Snacks – All our local tips

Abeno Too is a fantastic find in the centre of London next to Leicester Square tube station. The small restaurant has a few tables but the best seat is at the large circular bar. While most people associate Japanese food with sushi, Abeno Too serves the other side of the cuisine. You won’t have heard of many dishes, but that’s part of what makes this sweet simply decorated restaurant so intriguing.

Their speciality is the delicious ‘Okonomi-yaki’, a savoury pancake made of cabbage, egg, dough, spring onions, ginger and a ‘tempura’ batter. You can choose extra ingredients such as tofu or prawn, and it’s fried right in front of you on metal hot grills.

They also have a great selection of hot and cold sake which is served in a ‘masu’, a traditional wooden box. The staff are very friendly and welcoming, and eager to advise on food choices and answer questions.

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Abeno Too | Snacks, Restaurants (Japanese) | Prawn Okonomi-yaki £ 9.80
17-18 Great Newport Street | Central | +442073791160
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 23:00, Sun 12:00 – 22:00

You don’t need to be a devoted fan of Ray Charles or Etta James to appreciate Ain’t Nothing But the Blues. All you need is an appreciation for soulful music.

Discretely located down Kingly Street in Soho, it is easy to miss the bar’s entrance. And once inside, the understated décor and the absence of a cocktail list clearly places it behind the glitter and glamour of most West End haunts. However, the fantastic live music makes for a much more memorable night than any of the carbon copy bars which surround it.

Every night of the week the bar fills up in anticipation for the band to take to the stage. Be sure to get in before 20:30 on Friday and Saturday nights as entry is free and you’ll miss the infamous queue. It is also worth getting there early to grab yourself a table, particularly if a discreet toe tap is your preferred style of dancing.

Being a blues bar virgin at the time, I can’t recall what type of blues the band played, however I do recall the music being that infectious that I was dancing on the chairs for hours- clearly the absence of a cocktail list, not preventing such behaviour!

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Ain’t Nothing But the Blues | Bars, Music, Snacks | Fri/Sat after 20:30 £ 5.00
20 Kingly Street | Central | +4402072870514
Mon – Wed 18:00 – 01:00, Thu 18:00 – 02:00, Fri 17:00 – 03:00, Sat 15:00 – 03:00, Sun 15:00 – 00:00

Located in the heart of Soho on Frith Street, Bar Italia has become quite the Soho institution since it opened its doors in 1949. It serves great coffee and a range of simple, but authentic Italian food 24 hours a day, which is always a preferable option as opposed to the 03:00 visit to the kebab or fried chicken shop.

The interior walls are plastered with pictures of black and white Soho along with the occasional legend or two.

The food counter is well stocked with traditional Paninis made with ingredients such as coppa, mozzarella, basil and tomato. There is also a mouth watering cake display, complete with Italian dolce such as Sicilian favourite Cannoli (custard or sweet ricotta filled pastry). And the best way to enjoy your Cappuccino and Cannoli is alfresco.

If you manage to get yourself a seat at one of the little tables on the pavement sit back and enjoy the buzzing and animated atmosphere of Soho. And just when you think Bar Italia can’t get anymore Italian, it broadcasts football and has its own scooter club which meets every Sunday at 17:00!

Despite Soho’s transformation over the years, Bar Italia has maintained its simple old school Italian charm.

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Bar Italia | Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Snacks, Restaurants (Italian) | Cappuccino £ 2.50
22 Frith Street | Central | +442074374520
24 hours daily

Located down a side street off the eclectic madness that is Camden High Road, Bar Vinyl is all about old skool hip hop, soul and funk and also has a record store tucked away downstairs. The whole place has that old skool feel to it, everything from the music to the movies projected up on the screen at the back, so feel free to dust of you old adidas coloured tracksuit and trainers and reminisce!

The food menu is mainly made up of pizzas, hotdogs and chips – whilst not amazing, it matches the old skool era of the place perfectly. And to further compliment the atmosphere is the cocktail list, try a Pimp Daddy or a Vinyl Richie cocktail from the ‘The Vinyl Collection’ list or a Chocolate Martini or Liquid Viagra from the ‘Old Skool Remixes’ list. However it needs to be said – the cocktails are lethal.

The DJ comes on between 21:00 – 22:00 and plays a great mix of funky tunes which had me happily singing along to some old favourites that I hadn’t heard in years. Whilst the crowd can be unpredictable, the feel good music and atmosphere will ensure that you’re left bopping away, like Lionel Richie once warned, all night long!

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Bar Vinyl | Bars, Music, Shopping, Snacks
6 Inverness street | North-West | +442074825545
Sun – Wed 11:00 – 00:00, Thu – Sat 11:00 – 01:00

This Brick Lane (check Brick Lane article) staple has been around for years, and serves as a remnant of the area’s Jewish past. While the bakery is not somewhere you would want to hang out long for – the bright white lights give it a clinical feel – the bagels are ridiculously cheap and very tasty, so it’s worth a visit.

A bagel and cream cheese will only set you back a mere 90p and they are made the proper way, by boiling then baking, creating the dense chewy consistency which is so more-ish. This makes a much welcomed change from most bagel store chains, who essentially serve bread rolls with a hole in the middle. Other fillings include smoked salmon, chopped herring and hot salt beef. Donuts and pastries are also made fresh daily.

Service is super quick and it’s open 24 hours, so after a night out on Brick Lane you can wander in for a bite, and find throngs of like-minded party-goers doing the same.

