LOCATION, location, location – it was English estate agent turned tycoon Lord Harold Samuel who is attributed with coining the now oft-used phrase.

He was talking property but had he been talking hotels he could easily have been talking about The Bull & The Hide.

Dating from the 17th Century, The Bull is a typically high-ceilinged, traditional and atmosphere-filled city centre London pub, while The Hide is the stylish restaurant located immediately above.

Also sharing this elegant Tudor structure a stone’s throw from the lofty, bulbous London landmark that is 30 St Mary Axe – The Gherkin – are seven individually designed hotel rooms.

Devonshire Row – which, give or take a few seconds, is about half-a-minute’s walk from the main entrance of Liverpool Street tube and train station – is where you will find The Bull & The Hide.

If you turn left out of Devonshire Row you will be caught up in the heavily-thronged heart of one of the world’s busiest financial districts.

Best then – at least, unless you have business in that particular quarter – to turn right where a brief stroll along Bishopsgate, towards the Smoke’s famous East End will reveal all manner of noteworthy attractions... hence the “location, location, location” reference.

Passing Dirty Dick’s pub (invariably crammed with American and German tourists) is the ever-fascinating Old Spitalfields Market which has been operating on the site for several hundred years.

Long gone, though, are the curses and clatter of the once ubiquitous Cockney barrow boys who re-located a few miles away a few years ago to Leyton, along with the famous Spitalifields’ fruit and veg market.

Instead of cabbages, cauliflowers, apples and pears you will today find all manner of intriguing stalls selling arts, antiques and fashion to books, vinyl and myriad quirky crafts.

A little farther east and you will happen upon Boxpark, the world’s first ‘pop-up mall’ where assorted galleries, cafes, bars and shops have been fashioned from scores of shipping containers.

If it happens to be a Sunday and you see people lurching around beneath mighty bushels of multi-coloured vegetation, that is because the Columbia Road Flower Market is just around the corner.

A couple of streets away and you will hit Bangla City, otherwise known as Brick Lane, where the exotic east has materialised in London’s now almost as exotic east that is the heart of the city’s Bangladeshi community.

Fancy a curry? You’re in the right place. Bradford may lay a spirited claim but Brick Lane truly is The Curry Capital of the UK, with a plethora of award-winning restaurants whose employees gather on the street enthusiastically vying for your custom. “This way sir – no, please over here – sir, we use the finest spices known to mankind.”

On this occasion, however, we gave it a miss and cheerfully moseyed around the Brick Lane area’s many indie stores before returning to The Hide for dinner. But first we had to pass through The Bull before heading upstairs – an almost impossible task without at least stopping off for one pint.

A bull theme runs through The Hide where wooden bull’s head sculptures line the walls of an eaterie which combines an air of sophistication with a warm, friendly service.

It is one of those softly-lit, feel-at-home places where you go with the intention of spending an hour or so before suddenly realising that you’ve been there for three. The clientele – at least on our visit – appeared to be a mixture of couples, explorers of Olde London Town and pinstriped City slickers.

A couple of floors above – via a winding staircase with a sign that helpfully urges guests to ‘take a breather’ before pressing on – was our accommodation for the night, the Devonshire Suite.

Equipped with everything you’d expect from a boutique hotel, it is so named after William Cavendish, 2nd Earl of Devonshire who once owned much of the land on which the The Bull & Hide sits.

Every floor – and this is a great little touch – includes a 24-hour complimentary pantry offering tea and coffee, fresh fruit, Caramel bars, Wagon Wheels, assorted sweeties and a fridge crammed with cold drinks.

Just the thing for those midnight munchies and a refreshing bottle of London Lager as night-time settles on The Swinging City.

Travel facts

 

  •  The Bull & The Hide, 4 Devonshire Row, Bishopsgate, London EC2M 4RH Tel: 020 7655 4805 email: info@thebullandhide.com www.thebullandhide.com