London never ceases to be amazing regardless of how many times you visit. However, during recent years, it has not remained the courteous city that we remember. In spite of this it is one of the most energetic cities in the world. In London, there are many things happening simultaneously, restaurant openings, exhibitions, new hotels and entertaining productions. The last time I visited, after an absence of 6 months or more, I wanted to uncover the most alternative, hidden but distinctively fascinating side of London. I finally managed a 5 day assortment of events starting with a (not especially interesting) exhibition of Gabriel Orozco at the Tate Modern right up to the fantastic miniature sushi bar Atari-ya on the Uxbridge Road and the ultra fresh oysters accompanied by a glass of Viognier at the Wolsely restaurant, and a visit to the extremely appealing store-workshop, Unto This Last.
I usually prefer to stay at the Cadogan, a smallish boutique hotel in a quiet green area of Sloane Street away from the noisy city centre and within reach of wherever I wish to visit. This time though I stayed with a friend who lives near Notting Hill which allowed me to walk around the narrow streets and visit for the umpteenth time my favorite places, New Fortune Cookie and Royal China in Queensway. The former is a small Chinese “tavern” where you will find really good roast duck, wonderful prawn won ton and, depending on the day, fresh fish cooked in their own juices with ginger and spices. At Royal China, the dim sum is the best I have ever tasted that is unless you visit before 5pm.The rest of the menu is mediocre but it is worth a visit if only for the dim sum.
If you choose to stay in a hotel near London's center, I recommend the Boundary, belonging to the “wizard” Sir Terence Conran in Shoreditch, which features light spacious rooms in the much loves mix & match style of Sir Terence. On the ground floor is a café which offers a fascinating collection of jams, marmalades and chutneys. Nearby are lots of bars, boutiques and small hotels all worth a visit. At the weekend the area is packed with people from all over London looking for bargains at the Brick Lane flea market. Don’t be surprised at the queues outside the bakeries selling delicious bagels filled with smoked salmon or roast beef, both worth of a taste.
Back again to Mayfair in London’s west end, where, in addition to the innovative windows of Stella McCartney’s store, there is also an appealing gallery, the Halcyon where I managed to see the Mauro Peruccetti exhibition, Modern Heroes, just before it finished and I was once again reassured of London’s love of Pop Art.
If you decide to visit the departmental stores, it would be better to avoid Harvey Nichols which is in decline after the change in ownership and in no way does it resemble its old elegant self. In contrast, Selfridges has enriched the designer department and also stocks the creations of little known designers. I would not recommend the HIX restaurant on the mezzanine floor as the food struck me as being indifferent, and the service was dreadful. Harrods remains amazingly aware and maintains the best Food Hall in the world.
A short distance away in Shepherds Bush (Central line) is the huge shopping centre, Westfield, where you could spend several hours browsing, without a hint of boredom if you are a shopaholic, as there you can find full sized stores of almost all the top designer brands positioned around a central champagne bar, perfect for a moment of relaxation. London never fails to surprise its visitors. I recently ate at the Dock Kitchen where the young talented Steve Parle cooks inside an environment designed by Tom Dixon. Unfortunately the food was pleasant but fell below my expectations. The menu was small and the steak stringy. The wine list lacked imagination and the ventilation problematic. The interesting décor lost ground in comparison to the originality of the building and its location next to the canal. The truth is that in this city, restaurants open one after another and most have from good to excellent cuisine with décor ranging from interesting to unique. For this reason, it is considered to be one of the most serious gastronomic and design destinations in the world. I am waiting impatiently for the 100% design in September but before then I think I shall have made another visit to see the Yamamoto exhibition at the V&A which opens on 12th March and I shall manage to book a table at Dinner of Heston Blumenthal which I didn’t manage to visit this time as it had just opened and had at least a 5 week waiting list.
