http://www.spottedbylocals.com/london London local tips Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:56:36 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Veeraswamy is the UK’s oldest Indian restaurant. It was established in 1926 by the great-grandson of an English General, and an Indian princess, on the same site as the present restaurant just north of Piccadilly Circus.  I first learned about it from my Grandfather, who ate here with his Royal Air Force buddies when they [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/london/area/central/restaurants-central/veeraswamy It’s the best park in London to throw a stick, all 790 acres of it! The Heath is a wide-ranging public space made up of several ponds, ancient woodlands, heaths and meadows. Here you can pretend that you are deep in the English countryside.  In summer, eat picnics in the shade of ancient trees, chew grass stalks [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/london/area/north-west/relaxing-north-west/hampstead-heath Far better than a slap in the face with a wet haddock, it’s the final instalment in my West Hampstead coffee trilogy – The Wet Fish Cafe! So named because it was once one of London’s original wet fish shops (the term ‘wet’ refers to fish that have not been frozen since being caught), the old [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/london/area/north-west/coffee-tea-north-west/the-wet-fish-cafe There are quite a few nice places to retreat from the nasty, shopping maelstrom that is Oxford Street, and depending on your taste, The Champion pub is one of them. Owned by the Yorkshire-based Samuel Smith brewery, it is essentially an ‘old man’s boozer’. This simple pub boasts a beautiful wood exterior with large-stained glass windows [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/london/area/central/bars-central/the-champion 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 one of the many Maroush chains of classy Lebanese restaurants. From several large restaurants [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/london/area/west/restaurants-west/ranoush-juice Ok, ok, I promise this is the last posting I will write about coffee! I need to cut back on the caffeine anyhow. However, Cafe Vergnano 1882 is absolutely the best place in London for what Gordon Ramsey calls “a remarkably sublime coffee”. Never again will you have to put up with a milky latte when [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/london/area/central/coffee-tea-central/cafe-vergnano 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.  [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/london/area/central/art-culture-central/institute-of-contemporary-arts-ica 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 [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/london/area/north-west/bars-north-west/the-regent After a trip to Tayyabs, it’s easy to see why the wall is plastered with framed awards and rave reviews. Most Londoners know the best curries are not found on self-proclaimed curry capital Brick Lane, and those in the know believe Tayyabs, within walking distance, is one of the best. The no frills Pakistani restaurant is [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/london/area/east/restaurants-east/tayyabs 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. Now [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/london/area/east/bars-east/cafe-1001