Based loosely on a saying of Samuel Johnson “tired of London, tired of Life”, I spent a long weekend in London, enjoying all it has to offer; from quirky markets, over cream teas to fantastic ethnic cuisine (as the Americans call it). Below you’ll find another of my travelogues and hopefully, you’ll get one or two ideas for your next visit to London. Just don’t expect to find the ultimate insider tips – I am just another tourist. A well informed, deeply passionate about food frequent traveler, but still just a tourist.
Accommodation
As always, it is all about location, location, location. I like the Blu Radisson Edwardian Berkshire Hotel, which is only a few steps from the Bond Street station away. Rooms are clean, the staff is extremely friendly and helpful and although I am not the biggest breakfast person, the breakfast in this hotel is outstanding. From fresh fruits, over delicious pastries to made to order eggs, they’ve got it all. While a typical English breakfast is not very appealing to me (baked beans, fatty sausages and black pudding if you are really unlucky), I must admit that the English know how to cook eggs and I love poached eggs.
As it is true for any city trip, think about what area you’re going to be in most and choose an accommodation accordingly. In London, I would also check what subway lines operate at the closest station to your hotel. For example, Jubilee, Victoria, and Central line are fast and run frequently. Other lines are less convenient. Another point to take into account is the airport you’ll be flying in to. Make sure that you’ll get in reasonable time from the airport to the hotel.
Sights / Activities
For the typical newbie sightseeing activities like Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the like please consult other blogs/websites. As I have been several times to London, I didn’t focus on sights/museums. I was more curious about the food/clothes markets. So I went to visit the Borough Market, the Brick Lane Market and the nearby Old Spitalfields Market. The Borough Market is a pure foods market and one of the oldest around London. Its history goes back to over a thousand years. It is advisable to go there around lunch time and enjoy lunch from the many traders. Most vendors sell fresh produce – less practical for tourists traveling only with carry on luggage. However, a stroll around can be very inspiring and there are a few stalls with transportable products, such as the wonderful spice store Spice Mountain. And most importantly, for homesick Porteños (=people living in Buenos Aires) there is a stall called “Porteña” selling Argentinian products including Havanna Alfajores! For those of you that haven’t read my article about Cafés in Buenos Aires, alfajores are the mother of all cookies.
In addition, you should absolutely not miss the opportunity to indulge in a hot chocolate at Rabot 1745. I opted for a salted caramel hot chocolate and left with a big smile on my face (as all other guests):
Be aware that although the webpage says the market is open from Monday to Saturday, some stalls are closed on Monday and Tuesday. The market is located close to the London Bridge subway station (when leaving the train look for the Borough High Street exit). Due to its proximity, a visit to the market can be easily combined with a visit to the Shard and/or the Tate Modern.
The Borough Market
8 Southwark St, London SE1 1TL
Opening Hours: Mon-Tues 10am-5pm limited market, Wed-Fri 10am-5pm and Sat 8am-5pm full market, closed Sundays.
A visit to the Brick Lane Market and the Old Spitalfields Market goes well together as they are only a couple a minutes away from each other. The closest subway station is Liverpool Street station. While the Brick Lane Market (being on a public street) is only open on Sundays, the Old Spitalfields Market is opened daily. The Brick Lane Market first looked to me like a streetfood festival with lots of different food stalls; the offering ranging from baos over ramen soups to vegan pancakes. There is something for everyone. A funny coincidence was that I met the guy from Kitchen Impossible (a show on the German TV channel VOX), Mark Gevaux a.k.a. the Rib Man and of course I took the opportunity to get a picture with a real VIP. 😉
He was kind enough to not only taking a picture with me but to also giving me a sample of his ribs, and man, should you ever be in the area, don’t miss the chance to get some of this good stuff! Another find was a cupcake stall with delicious bite-size cupcakes, called Fairy Pan. So far, they have a stall at the market, offer their regular sized cupcakes at Harvey Nichols and online. Normally, I prefer muffins over cupcakes, because cupcakes are just too sweet and too creamy for my taste. However, those bite-size cupcakes were just yummy and addictive.