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Beigel Bake | Snacks | Bagel & cream cheese £ 0.90
159 Brick Lane | East
24 hours daily

Located on Clapham High Street, Breads Etcetera is the perfect place to go on a lazy weekend for breakfast or lunch.

Bread Etcetera originated from the same named bakery in Stockwell, however due to the success of their organic sourdough bread they opened the Clapham café in 2006 – allowing customers to sample all their artisan treats over a few hours. And trust me, the treats are plentiful.

This cosy little café is mostly famous for the DIY breakfast, where for £2.50 you can help yourself to an unlimited amount of sourdough bread, ranging from walnut to olive and herb bread and a delicious variety of jams and spreads.Each table is fitted out with its own toaster, which only adds to the charm of this place.

For those that want their breakfasts cooked for them, they serve a great selection of breakfasts and light lunches, sourcing their high quality produce from only a selected few suppliers.

The Cumberland Sausages are a must and the Triple Chocolate and Brazil Nut Brownies are definitely worth a mention too. Furthermore, the coffee is brilliant, which isn’t always the case in some of the more traditional London cafés.

The reputation of this quaint little eatery has spread so come the weekend there often is a line of hungry Clapham folk eagerly awaiting for the doors to open at 10:00. Fortunately, this place is open all day allowing you enough time to stroll down for brunch or lunch.

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Breads Etcetera | Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Snacks | DIY breakfast £ 2.50
127 Clapham High Street | South-East | +442077203601
Mon 10:00 – 14:00 (takeout only), Tue – Sat 10:00 – 19:00, Sun 10:00 – 16:00

During the day people bring their laptops or books and work, read and drink coffee sprawled over one of the many mismatched sofas or lounge chairs. At night tea candles are lit and hot drinks are swapped for alcoholic drinks as people unwind and meet friends in what was once the Old Truman Brewery in Brick Lane (check the Brick Lane article). Now that it’s wintertime, people who swamped to the outside picnic benches and the alleyway still venture out, but there is a much more cosy feel inside.

The boho and versatile venue opens at a very early 06:00 for breakfast and soups, jacket potatoes and sandwiches are on offer for lunch and dinner. Live music attracts a younger crowd with indie bands on Tuesday and jazz on Wednesday. Bands play in the smaller room at the back on Sunday and a dj spins tunes on Friday and Saturday.

Cocktails made with fresh fruit are available on the weekend and all year round you can grab a burger or corn on the cob from the grill stand outside. Tables and benches outside in front are great for people watching or smoking.

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Café 1001 | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Snacks, Restaurants (intern.)
1 Dray walk, 91 Brick Lane | East | +442072479679
Mon – Sat 06:00 – 00:00, Sun 06:00 – 23:30

Brick Lane offers a multitude of choice in terms of bars and nightlife but Casa Blue sticks out, not least because of all the fairy lights and candles glowing from within.

A lacquered wooden panel of peacocks is hung next to a watercolour painting of a naval fleet. 50’s memorabilia is plastered wearily to the wall. While the predominantly red kitsch bric-a-brac decor means your eyes don’t know where to settle, the kooky collection of plastic chandeliers, hanging baubles and blinking strings of light make a unique setting.

Even though the music ranges anywhere from the Beatles to Manu Chau, the tunes are familiar and well-chosen. There are comfy plus sofas and yummy cocktails. Food is also available. While the menu is limited, the house specialty comes in platter form – international mezze for two or more people. For only £5 each, sharing platters come with a selection of hot and cold tapas and you can choose Mediterranean, Indian or Greek cuisine.

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Casa Blue | Bars, Snacks | Cocktail £ 6.00
228 Brick Lane | East
Sun – Thu 12:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 12:00 – 03:00

On the corner of Mill Lane and West End Lane, David’s Deli is one of those West Hampstead legends, as far as anyone can remember it’s always been there, and there’s a good reason for that; great Israeli hospitality.

The Deli is run by a band of brothers, led by Wassim, and also Has, Danny and Sam. Apologies guys if I have missed anyone out!

I like to drop in for one of Has or Danny’s excellent cappuccinos or a fresh mint tea.  Customers are die-hard regulars who have come to know the place well, parents and kids, tradesmen and office workers.

The food and attentive service is the selling point here. Bagels and rye bread sandwiches, or better still try the daily special, usually a filling chicken schnitzel with rice and salad, or on Sunday, the lamb shawarma.

Let’s not forget the classic Israeli Boreka, a light crispy pastry roll filled with spinach and soft cheese, served warm from the oven. Then there are the many other salads, baklava, cakes…oh hell, just take a look at the photo and you can see the mouth-watering display on offer.  Easy ladies, I’m talking about the food.

I dropped in again recently and went off-menu with a daring Turkish coffee, medium sweet, served in a stove-top enamel pot with pouring handle.  Very thick, very sweet, very caffeinated, I was jacked-up all afternoon! Yeah, loving my brothers at the deli!

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David’s Deli | Snacks, Restaurants (Israeli/Middle-Eastern) | Main meal £ 7.50
341 West End Lane | North-West | +442074338383
08:00 – 18:30 daily

Just off the bustling Oxford Street is Hari Krishna run Govinda, a delicious and healthy vegetarian Indian cafe. While there are posters everywhere inviting you to “join the party”, luckily there is no other type of religious propositioning, and the focus is just on delicate flavours and fresh food.

