Restaurant 7 Portes is one of Barcelona’s oldest restaurants and a go-to destination for authentic, accomplished Catalan cuisine. Located adjacent to the city’s marina, this dining room has been hosting distinguished guests since its foundation in 1836. The food and decor alike are exquisite and beautifully presented making the establishment a treasured institution in one of the world’s most exciting culinary cities.
Tag Archives: TRAVEL
SLUKA
A proud Viennese institution, the rarified Sluka brand includes two grand cafés in the Austrian capital. Founded in 1891 by Wilhelm J. Sluka, these establishments have long-served as meeting places for the city’s social elite, artistic visionaries and great thinkers. So too have they become must-visit destinations for visitors exploring Vienna’s cultural history. The grand dining rooms are exquisitely decorated and serve beautiful delicacies and traditional Viennese food throughout the day.
LE PROCOPE
Dating back to 1686, Le Procope is one of the most famous and storied restaurants in Paris. A brasserie of distinction, bedecked in ornate furnishings, grand artwork and gilded decor, the restaurant has long-been held as a bastion of traditional French cuisine. Throughout the establishment’s history it has been a celebrated meeting place for Parisian society, the intelligentsia and various luminaries in artistic and literary circles, particularly so in the days that the dining room acted as a café in the grand European café tradition. Indeed, the restaurant regards itself as the oldest continuously operating café in the city. The beautiful environs make the venue a particularly popular destination for Parisians and tourists alike, keen to try the classic fare on offer or to enjoy their famous confections or ice creams. Today, the restaurant is a key institution of the Group Bertrand collection.
RIMOWA
Rimowa, like so many of our most celebrated luxury brands, began life as a saddlery in the 19th Century, crafting high quality equestrian goods, accessories and leather goods for exacting customers in the age of horse-drawn travel. The company, founded in 1898 by Paul Morszeck and his business partner, Heinrich Görtz, traded as Görtz & Morszeck and quickly developed a reputation for excellence. Görtz left in 1900 and Morszeck would take the company a different direction, focussing on saddlebags, travel trunks and luggage, embracing the advent in aviation and steamship travel. When his son, Richard, joined the business in 1931, changing the businesses name to a play on his own, Rimowa would begin to craft the highest quality luggage, robust and indestructible and inspired by the flight cases used by pilots. This design brief would become the house’s signature and is still very much in demand today. The house was taken over by the luxury goods conglomerate, LVMH, in 2016.
21 CLUB
A legendary speak-easy that grew into a landmark fine-dining institution in New York City, the 21 Club was a place to see and to be seen until it’s post-Covid closure. Originally a bar for those in the know during America’s prohibition years, it became a favourite venue of the Knickerbocker elite, a society outpost that’s legacy continued long after prohibition came to an end. The 21 Club leaned heavily into the concept of a private members club (it was a members club of sorts during its early years), with its signature jockey club motif. The bar expanded its offer to become one of the city’s finest dining rooms, a steakhouse with classic American cuisine defining its menu. The restaurant became a jewel in the Belmond/LVMH crown.
4 GATS
An architectural gem in old Barcelona, 4 Gats is an iconic restaurant and bar that began as a basement café and haunt of the city’s intelligentsia and artistic set, including Pablo Picasso. Indeed, the bar became a preferred meeting place for the leading figures associated with the Modernisme movement from the moment it opened in 1897 and until it closed in 1903. The bar was re-established in 1989 at a new location but with care and attention to restore its infamous art nouveau interior and aesthetic. The dining room has managed to recreate the ambience and vibe for which its originator was so famous and, today, has earned a reputation as being a must-visit for accomplished Catalan cuisine.
MOYNAT
Moynat is one of the great Parisian malletiers alongside Goyard and Louis Vuitton, famous for it’s high-end luxury trunks and luggage and synonymous with the golden age of travel. Similar to their rivals, Moynat is easily identified by their distinctive patterns and colourways and the high-quality finish. The brand became a darling of European society, with many celebrated and royal patrons. The brand fell out of favour as air travel replaced ocean liners but the brand was revived by LVMH with Luvanis and reinstated as one of the world’s pre-eminent luxury brands, specialising in leather goods, bags & handbags, luggage and fragrances.
DELVAUX
This Belgian luxury goods marque is the oldest high-end leather goods maker in the world, tracing its foundation back to 1829 when Charles Delvaux opened his eponymous store in Brussels. With a reputation for excellence in their craftsmanship and an exquisite attention to detail, Delvaux became a preferred brand to much of Europe’s aristocratic and noble classes, eventually earning a warrant as purveyors to the Royal Court of Belgium in 1883. The brand was particularly known for their luggage and steam trunks in the golden age of travel but has successfully reinvented themselves in the modern age as a fabricator of must-have handbags and other leather accessories. The house continues upon that tradition today as a label in the Richemont luxury goods stable.
AGGIE GREY’S HOTEL: THE GRAND DAME OF THE PACIFIC
The “Grand Old Lady” of Samoa, Aggie Grey’s is an iconic resort hotel that dates back to 1933. The hotel has a storied history and owes its foundation and reputation to the illustrious Aggie Grey – a famous Samoan socialite and business tycoon. The hotel has long been a haunt of visiting celebrities and is a preferred honeymoon destination for the well-heeled. The hotel has been an important part of the Sheraton chain since the operator took over management in 2013 and rebranded as the Sheraton Samoa Aggie Grey’s Hotel & Bungalows in 2016.
CONNOLLY: AN ICONIC MAKER OF LEATHER GOODS
Connolly is a British luxury leather brand founded in 1878. The brand is known for its high-quality leather goods, which are used in a variety of industries, including automotive, aviation, marine, furniture and the House’s very own line of fashion and accessories. Connolly leather is sourced from the finest hides from around the world and is tanned and finished using traditional methods. The brand’s leather is known for its durability, softness, and beauty.
FITZGABRIELS 