Off to the Royal Opera House or the English National Opera? Whether you’re a Baroque buff or a ‘Norma’ novice, seated in the gods or near the pit, with the children or with your grandmama, it’s always best to take a pew after a proper supper. A night at the London opera or ballet is
Is there anything better than a good book and a slice of cake? I think not. London has some enchanting bookshops where you can practically curl up with your favourite tome and tuck into a delicious slice and a cuppa. Here are 12 of the best bookshop cafes in London. Bookshop with the best cake
What’s in a name? I’m in Southall to review Brilliant restaurant, and my greedy fingers are crossed that it’s as brilliant as it says it is. Apparently, it’s King Charles’s favourite Indian restaurant and it seems Boris is also a fan. And with “Curry Queen” Dipna Anand at the culinary helm of this Ealing landmark, my hopes
One of my favourite places to have some cake and tea is in the Great Cloister overlooking the gardens of Horace Walpole’s Gothic fantasy at Strawberry Hill House. It’s a charming museum café from which you can stare across the Walpolian gardens where Georgian London’s great and godly once partied. Or when the sun is
I have a real loathing of places which refer to themselves as London’s “best-kept secret,” but Sticky Mango actually deserves the accolade. It’s not wedged into Southbank’s busy arteries which overflow with humdrum chain restaurants. Instead, this Waterloo outpost is quietly but conveniently located on Coin Street, close to the Old Vic, the National Theatre
Harry’s Bar. Don’t you just love those two words? It instantly brings to my mind the bitter taste of a pomegranate-coloured Negroni, Harry’s style, in Venice. There really is nowhere else in the world where I would rather sip my favourite drink. So, imagine my excitement when I heard Harry’s Dolce Vita, had opened in London’s Knightsbridge.
The Victorian Afternoon Tea at the Victoria and Albert Museum had me at seed cake. These two words always bring my childhood back in a whoosh of nostalgia wrapped in a cocoon of Englishness. If seed cake was good enough for Bilbo Baggins and his Unexpected Party, then it’s good enough for Londoness. And thanks
The Palace of Westminster, or Houses of Parliament as it’s commonly referred to, is one of London’s ultimate tourist hot spots, even if Big Ben is hibernating for the next three years whilst he gets a makeover. When I first arrived in London in the late 1980s, I would count the days until megalomaniac MP