Aside from the salad bar, food ranges from veggie or paneer (Indian cheese) burgers to onion bhajis, mango lassis and sesame covered spinach rolls. The best deal is the Thali though. Thalis are a selection of little dishes on a tray. For £7.50 you can choose two curries, a rice, bread roll or popadoms and sweet chutney.

Service is efficient and fast and the place offers a nice respite from the chaotic nature of London’s biggest shopping street.

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Govinda Restaurant | Snacks, Restaurants (Indian) | Thali £ 7.50
9-10 Soho Street, | Central | +442074374928
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 20:00

Greenwich Park is the home of the Prime Meridian Line. It is where GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) starts and thus, poetically, where time begins. The Prime Meridian Line used to be a line drawn on the earth (not around the globe though as I would imagine) but now, it is represented by a green laser beam. This line can be seen clearly in the night sky.

The park also hosts the National Maritime Museum and the Royal Observatory. As it sits on top of a hill, the place is perfect for sky watchers and star gazers. But apart from science, Greenwich Park also offers spaces for sport, dining (including picnics) and simply relaxing.

For the London 2012 Summer Olympics, Greenwich Park will be the venue of the Equestrian and Modern Pentathlon events.

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Greenwich Park | Relaxing, Snacks
Greenwich | South-East
06:00 – 18:00 daily

If visiting Queen’s Park and need a big breakfast to cure your hangover, Jack’s is the perfect spot. It’s a small café in the style of an American diner which serves all-day breakfasts, sandwiches, burgers, soups and salads. What makes Jack’s stand out from most cafes is the bottomless cups of coffee and tea; only a handful of places across London offer it.

Thick ice-cream milkshakes, pancakes made from imported batter mix and real maple syrup make it distinctively Yankee and it’s no wonder, as the owner’s wife is half American. At night candles are lit, alcohol is served and burgers, salads and daily specials are served. It has recently expanded to include a back room and will soon have a patio to be used when the weather gets warmer.

The prices are reasonable and the location, just down the road from Queen’s Park means you can walk off your fry-up in a picturesque setting.

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Jack’s | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Breakfast) | English breakfast £ 4.95
101 Salusbury Road | North-West | +442076248925
Mon – Fri 07:00 – late, Sat 08:00 – late, Sun 09:00 – late

With the steady invasion of coffee chains it can be a struggle to find independent coffee shops in London. However bypass all the usual suspects which line Portobello Road, then turn into Elgin Crescent where you’ll find Kitchen and Pantry. Furnished with big brown comfy sofas, wooden kitchen tables, and buzzing with chatter, the grinding of coffee and the hum of soft music, Kitchen and Pantry has a warm and vibrant feel.

On the weekend, there’s a mixture of 20-somethings lounging on the sofas, young families having a snack and people tapping away at their laptops. So if you’re flying solo, it’s a great place to do some work as there are many places to plug in your laptop and take advantage of the wireless and hot drink specials. And speaking of drinks, there’s a large selection of tea, coffee and fresh juices to accompany the tempting biscuits and cakes lining the large kitchen style counters.

If you’re after something more substantial than a chocolate brownie, there’s an all day breakfast menu and light snacks such as jacket potatoes, crepes, wraps, spaghetti bolognese and mushroom risotto which can all be ordered for around £5 or less.

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Kitchen and Pantry | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Drinks & snacks around £ 5.00
14 Elgin Crescent | West | +442077278888
Mon – Fri 07:00 – 21:00, Sat – Sun 08:00 – 20:00

Situated in the picturesque and upmarket ‘village’ of Hampstead, home to the likes of Russell Brand, Ewan McGregor, Sir Ridley Scott and a host of Middle-eastern expats, sits the small portable kitchen that is, La Creperie de Hampstead.

Long ago, in the mists of time, perhaps a mist that had descended from nearby Hampstead Heath, La Creperie de Hampstead was once part of the mighty crepe empire that also resided in South Kensington (see the South Kensington article about Kensington Creperie).

Carbon-dating shows that at some point these two businesses went their separate ways on the evolutionary path, and though the menu here is a touch shorter than in Kensington, bearing slightly different names, it is no less satisfying. Indeed, the chefs here are top-notch and highly efficient at firing out a decent quantity of sweet and savoury filled crepes for the hungry Hampstead set.

Be warned that on weekends it does get busy from around lunchtime onwards, and if the queue extends as far as the corner of the pub behind, then you could be in for a good 45 minute wait, so best to get there early, or on a weekday.

Just a few moments after taking this photo, a lady leaned out of her gleaming, black 4×4 while queueing in traffic on the small road next to us, “Can I have a belgian chocolate crepe please?  I’ll come back round and pick it up in a minute”.

Drive-thru, Hampstead style.  You don’t get much posher than that.

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La Creperie de Hampstead | Snacks | Crepes from £ 2.10
77 Hampstead High Street | North-West
12:00 – 23:00 daily

This family-run Italian ice cream parlour and restaurant has been serving an extensive range of delicious own-made ice creams and sorbets in London since 1931. I have enjoyed many a trip here for my ice cream fix, either takeaway from the window in the summer and a stroll over to nearby Primrose Hill, or eating in the parlour in the colder months. Clearly I’m not the only one, as the walls inside are adorned with framed testimonials from numerous minor celebrities, and the queues outside on sunny days speak for themselves.

Inside is an informal affair, with relaxed chatter and a family friendly atmosphere. There is a simple, no-frills approach to décor which somehow lends itself to the whole experience; specials are written casually on whiteboards, pictures of family members decorate the walls and the black up-lighters and mirrored walls give a hint of its 1930s beginnings.

