Despite its relatively small size compared to the more famous Hyde Park or Richmond Park, the area of Holland Park boasts many draws, including a playing field for pick-up games of football or cricket, an ecology centre, rugged woods for brisk jogs, and a hostel. The park even hosts opera performances in the summer!
My favourite part of the park is the peaceful Kyoto Garden, which is like a tiny pocket of Japan inside an English setting. When I first moved to London, my apartment was only minutes away. I would often spend time here to get away from the cramped space of my flat and the noise from my busy street.
The garden was opened in 1991 as a gift from Kyoto to commemorate the long friendship between Japan and Great Britain. The garden is carefully designed to reflect key traits of Japanese gardens, including stone lanterns, tiered waterfalls and plenty of fish. The crashing water is occasionally mixed with the squawks of peacocks who wander around the park. Despite these occasional birdcalls, a few minutes in the Kyoto Garden will have a restorative effect to your spirit.
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A must try for me at Paradise Soho are the gigantic grilled ceylonese prawns - tender and smokey from the charring & the cashew curry along with a hopper.
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As an independent wine bar their focus is on stocking wines from smaller producers, lesser known regions and grape varieties, and also female winemakers.
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The team at the Penny Drop are real coffee geeks in the best possible sense of the word and go to great lengths sourcing the best coffee beans out there.
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If you arrive in the morning you’ll find their popular morning buns with a variety of fillings, sticky buns, beignets, and more!
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Rondo La Cave is a hip wine bar situated in the basement of the Hoxton hotel and has a charming rustic interior with dim lighting.
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Quiet yet somehow buzzing, classy yet unpretentious, central yet hidden. What impresses me most is the concentration of great spots in such a small area.
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The menu has all the brunch classics you’d expect and also some more unusual offerings as well as weekend specials that change regularly...
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The Bloomsbury farmers market is a small market for fresh produce and lots of different food stalls held every Thursday on Bloomsbury square.
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Southwark Brewing company has a range of traditional beers such as ales, IPAs, porter, and bitter - all really fresh and available on draft or bottle.
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Museum Lates is a concept that is essentially a late-night opening when you can explore the exhibitions without the day-trip crowds getting in your way.
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Stir Coffee Brixton is a lovely neighbourhood coffee shop located on the corner of Brixton Hill and Arodene Road which has a very chilled vibe.
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It was set up in 2009 by Highbury resident and cat enthusiast Doreen Rolph, as a place to raise funds for local animal welfare organisations.
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276 Insider Tips from our local Spotters
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