Beyond the thousand food stalls, the market also offers the typical bling bling i.e. jewelry, clothes and other souvenirs. It was a lot to take in. I recommend to walk through the whole market first right until the end and only then decide what you want to eat. There is just too much to choose from. Beyond the stalls on the street, there is more in two halls left and right of the street. Both halls have food stalls, but also stalls with craftworks. Here are some more impressions:
Brick Lane Market
Brick Lane, Shoreditch, E1 6QL
Opening Hours: Sundays 10am-5pm
The Old Spitalfields Market is less chaotic and a bit smaller. It is located in one big hall with more stalls about craftwork and clothes than food stalls. It takes you less time to see everything. One big advantage (and this one is for all girls out there): they have restrooms, for free and clean. While the Brick Lane Market has a more independent feel to it, the Old Spitalfields Market seems a bit more “commercial”. I did find some individual jewelry nonetheless, however be prepared to see certain things at several stands repeatedly. Here are some impressions:
Old Spitalfields Market
16 Horner Square, London E1 6EW
Opening Hours: Sun-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 11am-5pm
And as if I hadn’t done enough shopping at these markets, I of course had to roam Oxford, Bond and Regent street and all other streets in SoHo. As stated earlier, I don’t have any secret shopping tips, sorry. I like the fashion house House of Fraser as I consider most brands they sell affordable, yet stylish and of decent quality. I love to shop for dresses when abroad, as I feel there is a lack of fashionable dresses in Swiss boutiques. I came to appreciate Phase Eight and Coast for dresses and Clarks for shoes (keyword: desert boots).
Cuisine
For every foodie, London is an oasis, a food heaven if you will. The difficulty is to decide what to eat. For a quick lunch in between shopping, I can recommend Ping Pong. This is a dim sum chain which has a venue conveniently located a few steps off Regent street in SoHo. While dim sum are made to share, they also have combos for solo eaters. You can get lunch for around £15-20. Their iced teas are delicious as well.
Ping Pong
45 Great Marlborough Street, London W1F 7JL (check their website for other locations)
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-midnight, Sat 12pm-midnight, Sun 12pm-10.30pm
Another great option for lunch is Chisou, a small Japanese restaurant, also just off the Regent street in Mayfair. For lunch, they offer a Sushi Bento for £23 which includes an amouse bouche, a Miso soup, salad, a generous Suhi bento box, and a sliced orange for dessert. The sushi is fresh, prepared right in front of you and just yummy. If you order green tea, it is for free and with refill (just as I know it from Japan 🙂 ).
I consider the value for money at this place great. Some people might think that they are better off with the “factory sushi” they get from Yo!, but do the math first. The plates at Yo! are around £4-6 and you’ll need 4-5 plates. In the end, you will pay the same or even more for less quality…
Chisou
4 Princes Street, London, W1B 2LE (second location in Knigthsbridge, check the website)
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 12-2.30pm and 6-10.30pm, Sat 12.30-3pm and 6-10.30pm, Sun 1-9.30pm
If you have read some of my posts you know by now that I am a huge fan of the Vietnamese cuisine. As with all other cuisines, there is no shortage of Vietnamese restaurants in London. However, most of them can be found in Shoreditch on Kingsland road aka the Pho mile. As this area was not in my plans, I was more than happy when I walked around in SoHo and discovered the Pho restaurant on Wardour street. Albeit it is part of a chain, the food was very good. It was too warm for a pho soup for me so I opted for a summer roll and a salad instead.
My only point of criticism is that the lighting was insufficient and more appropriate for a bar than a restaurant. As you can see in the pictures above I had to use flash to get decent pictures of the food. Otherwise, it was a great restaurant visit. A huge plus is that they don’t add “service” straight to the check, as it seems to be customs allover London nowadays.
Pho SoHo
163-165 Wardour Street, London, W1F 8WN (check their website for other locations)
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 12-11pm, Sun 12-10pm
Afternoon Tea is a must in London – one of the few English eating habits that are actually delicious. Choice is endless here. You can go for a real fancy venue and pay more than you would for a dinner in Zurich, but there are also more budget friendly options. The full afternoon tea can easily serve as your late lunch. If you are only loooking for an afternoon snack then go for the so-called cream tea, which includes a tea of your choice and usually two scones with clotted cream and jam. During this visit to London, I had cream tea at the Tea Terrace, located on the 5th floor of the House of Fraser, a steal at £8.85. Service is a bit slow, but the Alice in Wonderland design and the delicious scones that come in various flavors (try cranberry & white chocolate) make up for that.
