London

Food and Drink

Food

With celebrity chefs now so well known, why not go and taste their wares for real?

Gordon Ramsay has 9 restaurants in the city, while Jamie Oliver’s restaurant ‘Fifteen’ is topical if nothing else. There’s also Ken Hom, Gary Rhodes and Anthony Worrall Thompson available to satisfy your palette but watch out, you’ll have to book any of these well in advance.

There’s been quite a re-invention of food in London lately with the launch of the ‘Gourmet Burger Kitchen’ restaurants and ‘The Natural Burger Co & Grill’ which take the ordinary and make something special out of it!

If you don’t fancy going upmarket there’s always the traditional steak and kidney pie or fish and chips in the local pub / restaurant. One thing’s for sure, you won’t go hungry!

• Rock & Sole Plaice, 47 Endell Street, London WC2H 9AJ. Closest Tube is Covent Garden. Ph 00 44 207 836 3785. For big portions of hand-cut, chunky, honest-to-God chips, along with the best fish in central London, the Rock & Sole Plaice should satisfy your appetite.
• Archduke, Concert Hall Approach, South Bank, London SE1 8XU. Closest Tube is either Waterloo or Embankment. Ph 00 44 207 928 9370 or email manager@thearchduke.co.uk. Opened in 1979, the Archduke has managed to feed, water and entertain its customers for almost 30 years – this is no mean feat in a city that consumes restaurants! They’re doing something right – maybe it’s the staff, maybe it’s the music, or maybe it’s just the food. Booking is essential.
• Boxwood, The Berkeley, Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7RL. Closest Tube Hyde Park Corner or Knightsbridge. Ph 00 44 20 7235 1010 or emailboxwoodcafe@gordonramsay.co.uk. This is one of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants. While the atmosphere is somewhat more informal, jeans and a t-shirt are not acceptable. Bookings are absolutely essential and, while it is expensive, it’s well worth it.

Drink

British pubs, like Irish pubs, are a tradition and experience all of the own. Here's a few we recommend you visit.

• Dog & Duck, 18 Bateman St., London W1D 3AJ. This small pub in the heart of Soho is a grade II listed building. It’s a popular spot and customers squeeze into the two small bars, spilling out onto the pavement in warm weather. The ornate interior is covered from floor to ceiling in tiles and mirrors.
• The Cove, 1 Piazza, Covent Garden Market, London WC2. It is impossible to have a more central location in Covent Garden than that enjoyed by The Cove. The fun and excitement of the street entertainers is on the doorstep, and while the pints are good, the pasties are even better.
• Revolution, 2 St. Annes Court, Soho, London W1F OAZ. The comfy leather lounge sofas invite you to spend more time there than you might have planned, and the plush surroundings make it all the more difficult to leave.

London

Shopping

Where do you start, or more to the point, once you have started, where do you stop?

Shopping in London is out of this world! There’s such choice, such a variety and such an array of new, unique and varied stuff on offer as well as everything that you’re already used to!

Oxford Street, Regent Street, Tottenham Court Road, Bond Street, Kensington, Kings Road and Carnaby Street are the main areas in which you’ll find a huge selection of shops. You could spend all your time – and all your money – just shopping! Retail therapy? London’s got the cure!

If You Do One Thing

in London

• Landmark.....Big Ben and the Tower of London
• Museum.....Royal Albert Museum
• Church.....Westminster Abbey
• Park.....Hyde Park on a Sunday morning
• Market.....Spitalfields Market, Sunday only. Close to Liverpool Street Station.

London

Airport to City Information

London Heathrow is served by the London Underground and the Piccadilly Line runs from the airport through central London. The Heathrow Express also runs from Heathrow and serves Paddington every 15 minutes.