I love delicious mango or fruits of the forest sorbet to take away on a hot day, or classic chocolate with whipped cream and sprinkles for eating in. All products are GM free and also free from artificial flavouring, colouring and preservatives, so maybe you can feel slightly better about ordering that extra scoop!

If you want something more substantial than ice cream, the restaurant serves generous portions of good quality, freshly prepared Italian food at affordable prices, too.

Go and try these mouth-watering ice creams for yourself. Your taste-buds will love you forever!

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Marine Ices | Snacks, Restaurants (Ice Cream) | Ice cream (per large scoop) £ 2.10
8 Haverstock Hill | North-West | +442074829003
Ice Creams Tue – Sun all day | Restauran Tue – Fri 12:00 – 15:00, Sat 12:00 – 23.00, Sun 12:00 – 22:00

Enter a world of wonder at Montezuma’s in Spitalfields, where you can take a bite from brightly coloured stacks of chocolate bars called Surf Nut, Whoopee, Jungle Fever, Space Hopper and Gourmet Gorrilla to name a few.  Mr Wonka would be proud to rest his top-hat here.

If calories are not an option, then how about one of their 1kg slabs of hunking great chunks of chocolate stuffed variously with nuts, marzipan and cocoa bits?  No? Ok, how about foot-high jars of big chocolate buttons, in white, milk or dark chocolate?

I’ve found the girls in the office are quite partial to the geranium Dainty Dollops. That’s right, you read it, geranium oil scented discs of chocolate that smell of flowers.

If you’re looking for something a bit more traditional they do their own large-size chocolate bars that you would associate with brands such as Green & Blacks and Lindt.  There’s also truffles in the cabinet and little bags of somethings lining the walls of the shop.

If you’re gonna fall off the wagon, make sure you fall outside Montezuma’s sweet-smelling doors.

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Montezuma’s | Shopping, Snacks | Single chocolate bar £ 1.25
51 Brushfield Street | East | +442075399208
Mon 11:00 – 16:00, Tue – Sun 10:00 – 18:00

Years ago I frequented a Mr Jerk restaurant, which then changed it’s name to Jerk City and a new Mr Jerk appeared a few doors down. Turns out, this was the result of a business management split. Now after legal action, the new place is called Savannah Jerk, and Jerk City has returned to being Mr Jerk. You still with me?  Both places have similar menus, but after sampling both, my loyalty is with the original, smaller, less expensive Mr Jerk.

The holy grail for me is a mutton roti, tender chunks of meat and potato in a spicy gravy, all wrapped up in roti, the traditional Trinidadian flatbread which is buttery, floury, elastic and crumbly. Seemingly hard to describe, but incredibly moreish.

It’s a great place to try other traditional Caribbean food. Brown-stew chicken with rice and peas, the meat so tender it falls off the bone, jerk chicken, a spicier alternative, and saltfish and ackee, a creamy fish and vegetable dish. Try the ‘hard’ food as an alternative to the rice: boiled yam, banana, dumpling, and sweet potato. Also get a taste for soup specials, fried chicken and Jamaican pattie appetisers. Take away is also available.

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Mr Jerk | Snacks, Restaurants (Caribbean) | Main meal from £ 8.00
189 Wardour Street | Central | +442072872878
Mon – Wed 10:00 – 22:30, Thu – Sat 10:00 – 23:00, Sun 12:00 – 20:00

Portobello Market started as a fresh-food market in the 19th Century, but expanded in the 1960s to include the renowned Saturday antiques market at the eastern end of the street, and an assortment of clothing and accessories stalls to the western end. It is of course more recently known for that Richard Curtis film, Notting Hill, and is also mentioned in many popular songs.Have a browse through the antiques, it’s more than the usual furniture and china. I found a guy selling items of old navigational and military navigation pieces, clocks from old Russian MiG and US jets.Walk down the length of the entire street to take in all the stalls; street food steams and bubbles in huge pots serving Ghanaian curry, Spanish paella, and grills of German chicken Schnitzel and sausages.I strongly recommend coming here to buy your fresh fruit and veg, the flavours are so much better.Tomatoes are deep red and juicy, unlike the fluffy, tasteless flesh of their irradiated cousins found in supermarkets. The fresh bread stall is a guilty pleasure, mostly for the mountains of sweet pastries. At about 16:30, the prices are reduced to clear and you can pick-up three doughnuts for a pound or two!So you have to pay a bit more than in the supermarket, but your money goes to a real small business and you’ll have experienced the theatre of street vendors, rather than the anonymous and sterile experience of a supermarket queue. Love it!

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Portobello Market | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks
Portobello Road | West
Mon – Sat from approx 08:00 – 16:30

Located just up the road from the debauchery that is Camden, lies Primrose Hill, a quaint village like area that is known for its celebrity residents in addition to some of the best views of London.

The most picturesque way to get there is by walking along the canal from Camden, where you’ll pass house boats and buskers before popping out at the Primrose Hill exit. The streets are lined with beautiful mansions and perfect gardens, leaving you feeling like you’ve stumbled across a quintessentially English film set! This is quite fitting considering many English film stars have made this little area their home.

