Ideas for Pre/Post Theater/Museums

[robyn]

I'm planning our eating for our trip to London end of May. I think I have the major bases covered (although I haven't made all the reservations because I can't book more than a month in advance for some).

We're going to 2 shows - Phantom of the Opera (ok - I'm the only person in the world who has never seen it) on Friday evening at Her Majesty's Theater - Haymarket. Any ideas for a casual fun place to eat/drink (light eat/heavy drink ) after? Doesn't have to be a sit-down place either. A pub would be fine. Note that it's my husband's birthday that day. He really likes beer. Especially Guinness.

The other is Jerry Springer at the Opera - Cambridge Theater on Earlham Street. Saturday matinee. Any ideas for a lunch near there for 2 people with hangovers ?

Will be spending one afternoon at the Saatchi and other places in that general area (County Hall). Any ideas for lunch?

Note that in terms of lunches - I'm looking for casual - light - but good. Could even be a place that serves salads and sandwiches - or a high tea. Any ethnicity. If there's a decent place nearby for dim sum - that would be nice - but it's certainly not essential. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. Robyn

[Gavin Convery]

Incognico used to be good for pre/post theatre - I think it still has some association with the Ladenis family.

There's always the Ivy...LOL...but you probably won't get in there so what about east@west just up the road...it got a good review in Decanter magazine but I haven't been. Also there is Sheekeys which is good for either of those locations.

[robyn]

Incognico used to be good for pre/post theatre - I think it still has some association with the Ladenis family.

There's always the Ivy...LOL...but you probably won't get in there so what about east@west just up the road...it got a good review in Decanter magazine but I haven't been. Also there is Sheekeys which is good for either of those locations.

According to Zagat - Incognico is run by Nico Landenis' daughter Natasha Robinson. It got good marks for a "bargain" pre-theater menu. It's a clever name .

The Ivy really isn't our kind of place. If I wanted to see celebrities - I'd just book a couple of days at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills and hang around the bar and swimming pool. At least my business is appreciated there - I don't suspect it would be at the Ivy.

What kinds of places are east@west and Sheekeys (restaurant - pub)?

Thanks for your help. Robyn

[Gavin Convery]

Sheekeys is part of the Ivy chain and specialises in seafood - it is generally considered to be one of the better seafood places in London without being haute cuisine. It has a nice atmosphere and isn't too celeby.

east@west is fusion with a new australian chef who was apparently well known back in Sydney. I can't vouch for the food though as I haven't been there but the food/wine pairing menu sounds interesting from the Decanter review.

In terms of other places there is also the Lindsay House in Soho although I felt it had gone downhill since Richard Corrigan is not cooking there anymore; you could also try the French House dining room in Frith street - it used to be run by Fergus "St John" Henderson's wife but I'm not sure who is cooking there now.

There is another ex-Nico place - Deca - down Conduit St (same street as Sketch) which used to have some cheap early menus.

There aren't really any pubs I could recommend for food in the centre of town.

Here is link for some more ideas - I can't vouch for the food at most of them:

http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/lo....php?Sel_ID=133

[magnolia]

Incognico used to be good for pre/post theatre - I think it still has some association with the Ladenis family.

There's always the Ivy...LOL...but you probably won't get in there so what about east@west just up the road...it got a good review in Decanter magazine but I haven't been. Also there is Sheekeys which is good for either of those locations.

According to Zagat - Incognico is run by Nico Landenis' daughter Natasha Robinson. It got good marks for a "bargain" pre-theater menu. It's a clever name .

The Ivy really isn't our kind of place. If I wanted to see celebrities - I'd just book a couple of days at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills and hang around the bar and swimming pool. At least my business is appreciated there - I don't suspect it would be at the Ivy.

What kinds of places are east@west and Sheekeys (restaurant - pub)?

Thanks for your help. Robyn

East@West is semi-posh "Australian fusion" food, hear good things about dinner, not such good things about lunch. Do a search - I think people have talked about it on the site, they may even have their own website with a menu on it - to see if you like what they're serving.

J Sheekeys is mainly known for fish but has other things, too. It's "smart casual" - so not formal, but not jeans. It's not a pub at all though you can eat at the bar (which I love to do)

Mela Indian restaurant on Shaftesbury Avenue (loads of write-ups on this board) is very good for pre-post theatre but again, emphasis is not on the 'drink'.

The problem with this area - Soho/Covent Garden - is that the typical pubs around there generally have horrible, if any, food. There are some decent Chinese restaurants (Harbour City, eCapital though some people think the latter has gone down - see discussions); there are Hamburger Union and Bodeans, both in Soho (the latter is American style ribs probably not what an American wants to have in London - and also recently flagged for a possible downward slide)

But if you don't want a restaurant per se, you might be better off with a wine bar like Le Beajolais which has very basic, large portions of French food or someone else wrote up here or on another board a place called Cork & Bottle, I'll see if I can find the addresses of the above wine bars.

You'll need a reservation at all of the above for dinner. In fact best to reserve anywhere, especially for dinner.

Jerry Springer Opera is fantastic by the way.

