500 hidden secrets on london

The 500 Hidden Secrets of

LONDON TOM GREIG

95 P L AC E S TO E AT O R BUY GOOD FOOD

The 5 best places for

S T R E E T F O O D —————————————— 30

5 must eat restaurants for The 5 best places to grab

F O O D I E S ——————————————— 32

L U N C H I N S O H O ———————— 34

The 5 hippest places to eat in

E A S T L O N D O N ——————— 36

The 5 best

VEGETARIAN

restaurants—————————————— 38

The 5 best

ASIAN

restaurants————————————————————— 40

The 5 best restaurants for

INTERNATIONAL

C U I S I N E ———————————————————————————————————— 42

The 5 best

G R E A S Y S P O O N C A F E S ————————————— 44

The 5 best places for

F I S H A N D C H I P S ——————————— 46

The 5 best places for

M E A T E A T E R S ——————————————— 48

The 5 best restaurants for INTERNATIONAL CUISINE

31

TRULLO 300-302 St Paul's Road N1 2LH Islington �� +44 (0)20 7226 2733 www.trullorestaurant.com

32

JOSÉ TAPAS BAR 104 Bermondsey St SE1 3UB Southbank ➃ +44 (0)20 7403 4902 www.josepizarro.com/ jose-tapas-bar

33

CASSE-CROÛTE 109 Bermondsey St SE1 3XB Southbank ➃ +44 (0)20 7407 2140 www.cassecroute.co.uk

42

Named after the traditional conical stone huts found in Puglia, the food here is similarly elegant, rustic and unpretentious.

The menu is constantly changing with the seasons, but a few things always remain; the warm ambiance, the superb freshly-made pasta and the famous dish of pappardelle with beef shin ragu.

Seating is limited and there’s a good chance you’ll have to stand, just as you would in Spain, as this can be a lively and popular spot. The classic tapas served here are perfectly created and the wine list is excellent to match.

Intimate, rustic and charming, no cliché seems to have been avoided in decking this place out in true Gallic style. The cooking is hearty and full of flavour and there are daily-changing specials.

Convivial.

34

BRASSERIE ZEDEL 20 Sherwood St W1F 7ED Soho ➀ +44 (0)20 7734 4888 www.brasseriezedel.com

35

THE RED SEA 382 Uxbridge Road W12 7LL West ➆ +44 (0)20 8749 6888

Zedel’s is a brasserie in the grand European style. At street level it appears only to be a small cafe, but once you have descended the stairs the opulence and scale of this operation will amaze.

Apart from the cocktail bar and cabaret spot there is a huge high-ceilinged dining hall in the Art Deco/Beaux Arts style. They serve up classic fare such as steak haché and duck confit, all at incredibly reasonable prices.

This unusual restaurant specialises in cuisine from around the Horn of Africa; Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Yemen.

The setting is somewhat ramshackle but the food is interesting. That you can take your own alcohol makes this place even better value.

32 JOSÉ TAPAS BAR

43

SKETCH

5 of the best INDEPENDENT BOOKSHOPS

201

LONDON REVIEW BOOKSHOP 14 Bury Place WC1A 2JL Bloomsbury ➁ +44 (0)20 7269 9030 www.londonreview bookshop.co.uk

202

JOHN SANDOE BOOKS 10 Blacklands Terrace SW3 2SR South West ➅ +44 (0)20 7589 9473 www.johnsandoe.com

122

This bookshop was set up in 2003 by London Review of Books, the esteemed literary journal. The stock is carefully selected and very strong on literature, biography, politics, history, essays and poetry in particular. They organise several talks and events each month.

Through a gap in the wall, between the books, you can access the Cake Shop, which is one of the best cafes in the city, a real literary salon.

Located in recently refurbished and expanded (but still small) premises in an 18th-century terrace, this delightful bookshop is bibliophile’s dream. 28.000 titles are crammed in over the three narrow floors, with an emphasis on literature, history, biography, poetry, art and children’s. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable and will go the extra mile to find the book you’re after.

202 JOHN SANDOE BOOKS

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BRIXTON RITZY

55 PL ACES TO E N J OY C U LT U R E

The 5 best S M A L L

G A L L E R I E S ————————————————— 142

The 5 best C O M M E R C I A L

G A L L E R I E S ————————— 144

The 5 best I N D E P E N D E N T The 5 most I N N O V A T I V E

CINEMAS

5 things to see at T H E

146

T H E A T R E S ——————————— 148

The 5 most inspiring C U L T U R A L 5 artworks to see at T A T E

—————————

C E N T R E S ——————— 150

B R I T A I N —————————————— 152

V & A M U S E U M ———————————— 154

The 5 best sound systems at N O T T I N G H I L L C A R N I V A L —————————————————— 156

The 5 best venues for L I V E The 5 best M U S I C

M U S I C ——————————————— 158

F E S T I V A L S ————————————————— 160

5 historic C H U R C H E S for L I V E

M U S I C ————————— 162

The 5 most revealing FREE VIEWPOINTS

356

PRIMROSE HILL Primrose Hill Road NW3 3NA North ��

357

WATERLOO BRIDGE WC2R 2PP Southbank

192

➃

Primrose Hill is a grass parkland which lies just to the north of the much bigger Regent’s Park. There’s a wonderful view south across central London. It’s adjacent to the attractive and prosperous neighbourhood of the same name, and to London Zoo. A stone at the summit quotes William Blake – “I have conversed with the spiritual sun. I saw him on Primrose Hill.”