The high street (Regent’s Park Road) has a distinct village like feel to it, complete with a continental food store, cafes, specialty stores and restaurants. Come the weekend in summer, alfresco dinners and punters from the pub spill out onto the pavement, creating a lively yet relatively relaxed atmosphere.  However if a picnic in the park sounds more like your cup of tea, be sure to pass by Shepherd’s continental food store. Shepherd’s has tables set up outside selling delicious French pastries, bread and tasty Italian favourites.

From there, head up to the park, where you’ll be welcomed by fantastic views of the city in addition to the usual sites of a London park in summer; girls in bikini’s, ball games, picnics and people drinking cider in the sun. All in all, a very English way to spend an afternoon!

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Primrose Hill | Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Snacks, Restaurants (Various)
Primrose Hill | North-West
24 hours daily

Pizza was born in Napoli, but this is Princi pizza, served with the style and elegance of Milan.

This is the brainchild of Alan Lau, creator of the highly successful Wagamama and Hakkasan Chinese restaurants.

The store is clad entirely in white stone and black granite table-tops, a trough of water runs at eye level down the entire length of one wall, with ribbons of light that project from underwater and play against the stonework.

Wholemeal, organic bread is baked fresh every day of the week, cakes and pastries glisten under enormous glass display cabinets as if in a jewellery store, hot meat and pasta dishes appear for lunch, and if you fancy an early pick-me-up, there’s always the cocktail bar!

Princi is now open even earlier for breakfast, from 07:00 Monday to Saturday, and from 09:00 on Sunday.

At a price of about £3.50 for a slice of hot, fresh pizza from the wood-fired oven, it’s worth a break from your shopping.

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Princi | Snacks, Restaurants (Italian) | Slice of pizza £ 3.50
135 Wardour Street | Central | +442074788888
Mon – Sat 07:00 – 00:00, Sun 09:00 – 23:00

Queen’s Park is a green haven in Northwest London. It has an area for children, miniature golf park, petting zoo, secluded flower garden and a lovely café. At this time of year, after a casual walk in the sunshine, there is nothing better than cooling down with an ice cream and the park café is just the spot.

Located next to the tennis courts in the centre of the park, the café overlooks the circular lawn where local football teams battle it out and kids escape their parent clutches.

The café serve soup, sandwiches, cakes and hot food. Now that it’s wintertime it’s great to pop in for a tea or hot chocolate to warm you up when strolling through the park. In the summer, part of building’s façade opens up to become an Italian ice cream shop and benches and tables are busy with families, couples and groups of friends. The opening hours vary with the season as the café shuts one hour before the park closes, which is when it gets dark.

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Queen’s Park Café | Coffee & tea, Snacks
Harvist Road | North-West | +442089606946
09:00 – 16:00 daily (winter hours)

Kebab.  A word rife with all kinds of associations, an indistinct meat drowned in hot chilli sauce that is as likely to end up on the pavement as in your stomach.

That all ends here, as long as you are within reach of classy Lebanese restaurant, Ranoush Juice.

The first thing you’ll notice is how clean everything is, the floor, the surfaces, the food preparation areas, everything is done to a high standard.  The chefs wear proper paper chefs hats, the waitresses to the small eat-in dining area are in black.  The decor is tastefully middle-eastern, nothing gaudy, just black marble surfaces and light wood with soft lighting.  This is a takeaway shop with the outlook of a classy restaurant.

I always go for a lamb shish with chunks of fresh veg, cooked above the fire (from memory, the meat doesn’t touch any metal grill), then wrapped with salad and sauce in a soft, warm flatbread.  I could eat two or three at a time, and at only £3.50 a go, it’s been tempting!

There’s sooooo much other really great Lebanese food to try here as well, hot and cold mezza, salads and baklawa, the intensely sugary-sweet pastry.  It’s a really affordable way to sample middle-eastern food if you’re not too familiar with it.

Check out Maroush TV for some cheeky TV advertising!

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Ranoush Juice | Snacks, Restaurants (Lebanese) | Wraps from £ 3.50
86 High Street Kensington | West | +442079382234
12:00 – 02:00 daily

It’s a constant dilemma. London has so many fantastic pubs and clubs, however often it’s so hard to find a funky bar where you can go dancing which doesn’t close when the clock strikes twelve. However the Ruby & Sequoia restaurant bar, which is located near the fabulous Portobello Road, offers just that.

The main bar is a great place to stand around with a cocktail and catch up with friends, whilst the small downstairs area plays a mixture of dance and funk, which incidentally will have you dancing until the wee hours of the night.

The only downside about this place is that it has recently turned into a members bar, which means non members need to call ahead to get their names at the door. However entry is still free.

The restaurant is also open for brunch and offers the perfect hangover cure for £10 – any main course, a Bloody Mary, the morning papers and of course coffee and juice. Therefore, with Portobello Road less than a one minute walk away, Ruby & Sequoia restaurant bar is a great place to either start or end a day out in the area.

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Ruby & Sequoia | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Snacks, Restaurants (European)
6-8 All Saints Road | West | +4402072436363
Mon – Thu 18:00 – 00:30, Fri 18:00 – 02:00, Sat 11:00 – 02:00, Sun 11:00 – 00:30

Due to a fire in August 2009, the Sea Shell is currently closed, but hold on there, I walked by just the other day and a sign says they hope to be open again in 2010. Can’t wait!

Try taking a look at this other great fish and chip Spot, The Rock and Soul Plaice

I found the Seashell many moons ago when I worked for the now extinct Woolworths head office that was just around the corner from this place near Marylebone station.

