london

I received probably the faffiest martini I've ever seen there (it came with an eyedropper on a saucer) and the staff uniforms are risible but despite all that it is great and I would drink there again in a heartbeat

We were one of only two couples in there, sat by the oddly taxidermied cat wearing a dress, I would live there if I could. Drinks were amazing and stemware to die for. I actually took a picture of my gorgeous and unusual coupe and I never take pictures of stuff!

Anyhow I kind of failed at London today. Slept quite late and by the time we got out it was raining cats and dogs, so instead of gardens we ducked into a nice pub and had fish and chips and true british cask ale. Then hung out in the super-hot sauna to sweat out some of the alcohol that is currently making up a not insignificant part of my bloodstream.

Pop Brixton was quite fun yesterday! And of course the Pixies. Crazy space, that Brixton Academy. Very good sound, but we were seated in the balcony and it was so weird to have all these polite concertgoers around us who stayed seated and for all the world appeared as if attending the symphony.

But a dude did grab my ass on the way out, so I guess there was that.

Petrus tonight. I had narrowed down choices to Dinner, Ledbury, Ducasse, and Petrus and then had spouse make the final call. We have to admit we have a bit of a thing for Ramsey. For starters, he is all over US TV all the damn time so we feel like he is practically our own nutty uncle type. But more significantly, we had the single best airport dining experience of our collective lives at Plane Food at LHR (OK I kind of lied when I said I'd never been to London; I had a long connection at LHR a few months back, but it hardly seems that should count). Beautiful service, nice table overlooking the runways, very decent food. Best of all was a dedicated restaurant bathroom, very nicely appointed. Maybe it is just a US airport thing, but our airport restaurants always have you traipse out to the terminal to use the standard terminal bathrooms with the strollers and screaming kids and diaper changing and stuff. Plane Food was a very comfortable and pleasing way to pass a long layover.

So anyway, there is a soft spot for Ramsey and I was also moved by Matt DC's comment that some of the other fine-dining joints in London had that hushed museum atmosphere. Petrus seemed like it would be a bit more lively.

a few years ago i brought a date to zetter and it was the turning point in a hitherto long series of unrequited platonic nights out with the person in question.

which doesn't trump matt having his wedding reception there but everything is relative. i love the staff there also.

xpost i was just in bordeaux and there's a huge restaurant opposite the opera house with massive posters of ramsey outside it. mainly put me off tbh.

Tayyabs: easy to get a table (I had made reservations but they were not at all necessary during France-Portugal match). Took a cab there which was nice because we got to see a bit more of the city. I'd love to hang out in that neigborhood when things are open--not much was on a Sunday night. Food was enjoyable but not knock-your-socks-off. I admit that I am spoiled by having two very top-notch, absolutely delicious Indian restaurants within a mile of my home, but they lean more toward the fine(r) dining side than Tayyabs so it isn't fair to compare. It was great to BYO and have a bit of relief from the massive hemorrhaging of money that has been our London sojourn.

Had the lamb chops, dry beef, CTM, and a Sunday special called I think hareem? A ground lamb with lentils dish, it was great and our favorite.

Sitting in a pub all afternoon is in no way failing at London BTW. If anything it's doing London properly.

Quincie, that's haleem - spicy lamby stick-to-your-ribs lentil stew which is popular as something to eat before Ramadan sunrise. You can buy Shan packets with the lentils and spices and a recipe on the side of the box, price 99p. Go to the Asian shop in Boswell Street (closest one to Rosewood) and get a few boxes to try making at home :-))

pondering a brief (3-5 days) visit in ... September, i guess?

Anyhow I kind of failed at London today. Slept quite late and by the time we got out it was raining cats and dogs, so instead of gardens we ducked into a nice pub and had fish and chips and true british cask ale.

Was going to say, this qualifies you for citizenship iirc

Morbz I will be away :(

Boston then! will probly book by Friday

i did make it to the top of Primrose Hill, huffin and puffin.

then had to quit Regents Canal after a bit cuz it was too damn dark.

I was in town today for a few hours, went to the Imperial War Museum, need more time there so I'll go back again next time I'm in town

Would be interesting to hear morb's opinion of transport in London as an outsider.

didn't get to the IWM, but the affiliated Churchill War Rooms. Labyrinthine and claustrophobic as you'd expect despite the shiny displays in the roomier biographical museum within.

