London Like A local
Whenever I visit London I usually end up going to the same old places. Drinks in Soho, meet friends in Balham, shop with the kids in the West End, walk along the South Bank, meet a client at Kings Cross.
There are so many parts of London I’ve never explored, despite living there for years in the ’90s. So it was good to go up for the day recently to celebrate a friend’s birthday and explore a new part of the UK’s capital city. We spent the day roaming the streets around Broadway Market, London Fields, Regent’s Canal and Columbia Road.
There are so many lovely pubs, restaurants and independent shops to peruse in this part of London. We enjoyed drinks and nibbles (think squid and padron peppers) at the Market Cafe on Broadway Market. This place boasts an enviable corner location right next to Regent’s Canal and is perfect for people watching.
Just up the road, The Dove serves tasty Thai food and has over 100 Belgium beers to choose from, many on draught. Bella Vita is a buzzy Italian neighbourhood restaurant, the type you get all over London but never seem to be able to find in Brighton. The spaghetti and meatballs were absolutely delicious – I want to go back and eat them all over again.
Save some time to walk along the Regent’s Canal. It starts in Little Venice and ends in Docklands and is part of London’s Grand Union Canal. It’s a bit of an undiscovered gem and another spot that that I wished I’d explored more all those years ago.
Columbia Road is probably most famous for its flower market and beautifully preserved Victorian shops that sell everything from flat whites to Fairisle jumpers. At the weekend, Columbia Road Flower Market is rammed with shoppers, families and social media influencers all trying to capture the perfect shot of this lovely pocket of London. Just off the high street is Campania and Jones, another delicious looking neighbourhood Italian.
It’s easy to forget just how MASSIVE London is. There are so many different areas to explore and you can get lost in the urban streets and sprawling neighbourhoods. And that’s exactly why I love it.
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