It serves what must be the finest collection I’ve found of traditionally fried fish in London, largely due to the fact the take-away is attached to the classy Sea Shell restaurant.  I go for the balled fishcakes, breaded calamari and crispy whitebait with a side of chips and a pot of their tartare sauce.  Aside from the usual cod and plaice, you can also get halibut, lemon and Dover sole, plus loads more.  Eat standing or sitting at the bar inside, or if the weather’s good, take a table outside in the sunshine and watch the world go by.

I had the most surreal experience of my life here one working lunch-hour, when a friend and I dropped in to get some take-away, and saw that the normal staff behind the counter had been replaced by people of a more, shall we say, mature age, all dressed in black and being filmed by TV cameras.

Strange, I thought.

Had the management decided to do a promo??  No, I realised it was even more surreal as my friend nudged me and said “that’s Ruby Wax, and David Gest and Liza Minelli!”.

Not sure who looked more scared, myself or Liza.  I managed to collar a sane staff member and got my chips straight, rather than served Cabaret style.  Lucky escape there, no offence Ruby

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Sea Shell of Lisson Grove | Snacks, Restaurants (Fish & chips) | Meal £ TBC
49-51 Lisson Grove | North-West
TBC

At the top of China Town is London’s best cinema. The prices are less than the outrageously priced Hollywood junk shown in Leicester square and the venue is so welcoming people hang out here without even watching a film. The Soho Curzon is part of a chain of five similar cinemas, though my personal favourite is the Soho edition as it’s the most central and the layout is most inviting.

At street level a retro-styled café has over 20 different pastries and cakes and serves hot soup, coffees and organic wines. Downstairs a spacious bar is adorned with brown leather sofas you sink down into and tables where you can find people having pre-movie drinks, post-movie chats or just enjoying the artsy atmosphere.

The three cinemas in the basement show a selection of art house independent and less commercial titles. The Soho Curzon regularly hosts Q&A sessions with film directors and script writers along with special previews. Film festivals and a monthly quiz are also on the agenda.

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Soho Curzon | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Ticket £ 12.00
99 Shaftesbury Avenue | Central | +448717033988
Box office 11:00 – 21:00 daily | Bar 11:00 – 23:00 daily

Located not so far from the bustling Oxford Street is St Christopher’s Place. Its proximity to London’s most popular shopping street makes it easily accessible to tourists but there is always a fair amount of locals who frequent the place. Here you’ll find a collection of places to eat and drink like Carluccio’s (an Italian restaurant), Sofra (bit of Middle Eastern cuisine) and my favourite, Café Creperie (to satisfy my French cravings). There is also a traditional pub, Lamb & Flag, in one corner, if cosmopolitan dining is not your cup of tea. There are other places to eat, drink and shop all the way up to Wigmore Street.

From time to time, there are buskers who provide the musical entertainment. But there is always a party atmosphere with or without the music.

Alfresco is the main dining theme at St Christopher’s place. Even in winter, people would still sit outside as almost every place offer patio heating. However, I wouldn’t know how it’s like when it is raining — as it almost always does. But when the weather is good, it is a perfect place to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.

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St Christopher’s Place | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Various)
St Christopher’s Place | Central
Varying opening times

Somewhat hidden from the busy Balham High Road is The Fat Delicatessen. Perfect place to sit quietly with a good book and a nice macchiato. If you’re quite hungry, there is also a selection of snacks and small plates that would surely fill you up. It is also one of the few places that have Manchego cheese on its menu.

The place has a steady flow of people during the weekdays and it is quite easy to get a table. During the weekends, however, the place can be really buzzing.

You can also satisfy your shopping urges at The Fat Delicatessen as they offer various goods from Spain, Italy and France. Select from a variety olive oils, vinegars and other spices. They also have a nice selection of wines that are decently priced.

But perhaps the most popular among locals are the packed meals, which are carefully prepared from the deli menu and the charcuterie. Its proximity to Balham tube station makes it easy for picking up a ready meal on the way home. No fuss gourmet dining indeed!

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The Fat Delicatessen | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Bar snacks from £ 1.50
7 Chestnut Grove | South-West | +442086756174
Mon – Wed 08:00 – 20:00, Thu – Fri 08:00 – 22:00, Sat 09:00 – 22:00, Sun 11:00 – 18:00

The Hawley Arms pub in Camden has been in the headlines for a few things over the last year. Firstly, it has been highly publicised as being Amy Winehouse’s local, however these days you’re more likely to run into Peaches Geldof on a night out than the famous Miss Winehouse. And secondly, it burnt down in 2008, devastating dedicated Hawley patrons. However it has since been re-built and is as popular as ever.

The interior is warm and cosy and tastefully decorated with a small upstairs area and a roof terrace. Whilst the music ranges from indie to classics such as the Beatles and attracts a mix of indie Camden alternative types- think skinny jeans, messy hair and edgy fashion.

The odd celebrity or band member can be seen floating around the place, however unfortunately this also means that it attracts those who think they are celebrities or in a band! Therefore as some of the clientele desperately try to appear to be effortlessly cool, the Hawley can be a tad on the pretentious side. However, the great music and the interesting mix of artistic people makes for an enjoyable night out, even if it’s just to people watch.

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The Hawley Arms | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Snacks | Snacks £ 2.50
2 Castlehaven Road | North-West | +4402074285979
Sun – Thu 12:00 – 00:00, Fri – Sat 12:00 – 01:00

Unless you stumble upon this by accident it’s easy to miss the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), accessed by a simple doorway on The Mall amongst the rows and rows of white columns.  Established in 1947 by a collective of artists, poets and writers, it aims to further contemporary culture through a variety of artforms.  A special ‘ICA at 60′ season is celebrating their, not surprisingly, 60th year.