As far as County Hall area goes -there's not much just around there but there are a few places not far away, near Waterloo- on or near The Cut. Depending on what day/what time of day, Anchor and Hope is a pub with excellent food. Impossible to get in at night (no reservation policy means you need to get there as far in advance of 6pm when the dining room opens) in order to get a seat - much discussion about it herewith - but apparently weekend brunches are less of a hassle.

Across the street from Anchor and Hope is a large Turkish restaurant Tas, which part of a mini-chain of very good quality/service/value places - here you could certainly keep it light with salads and appetizers. The Fire Station, just outside Waterloo (on Waterloo Road) is also decent though not as good as the above, it's a casual wine/beer/food place, they have soup, sandwiches, salads too.

[tony h]

off the top of my head - I believe Peid a Terre are also running their lunch menu as pre-theatre. you may want to check as quality is very high for 21 quid.

[Gavin Convery]

I have spent many drunken evenings in the Cork and Bottle which is just between Leicester Square and Charing Cross road just next to a Sex shop down some stairs. Good wine list with some hearty food, no reservations as such but get there early.

[robyn]

Mela Indian restaurant on Shaftesbury Avenue (loads of write-ups on this board) is very good for pre-post theatre but again, emphasis is not on the 'drink'.

The problem with this area - Soho/Covent Garden - is that the typical pubs around there generally have horrible, if any, food. There are some decent Chinese restaurants (Harbour City, eCapital though some people think the latter has gone down - see discussions); there are Hamburger Union and Bodeans, both in Soho (the latter is American style ribs probably not what an American wants to have in London - and also recently flagged for a possible downward slide) 

But if you don't want a restaurant per se, you might be better off with a wine bar like Le Beajolais which has very basic, large portions of French food or someone else wrote up here or on another board a place called Cork & Bottle, I'll see if I can find the addresses of the above wine bars.

You'll need a reservation at all of the above for dinner. In fact best to reserve anywhere, especially for dinner. 

Jerry Springer Opera is fantastic by the way.

Thank you everyone for the ideas. Let me know if you have more. I'm making a copy of this thread - and tucking it in my travel stuff (along with little dots on my map showing where the places are). Mela might for good for lunch if it's open on Saturday (will check). We are going to Zaika for "New Indian" cuisine (or whatever it's called) - but want "traditional" Indian cuisine too. I doubt we will ever travel to India - but we love Indian food - so it's one thing we will want to eat more than once.

Do the wine bars like Cork & Barrel generally serve hard liquor too? Or just wine (my husband likes wine - but I stick to liquor for the most part since the acid in many wines doesn't agree with me)? Wine/drinks & cheese & perhaps some other things to munch sounds fine. I don't know about anyone else - but I find it hard to plan eating when I'm going to an evening performance. I'm usually not hungry at 6 (and - since I'm not good with jet lag either - I'm not usually hungry at all at 6 in London). And when you get out of the theater - it's usually kind of late to eat a proper dinner. So my usual solution is to eat a bit before - and a bit after. Last time we were in London - we went to Harrod's food court - and brought wine and cheese and fruit and bread back to the hotel for "before" - and then experienced some of that not very good pub food after. I would like to repeat the Harrod's part of the equation - but not the pub part we had last time.

Jerry Springer does sound like a lot of fun. I know people have said that if I want to get better food - I should go to Paris instead of London. But I've been to Paris several times. And - as I get older - there are experiences that are as important to me - if not more important sometimes - than food. Theater is one of them. And London is the best English speaking theater city in the world (in my opinion at least). Last time I was in London (1997) I saw The Beauty Queen of Leanne - which was one of the 2 best dramas I have ever seen in my whole life.

Another experience - well (clearing throat) - since this is a family web site - I'll just ask Gavin if a middle aged woman would feel comfortable in that sex shop - or is it the kind of place where only younger people with pieces of metal stuck through strange parts of their bodies feel comfortable? Not only don't we have any really terrific restaurants where I live - we don't have any terrific sex shops either (they don't exactly thrive in the "Bible Belt" of the US).

By the way - I'm getting excited about this trip. This will be my 5th visit to London/UK - and my travels there will have spanned 5 decades with this trip (first was in 1968). It will be my first trip flying "Upper Class" on Virgin Atlantic (and for those of you who save "frequent flyer miles" - the free trip on that airline is - in my opinion - probably the best transatlantic value today in terms of redeeming points). Robyn

[Gavin Convery]

Robyn,

Well sex shops vary in terms of how hardcore they are...not that I'm an expert

The best bet is to go to Ann Summers if your looking for lingerie, toys etc. There's one on Wardour street. If you can get to Old Street in the city there is a women-friendly sex shop called Shh. Videos can be purchased in some of the seedier ones.

I think most wine bars serve hard liquor as well, there are no particular restrictions I think.

Upper Class is fantastic, even the food isn't too bad and the wine is usually very good quality.