This elegant bridge affords the best and most dramatic ground-level view of London. To the west are the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Whitehall. To the east stand the towers of the Barbican and the City, and the dome of St Paul’s.

To the south the Royal Festival Hall, National Theatre and London Eye. To the north Somerset House, the Savoy Hotel and the Shell Building. The restless, murky river surges beneath you.

358

RICHMOND PARK TW10 5HX (overview map) www.royalparks.org.uk/ parks/richmond-park

359

GREENWICH OBSERVATORY Blackheath Avenue Greenwich Park SE10 8XJ (overview map) +44 (0)20 8858 4422 www.rmg.co.uk/ royal-observatory

360

TATE MODERN Bankside SE1 9TG Southbank ➃ www.tate.org.uk/visit/ tate-modern

This wonderful 17th-century deer park is London’s largest green space. From Sawyer’s Hill there are great views to central London with the London Eye and Gherkin visible, and from King Henry’s Mound near Pembroke Lodge is a famous protected view to St Paul’s Cathedral.

The vista was created in 1710 and is framed by a cut though trees in the park.

The view from on top of the hill outside the Observatory offers the finest natural vista in London. Standing on the Meridian Line the view south to Maritime Greenwich and beyond is stunning, especially at dusk. The view takes in Greenwich Park, the beautiful National Maritime Museum and Old Royal Navy College buildings, the Thames, Docklands, Canary Wharf’s skyscrapers and the City.

The new Switch House extension at Tate Modern is ten stories high and has a public viewing terrace from where there are excellent 360-degree views right across London. The original power station building has a superb view from the sixth floor that looks directly across the river to St Paul’s and the City.

193

5 UNUSUAL PLACES to sleep

421

BERT’S BARGES Hackney ➈ www.bertsbarges.com

422

40 WINKS 109 Mile End Road East ➂ +44 (0)20 7790 0259 www.40winks.org

423

DALSTON COSY CAMPER Hackney ➈ www.airbnb.co.uk/ rooms/3516945

224

Bert’s luxury floating barge is moored up on a quiet and pretty stretch of the Regent’s Canal. The interiors are incredibly stylish, with a modern Scandinavian feel. The barge is equipped with a wood burning stove, underground heating, king size bed and has a roof terrace.

Renowned interior designer David Carter invites you to enjoy 40 Winks at his own residence, a ‘micro-boutique’ hotel with only two rooms. Entering his historic 1717 house near Stepney Green in east London is to encounter a magical atmosphere, each room having its own distinctive, unique character.

Artist Tony Hornecker has customised a VW campervan outside his Dalston studio that he lets out on Airbnb. The interior is at once reminiscent of an art installation and a mysterious bric-a-brac store. It’s a total one-off, complete with its own roof garden.

424

HIGHGATE YURT Islington �� www.airbnb.co.uk/ rooms/705210

425

THE GEORGIAN HOUSE Hampton Court Palace Hampton Court www.landmarktrust.org.uk/ search-and-book/properties/ georgian-house-7805

Just two minutes away from the London Underground station in Highgate, this cosy yurt has claim to be the closest to a tube station anywhere in the world. It’s located in the peaceful wooded garden of a suburban house. It’s a luxurious city camping experience, complete with wood burning stove and Persian rugs.

Remarkably, the Landmark Trust rents out an apartment within the grounds of the Hampton Court Palace residence of King Henry VIII, in an imposing and elegant 1719 brick house that was once the Prince of Wales’s kitchen. Guests are free to walk the extensive and magnificent gardens and courtyards, and will glimpse Palace life beyond the public’s gaze.

421 BERT'S BARGES

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COLOPHON E DI T I N G and COM P OS I NG — Tom Greig GR A PH I C D ES I G N — Joke Gossé and Tinne Luyten PH OTOG R A P HY — Sam Mellish – www.sammellish.com COV E R I M AG E — Brixton Market The addresses in this book have been selected after thorough independent research by the author, in collaboration with Luster Publishers. The selection is solely based on personal evaluation of the business by the author. Nothing in this book was published in exchange for payment or benefits of any kind.

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