On a mission to break down the boundaries between artists and the public, the ICA offers endless art exhibitions of great creativity and fun; two small cinema screens that regularly show great documentaries and world cinema; talks and events on multitude of cultural and artistic subjects; DJs and live performance in the ICA Bar, which also serves some tasty snack food.

The ICA shop has a cool selection of irregular and kooky magazines, books, DVDs and those really nice Moleskin notebook things.

On a charge of extreme laziness I want to leave it to you to browse the website here, to really get a vision for what the ICA offers, I’ll let your taste will guide you; a mind-boggling amount of entertainment awaits, look at all the links to the website I’ve managed to dig up already! Check times for individual events, exhibitions and movies.

It’s so easy just to drop in on a weekend, without it feeling like an ordeal of endurance that visits to some of the larger museums can be sometimes.  If you live in London permanently, why not become a member, at £35 a year it’s reduces the ticket prices to some seriously low prices

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The ICA | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Music, Snacks
12 Carlton House Terrace | Central | +442079303647
Mon – Wed 12:00 – 23:00, Thu – Sat 12:00 – 01:00, Sun 12:00 – 21:00

It’s four o’clock. Cue music. Cue Prince William stretching on the gardens of Kensington Palace after a hard afternoon of cutting the grass. The ladies-who-tea gather about admiring his royal physique as they sip their tea and bite into their cucumber sandwiches whilst letting out a lusty sigh. Mmmm… what time is it? It’s tea time at The Orangery!

Of course, the scenario above (Diet Coke-esque if you didn’t get it) is a total make-believe. Prince William does not cut the grass in the palace gardens. Nor does he hang about in quite a ‘public’ area. But what is accurate is that The Orangery is the perfect place for afternoon tea, which is traditionally around 4pm. This and the fact that ladies do swoon over Prince William.

Afternoon tea is not religiously practiced anymore but should you fancy having a go, then I suggest you head to The Orangery for a more authentic feel. It is located on the grounds of the Kensington Palace, Princess Diana’s former home, which also provides a royal ring to it.

They serve the traditional afternoon tea trimmings of sandwiches in those lovely tiered trays along with scones, clotted cream and jam. For the sweet toothed, prepare for an avalanche of cakes and tarts. And if you happen to have missed lunch, then you can also order some light pasta and salad dishes. There is no facility to book tables so you have to be there early enough for the tea experience although they do serve them from 3pm giving you more time to stalk, err, enjoy.

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The Orangery | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Cakes from £ 2.25
Kensington Palace, Gardens | West | +442073760239
10:00 – 17:00 daily

My friends and I affectionately call this our local, because while it isn’t around the corner from us, it’s certainly one of the nicest pubs in our area. Inside, a collection of wooden tables and and cushioned chairs are lit by mismatched chandeliers. Palm trees covered in fairy lights and massive mirrors in elaborate frames add to the red burgundy decor.

Traditional tasty pub food is served at reasonable prices and a carnival-like old fashioned popcorn machine provides a steady flow of free popcorn, placed strategically around the circular bar in large bowls for anyone to take.

My favourite part is the beer garden at the back. Half the space is covered and there is plenty of seating. The covered area has comfortable leather sofas you sink in to. Sitting outside in winter is fine too as there is a very efficient heating lamp system.

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The Regent | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Pub) | Glass of wine £ 3.25
5 Regent Street | North-West | +442089692184
Mon – Thu 12:00 – 23:00, Fri – Sat 12:00 – 01:00, Sun 12:00 – 10:30

What can I do when the all the good puns for a piece about a fish and chip shop have been included in its name!

I first found this place years ago when I used to go dancing (a very loose definition of reality there) at Pineapple Studios, just down the road in Covent Garden.  After an exhausting and relentless hour of trying not to look at myself in the studio mirror, we would head through the dark rainy night to a source of salvation…hot, salty, vinegary, chunky chips!

The man in the photo is Astrit, you can find him there most times with the rest of his staff in very bright yellow jackets.  I originally thought that it was a Brazilian joint because of this, but he tells me they are some Brazilian, some Albanian, a mixture.

If you’re are in a large group of ten or more he says he will also throw in free soft drinks, not bad! It’s a very small shop, with some seating in the basement which isn’t ideal, so I’d advise you stay upstairs if at all possible. It’s great in the summer as they have picnic tables outside under the trees, you can slip off for a lazy pint in the Cross Keys pub down the road afterwards.

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The Rock & Sole Plaice | Snacks, Restaurants (Fish & Chips) | Fish & chips £ 9.00
47 Endell Street | Central | +442078363785
Mon – Sat 11:30 – 23:00, Sun 12:00 – 22:00

The Rocket belongs to the Scream chain of pubs dotted round town, so I’ll tell you what to expect: gaudy decor, students everywhere and staffed by the living dead. Not the best introduction to a Spotted site, but allow me to continue. Because while Euston’s The Rocket may not be the best example of a traditional English bar, it has some significant draws for the intrepid traveller on a shoe-string.

Firstly there’s the food. Not the best by a long shot, but cheap(ish) and massively filling (try the burgers AND NOTHING ELSE). Then there’s the beer. Cheap as they come, you can rely on a Scream to bag a few basement pints for a huge night out. There may not be the best selection (no ales), and you’d be more likely to find bubbles in the Neverland ranch – but you’ll pay about a third of the price of some nearby places.