[Stigand]

Another experience - well (clearing throat) - since this is a family web site - I'll just ask Gavin if a middle aged woman would feel comfortable in that sex shop - or is it the kind of place where only younger people with pieces of metal stuck through strange parts of their bodies feel comfortable? Not only don't we have any really terrific restaurants where I live - we don't have any terrific sex shops either (they don't exactly thrive in the "Bible Belt" of the US).

I can't believe I'm posting recommendations of... er... sex shops on e-gullet. But a sophisticated and non-sleazy/non-threatening one is Coco de Mer, an upmarket 'erotic boutique' run by (among others) the daughter of Anita Roddick of Body Shop fame.

From Time Out: Coco de Mer 23 Monmouth Street, Covent Garden, WC2H 9DD (020 7836 8882 / www.coco-de-mer.co.uk). Covent Garden tube.

Open 11am-7pm Mon-Wed, Fri, Sat; 11am-8pm Thur; noon-6pm Sun

[circeplum]

more clearing throat.

second coco de mer. there is also a woman-only sex shop in hoxton called shhh. men only allowed in when accompanied by a gal!

x

[circeplum]

oh, and to borrow some phraseology from our american pals:

you go, girl!

x

[magnolia]

Agent Provocateur, owned by son of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren who I happen to think were a seriously sexy couple - Broadwick Street in Soho

http://www.agentprovocateur.com/

[magnolia]

oh, and to borrow some phraseology from our american pals:

you go, girl!

x

You will be hearing a lot of that in the Jerry Springer Opera.

And Circe if you haven't seen it already, you *must*. It's right up your street.

[robyn]

oh, and to borrow some phraseology from our american pals:

you go, girl!

x

I have been trying for several days to think of something seriously witty to say about these sex shop suggestions. Came up with a big blank. So all I can say is - thanks . Robyn

[robyn]

Well - I never made it to a sex shop - but we did eat .

We had evening tickets for Phantom of the Opera (I don't know why it took me 10 years to see it - but it did - it's ok - but seems somewhat dated). Ate at J. Sheekey after. A table in the bar area. Had to wait even to get that (people in London can really eat very late).

I can't do justice to what the restaurant might have to offer in terms of a full dinner - because my husband and I just had some drinks and appetizers (I had the prawns and they were excellent - my husband had the scallops and I liked those too). We shared a "spotted dick" for dessert - mostly because we had had too much to drink to know to avoid a traditional overly sweet dessert .

I can say this about the restaurant though. The service is exceptional. Near the end of our little "meal" - the waiter unfortunately knocked over a glass of wine. The glass broke and the wine spilled on my pants and leather jacket. The staff did a great job of cleaning me up - and it gave us a "we're sorry" bottle of very nice Sauternes by way of apology. Apology accepted. And - when we left the restaurant to try to find a cab - at about 1:00 am - and returned 15 minutes later after not finding a cab - they had someone at the door who seemingly was employed just to find patrons a driver to take them home. That person was on duty until the last customer had left the restaurant.

So if the restaurant is as good as our fleeting glimpse suggests - it is very good indeed.

Another day we had matinee tickets for Jerry Springer - The Opera. Don't miss it. Scathingly funny. Designed to offend almost everyone. I know it will never make it to Jacksonville FL . On the other hand - I'm not sure why British audiences find it so amusing.

Anyway - that day we had dim sum before theater. At Chuen Cheng Ku on Wardour Street. Excellent dim sum - with trolleys. Had some dishes we'd never seen before - including an especially delicious fried shrimp ball in some kind of feathery wrapper. The staff was more competent in English than we're used to - and very pleasant. I recommend this place highly.

Wish I could have tried more of the places that were recommended. Robyn

[howardlong]

...people in London can really eat very late

Interesting! I tend to think of it the other way around - that Stateside, everyone eats very early.

Top restaurants over there seem to have folks arriving at 5pm and often have last tables at barely 8:30pm or 9pm.

Regarding cabs, it's a perenial problem here. In a lot of ways it's perpetuated by the 11:00pm pub closing time, so you can easily find a cab any time until about 10:45pm. After that it's difficult, particularly on a Friday and Saturday night.

You should try getting a cab in Rome at any time of day, or in Sydney on a Friday evening...

Cheers, Howard

Edited June 4, 2004 by howardlong (log)

[robyn]

...people in London can really eat very late

Interesting! I tend to think of it the other way around - that Stateside, everyone eats very early.

Top restaurants over there seem to have folks arriving at 5pm and often have last tables at barely 8:30pm or 9pm.

Regarding cabs, it's a perenial problem here. In a lot of ways it's perpetuated by the 11:00pm pub closing time, so you can easily find a cab any time until about 10:45pm. After that it's difficult, particularly on a Friday and Saturday night.

You should try getting a cab in Rome at any time of day, or in Sydney on a Friday evening...

Cheers, Howard

My husband and I are kind of in the middle - we like to eat about 8 - especially if we're at a restaurant where the meal can last for hours. I was simply surprised that so many people could begin eating full meals near 11 (perhaps the patrons were all Spanish ).

I've never been in Sydney - but we avoided the problem in Rome by making an hourly arrangement with a cab driver. It was money well spent (in addition to driving us around - he was a very good guide). Robyn