Suggestions for a trip to London

[Howardlong]

The shopping experience I know only too well. I refuse to be pointed in the general direction, like I haven't even bothered looking, they must go with me and show me.

You were only a 10 or 15 minute walk from me.

Regarding the food, well yes, heard that before, an Aussie buddy of mine from Perth made the assertion to me about 15 years ago that there was no decent food in London. We spent the next year going to every Michelin starred restaurant in London, his view completely changed. Next time I will help you on that score to avoid the tourist traps, if which there are many. You might not believe it now, but once you know where to go, and where to avoid, dining in London is right up there if you know where to go, and avoid Conciege suggestions: they're generally on the payroll in one firm or another. What I would say though is that once you're outside Central London, the pickings are generally pretty lean in respect of finding really good dining opportunities.

[tggzzz]

Without comment: https://www.facebook.com/iScottFL/posts/10207706696650031

[nctnico]

I'll be visiting London for a few days at the end of oktober. Lets see what my kids think of food in pub! 

[tggzzz]

I'll be visiting London for a few days at the end of oktober. Lets see what my kids think of food in pub! 

No surprises: it can vary from superb to not good.

In places where there are plenty of customers or there is a captive audience, they don't bother too hard. In places where there are fewer customers, they try hard; try to find such "gastropubs".

Avoid places with very long menus, and have a look at what others are eating.

Use your common sense.

[BradC]

Without comment: https://www.facebook.com/iScottFL/posts/10207706696650031

That was awesome. My wife loved it too (she's a Scot).

[KJDS]

I'll be visiting London for a few days at the end of oktober. Lets see what my kids think of food in pub! 

I miss bitterballen

[Howardlong]

How old are the kids?

I'd say pub food can be hit and miss myself, unless you know somewhere reasonably well that's been recommended. A lot of pubs are part of chains and they have menus made down to a price and lowest common denominator, where an untrained monkey only has to operate a microwave and a deep fat fryer.

Also be aware that some pubs are drinking pubs rather than offering food beyond a bag of crisps (aka chips) or pork scratchings. It's not always obvious which are which, and kids probably wouldn't be very welcome if it 's a "proper boozer" like that. The obvious sign is that there's a menu or chalk board outside indicating food's served.

There are even a very few pubs with Michelin stars.

Probably a reasonable crowd pleaser for both kids and adults alike is the Pizza Express chain. There are a few reasonable pretenders, like ASK for example. Avoid anything that has "Aberdeen" or "Angus" and suggests you might find a steak in there, it'll be a disappointing tourist trap. Finding decent fish and chips in London is surprisingly extraordinarily difficult, so much so that I wouldn't even bother searching it out let alone taking pot luck. Anywhere that offers it on the menu along with a pot pourri of burgers, pizza and all manner of other items probably isn't going to offer a good plate of fish and chips.

Depending exactly where you're staying and what sort of thing you're after I might be able to offer you a suggestion one way or the other.

[nctnico]

My kids are teenagers and having fish & chips is on their wish list. A lot Howardlong and tggzzz wrote is also true for Amsterdam but sometimes you just can't avoid the tourist traps. I don't know yet in which part of London we will be staying. SWMBO has to find some hotels first.

[Mechanical Menace]

Finding decent fish and chips in London is surprisingly extraordinarily difficult, so much so that I wouldn't even bother searching it out let alone taking pot luck.

I'm biassed but for fish and chips you want to be in Yorkshire. Also avoid it like the plague in almost every coastal town, no matter which country or county of the UK you're in. The vast majority of coastal chippies paradoxically seem to have the worse fish going.

[tggzzz]

My kids are teenagers and having fish & chips is on their wish list. A lot Howardlong and tggzzz wrote is also true for Amsterdam but sometimes you just can't avoid the tourist traps. I don't know yet in which part of London we will be staying. SWMBO has to find some hotels first.

... and some hotels you can afford You might consider staying on the edge of London and commuting on the train (not the tube, that's too noisy).

Poor fish and chips can be disgusting, good fish and chips is OK. You need to realise that it is traditional quick-and-simple street food that isn't nutritionally disastrous. It is the UK equivalent of a hamburger. It used to be eaten out of newspapers, protected by a small flap of greaseproof paper, with the obvious consequence. Some restaurants serve it, for reasons that passeth all understanding - avoid!

You could do worse than pick up a copy of "The Good Food Guide". Its main focus is restaurants, but there are some pubs. It is updated yearly, so get one that is a year or so old. I guess, without knowing, that www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Pub-Guide-2016/dp/1785030329 might be useful. TimeOut magazine used to be useful; I don't know what the website is like now.

[Howardlong]

Finding decent fish and chips in London is surprisingly extraordinarily difficult, so much so that I wouldn't even bother searching it out let alone taking pot luck.

I'm biassed but for fish and chips you want to be in Yorkshire. Also avoid it like the plague in almost every coastal town, no matter which country or county of the UK you're in. The vast majority of coastal chippies paradoxically seem to have the worse fish going.

Not biased at all IMHO! I lived up norf for about a decade, there's no doubt the fish and chips are better.

There was, until about five years ago, a fish and chip shop in Notting Hill/Holland Park borders that was the only one I've ever been to that I recommended around West London. it was a destination place, you'd make a special journey to go there. It was taken over and turned into a "proper" Greek restaurant, they still sold fish and chips, but only because of their past reputation, which regualrs realised pretty quickly was now lost.

If you're unlucky enough to be on Oxford Street, possibly to experience the worst shopping experience on the planet, there is a silver lining. The Golden Hind is nearby, rather an institution in its own right, is probably the best proper fish and chips experience in Central London.

The City/East London, there is Happy Days on Middlesex Street, a street where also daily there is some excellent street food for lunch, mostly ethnic, large portions, we call it coma food, you want to sleep for the rest of the afternoon.