Then there’s Saturday night. Every week The Rocket does pound-a-pint – a minor miracle in London – and pretty well, too. The music, although cheesy, is vibrant and the clientele, surprisingly, don’t want to take your face off with a Becks bottle.

Get in early and you’ll miss the student rush – get in early enough and you might stay there for the student rush Anyhow The Rocket is alarmingly nice to visit and essential for those with less cash than an Icelandic banker.

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The Rocket | Bars, Snacks | Nearly all beers £ 2.50
120 Euston Road | Central | +442073880021
11:00 – 00:00 daily

&s

Located south east of central London and perched on the Thames is Greenwich, a village like area of London which is rich in British maritime history. Whilst Greenwich is now more synonymous for its pubs, restaurants, markets and of course the meridian line, evidence of its maritime history can be seen everywhere you look.

Come the weekend, Greenwich is flooded with Londoners and tourists alike, so at some point refuge and a glass of wine is needed! And to offer you that protection is the Trafalgar pub, which is tucked away along the river and located on the Greenwich Maritime World Heritage Site.

The Trafalgar, built in 1837 and bursting with history was also famously one of Charles Dickens’ favourite watering holes.  And despite being over 170 years old,  it has maintained its Victorian charm, with wooden floors, cosy fire places and large bay windows facing out onto the river, making a perfect hiding place on a dark and cold London winter’s day.

The Trafalgar also has a small but charming restaurant and the main pub serves up all the usual favourites including their specialty – fish and chips.

So next time you’re in Greenwich be sure you stop off at the Trafalgar to really get a feel of Greenwich’s past.

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The Trafalgar | Bars, Relaxing, Snacks | Mains £ 13.00
Park Row | South-East | +442088582909
Mon – Thu 12:00 – 23:00, Fri- Sat 12:00 – 00:00, Sun 12:00 – 22:30

The Tricycle has been running since 1980 and despite being in the northwest, far from the glamorous West End theatre hub, it has become one of London’s most adored and respected theatres. Ten years ago a one-screen cinema was added on and in 2001 the Creative Space was built for educational workshops.

The theatre’s directors try to present work which reflects the cultural diversity of its neighborhood Kilburn, a heavily immigrant area and has put on plays by Irish, African-Caribbean and Asian writers.

The venue also puts on events such as the Obama Inauguration Party, where they will screen the ceremony live in the cinema with American beer, pretzels and cheerleaders.

The cinema kiosk serves ice cream and candy and it has a bar/café which has a simple menu of pasta, sandwiches and jacket potatoes. There is a separate eating area which doubles as an exhibition space. On Mondays cinema tickets are only £5.

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The Tricycle | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Theaters
269 Kilburn High Road | North-West | +442073281000
Box office Mon – Sat 10:00 – 21:00, Sun 14:00 – 21:00
Café & bar Mon – Sun 12:00 – 23:00 (12:00 – 20:00 for food)

Now, I’ve been doing a bit of work in Harrow, north London, and was taken by a friend to his local, a tidy little pub on a corner. It’s the Trinity. A brightly painted exterior beckons the faithful, through heavy wooden doors gilded with iron, to rest under swathes of red curtain and gothic arches. Taking the afternoon service is your minister, the affable Mr Bob Moore, serving his flock from the altar.Bar service is second to none, with attention you would have to pay dearly for elsewhere. The Guinness is consistently the smoothest I have encountered if Bob the barman’s not too busy at the bar, he might offer to bring your pint to where you’re sitting, maybe with a complimentary bowl of peanuts.A free buffet is available every Friday from 5pm. Beers sell at an average of £2.60 a pint, and wines and spirits are slightly less by the standard measure.Upstairs transforms at about 21:00 into a live music venue, us old folks drift away and the students pile in from nearby colleges. Artists such as Kate Nash, Alabama 3 and Scouting for Girls have all been discovered under this very roof. Specialising in indie rock bands, you will variably find rock, metal, alt and singer/songwriter performers. DJs also play soul, breaks & beats, and underground hip hop. Just check the website here for listings.

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Trinity | Bars, Music, Snacks | Pint +/- £ 2.60
378-380 Station Road | North-West | +442084249888
Sun – Thu 13:00 – 02:00, Fri – Sat 13:00 – 03:00

The shelves at Trinity Stores offers the best of Britain’s food products. They are filled with seasonal items grown and package by different (and perhaps small) regional farms from up and down the country including freshly baked breads. This lovely delicatessen also stock some goods from Continental Europe like Italian pasta, Spanish olive oil and French pates. Food hampers are also available for those who want a bit of everything.

Trinity Stores is conveniently located by both the Balham Underground and National Rail Stations, which is perfect for a quick shop for something to cook for dinner on the way home.

They also offer good coffee to take away for your journey to work in the morning. If you are in no rush, then you can quietly enjoy your brew in the shop while sitting on brightly coloured plastic chairs and white tables. And as you relax, you can take your time reading through the numerous flyers posted on the noticeboard.

I also like the fact that they provide clean glasses on each table with a jug of tap water so you don’t need to ask them for it. Light snacks and sandwiches are also available at reasonable prices.

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Trinity Stores | Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks | Sandwiches from £ 5.45
5 & 6 Balham Station Road | South-West | +442086733773
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 20:00, Sat 09:30 – 17:30, Sun 10:00 – 17:00