Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

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United Kingdom : London - August 2008

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Perhaps bracing itself for the inexorable approach of the great British winter, London moves up a gear in late summer. People head outside, soak up the last of the sun, and ready themselves for the season’s closing party, the Notting Hill Carnival (24-25 August). Tabitha Lasley tries to throw off that back-to-school gloom

Getting around

London is served by Gatwick Airport, which is 46km south of the city centre.

Bus: National Express coaches to London Victoria take one hour 35 minutes. Single tickets cost €9,80/£6.60 and the service runs 24 hours a day.
Train: The quickest way to get into the city is by taking the Gatwick Express to London Victoria. It takes 30 minutes and runs every 15 minutes from 5am to 11.45pm. A single ticket costs €22,60/£15.90.
Taxi: Outside rush hour, a taxi to the city centre will take about an hour and cost €114/£77.
Tourist information: The main tourist office is at 1 Lower Regent Street (tel. , visitlondon.com).

MAYFAIR

Book ended by Piccadilly and the equally brash Oxford Street, Mayfair stands in genteel isolation, home to some of the best restaurants and shopping in the city.

Sleep soundly – Perched on the 28th floor of the London Hilton, Galvin at Windows commands the most amazing views. Look out over Oxford Street towards Marylebone in one direction, and right across Hyde Park in the other. This being Mayfair, the food here is slightly flasher than the bistro-style dishes on offer at its Baker Street antecedent, but none the worse for it. Try the English asparagus with a poached duck egg, parmesan and Hollandaise sauce, followed by Poulet noir with stuffed lettuce and foie gras. Icelandic chef Agnar Sverrisson makes full use of Nordic ingredients at Texture (34 Portman Street, tel. ), serving up clean-tasting dishes like Icelandic lamb with goats milk and summer vegetables, or smoked Shetland salmon with fennel and sorrel.

Must drink – The India Mahdavidesigned Coburg Bar (The Connaught, Carlos Place) does a nice line in old school opulence, with deep, wingback armchairs, a long wine list and some impressive cocktails.

Shop til you drop – Browns (23-27 South Molton Street) and even more so Browns Focus (40 South Molton Street) are renowned for sourcing and showcasing the best new designers in the country.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE

Sitting between the verdant stretch of Hyde Park and the old money elegance of Chelsea, Knightsbridge is perhaps the nearest thing to that clean, green vision of London you see peddled by Richard Curtis et al.

Sleep soundly – Knightsbridge Hotel is the last word in buttoned-up English charm. Think granite and oak bathrooms, Frette linen on the beds and an honesty bar tucked away downstairs.

Shop til you drop – Flex your card at those twin colossuses of consumerism, Harvey Nichols (67 Brompton Road) and Harrods (87-135 Brompton Road). Then soothe any nagging twinges of buyer regret at Amanda Lacey’s clinic (46 Walton Street), a cool white enclave that seems a million miles from the dash and bustle of Brompton Road. Go for her signature facial, beloved by beauty editors everywhere.

LONDON FIELDS & EAST

Made famous by the eponymous Martin Amis novel, and later by Blur’s album Parklife, which was, in turn, based on the book, London Fields has managed to maintain its air of separatist cool when all about (step forward Shoreditch and Hoxton) are losing theirs.

Sleep soundly – Held every Saturday, Broadway Market (Broadway Market) plays up perfectly to the locals’ Guardian-reading sensibilities, selling organic food and vintage clothing.

Culture vultures – Proof, if proof were needed, of the area’s encroaching gentrification has come in the form of spa London (Old Ford Road) Bethnal Green’s very own thermal spa. Located within the historic York Hall, it comes complete with a tepidarium, a hammam and an ice fountain, and offers some gorgeous Thalgo treatments.

Must eat – Don’t be put off by Bistrotheque’s (23-27 Wadeson Street, tel. ) hide-and-seek location, or by the fact it’s a favourite with the East London fash pack. About many things they’re wrong, about this place, with it’s unmucked-about-with British food and ribald cabaret evenings, they’re right.

Must drink – The Dove (24-28 Broadway Market) does a great selection of Belgian beers, and robust pub food like Flemish beef in beer, useful when the intemperate British weather turns nasty.

Compiled by Tabitha Lasley