London with a local | The West Australian

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London with a local | The West ***********

There’s nothing quite like local knowledge when travelling. Consulting people who are experts on the ins and outs of a destination can take the slog out of planning and help you make the most of your time on a quick visit.

My family and I have just arrived in London on a two-day stop en route to Scotland, and we don’t want to waste a minute.

Luckily for us, my cousin Kerry has lived here for a couple of decades, so we are drawing upon her wealth of knowledge.

We would have found our first stop without her. In fact, if you drop me in London and tell me I can only visit one place, this would be it.

Borough Market is foodie heaven; the number of stalls is staggering. We spend quite a while walking about and drooling at the vast array of quality produce, the likes of which I would almost give my right arm to have in a market in Perth.

Thank goodness Kerry is here because without her I’d still be wandering about trying to make up my mind what to eat. Falafel or salt beef bagel from Nanna Fannys Deli? The ****** Pig’s slow roast pork shoulder and salsa verde ciabatta? A dosa from ***** OK Please Indian Street Food? Lee Brothers’ wild mushroom risotto, or Atlantic Edge oysters? My mind is boggled.

Camera IconLondon’s Borough Market is a foodie’s paradise. Credit: Leyanne Baillie/The West ***********

“Oscar (Kerry’s ******** fiance) really rates this place,” she says, as she points to Tacos Padre’s menu. If it’s good enough for Oscar, it’s good enough for me. There are still decisions to be made because everything sounds delicious, but I manage to narrow it down to a pork taco and one filled with crispy fish. Fresh, zingy, spicy, and scrumptious.

From there, Kerry suggests a stroll along the Thames river path heading west. This scenic pedestrian route is a real find as it takes us past some of London’s famous landmarks and gives great river views.

Weaving our way between the crowds, we pass The Globe Theatre, a striking reconstruction of the original venue where Shakespeare wrote and performed his plays from the 1590s. The original building was destroyed in the mid-1600s, but it was finally reconstructed and opened in 1997.

It’s years since I’ve visited the theatre. It’s a fascinating building inside and out. It would be good to see a show in the open-air venue, but unfortunately there is no time this weekend.

All is not lost on the performance front, but more on that later.

Next, we pass the Tate Modern, which houses one of the country’s best collections of modern art, including works by Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and Henri Matisse. The gallery receives 5.7 million visitors each year and is in the world’s top 10 most visited museums and galleries.

The brutalist building was once the Bankside Power Station, designed by architect Giles Gilbert Scott, who also designed Britain’s well-known red phone boxes. The building’s central chimney is 99m tall and the top floor of Switch House, a twisting, angular extension, which was opened in 2017, has a viewing terrace with lovely views over the London skyline.

Talking of views, we have requested somewhere for pre-dinner cocktails by the river, and Kerry has found a very stylish option.

Lyaness at Sea Containers is just past Blackfriars Bridge on the South Bank. We have a booking at 12th Knot, the rooftop bar at the cruise liner-inspired Sea Containers building. However, we have arrived an hour earlier than expected, and instead we are offered a table at the ********* bar on the first floor.

This is no compromise — the interior is all glamour. Its soft furnishings are sumptuous, in nautical shades of blue and grey, with a huge green marble bar, gold detailing and a statement mirror bringing the bling.

Being at a lower level rather than on the rooftop is no loss either. From inside, and the terrace outside, we have sweeping vistas of the river and the city, including an excellent view of St Paul’s Cathedral.

The Perfect Afternoons weekend menu has a choice of five £12 cocktails. I’m swithering between a Globe negroni, Tate shandy, or Borough nut spritz. The spritz wins — I can’t resist the combination of ****, pear, rose, pistachio and bubbles.

For this evening’s entertainment, Kerry has excelled herself.

We take the Underground from Southwark to Baker Street and a quick walk to Regent’s Park, one of London’s eight royal parks. Entering through the Jubilee Gates, we wander through Queen Mary’s Gardens, which contains 85 rose beds filled with 40,000 of the beautifully scented blooms.

Camera IconThe stage is set for a visit to Regent’s Park open-air theatre. Credit: Leyanne Baillie/The West ***********

At the end of the path is the Triton Fountain, a group of bronze sculptures depicting a sea god with two mermaids at his feet.

The sculptures were designed by William McMillan, who also designed a similarly themed fountain in Trafalgar Square.

In the summer months you can enjoy open-air performances in a 1300-seater theatre in the middle of the park. Tonight, we will be watching a production of The Secret Garden. But first, there’s dinner in the theatre’s grounds.

I feel like I have already entered the secret garden. Towering horse chestnut trees surround the perimeter while underneath, large swathes of foliage and dainty flowers frame the borders. In the middle, the exterior structure of the theatre is draped in trailing greenery and hanging baskets filled with delicate cottage blooms. Soft sunlight filters through the planting, creating a verdant cocoon.

Food and drink options continue the English country garden theme. We order vegetable garden pizzas and rainbow salads as we decide between strawberry patch or rose garden cocktails, or that ubiquitous English tipple, Pimm’s.

Soon it’s showtime and we thoroughly enjoy the imaginative production. As the show goes on and the sun goes down, the blue sky fades to dark, the tall trees cast cosy shadows all around us, and fairy lights twinkle from the stage. It’s quite magical, and a lovely way to spend the evening.

Camera IconThe stage is set for a visit to the open-air theatre at Regent’s Park. Credit: Leyanne Baillie/The West ***********

The following morning I haven’t quite got that dosa from Borough Market out my mind, and Anya is desperate to try the market’s viral chocolate-doused strawberry cups. Opening time is 10am and we arrive at 9.45am hoping to beat the crowds. I expect it will fill up quickly but for now it’s relatively quiet.