The Tea Terrace
5th Floor, House of Fraser, 318 Oxford St London W1C 1HF
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 9.30am-9pm, Sun 12-6.30pm
After all the Asian lunches, I opted for a more traditional cuisine for dinner: the Goodman steakhouse. Appearing to be an American steakhouse, the Goodman is in fact British. A reservation is absolutely necessary for dinner, unless you are solo (or in a small party) like me and don’t have any problems with eating at the bar. In that case, you will find easily a spot at the bar. The barstools are vey comfy and have a backrest. The steak was cooked to perfection; I had chosen a fillet mignon (mainly due to its size) and paired it with sauce Bernaise and creamed spinach with Gruyere cheese. The meat is mainly from the US. I like the fact that they have daily changing cuts on a blackboard. The steak was marvellous, the Bernaise was unfortunately a bit too sour. And while wine vinegar is an ingredient in the classic recipe, it should not dominate the sauce. Also, the chef was a bit too generous with the Gruyere cheese in the creamed spinach. Sometimes, less is more.
However, the ambiance was very relaxed, the waiters were very attentive and the star of the meal – the steak – was flawless. To drink, I had chosen a glass of Merlot. Other guests around me opted for a beer and apparently they only have a Bostonian brand, Sam Adams and a Spanish one. For homesick Bostonians this might be great. For a British steakhouse this seams to be a shame. After all, England has dozens of breweries and brands, so it really shouldn’t be a problem to find a suitable local one for a steakhouse. In sum, if you are looking for a delicious steak in an American environment, the Goodman is for you.
Goodman
24-26 Maddox Street, London, W1S 1QH (two other locations are in Bank and Canary Wharf)
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 12-10.30pm, closed Sundays.
Reservation recommened.
As most major cities, London has also a Chinatown. For my second dinner in London, I followed zumfressngern.ch’s advice and went to the Four Seasons for Peking duck – one of my favorite Chinese dishes. Reservations are not accepted, so a little wait was unavoidable. The interior looks a bit rundown, but you are not visiting this restaurant for the ambiance. I ordered half a Peking duck for £21.80 (still too much for one person, but at these prices affordable).
The duck was good, although the skin could have been crispier. Value for money is good, don’t expect great service though. It was more like I was tolerated than being a paying guest. It is a good option, especially for someone from Switzerland (as there is no Chinatown nowhere close to Zurich). However, I had better. I am still dreaming of the Peking Duck House in New York sometimes.
Four Seasons
12 Gerrard Street, China Town, London W1D 5PR
Opening Hours: Mon-Thurs 12-11.30pm, Fri-Sat 12pm-midnight, Sun 11am-11pm.
Another restaurant that I had visited on an earlier trip that I can recommend is Picture. It is located in Fitzrovia and has recently opened a new location in Marylebone. They offer a regularly changing 6 course menu for £45. Please see below the menu I had when visiting in January 2016.
You can also order a la carte, but I really recommend to go for the set menu.
Picture Restaurant
110 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 6PQ // 19 New Cavendish Street, London, W1G 9TZ
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 12-2.30pm and 6-10.30pm, closed Sundays.
Reservation recommended.
Conclusion
London has so much to offer that a trip is always worth it. After having seen the must sights, visit some of their markets, get lost in the streets of SoHo and simply enjoy this bustling city that is a foodie’s dream come true. One thing is for sure: This was not my last trip to London. Now I am curious about your experiences in this city. What can you recommend in terms of sights and/or restaurants? What valuable lessons did you learn? Please leave a comment below or send me an email (info@foodkeepsmegoing.com).
Travel Tips
- As in most major cities, dinner reservations in popular restaurants are advisable. However, if the restaurant offers the full menu at the bar, for smaller parties (up to three people), you can try even the hot spots without a reservation – if you are willing to eat at the bar.
- Shops are usually open seven days a week, but on Sundays they only open at noon and close at 6pm. Schedule museum or market visits for Sunday morning.
- Time Out is a good source of information for restaurants etc. in London. You can search by cuisine or neighborhood as well.
- Carefully choose the airport you’ll be flying in to. To me, the most favorable one is still London City – independent from where you’ll be staying at – as it is wonderfully small and you’ll be at the train station in no time.
- Visitors get Oyster Cards for a deposit of only GBP 3. A day travel card costs GBP 12 for zones 1-4 while an Oyster Card is capped at GBP 9.70 for the same zones (for more information on what “capping” means, check out the London transport website).
