A day in London
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Tower of London
(c) Michael Blann
A spectacular royal castle with a bloody history
Word to the wise: It's actually a good idea to join a guided tour. They are lead by the Beefeaters (royal guards), who’ll throw in a few anecdotes and may even help you to spot a ghost or two.
There’s no precise date documenting when building of the Tower of London began, but records show that it was well on its way during the 1070s under the watchful eye of the King, William the Conqueror, following his victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Since then, this enduring fortress has been enjoyed as a royal palace, used as an armoury and prison for a number of years during the reign of King Henry VIII and the Tudors, and even housed a zoo.Today the Tower is as impressive as ever to visit and has been beautifully maintained; you can see the old prison cells, execution site where enemies of the state met their gruesome ends and the Jewel House where the British royal jewels are still on display. In the winter, an ice rink is built here and the tower forms a fabulous backdrop for a skate.
Fee: Adult: GBP 20.90
Open Hours: Tue-Sat: 9am - 5.30pm
Sun-Mon: 10am - 5.30pm
Address: The Tower of London
Tube: Tower Hill
Bus: 15, 42, 78, 100, RV1
Phone: +44 20 3166 6000
Tower of London's webpage
See & Do
Victoria and Albert Museum
A museum dedicated to beauty
Popular plate: The V&A’s café Benugo serves some of the tastiest scones and clotted cream in town.
The museum is vast and you won't be able to see it all in one day. It’s a good idea to plan your visit before you come, or just buy a ticket for the current exhibition on show, spend a couple of hours there, and then walk through the French doors out into the beautifully-designed Italian-style courtyard for a spot of tea.
Fee: Adult: GBP 13.50
Check webpage for exhibitions
Open Hours: Sat-Thu: 10am - 5.45pm
Fri: 10am - 10pm
Address: Cromwell Road
Tube: South Kensington
Bus: C1, 14, 74, 414
Phone: +44 20 7942 2000
The Victoria and Albert Museum's webpage
See & Do
Barbican Centre
A grey concrete jungle housing Europe’s largest arts centre
Noteworthy for: It was voted London's 'ugliest building' in 2003.
Word to the wise: If you crave some greenery, visit the Barbican Conservatory, a calm tropical oasis harbouring thousands of species of plants and birds. It can be hard to find, so ask the helpful staff how to get there.
If you do like minimal grey concrete buildings (and it does have a certain charm great for composing abstract photos), then you’ll enjoy strolling along the lakeside terrace and through the centre’s maze of floors and corridors. Spend time perusing the latest exhibition, catching a film in one of its cinemas or watching an arts performance, for which it's most famous.
Open Hours: Barbican Centre, Mon-Sat: 9am - 11pm
Sun, Bank Holidays: 12noon - 11pm
Barbican Art Gallery, Fri-Tue: 11am - 8pm
Wed: 11am - 6pm
Thu: 11am - 10pm
Address: Silk Street
Tube: Barbican
Phone: +44 20 7638 8891
Barbican Centre's webpage
Shopping
Broadway Market
Hip Saturday shopping hot spot
Tipple of choice: On a hot day grab a cold cider from the off licence on the corner and wile away the afternoon in London Fields with the rest of East London.
Broadway Market’s barrow boys have been hawking food and wares to the Hackney community since the 1890s. Today there are more than a 100 stalls selling everything from gourmet fudge and ostrich burgers to hand-made lingerie. It forms the hub of Hackney’s hip and trendy community who come in their droves on Saturdays.It's a great place to hang out any day of the week – enjoy a drink in the fashionable Cat and Mutton pub on the corner, sip smooth coffee in Climpson and Sons or walk a little further down the road for lunch in Little Georgia - a cosy café serving tasty traditional Georgian dishes.
Open Hours: Sat: 9am - 5pm (shops open normal working hours)
Address: Broadway Market
Tube: Bethnal Green
Train: London Fields
Broadway Market's webpage
Shopping
Dover Street Market
Avant-garde fashion finds
Popular plate: The fourth floor Rose Bakery - first founded in Paris - does delicious little savoury tarts, mouth-watering cakes and a selection of teas and coffees.
Noteworthy for: The Dover Street Market is headed up by Comme des Garcons' Director Rei Kawakubo.
Set over six floors, it’s a great place to peruse the latest fashion by some of the biggest and most avant-garde names in the industry, such as Christopher Kane, Erdem, Gareth Pugh and Martin Margiela.
Open Hours: Mon-Wed: 11am - 6.30pm
Thu-Sat: 11am - 7pm
Sun: 12noon - 5pm
Address: 17-18 Dover Street
Tube: Green Park
Phone: +44 20 7518 0680
Dover Street Market's webpage
Restaurants
A little of what you fancy
East London secret serving delicious seasonal dishes
Word to the wise: Make sure you book a table to avoid disappointment – it’s well known amongst the East London fashion-crowd and fills up fast.
Popular plate: The slow braised oxtail with red wine, herbs and garlic is deliciously rich and filling.
