Since my London dream is almost coming to end, I thought I would share some hidden and not so hidden treasures of London; the places I discovered and slowly and instantly fell in love with.
From hidden streets in Covent Garden, the bustling markets of Spitalfields, Gothic Piercing parlors in Camden, Victorian tea rooms in Highbury, highstreet madness of Oxford street to so much more this city can offer. London is truly and absolutely an amazing place to live in your twenties and I most definitely had the opportunity to exploit it.
When it comes to food, my most favorite cuisine is Thai. That is why I slowly but surely fell in love with Banana tree, specifically the Angel branch. My favorite dish on the menu being the Ying Yang Laksa (yum), and to all my Muslim readers, it is indeed halal!
(Some Images Taken from Direct and Indirect Sources)
Next up is another great restaurant again in the heart of Islington; Gilgamesh. Located in the trendy streets of Camden, this diamond in the rough is a favorite with the young and fabulous of London. London Evening standard has even accused it of being "Incredibly fresh and attractively presented". This place is a perfect start to a glamorous night out.
I only recently discovered this, and I am so gutted to have been just before I left because I enjoyed it so much! The Comedy Club is such a good night out. More so on a Tuesday because they have a comedian from Kenya (of course I'm biased!). Students get a discount, but otherwise it is so affordable and honestly such a laugh, I definitely recommend it to everyone. However, some may find it crude and offensive, but that's just how comedy is now, but you have been warned.
Again another food related place with all thanks to beautiful Naima for introducing me to this sanctaury. Pretty pricey, but probably the BEST Lebanese food in all of London. I don't know why, I just absolutely love Levant, the location, setup, decor, food and ambiance are stupendous. I would recommend it for a birthday outing, plus its Halal ;)
Now If you're like me and are totally crazy about Jo Malone and free stuff, you will love what I'm about to tell you. I spend so much time at Jo Malone Covent Garden, and they honestly have the nicest staff I have ever come across in any designer store or perfumery. They are so helpful and bubbly and they let me in on a secret; Jo Malone provides certain regular customers with a personal invitation for you and a friend to enjoy a complimentary hand massage. They are pretty short but so amazing! And you walk out smelling delicious. If you ring up the Covent Garden number on 08701925771 they will be more than willing to book you in for an appointment, don't forget to mention 'Living the London Dream'. It's a nice way to spend an afternoon and have a good catchup be it girls or guys and then just spend the day in Covent Garden afterwards. I love Covent Garden! There's so much to see and do, especially on a sunny day. However, do not go with someone who wants to spend their time in Burberry trying on Trench Coats (yes, I went there ;)), enjoy the performances, ice-cream and market.
One of the things a lot of British Asians in London love to do is, of course, Shisha! Now I have been to my fair share of Shisha lounges in London, but by far the best and most classiest is Mia Lounge. Although it's a bit of a commute from central London in Swiss Cottage, it is most definitely worth the commute. Not only are the Shisha, Food and mocktails good, but so is the crowd and ambiance.
One of my favorite things to in London was to simply get lost. My friend Pallavi and I would usually take this route from Wateroo (I lived there in second year) to Westminster, cross the bridge to parliament, walk through Green park hitting Hyde Park, then of course we couldn't be rude and not visit the Queen at Buckingham Place and from there straight to make a wish on the Lions of Trafalgar Square, and finally ending it with m&m world. This route is so scenic and just so relaxing and fun at the same time. It would be good to take this journey as well on bicycles. Infact the picture below was taken on that specific day we took this memorable walk around London three years ago. Ah memories!
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| What a freshy right? |
London has a lot of vibrant places to offer, some are artistically shabby yet tasteful, while other places like the Duck and Waffle in Heron tower offer a classy and elegant set up and have the 'wow' factor. Located on the 40th floor, the view of Central London and Docklands is absolutely breath taking. And the lift; don't get me started on that...it's like being on a rollercoaster! Although it is quite expensive, including Sushi Samba downstairs, It is a good place to go for a special occasion because it is indeed a special place.
Another pretty hip and funky thing to do is go to a market, be it in Camden Town, Spitalfields, Covent Garden, Walthamstow, Borough or Petticoat Lane, these markets always have pretty unique and awesome finds. The food markets sometimes make me feel sick with the smells, but the Whitecross Street Food Market in Barbican is not that bad in terms of dead animals and bad smells. I love going to Markets, I find them so much fun and such a different outing experiencing such a vibrant culture in London. Plus you sometimes find antique Gems.
Lastly, when living in Arsenal, my usual commute to university would take me through Highbury and Islington, and then through Upper street. These places are Uber cool and have the funkiest restaurants and Patisseries. I would have to do a blogpost on just that Road itself one day, but I thought I would share with you mine and my previous flatmate, Prateesha's, favorite place for tea. The Highness Tea Room is this small quaint tea room that is just so cute! The decor is minimal with little details like using a sewing table as a coffee table going a long way. If you are like us and love these little cute tea rooms you should give this place a visit.
There are a lot of fun and interesting things to do in London, you just need to be adventurous and open minded. London is always about trying new places because this city has too much to offer to go to Nandos all the time. As I have enjoyed and Lived my London dream through all these places with some pretty amazing people, I urge you to do the same. Leave nothing left untouched and Unseen.
Until next time, Keep living that London dream, dreamers.
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