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uk.md

United Kingdom

See The UK Decline - What I Learnt on UK Tour 2024 article for a tour of pictures of why you will not want to visit most of the UK today.

Best Areas in the UK

The best remaining parts of the UK (nearly all in the South of England):

  • Central London (not most of outer London which is ghettoized) - see section below as London is big
  • Oxford
  • Cambridge
  • Surrey:
  • Somerset:
    • Bath - ancient Roman bath town
  • Hampshire:
    • Winchester - the Great Hall of Winchester Castle houses the medieval round table linked to King Arthur
  • Berkshire:
  • Hertfordshire:
  • West Midlands:
  • North Yorkshire:
    • York - probably the most gentrified part of the north due to the historic architecture dating back to Roman times, lots of nice coffee shops
  • Gloucestershire:
  • Kent:
    • Canterbury - historic city dating back to Roman times with historic architecture
    • BlueWater - the largest mall in the UK (you need a car to get there, but there are extensive free car parks surrounding it)
  • Scotland:
    • Edinburgh - small historic city. The restaurants get booked out, so need reservations
  • various AONB - Areas of Oustanding Natural Beauty - legally protected green areas like several national parks, Lake District, South Downs etc.

Most of the areas apart from Central London are small enough you can cover their key central parts in 1-2 days each.

Best Areas in London

Central London you could easily spend over 2 weeks to just see the highlights, eg. a day at each of these:

  1. Natural History Museum (excellent)
  2. Kensington & Kensington Palace Gardens (excellent multi-area kids playground) & the large Hyde Park (these are joined)
  3. Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, London Eye, Sea Life aquarium, South Bank restaurants & seasonal street food stalls
  4. Buckingham Palace & St James Park, Belgravia, Chelsea
  5. Oxford Street and Regent Street for shopping
  6. Picadilly, China Town, Soho restaurants and bars
  7. The British Museum
  8. Knightsbridge - Harrods famous department store has nearly everything, even posh food and souvenir teas
  9. Marylebone & Regents Park
  10. Notting Hill market, street food, clothing and restaurants (market runs on Saturdays only)
  11. Richmond & Richmond Park (excellent)
  12. Hampton Court Palace gardens & Bushy Park (excellent)
  13. Tower Bridge & Borough Market
  14. Greenwich, the Cutty Sark, Royal Observatory, Mudchute Farm
  15. Camden Town, Kings Cross, Angel, Islington
  16. Westfields mall at Shepherds Bush (it's better than the one at Stratford)
  17. Shoreditch, Baribican, Spitalfields Market, Brick Lane for authentic Indian cuisine on a night out

You will not be able to hit all the good areas with good restaurants in 2 weeks actually because London has so many, there are other areas like the City financial district around Bank of England through to Canary Wharf, as well as other zone 2-5 areas like Earl's Court, Fulham, Putney, Barnes, Hammersmith, Wimbledon, Twickenham, Teddington, Ealing Broadway, South Woodford, Wanstead, Bromley, Beckenham, Chessington theme park etc.

Best Restaurants in London

London is easily the restaurant capital of the world, not even California can boast the variety and quality of London restaurants, nor can any other city on this list.

I prioritize food quality and price, so we'll start with more independent and affordable places, then move to more fancy further down.

There are simply far too many great restaurants in London to list them all, especially from 2 decades of memories, and nobody can agree on a definitive top list, but here is a good start:

