I've ever tasted in my life and Chris had only good things to say about his side of incredibly crispy, American style bacon. The brunch menu is cheaper than lunch/dinner and there's a bottomless option if you're feeling boozy that's a really good deal. Something I may consider next time!
A few cocktails later and we were ready for the show.. If you've never listened to My Dad Wrote A Porno might I suggest you pick up your phone NOW and download the first episode? So many people recommended it to me on YouTube and I ignored them, assuming it wasn't going to be for me. I don't know what made me finally listen to it but I was instantly hooked and have since spread the porno love to at least 3 people.. so getting to watch Jamie, Alice and James perform it live with them was pretty much the best. When I say perform, they don't perform, they just read but really in order for you to have any idea at all you need to have a listen. A total bonus on the night was the inclusion of an additional voice. Michael Sheen (a very vocal supporter of the show) was in the audience and took on the role of a welsh character for the evening. He is in one our favourite shows, 30 Rock so Lee and I were extra excited to hear him.. but unfortunately we never actually saw him. He was buried somewhere in the crowd just like us paupers.
Since we bought a house with my parents last year we really haven't made the most of the live in babysitting as much as you might think. Next year I want to take more weekends away, just a night makes such a difference, especially when you're with friends!
The morning after was leisurely, I had a 'downstairs tea' delivered by Lee (that sounds FILTHY but isn't) and we made our way over to the station. I prefer to stay near the station if we're travelling home the next day since I want as a long a lie in as possible so the location was perfect for us too. It made for a much more chilled out weekend than the regular London escape.. the only thing to mention about the Hub would be that I don't think they offer the Good Night Guarantee. That being said, if the cost is substantially less I am happy with the trade off.