Oh, i was on the tube maybe twice at rush hour, and the ride from TottCtRoad to the City was madness! Trains are too damn small for your needs.

and those walks through the passages after you enter that go on and on for minutes, with 2 giant escalators... need a train to the train...

was just reading that the Joy of Life fountain in Hyde park has been turned off because homeless people have been cooling off or washing themselves in it. Stay very classy Westminster/Royal Parks dept.

accumulation of bits of anecdotes and experience says that the royals parks administration are utter cunts.

nearly ended up working for them in the early 90's, but the CRB check took so long I had found a job by the time they wanted me to start.

hello london ppl

what are good resources nowadays for finding a flat to rent in london?

what areas do you think currently have the best quality/£ ratio? anywhere really, but say west of the northern line in particular

pls help me

at 'west of the northern line' you can imagine me scowling and shrinking back into the shadows like in the lion king when scar says 'the hyenas....they are the real enemy!'

there are adverts for some new thing called 'tipi' in wembley park though, maybe you could be a tipi pioneer

Don't know about no West London, but lots of folks on the more modest end of the income scale are setting up in Walthamstow these days, and out East into Leytonstone and Forest Gate. All pleasant if a little suburban, with some decent pubs and restaurants popping up.

TY

perhaps depends on your definition of modest, but I lived in Walthamstow 2007-2016 and it was definitely not very affordable when I moved away. Our landlord put the rent up by 50% after we moved out. think Leyton/stone are still fairly cheap tho

A few people I know are renting in Balham at the moment. It is ok but, again, like pretty much anywhere, is getting much more expensive.

Aren't rents meant to be going down around London, or is it just house prices?

Currently happy in my corner in SE London.

I’m in Peckham and while it’s much more expensive than it used to be, you can still find pockets of value near Queens Rd. New Cross and Deptford are still not too hideously expensive and have lots to offer. Nunhead/Brockley will give you a more leafy environment and a higher volume of farmers markets at similar prices thanks to not being as well connected.

If you really want to be West of the Northern Line, and north of the river, try Kilburn, Cricklewood and Willesden. Some lovely streets and really good links to town. When I stayed in West Hampstead I could be in town in 15 minutes and also well-connected for Overground.

Lewisham is great, with fantastic links to Canary Wharf, Bank, London Bridge and Waterloo. It's a lovely friendly multicultural area and very green on the sides toward Blackheath.

no point revealing that now the east is ruled out

Well, we can save it for ourselves. SE will always be seen as "uncool"

thanks folks

‘Friendly’ might be overstating ime.

Good cinemas showing diaspora movies w/ subtitles? Chinese, Indian, Nigerian, etc. Strikes me I live in a huge multicultural city and should take more cultural advantage of that.

I wonder if there are cultural centres to check out. Certainly South Korea and Japan do some work in showing more films in London.

Keep an eye on this page for later in the year? https://www.filmafrica.org/

I see also that the Japanese embassy (?) is running events again, looks like you can go see this for free: https://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/JAPANUKEvent/event/2022/202207/10-JHL-Film-TheHiddenFortress.html and also the events calendar there are other film screenings you can attend, some online but most not.

i've heard the actual japanese embassy has some strange entry requirements (a passport? something like that). oh but that's Japan House, which is just a shop, so probably won't.

i always mean to see it the polish centre in hamersmith is screening anything interesting. website looks dead(ish) though.

Thanks for the recs - to be clear I am less interested in govt curated festival circuit arthouse type stuff (well not "less interested" just have a better grasp of that stuff) and more about grass roots popular cinema hitting rooms to cater to local immigrant groups.

Anyone made themselves an itinerary for a London visit recently?

Arriving into Marylebone and then walking to Ottolenghi's NOPI (Warwick Street, W1B 5NE).

What's good around? (I know that's a vague question, depending on taste).

What kind of recommendations are you after?

A major Cezanne exhibition opens at Tate Modern tomorrow if that’s your thing.

I heard about that on the radio this morning and it sounds like a really interesting selection of works.

The Wallace Collection, one of my favourite medium-sized galleries in the UK, will be a pleasant stroll down Marleybone High St