  • Taro (Soho) - foodie place for Japanese noodles and sushi. The bento boxes here were my favourite
  • Yalla Yalla - a favourite Lebanese of mine in Soho. The sujuk sausages in lemon zesty sauce were my favourite of any place, and I've forever been disappointed in Turkish restaurants sujuk by comparison. Fattoush salad is a must here (or any lebanese / syrian or similar restaurant!). The houmous with lamb is a worthy upgrade too and stuffed vine leaves are always good. I liked the homemade lemonades as they were exotic mixes (Pomegranate & Orange Blossom, Watermelon & Rose, or Apple, Mint & Ginger). The Mouhalabia dessert was my favourite here. There is also a sister restaurant Yalla Beirut at Tower Hill
  • Black Bear Burger - the black bear and brisket burger were both good, as were the fries
  • Hiba Street Food - good Lebanese food
  • Wagamama - modern Japanese chain, soup noodle bowls, pan fried noodles, and some rice based dishes with fresh squeezed juices. Top picks here:
    • Starters:
      • Chilli Squid - coated in a light batter with a lovely sweet chilli dip - these are almost the same price as mains so relatively expensive yet everybody keeps ordering it's probably their best & most popular starter
      • Ebi Katsu - prawns in breadcrumbs with a great chill & garlic dip - be sure to ask for extra lime and drown the breadcrumbs in lime individually just before dipping them in the chilli and eating them for maximum impact!
      • Lollipop Prawn Kushyaki - marinated in lemongrass & chill - drown them in lime juice from the caramelized half lime
      • Chicken Yakitori starter
      • Gyoza are ok but not elite - the best ones are the crispy fried with duck filling and sweet cherry hoisin dipping sauce, followed by the steam chicken filled with chilli, soy & sesame dipping sauce. I haven't tried the new beef & kimchi ones yet
    • Mains:
      • Chicken Katsu Curry is a mild non-spicy sauce coating breadcrumbed chicken with white rice - easily one of the most popular dishes
      • Chill Chicken Ramen (soup bowl) - easily one of the most popular dishes - ask for it with Udon noodles instead of Ramen, they're better, and ask for extra lime for it. It is much better than the Grilled Chicken Ramen. There is also a beef variation but it's more expensive
      • Firecracker Prawn / Chicken - one of my favourite ever picks, but be warned it is seriously spicy! The prawn variation is better because the chicken requires more chewing so your mouth will get more burnt from the spice. Pro tip: ask for extra lime and drown it in lime to get maximum tastebud activation of spicy and lime
      • Prawn / Chicken Raisukaree Curry - mild coconut curry with rice and mangetout
      • Yaki Udon - pan fried udon noodles with chicken and prawns - simple but effective
      • Duck Donburi - teriyaki sauce coated shredded duck on white rice, not one of their bigger dishes, but tasty, so I used to order this when less hungry
      • Chicken & Prawn Pad Thai - for the less adventurous who just want some basic noodle dish - kids love this one too
      • Tantanmen Beef Brisket Ramen - korean bbq beef, it's ok, but mainly because you've already eaten the above ones too much and need something new becaues the kids make you take them here every weekend
    • Kids love the mini chicken yaki soba noodle bowl (ask for it with udon noodles instead it's better)
    • Drinks:
      • I like the Positive and High Five juices the most
    • Desserts:
      • Coconut Reika Ice Cream - 3 scoops of coconut ice cream with coconut flakes and passionfruit sauce, good to share in a couple
      • Banana Katsu - tastes great but it's two small pieces of banana and one scoop of vanilla ice cream - I wish it was bigger because I could eat 2-3 of these
      • White Chocolate & Ginger Cheesecake - very decent cheesecake
  • GBK - Gourmet Burger Kitchen - good selection of big juicy burgers, good chunky fries, and milkshakes. I used to dine in the Soho branch weekly with my regular group of my foodie colleagues, and later when I worked at a less social investment bank I still got Kiwi Burger takeaways from here regularly. The menu changes slightly periodically, with occasional specials. The Habanero Burger used to be elite before they switched to overly sweet cost optimized Habanero Jam. The Kiwi Burger was another favourite with pineapple and eggs toppings, but they don't do it any more either. Please tell GBK to bring them back! The Taxi Driver, Texan, Rocketman or Gravy Train would be my remaining picks, or just try the basic Classic if not feeling adventurous. I'm not as keen on the chicken burgers here
  • Patty & Bun - one of my favourite burger chains, I used to get a takeaway from the Tottenham Court Road one every other day when I worked in the area. I loved their chips & dip, as well as their 3 main burgers, Ari Gold, Smokey Robinson and Jose Jose Chilli Burger
  • Honest Burgers - another good burger chain. The chilli burger is my favourite here. I've been to the St Albans one outside London in the home county too
  • Wahaca - modern Mexican chain, I used to go to the Soho branch weekly with my colleagues. THe tacos are good sides/extra to have here. I used to like the steak and chicken mains, but it looks like they don't do them any more. I particularly like the Horchata sweet milk drink with cinnamon
  • Busaba - Thai chain, nice decor and food, portions and drinks not too big but nice
  • Joe & The Juice - danish juice chain, good selection of fresh pressed juices, expensive, but we pay it so they are everywhere - I like the "Sports Juice" here, pineapple based juice with passion fruit and apple, as well as the classic "Go Away Doc" of apple, carrot and ginger
  • Burger & Lobster - their original gimmick was they used to price both their lobster and their burger at a flat £20, making it an expensive burger or an affordable lobster. Unfortunately, the lobster is now £40
  • Flat Iron - affordable steak chain, good for the price
  • Ippudo - Japanese
  • Nandos - everybody loves Nandos peri-peri chicken chain, so like Wagamama, it's everywhere. Not as affordable as it used to be, but still not as expensive as some other places. The mixed olive starter is a popular choice here. The usual pick for mains is 1/2 chicken (or 1/4 chicken if not that hungry) with 2 sides of chips and rice. Drown the rice in Medium / Garlic / Wild Herb sauces, eat it, then use the rice bowl to pour the sauces in to heavily dunk each individual chip in for maximum flavour impact! For the experienced you can upgrade to Hot or XXX Hot but do not do this as a beginner because nearly all the sauces are more spicy than you would have at another restaurant
  • Roosters Peri Peri Chicken - affordable peri peri chicken chain. Chicken wrap with fries and rice were my picks here
  • Nostimo Mediterranean Gastronomy - Greek, good quality, had the skewer plates which are good and come with major meats, chicken, pork, beef or lamb. The top 3 desserts on the menu were all good (Ekmek Kataifi, Portokalopita, Galaktompoureko). The bill racks up quicker than you'd expect here, and is not £10-20 as Google Maps suggests as the three of us blew nearly £50 per head without alcohol, which was a little pricey
  • Big Easy - much better American BBQ than TGI Fridays
  • Pizza Express - good quality upmarket pizza restaurant
  • Pho - vietnamese noodle soup chain, like the Vietnamese Wagamama. Summer rolls and Pho soup are the obvious picks here
  • Zizzi - Italian restaurant chain - the Rustica pizzas are a good size here
  • Browns - moderately upmarket brasserie chain of british food
  • Carluccio's - mid-market Italian restaurant chain
  • Rosas Thai - Thai restaurant chain, passable, but independent Thai places are better for both food and price / value for money though
  • Dishoom - modern Indian chain
  • Franco Manca - I'm not big on this chain, but some people like it for pizza
  • Banana Tree - south east asian chain
  • Bone Daddies - well rated and they highly rate their bone broth, I don't recall rating it as highly
  • Marks & Spencer - not a restaurant but useful for picnic foods and belgian chocolate covered peanuts, which I used to be addicted to, and still buy a couple bags when in town...

