Lau On Tour Day 13: London

Part 13 of my new series, Lau On Tour. Catch up with my previous destination and find out what the series is all about before you join me in today's destination, London.

Image: Jamie Street/Unsplash

The itinerary

For my day in London, I'm doing things a little bit differently from the other places on my tour so far, because I know the city so damn well. I grew up about an hour outside London, so it's always been on my radar, but my knowledge of the city has got pretty intense over the last six years due to working for a publication that's all about London. So instead of putting together an itinerary of places that can be visited remotely, I've pieced together my ideal day in London - though there's enough to keep you going for several days. At time of writing, it's almost five months since I even set foot in London, so please indulge me in my rose-tinted whimsy.

We're starting at the Grant Museum of Zoology, one of UCL's museums. The famous Natural History Museum is great, but it can be busy and overwhelming - think of the Grant as a more manageable alternative. Sure, it doesn't have dinosaurs, but there are plenty of other skeletons - including the rarest set of bones in the world - and jars of body parts to keep all ages entertained. I even went behind the scenes into the storeroom a few years ago.

Image: Tom Wheatley/Unsplash

From the Grant Museum, continue west along Euston Road and step into the greenery of Regent's Park. It's my favourite of all the Royal Parks, largely because I know it so well from my time spent working nearby. Head for the Inner Circle and take in the summer colours and scents of Queen Mary's Rose Garden, one of the best outdoor spots in London. The nearby Open Air Theatre is worth making a note of too - I've never been, but it's on my bucket list.

Image: Richard Cook/Unsplash

Continue north through the park to ZSL London Zoo, home to lions, tigers (no bears), and somewhere I worked on-and-off for four years. Like many charities, it's struggling due to coronavirus, so donations are very welcome. I love wandering around the zoo, eating an ice cream and visiting the animals, followed by a trip up to the top of nearby Primrose Hill. For a climb that doesn't feel *too* intense, it rewards you with deep, panoramic skyline views of the capital. 

The view from The Shard. Image: Jaanus Jagomagi/Unsplash

Speaking of views, I firmly believe that The Shard and/or the London Eye are worth a trip, if you're visiting on a clear day. Yes, they are tourist traps of the highest order (literally) but they offer serious views of the capital. If you know London, it's fascinating to see the landmarks and streets you know from a different point of view. If you don't know London - well, it's a great introduction to its geography.

And now for a couple of lesser-known places to visit. Severndroog Castle is a fairytale folly, set in woodland near Woolwich. A tea room occupies the ground floor, with two further storeys to explore before you reach the viewpoint at the top. It's claimed you can see into seven counties on a clear day.

God's Own Junkyard. Photo: Scribbling Lau

If tea rooms and turrets is all a bit quaint for you, God's Own Junkyard is the antidote. There is a cafe - the punnily named Rolling Scones - but the main attraction of this Walthamstow warehouse is the abundance of neon signs. Lights scream at you from every direction, though be warned - they're not all family-friendly.

I could go on forever, waxing lyrical about the known and lesser-known spots in London which I love. But I'll finish up with one final gem - Columbia Road Flower Market. An otherwise quiet East End street comes alive every Sunday with the colours of blooms and the cries of street traders - and it's not unusual to see people carrying huge houseplants away from the area.

Where I'm staying

London's not short of quirky, themed hotels, from former prison cells, to tube-themed bedrooms to floating accommodation. And as much as I'd love to try each and every one of them, I'm taking this chance to virtually stay in a top-end hotel that I'll never be able to afford in real-life. It's a toss up between The Ritz and The Savoy, and the latter just wins, thanks to that indoor pool and the plethora of restaurants that I've always fancied trying, not to mention the river views.

In pop culture

SO many books, films, TV shows, songs etc are set in London, that I'm not even going to attempt to list them. But for me, London's all about the Richard Curtis rom com, so I'm kicking back with a bucket of popcorn to watch Notting Hill... followed by Four Weddings... and then probably Love Actually. 

On the menu

Again, I'm doing things a little differently here, and rather than making a typical London meal, I'm taking a virtual culinary tour around all my favourite spots in the city.

First up, let's talk about the most important food group - cake. Your top stops are Primrose Bakery for cute cupcakes, and Hummingbird Bakery for cupcakes, whoopie pies, tray bakes, and the best cake in London - rainbow cake. Never had a bad cake from either of them, though if you're more of a traditionalist, Ayres the Baker in Nunhead is a proper old-fashioned village bakery, which I visited regularly when I lived in the area, and I still miss those Viennese fingers.

While we're on the subject of cake, afternoon tea is a London staple, and something which I've tried my fair share of. Despite my many adventures in scones, and writing a regular afternoon tea column, I tend to go blank when anyone asks which is best. I don't have a particular favourite, and it depends what you're looking for in an afternoon tea - but The Ritz and The Savoy are classics if you don't mind splashing out, Cutter & Squidge is great for novelty offerings which don't skimp on taste, and the Gore/Pelham/Franklin trinity of South Ken hotels is always serving up creative afternoon tea menus based on whatever exhibition is currently open at the nearby V&A.

For main meals, a traditionalist might go for fish and chips, but I'm more of a burger girl myself. Carnivores should hit up one of the branches of Meat Liquor dotted about the capital, though Brewdog also does an excellent Buffalo chicken burger. For Italian, hit up Al Parco Pizzeria in Camden for the best creamy mushroom pasta of your life.

Drinks - for the hot, you want the hot chocolate at Stanfords in Covent Garden, or the salted caramel hot chocolate at Cutter & Squidge. For the spicy, it's got to be strawberry daquiris on deck at the Tattershall Castle, a boat bar moored on the Thames by Charing Cross.