Springtime In London. Many Recommendations! Especially For Food!

By Karen

I just returned from a week in London with my husband. Unaccountably, every single day was sunny and warm. Needless to say, that meant every Londoner was out and about. The parks were jammed. The cafes were jammed. It was splendid. Of course, we felt a bit of cognitive dissonance as we watched the latest developments in Ukraine. Nearly every restaurant added a charge for Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen operations in and near Ukraine. That made the joy of these sunny days all the more poignant.

We stayed right next door to the Tower of London, in a small apartment with a jaw-dropping view of the Thames and Tower Bridge. The location was great—quick meanders to Spitalfields and Shoreditch, the Sunday flower market, lots of cool stores. Gorgeous walks along the Thames to Big Ben and Whitehall.

We dined well. Some recommendations:

• Cora Pearl. Quirky and delicious pre-theatre in Covent Grden.

• Fifty Cheyne Walk. Elegant, flowery, delightful.

• Clarke’s. Lunch was amazing. Sally Clark is London’s Alice Waters, and they seem to be friends. I plan to buy her cookbook.

• Cinnamon Bazaar.  A casual Covent Garden spot. Inventive and delicious Indian.

• Brat. Super cool, except boiling hot. The open flames and broiled meats in a very noisy industrial room was not perfect for a dinner with friends. But if you love this sort of meal, go!

• The Ivy. There are many of these. The one we tried was across the river from our location, with an incredible view of the Tower, and London, next to the Bridge Theater. If the weather is good, sit outside overlooking it all.

• Bottles. A little Tuscan spot in Knightsbridge. Friendly and fun. Great olive oil.

• La Famiglia. My husband’s favorite restaurant on earth. He has been coming for decades. Excellent Italian in the Worlds End.

• Sketch. This is an outpost of the Stephen Friedman gallery. One room is regularly redesigned, top to bottom, by whichever artist is being shown. Really really fun, and tasty. When we went we observed a couple of women in their sixties, meticulously dressed, having a fine lunch, with Baby Yoda sitting at the table with them. He was not eating, though.

We love art, and there was much to enjoy. 

• A favorite gallery is Piano Nobile, in Holland Park. We saw an incredible Craigie Aitchison show there right before lockdown, and on our return we saw luminous flowers by William Crozier, a lovely gestural painter.

• Stephen Friedman in Mayfair likes to find up and coming artists from around the world. We loved the Hilda Guzman show.

• Pace is always on our list, and we wanted to see their new Hanover Square location. Gorgeous. The Latifa Echakhch show was unlike anything we had seen.

And of course the museums are amazing. We never miss the Tate Modern. This time we were introduced to the work of Lubaima Himid. Quite fabulous. The Main Hall, which is usually phenomenal, was given over to some sort of Bridgerton set. Disappointing. Kehinde Wiley at at the National Gallery was brilliantly displayed. I don’t love Francis Bacon’s work, but the panoramic exhibition at the Royal Academy was something to see.

We did very little shopping, for some reason. But we saw a few fun stores.

• Egg, in Knightsbridge, has a very curated set of dresses, skirts and shirts created with divine fabrics in divine colors. Many would overwhelm a small person like me, but it you are tall, go for it. In any event the shop, and its proprietor, are lovely and well worth a visit.

• Aida, in Shoreditch, has clothes and other products that are unique and English. 

• Meander is a new company the makes attractive clothes from recycled products. Its shop is right near Spitalfields Market, which is full of all kinds of things—and great food.

Walking was the constant, day and night. We even took a walking tour, appropriate for two lawyers, of the Inns of Court, and the shop where one acquires gowns (cotton and silk) and wigs (horsehair)—both for barristers and for judges. Fascinating. And on another jaunt we climbed to the top of the Wellington Arch, where we watched the changing of the guard from a remarkable vantage point.

Of course we also went to the theater. 

• Cabaret was very well done, but I did not enjoy the production. Extreme slapstick is not for me.

• Straight Line Crazy, by David Hare, was a surprising find on the London stage—all about Robert Moses and NYC neighborhoods we know well, particularly Washington Square and Soho. Ralph Fiennes was a splendid, complex Moses.  

• The best, though, was the Royal Ballet performing Swan Lake. Sumptuous, and brilliant. And no swan boat.

It was a great trip. One small warning—Heathrow was chaotic—arriving and departing. Plan on long—long!—waits.

Bon Voyage!