More upmarket (expensive) restaurants:

  • Dinner by Heston Blumenthal - creative menu, unique
  • The Ivy - I took my ex-girlfriend to the one in Richmond, it was good. The scallops starter with pea puree stood out in my memory. Mains instead steaks, burgers and seafood
  • Yauatcha Soho - upmarket Chinese with dim sum, the red fez desserts with edible gold on top were as tasty as there were impressive looking in the blue glass windows
  • Hakkasan - upmarket Chinese with dim sum and stylish decor
  • Gaucho - upmarket Argentinian steak restaurant chain - very good - I recommend you get the Fillet Mignon medium rare (it's the most tender, leanest, highest quality steak). It still doesn't have desserts after all these years, I have no idea why
  • Sticks n Sushi - upmarket (expensive) sushi restaurant chain
  • Salt Yard - upmarket tapas, not cheap, I took my ex-girlfriend here when we were in the first few months of dating
  • Gordan Ramsey - the famous celebrity chef's restaurants are usually good, and while not cheap, not the most expensive in London either
  • Sake No Hana - sushi & cocktails - good but expensive. I took my ex-girlfriend here for our second date and blew around £300. Closed down now unfortunately
  • Hawksmoor - well rated steakhouse, I didn't think it was that special compared to the more unique restaurants above
  • Buenos Aires Argentinian Steakhouse - Gaucho is better
  • Julie's - upmarket french restaurant at Holland Park

See also: Michelin restaurant guide - London.

TODO:

Not Recommended:

  • The Real Greek - the worst blandest least authentic Greek food I ever had. Don't waste your money or one of your meals on this mediocrity
  • Bill's - mediocre burgers, don't go unless you have no other choice
  • Cote - didn't like their chicken, for the price you can eat a lot of better places. I don't get the appeal or niche of this chain
  • Yo Sushi - it used to be a lot better, I used to go often, now it doesn't seem worth the price, especially as they removed a the seafood udon soup which was one of their best dishes
  • Itsu - mediocre Japanese chain, don't bland yourself to death.. It's not terrible, it's just that you could eat better or for less elsewhere now
  • TGI Fridays - mediocre American chain. For this money, you could get better variations at places like Big Easy. Not worth the damage to your health or your wallet

A couple of my other favourite independent places like Ichi Ricki, Po Cha korean bibimbap at Tottenham Court Road, Ping Pong upmarket dim sum chain, are permanently closed down, as are other notables Shaka Zulu and Sake No Hana. Damn London rent prices, the big chains are taking over.

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