The produce stalls are already open for business and Anya gives her breakfast a big thumbs-up. Alas, when I try to order my dosa I’m politely told I’ll need to wait until 10, but the chai is ready if I want one — an offer too good to refuse.

This is the best chai I have ever tasted. The tea is the perfect strength, and the spice is spot on.

The dosa is worth the wait. The wafer-thin lentil pancake is generously filled with masala potatoes accompanied by chickpea curry and a salad spiked with red onion, coriander and pomegranate seeds topped with shredded coconut. It beats a bacon roll any day.

Next on the list is the Victoria and Albert Museum. We meet Kerry at South Kensington tube station which is a five-minute walk from the museum.

V&A Kensington houses examples of architecture, painting, sculpture, fashion, textiles, ceramics and jewellery from around the world. There are more than 11km of galleries to explore, with 60,000 works on view, from a collection of 2.8 million items.

There’s obviously no way we are going to get round everything. I could spend half the day admiring the intricate sculptures and stonework of the Victorian exterior architecture. Not to mention the stunning rotunda and Dave Chihuly’s statement glass chandelier in the foyer, which is made up of more than 1400 blue and green pieces of glass.

One impressive, and imposing, exhibit is the Weston Cast Court which features more than 60 19th-century reproductions of Italian Renaissance monuments, including Michelangelo’s David and a 7.5m-tall set of doors known as the Gates of Paradise at Florence Cathedral.

Camera IconDave Chihuly’s statement glass chandelier in the foyer of the V&A Museum, Kensington, London. Credit: Leyanne Baillie

The fashion gallery is wonderful. It spans five centuries and has the largest collection of dresses in the world. Some of the standouts are rare 17th-century gowns, wedding attire from the mid-1800s, elegant evening wear from the 1930s, and 20th-century couture from some of the world’s best-known designers.

I am captivated by the exhibits in the Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art, a display of 400 items spanning 1000 years.

Two Persian rugs catch my eye. The giant Ardabil is the world’s oldest-dated carpet, an intricately designed masterpiece crafted between 1539 and 1540; another smaller one is titled Carpet With Floral Lattice from 1600-1700 which belonged to British designer William Morris.

It’s clear to see this cotton, silk and wool rug inspired his textile designs. Looking around the gallery, the patterns on many of the ceramics on display bear this out.

We could spend the day here, but we have a boat to catch.

A trip on the river is a must, and Kerry surprises us with an excellent budget option. Would you believe you can catch an Uber boat on the Thames? £22.10 ($45) will buy you a one-day ticket (a £44.20 family ticket covers two adults and up to three children), giving unlimited travel across 24 London piers. Or you can tap and go on single journeys (from £9) with your bank or travel money card.

We travel from Battersea Power Station heading east and are treated to excellent views of favourite landmarks such as the London Eye, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, passing under the Millennium and London bridges before disembarking at Tower Bridge. The full route travels between Barking and Putney, with first boats starting at the weekend from about 8am and the final boat docking at North Greenwich at 12.30am. Full timetables can be found at thamesclippers.com.

Camera IconUber boats stop at 24 piers along the Thames. Credit: Leyanne Baillie/The West ***********

Back in the day, one of London’s most celebrated restaurants was The Ivy at Covent Garden. A hotspot for celebrity spotting, post-1950s famous diners included Laurence Olivier, Marlene Dietrich, Noel Coward and Dame Nellie Melba.

In the 1990s you may have brushed shoulders with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, David and Victoria Beckham, Madonna or Princess Diana.

It was also a favoured haunt of my friend Ian, who has been raving about the restaurant’s fishcakes ever since.

As luck would have it, there is a branch of the dining spot close to our hotel so tonight we are checking out Ian’s favourite dish at the Ivy at Tower Bridge. The restaurant is split across two levels with its floor-to-ceiling windows and a Parisian-style outdoor terrace looking out at Tower Bridge.

The interior is ultra-glam with bold colours, mosaic-tiled floors, and splashes of Art Deco styling.

But what about that fishcake? Crunchy exterior, fluffy potato and a generous smoked haddock-filled interior, on top of a vibrant crushed pea and herb sauce. It’s still a winner.

Camera IconDining at The Ivy Tower Bridge, London. Credit: Leyanne Baillie/The West ***********

Our last taste of London is at the Sky Garden, the city’s highest public garden. Known locally as the Walkie-Talkie, entry to the top of the 160m-high green space is free, but spaces are limited and can only be booked up to three weeks in advance. The garden closes at 9pm.

I miss the boat when I try to book two weeks before we arrive. But I’ll let you in on a secret: if you book a table in the evening at one of the Sky Garden’s bars you can enjoy the 360-degree views until midnight Sunday to Wednesday, and until 1am Thursday to Saturday. I manage to secure a booking on the day, so we head off for a nightcap.

If photography is your thing, be better organised than me and book in advance for a slot when the outdoor terrace is still open (until 6pm) for uninterrupted views. It’s lovely looking at London illuminated at night, but there’s a lot of reflection in the windows so the resulting photos aren’t that great.

And so, it’s the end of our whistlestop tour. Next stop is my home town of Edinburgh, where we will be putting our own local knowledge to good use.

Camera IconLondon’s Borough Market is a foodie’s paradise. Credit: Leyanne Baillie/The West AustralianCamera IconThe stage is set for a visit to the open-air theatre at Regent’s Park. Credit: Leyanne Baillie/The West AustralianCamera IconThe intricate stonework of the main entrance to the V&A Museum, Kensington, London. Credit: Leyanne Baillie/The West AustralianCamera IconThe V&A Museum, Kensington, London. Credit: Leyanne Baillie/The West AustralianCamera IconUber boats stop at 24 piers along the Thames. Credit: Leyanne Baillie/The West ***********

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