The London Lounge

Somewhat inspired by a reply alden posted... I thought it will be interesting to hear what fellow members think are the best things around the world... I start with mine, and obviously can change with time...

Best Hotel - Park Hyatt Shanghai
Best Pizza - Lombardi's NYC
Best Fish - Scott's London
Best Pasta - La Latteria Milano
Best Tailor - A. Caraceni Milano
Best Shirts - Charvet Paris
Best Shoes - Koji Suzuki Japan

Best range of beers from a single brewery: Camden Brewery
Best coffee: Nude Espresso
Best burgers in London: Dirty Burger
Best bread in London: Gail's
Best 'little' museum in London: Wallace Collection
Best hotel for a torrid affair: The Hempel
Best RTW tweed: Cordings

Luca wrote:Best range of beers from a single brewery: Camden Brewery
Best coffee: Nude Espresso
Best burgers in London: Dirty Burger
Best bread in London: Gail's
Best 'little' museum in London: Wallace Collection
Best hotel for a torrid affair: The Hempel
Best RTW tweed: Cordings

I have lived in London for five years and I have only been to the last two places. I really should revisit and explore those gems...

pur_sang wrote:

Luca wrote:Best range of beers from a single brewery: Camden Brewery
Best coffee: Nude Espresso
Best burgers in London: Dirty Burger
Best bread in London: Gail's
Best 'little' museum in London: Wallace Collection
Best hotel for a torrid affair: The Hempel
Best RTW tweed: Cordings

I have lived in London for five years and I have only been to the last two places. I really should revisit and explore those gems...

And indeed many are relatively recent additions (though not the Wallace, naturally)

Best London Tea Shop: Postcard Teas
Best Newstand: Wardour News (Soho, London)
Best Menswear Shop: A&S Clifford St. (Product, service, the works. I'm a customer of the bespoke as well, but I know where I rather shop)
Best Breweries: Kernel in the UK. New Glarus in Wisconsin.
Best Kitchenware Shop: E. Dehillerin (Paris).

Best bridge: Hammersmith
Best time: 6 am
Best shop: D.R. Harris & Co.
Best razor: John Barber, Sheffield
Best moustache: Sir Joseph William Bazalgette
Best pint: Jerusalem Tavern
Best bread on Sunday: Blackheath Farmers Market
Best escapement: verge
Best escape from London in London: London Wetland Centre

pur_sang wrote:

Luca wrote: Best 'little' museum in London: Wallace Collection
Best hotel for a torrid affair: The Hempel
Best RTW tweed: Cordings

I have lived in London for five years and I have only been to the last two places. I really should revisit and explore those gems...

I see you have your priorities right, pur_sang. All that knick-knackery at the Wallace can wait.

i am learning a lot here...

actually, now come to think of it, i have been to the Wallace Collection... just briefly...

Founded in 1673, by the 1750's the Chelsea Physic Garden was "the world's most richly stocked botanic garden". It's still there and indeed yesterday I picked 10 handfuls of black mulberries from the tree and ate them on the spot, while dozens of [upper-classish] old men in seersucker shorts and straw hat were busy eating their lamb cutlets and summer pudding (which I also ate and can recommend).

FL, you are absolutely right about the Chelsea Physic Garden, which has been a favorite spot of mine since the late '70s, when I was mildly obsessed with early herbals and herbalism. It seemed to be looking especially good this year when we passed on the way to Carlyle's house during the Open Garden Squares weekend in June. We've had a good cream tea there in the past; I didn't realize they served more substantial meals--I gather their cafe is where the lamb cutlets were produced?

Dear Couch,
thank you for sharing your memories about the Garden! Yes, their cafe serves substantial meals with a variety of courses that is unusual for a 'museum'. I don't really like the big plastic gazebo used to extend the cafe area (especially because it is threatening my beloved mulberry trees). At the moment the wonderful and imposive Collins Flower Guide is on my desk and feeds my fairly recent interest in grasses and sedges.

I know what you mean about early herbals... Here the Male Mandrake according to Dioscorides. And to safely harvest mandrake, which notoriously screams and kills the person who is trying to dig up its root, please follow this very practical advice:

Josephus (c.37 – c.100) wrote:A furrow must be dug around the root until its lower part is exposed, then a dog is tied to it, after which the person tying the dog must get away. The dog then endeavours to follow him, and so easily pulls up the root, but dies suddenly instead of his master. After this the root can be handled without fear.

Best mountain town: Chamonix

Frederic Leighton, what a list! Bravo!

Andrey