The decor inside is laid back and rustic, with wooden tables and chairs, and the menu is small but perfectly formed. Here they serve British food with a Mediterranean twist, such as a mushroom pate with toast to start, a selection of tasty meat dishes and salads for main and generously sized puddings that are perfect for sharing.
Open Hours: Tue-Wed: 9am - 11pm
Thu-Fri: 9am - 12midnight
Sat: 10am - 12midnight
Sun: 12noon - 6pm
Mon: Closed
Address: 464 Kingsland Road, Dalston
Overground: Dalston Junction, Dalston Kingsland
Phone: +44 20 7275 0060
A Little Of What You Fancy's webpage
Restaurants
The Hawksmoor
Dishing up the best beef in London
Popular plate: Indulge in the pièce de résistance: chateaubriand (a particularly thick cut from the tenderloin) followed by the salted caramel ice cream.
Word to the wise: The cuts of beef are big, so small eaters should share and order a couple of the superb side dishes.
Their beef comes from Longhorn cattle reared in North Yorkshire and dry-aged for 35 days by the award winning butchers, The Ginger Pig. Once in the restaurant they are cooked to perfection on a charcoal grill.
The décor of all three restaurants is simple but warm, with exposed brick walls and dark wood parquet flooring so as not to distract from the star of the show – the beef.
Price sample: Main course: GBP 12-49.50
Open Hours: Mon-Sat: 12noon – 2.30pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
Sun: 12noon – 4.30pm
Check webpage for Seven Dials/Guildhall times
Address:
Spitalfields, 157 Commercial Street
Tube: Liverpool Street, Shoreditch High Street
Seven Dials, 11 Langley Street
Tube: Covent Garden, Tottenham Court Road
Guildhall, 10 Basinghall Street
Tube: Moorgate, Liverpool Street
Phone: +44 20 7426 4850
The Hawksmoor's webpage
Restaurants
Sketch
Food for the fashion conscious
Talk of the town: The main toilets are made up of egg-shaped pods that look like something out of 'Space Odyssey 2001'.
Word to the wise: Go to The Parlour Café in the afternoon as it’s members only from 9pm.
Dine in The Gallery restaurant downstairs - the walls are adorned with video art installations - or if you’re feeling a little more flush, head for the Art Deco Michelin-starred Library.
If your budget doesn't quite stretch to eating at Sketch, have a coffee and a cake in the The Parlour Café; the décor is just as eclectic and drinks are served in colourful, mismatching Victorian tea cups.
Price sample: Starter: GBP 11-28
Main course: GBP 18-29
Open Hours: The Parlour (members only from 9pm), Mon-Fri: 8am – 2am
Sat: 10am – 2am
Lecture Room, Tue-Sat: 12noon – 2.30pm, 7pm – 11pm
The Gallery, Mon-Sat: 6.30pm – 2am
Check webpage for the Glade and East Bar times
Address: 9 Conduit Street
Tube: Oxford Circus
Phone: +44 20 7659 4500
Sketch's webpage
Bars & Nightlife
Bistrotheque
A cool East End bar and restaurant that helped revive cabaret
Tipple of choice: Sample some of the regional French wines or the zesty passion fruit caipirinha.
Housed in a renovated East End warehouse, Bistrotheque boasts a chic white restaurant that serves up a tasty French bistro-style starters menu, a plush and decadent Napoleon bar with a good list of cocktails and flirtatious staff, and last, but not least, the Cabaret room – the main reason this place is packed almost every night of the week.Bistrotheque hosts an eclectic roster of nights, including Johnny Woo’s infamous gay bingo and the Lipsinkers – a troupe that sings its own special rendition of musical classics which will have your sides splitting with laughter. This is where the bright, beautiful and impeccably attired come to be entertained.
Price sample: Cocktail: GBP 8 - GBP 12
Open Hours: Sun–Thu: 6.30pm - 10.30pm
Fri-Sat: 6.30pm - 11pm
Address: 23-27 Wadeson Street
Subway/Tube: Bethnal Green
Phone: +44 208 983 7900
Bistrotheque's webpage
Bars & Nightlife
Experimental Cocktail Club (ECC)
A decadent drinking den
Word to the wise: The doormen are a little particular about dress code, so check what night they’re having before you pitch up.
Tipple of choice: The Havana comes highly-recommended; a smoky, cigar-infused bourbon concoction that hits the back of the throat with a bang.
Set over two floors, the look is Victorian opulence just on the right side of kitsch; think Chesterfield sofas, velvet footstools and warm, golden light from the chandeliers which sparkles in the mirrored walls and ceiling. The cocktails are titillating enough, but the antique kissing chair adds a further element of the naughty.
Bookings are only taken by email - reservation@chinatownecc.com - but aren't mandatory.
Fee: GBP 5 after 11pm
Price sample: Cocktail: GBP 10-12
Age: 18
Open Hours: Mon-Sat: 6pm - 3am
Sun: 6pm - 12midnight
Address: 13A Gerrard Street, Soho
Tube: Leicester Square, Tottenham Court Road
Phone: +44 782 521 877
Experimental Cocktail Club's webpage
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