• Added: 8th of June 2007
• Area: Soho
• Category: Restaurants

London W1F 0LP
020 7437 5708

LuluMcC said

Every meal I have had here has been first class. A cosy, friendly, laid back bistro feel.

And it's dog friendly...

• Added: 8th of June 2007
• Area: Hampstead
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London NW3 6SG
020 7435 2892

LuluMcC said
Hampstead hide away
This pub is exactly what a British pub should be. This does make it a bit of a tourist trap in the high summer - full of people on Hampstead walking tours - but if you time it right it's an old school drinking hole.

In the winter the open fires are lit and the booths are cosy. There is a healthy choice of beers and the food is real comfort food - pies a house special. This pub is the kind of place you will want to come with the Sunday papers and stay all day. Equally it's full of dark corners for a romantic pint (is that possible?!) after a walk on the heath.

Plus, best of all in my book, its extremely dog friendly.

• Added: 8th of June 2007
• Area: Southwark
• Category: Restaurants

London SE1 8LP
020 7633 9144

LuluMcC said
Dog friendly gastro pub
Food here is hearty and homey. Fish pies to share, lamb shank - that kind of thing.

Plus you can take (well behaved and small)dogs in!

This may be a turn off to most but a god send to dog owners who don't want to be parted from their pets over dinner...

• Added: 7th of June 2007
• Area: Vauxhall
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London SW8 1TD

LuluMcC said
Veggie Boho Heaven
The Bonnington Cafe is truly an aquired taste but if you can get past the fact that upon turning into Vauxhall Grove you think that your destination might be a squat, then you will are promised a unique night out.

The Bonnington Cafe was originally set up as a kitchen for the use of local squatters who inhabited the buildings nestling around the square. Over time it has become one of London's most recommended vegetarian restaurants.

The building is a bit spit and saw-dust in nature - but the walls are often covered in original art works and candle light illuminates the room as the night falls. The atmosphere is bohemian and laid back. Most nights there is some live music - usually from local musicians - and the whole feel is more like being in someone's home than in a restaurant.

Each night of the week the food is prepared by a different local chef. All the food is veggie and Thursday nights are vegan. In order to book you go to the Bonnington website and each month the email address of each chef is posted. You then contact the chef directly for your booking - its that homey! The place is usually heaving, so you do have to book ahead for Thursdays through to Sundays.

The food is always inventive and fresh. There is little choice on the menu but everytime Ive been its been terrific. Its not haute cuisine but what you don't get in style and sophistication you make up for in a home-cooking kind of way. The restuarant has no licence but you can take your own drinks in and if you forget there is an off licence opposite. Best of all the menu is consistantly under 10 for three courses. Not a reflection on the quality of the food but rather on the community nature of the restaurant.

If you want a "different" night out, a bit laid back, a bit boho and someone almost no one you know will have heard about head to the Bonnington Cafe. It's so great I wish I could keep it a secret...but I can't resist telling you.

• Added: 4th of June 2007
• Area: Bankside
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London SE1 9DG
020 7234 0000

LuluMcC said
Amano - pizza!
I love this place. It's a fail safe restaurant for a quick supper. Stick to the pizzas which in my opinion are rocking. Thin and crisp bases with toppings such as smoked mozarella, gorgonzola and rosemary - super super tasty. This place is a stones throw from the river and Borough Market but a world away from some of the over priced, knock off joints that it rubs shoulders with.

Its tucked away a bit but that makes it all the better. Enjoy!

• Added: 21st of May 2007
• Area: Bankside
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London SE1 9RL
020 7378 7776

LuluMcC said

Enter through a hole in the wall in London Bridge tube station (next to a vending machine is all I will say) and you enter a totally new world.


If you can find this place you are in for a surprise. One minute you are surrounded by commuters, the next plunged into damp darkness...but in a good way.


If you aren't freaked out by the pitch black vaults you will eventually pass some interesting art installations, the odd live performance or perhaps a theatrical "happening". When you finaly reach the bar the drinks are reasonably priced and the crowd friendly.

If you are looking for something out of the ordinary in SE1 then check it out.