660536 Sun Oct 18 14:35:23 -0700 2009 11 42 U.K./Ireland 0 5112740 I'll be visiting London for the first time in the 2nd week of November from Saturday - Tuesday. So I'll need to account for about 10 meals? I'll be heading to all the usual tourist sites (London Eye, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Parliament, West End for a play) so stuff near there would be preferred, or stuff that is a short tube ride away. I'll mostly be eating alone and I've grown up in the NYC/Philly/DC area so been pretty spoiled with food options, I'm not averse to any foods, and I'm looking to spend no more than 35 pounds on a meal (not including drinks). Here's what I've got so far - Gordon Ramsay's Maze based on recs here - Indian -- I've seen Tayyabs and Lahore Kebab House rec'd - Gastropub -- St John's in Archway? Abingdon-54 in Kensington? - Afternoon tea??? - Fish n chips -- lots of recs for Master's Superfish - Pubs I should eat at (more interested in food than drink)?? - Other British musts -- ?? Stuff I haven't really looked into but would always eat if good: - Chinese? Min Jiang? - Japanese? Kikuchi? - Korean? - Steak? - Seafood? Appreciate any help you could give me or any other posts that would be good to take a look at! THANKS!! Sun Oct 18 14:35:23 -0700 2009 1117320 reekaee 1 5112875 I'd most recommend Rasa Samudra, an Indian resto that specializes in food from Kerala. I'm pretty sure it comes in under your limit. Sun Oct 18 15:36:35 -0700 2009 5112740 1103220 houndog 1 5113692 For gastropubs, the hot ticket is the Harwood Arms in Fulham. I haven't been yet (wrong part of town!), but everyone here loves it. Other pubs: The Eagle in Farringdon is the original gastropub, and still worth a visit, but I prefer the Coach and Horses round the corner. In that area, I also love Moro (Spanish) and The Ambassadors (brasserie) - both are in Exmouth Market. For British, consider St John, Corrigan's of Mayfair, Rules (for game and great cocktails upstairs) and Hereford Road. For Indian, Needoo Grill is the new kid on the block for cheap eats in the East End. For a more upmarket experience I liked Indian Zing in Hammersmith. Mon Oct 19 02:57:56 -0700 2009 5112740 110146 greedygirl 1 5113697 The Harwood Arms is a must, and I was mightily impressed with our recent meal at Covent garden wine bar/restaurant, Terriors, really handy as a rest stop between taking in the tourist sights. Great Queen Street is also a favorite of mine, based on full flavour, portion size, and value for money. Mon Oct 19 03:12:46 -0700 2009 5112740 281034 fat boy slim 1 5115908 Rasa Samudra's menu looks great -- I don't think I've had food from Kerala -- thanks for the rec! And Harwood Arms sample menu has me drooling. I'll definitely be adding that to my must-eat list. :) Still on the hunt for a place with lots of tea options if anyone has suggestions. Thanks! Mon Oct 19 18:44:37 -0700 2009 5112740 1117320 reekaee 2 5116355 There are fancy teas and much less fancy tea places in London. What are you preferring? Fortnum and Mason does a nice tea, but not as fancy as Brown's Hotel, the Mandeville hotel, Sketch etc. Sotheby's Auction House has a fairly low-key and not too expensive tea. If you go for a great tea, you won't even need dinner that night! Mon Oct 19 23:00:45 -0700 2009 5115908 11939 zuriga1 3 5128160 Hmm. Looking for more casual. More interested in the options of tea than the food served with tea. Thanks for the suggestions! Sat Oct 24 15:53:15 -0700 2009 5116355 1117320 reekaee 4 5128932 With tea, it is a question of how much you want to spend. £15? £20? £35? Sun Oct 25 02:47:54 -0700 2009 5128160 158180 nanette 2 5128971 If you're looking for a British Tea experience then I think most of them are covered here. If you would like to taste some great Chinese teas then try chinalife in Camden. They have about 40 teas and some quite rare ones (the yellow tea is beautifully delicate). I also like their tea lattes and freshly made tea virgin cocktails. Sun Oct 25 04:52:20 -0700 2009 5115908 1102800 plummonk 3 5129471 Thanks! Sun Oct 25 11:17:06 -0700 2009 5128971 1117320 reekaee 4 5129779 Try Postcard Teas for a broad selection of carefully brewed teas. Outstanding pu-erh from one of the top producers in Yunnan (try their Golden Damo, available in raw and cooked forms), excellent oolongs from Wuyi (including teas made by the tea master that makes tea from the original Scarlet Robe/Da Hong Pao bushes) and Phoenix/Feng Huang (several "single bush" varieties, I'm partial to the Mi Lan Xiang). Also lovely high mountain green oolongs from Taiwan. They'll do multiple infusions of the same tea if you ask, and that's often required to get the best out of some of their teas (e.g. old pu-erhs can take many infusions before they peak. many oolongs are often at their most flavourful in the 2nd infusion etc...). Sun Oct 25 14:18:32 -0700 2009 5129471 10076 limster 5 5138508 Yeah Postcard Teas is good but chinalife also have a really great range too (Hou Kui, Da Hong Pao, Huo Shan Huang Ya etc) and it's less expensive. But it's their cocktails that do it for me. I know it sounds weird (I'm normally a tea purist actually) but their fresh made jasmine, elderflower and mint iced tea is really good. Wed Oct 28 15:35:37 -0700 2009 5129779 1102800 plummonk