During the Summer Olympics in Paris, we escaped the city for two and half-weeks, heading to London. Although we had been several times before for a few days at a time, we had never visited for an extended period. London is a massive city in size, measuring 607 square miles (compared to Paris at only 41 square miles). The tube and the buses are the most efficient ways to get around the city, but even though we stayed in a central location, it still took anywhere from 25 minutes to over an hour to get to most places.
Since we had been to most of the tourist spots in London on former trips, we focused on off-the-beaten path attractions, including small museums, ethnic and neighborhood restaurants and cafés, residential neighborhoods, and theater outside of the West End shows.
Small Museums to Know
London has several museums that were at one time the private homes of influential and well-known English figures in history. Among them, the Wallace Collection is in the former mansion known as Hertford House, on the tony Manchester Square. Sir Richard Wallace and the Marquesses of Hertford, who were once one of the wealthiest couples in England, amassed a significant collection of 18th- and 19th-century art, furniture, tapestries, Old Masters paintings, arms, armor and porcelain. Their collection is shown in 25 galleries on three floors, which were the former rooms of the house, including the billiard hall, the dining room, the breakfast room and the smoking room. We were pleasantly surprised to discover a Wallace Fountain in front of the museum (Wallace designed and donated 85 of them to the city of Paris in 1872). After taking in thousands of objects on display, we had lunch at the delightful, glass-enclosed Wallace Restaurant, where we enjoyed a Waldorf salad and a refreshing cucumber and mint gazpacho.
On a quiet side street next to Holland Park, the Leighton House Museum is an undiscovered treasure. Once the home of the painter Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, it was built to contain his home and a painting studio. Taking more than 30 years to build, the museum contains a large painting studio on the main floor, with most of the design was inspired by Leighton’s love of “the Orient,” the Middle East and ceramic tiles. The most spectacular room is the Arab Hall, a two-story structure decorated with tiles Leighton collected on his travels and wood lattice work from Syria. Besides the stunning décor and architecture, the museum is filled with pre-Raphaelite art and 81 paintings by Leighton himself.
Theater Beyond the West End
We had tickets for a show at the Almeida Theatre in the Islington neighborhood. Since the early 1990s, the Almeida has been a powerful force in producing cutting-edge plays and updated productions of classics with a twist. Some of the top British actors, such as Ben Wishaw, Tobias Menzies and Matt Steel, have performed at the 347-seat theater—and many of the shows have transferred to the West End.
Other off-West End theater companies include the Donmar Warehouse, The Old Vic and the Young Vic, and The Royal Court Theatre.
After the show, we walked around Islington, exploring the fabulous Georgian houses. Islington High Street is lined with fun boutiques, cool restaurants and upscale pubs. We had lunch at Ottolenghi Islington, an outpost of the celebrated chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s Mediterranean food and restaurant empire.
Afternoon Tea and Other Dining
High tea is always a must when visiting London, so we decided to go to the Saint James's Hotel & Club, part of the Althoff Collection, in Mayfair to indulge. Tea is served from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the beautifully appointed Seven Park Place Bar & Lounge. After our tea order was taken (we had the aromatic Saint James Special Blend) and a triple-tiered tray arrived with flower-patterned ceramic plates with a bounty of tea sandwiches and delectable desserts and pastries. Gambling Hell, a dark chocolate mousse infused with cherries, was a sensation, while the classic scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam and a fluffy, light, three-layer lemon cake were our other favorites.
We loved our high tea at the Saint James Hotel & Club so much, we decided to go for lunch as we learned they recently hired a new chef. In the early 1800s, Charles Elme Francatelli, who was the head chef at the Saint James, later left the restaurant to become the private chef for Queen Victoria. Francatelli later authored a cookbook in 1846 and, today, chef William Drabble aspires to Francatelli’s cookbook and menus, accompanying them with local food producers. We had a heightened version of Shepherd’s pies, made with buttery mashed potatoes and the most tender beef we may have ever tasted. Dessert was baked apricots with a side of crumble and vanilla ice cream.
One evening, a friend of ours who lives in London, took us to her favorite Indian restaurant, Indian Express. Located in West Kensington, the unassuming restaurant is small and you would just walk by it if you didn’t know better. My friend knew the owner, so we didn’t even have to order. He served us almost an endless feast of daal, chicken Tikka Masala, samosas, lamb and vegetable biryani, sag allo (a dish cooked spinach with potatoes) and Tandoori lamb chops.
Other Worthwhile Stops
On another day we climbed to the top of Primrose Hill, a park known for its unrivaled views of London. The beautiful park is filled with grassy knolls and gigantic, ancient trees and as we were climbing to the top, we came upon Shakespeare’s Tree, an oak tree that was planted in 1864 to honor the 300th anniversary of his birth. Many films have been shot in Primrose Hill Park, including “Paddington,” “Bridget Jones’s Diary” and “Imagine Me & You.”
We toured the streets of the village-like Primrose neighborhood with stately Victorian and Regency houses with the outsides painted in pale pastel colors alongside lush gardens. Regents Park Road has upscale clothing boutiques, restaurants and tea rooms. A 10-minute walk away from Primrose Hill, we stumbled on a great Italian restaurant. Lume was a terrific find, and we feasted on a starter of zucchini flowers with ricotta and fresh green peas, tagliatelle in a rich duck ragu and a smashing ricotta cheesecake. Lume is also a wine shop with an extensive list of Italian wines from different regions.
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