West London – All our local tips

Set amongst the chaos of central London lies Hyde Park. Nestled in the city centre, it is still an oasis away from the hustle and bustle. Therefore, horse riding through the nation’s landmark park is undoubtedly such a special way to experience the Park, and a more traditional way of experiencing London.

Not surprisingly, Rotten Row, the bridleways around Hyde Park, have been famous throughout England for over 300 years. Therefore, to continue this grand tradition, the Hyde Park Stables offer lessons and horse rides through the park all year round.

Located just a few streets back from the park and down a cobblestone mews, the stables offer one-hour lessons which cost up to £59, in addition to 10-week courses and private classes.

Beginners are welcome and can rest assured that the friendly staff are on hand to help, ensuring that the well tempered horses remain safely within the park at all times!

Bookings are required in advance and gift vouchers are also available.

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Hyde Park Stables | Relaxing | Semi-private lesson rides £ 64.00
63 Bathurst Mews | West | +442077232813
Daily

Jane Bourvis is a small and unassuming shop positioned among the many charismatic antique stores which line Notting Hill’s Golborne Road. However upon entering the store, you are met with antique tutu’s, Victorian fairytale dresses and delicate fabrics draping from the ceilings and walls, sending an image of Sarah Jessica Parker twirling round to the sound of the cello and the flutter of fairies.

The beautiful lace fabrics and dainty dresses will have you wondering whether you could get away with wearing a beaded corset or ballerina dress to your next party. After some serious consideration, if the answer is still no, there is a unique jewellery collection and cute little homeware items which might be on the slightly more practical side.

However on a grander scale, if you’re planning a wedding and waltzing down the aisle in antique laces has always been your dream, Jane Bourvis specialises in designing vintage couture wedding dresses in addition to headpieces and bridal corsetry. The individually handcrafted dresses and attention to detail will no doubt leave you in possession of a truly individual and special piece -hopefully the groom is of equal calibre!

And despite not being in need of a wedding dress or a pink tutu, I make a point of entering the fairytale world that is Jane Bourvis every time I’m in the area.

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Jane Bourvis | Shopping
89 Golborne Road | West | +4402089645603
Tue – Sat 11:00 – 18:00

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

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

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

Just a ten-minute walk from the maelstrom of central Hammersmith, The Dove public house is a haven of easy peacefulness, harking back to a more civilised age of drinking.  Tucked away in a narrow passage on the picturesque banks of the River Thames, this small, 17th Century building is reminiscent of a country cottage, serving hearty food, and ales from the local Chiswick Fullers brewery.

Step through the old, dark front door into a warm and inviting bar no bigger than a front room, panelled in lustrous, dark wood. Head up a few gently creaking steps into the main dining area, minding your head on the low wood beams that truss the ceiling, and you find yourself in another panelled room lit by brass-lamp fittings that pool light over historic black and white photos of Hammersmith.  Well-worn benches, chairs and tables line the walls throughout, and in winter two roaring fires will be nurtured by local river-folk, walkers, a dog or two, and the few lucky tourists who will have stumbled upon this gem.

Summer is equally tranquil; a conservatory to the rear opens out to a terrace overlooking the sparkling river, the opposite bank lined with lush, green trees.  The Oxford & Cambridge boat race can be viewed from here if you’re lucky enough to get a seat.

I really shouldn’t be telling you about this, because it’s one of those places that you want to keep just for yourself.  I feel like a magician who’s revealed the prestige of the magic trick.

Look into my eyes, you have never heard of a pub…called The Dove…

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The Dove | Bars, Restaurants (English) | Main from £ 9.75
19 Upper Mall | West | +442087489474
Bar 11:00 – 23:00 daily | Food Mon- Fri 12:00 – 15:00 & 17:00 – 22:00 , Sat 12:00 – 22:00, Sun 12:00 – 19:00

A great place to take a first date, the Kensington Creperie is a relaxed French-affair with efficient, friendly staff from all over the world. As you can see from the photo, it was a staff birthday when I dropped in…and somewhere at the back is the manager, Decio.

I first discovered the cafe one summer in 2002, putting up marquees in the parks and gardens of London.  While tidying away for the cafe, our team found we had uncovered a rich vein of authentic French crepes!  The deal was sealed by an encounter with a lovely Caribbean number, filled with melted Belgian chocolate, a shake of coconut and a tot o’ rum.  I’ve been going back ever since.

Local people who have dropped in are pictured in the window, Pierce Brosnan and Bob Geldof, ever heard of them?  Apparently some chaps who play a game called football for Arsenal and Chelsea like to drop in too, for the unassuming, family atmosphere.

The SAS are rumoured to use this restaurant after long endurance tests standing up, browsing exhibitions at the nearby Victoria & Albert, Natural History and Science museums.  If you find you too are close to passing out on parade, then head straight to the creperie for a life-sustaining savoury, then sweet filled crepe.

Be sure to check the specials board for creative concoctions invented specially by the staff, some from classic Portuguese and English dishes, now lovingly wrapped in creperie-magic!

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The Kensington Creperie | Restaurants (French) | One filled-crepe from £ 3.00
2 Exhibition Road | West | +442075898947
Mon 12:00 – 23:30, Tue – Sun 11:00 – 23:30

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