My Favourite Spots in London

The Mousetrap has been running in the West End for over 50years...
A murder, a stranger, and a red herring or three, Agatha Christie's Mousetrap is a play worth rediscovering and a real alternative to the endless musicals and social realistic pieces on offer elsewhere, even though it is a "tourist trap".

In the current age of overly realistic murder mysteries, the old fashioned setting adds to the feeling of a classic, this is a play worth rediscovering and a real alternative to the endless musicals and social realistic pieces on offer elsewhere.
The play is kept alive by a fresh cast that is changed at least once a year.

St Martin's theatre is on St Martin's Lane, right in the heart of the theatre district and in the Soho area of Central London, with a plethora of restaurants around, so it's easy to combine the play with dinner.

I took my 18 year old nephew who'd come from Canada,to see this on Saturday, and we were not disappointed. Not edgy or fashionable, this play nevertheless was an excellent introduction to England and it's theatrical history and an entertaining evening for all the family

Kew Gardens is located in South West London and is one of the world's leading botanic gardens and is at present holding an exhibition called "Tropical Extravaganza" with the theme 'Forces of Nature'. It promises to be a riot of color and is being held in the Princess of Wales Conservatory. I'm going to visit tomorrow and will update once I've see what Kew has to offer.
If you're a keen gardener, you'll love this place. For details if you want to visit, see the ,Kew Gardens website.

The Malaysia Kopi Tiam is a great Malaysian restaurant right in the heart of theatreland.
It's on 67 Charing Cross Rd and is a very casual restaurant.
Not somewhere to impress a hot date :)
However the food is authentic and excellent and the price very reasonable.
Dishes to try are roti canai, assam laksa and beef rendang...yum...

All My Sons, a play by Arthur Miller is now running in the West End. I haven't seen it yet, but after reading the Guardian critic Mark Billington, I'm really hope I can catch it before it finishes its run at the Apollo Theatre. To Quote:
"Now Davies has recreated his production, with a new cast, and it is time to bring out the superlatives. Not only is the acting tremendous and every visual detail precise, Davies also makes you realise Miller's play is a portrait of a society as well as of a flawed individual..."
The cast include David Suchet (the actor who plays Poirot) and Zoe Wanamaker (from My Family). Both are excellent actors and are said to have are put in an absolutely stellar performance.

Harrods, which is in the Knightsbridge area of London, is one of the world's most famous and upmarket department stores.

The layout, I find is a bit bizarre and confusing, but it's a great place to people watch, and for me, to see how the other half live!
Actually shopping there is pretty pricey, depending on your budget.

It is owned by the Al-Fayed brothers.
Mohamed Al-Fayed, whose son Dodie was killed in a car crash whilst with Princess Diana, has built a shrine to them.

So next time your there, go to the "shrine" to Diana and Dodie - the ultimate in kitsch!
Nearest tube station is Knightsbridge.

Update:
According to Reuters, The investment arm of Qatar's sovereign wealth fund has just bought the famous London department store Harrods from Egyptian-born businessman Mohamed al-Fayed in a deal reported to be worth around 1.5 billion pounds.

Where to eat cheaply in London?
London is a very expensive place to eat. It's all very well going for a lovely meal in the evening but what about when you're shopping in London and just want something decent to eat when you're on a budget without resorting to Macdonalds or KFC.
Here are some ideas...

If you're in Oxford St, then go to the food hall which is in the basement at Selfridges, the famous department store. Here you'll find a huge array of different types of food from all over the world. Just get what you like and there are seats where you can sit and eat.
Another place which is a cross between a fast food place and a restaurant is Nandos, where you find barbequed chicken with Portuguese Peri Peri spices. Again you can sit and eat.

If you don't mind not being able to sit down, then grab a sandwich, salad or wrap at Marks and Spencers, a British Institution!
You can find good quality wraps, sandwiches and salads at Pret a Manger as well(photo by Michael L).
There are quite a few restaurants in Chinatown, (which is near Leicester Square), that have eat as much as you like buffet offers, but whenever I've tried one of these, I have been very disappointed at the quality.
If you're near Edgeware Rd, not far from Marble Arch, get a shawarma wrap from one of the Lebanese juice bars. These are quite reasonable, but beware of the juices, although they are delicious, they are also expensive. At least you'll be getting your vitamins and anti-oxidants! :)

NB Now that we are going through the Credit Crunch, many restaurant chains like Pizza Express, Wagamama, Ask etc are offering 2 for 1 vouchers that can be found on the web. So print these out beforehand to benefit from a really cheap eat!

The best place to get authentic Korean food in London or rather in the outskirts of London is an area called New Malden which has a large Korean population. It has has the largest expatriate community of South Koreans in Europe, and is one of the most densely populated area of Koreans outside South Korea.
New Malden High St and 2 adjacent roads, Burlington Rd and Kingston Rd are where most of the restaurants are situated and are walking distance from New Malden train station - you can get a train from Waterloo station to get there. Korean food contains less meat than traditional than we are used to apart from their wonderful delicious table barbecues. It is said to be very nutritious and incorporates a lot of fermented foods, vegetables and rice and have one of the world's five top health foods called kimchi.
My favourite restaurants are Sorabol and KJ. Both do very affordable Bento boxes at lunch time - under £10. Sorabol with more Korean dishes and KJ have Japanese dishes. I recommend the Beef bulgogi Bento at Sorabol, which comes with spicy squid, savoury pancake, side salad, rice and beef bulgogi. And I recommend the chicken teriyaki set at KJs which consists of chicken teriyaki, rice, raw salmon spicy salad and agadashi tofu. yummmy! Both come with miso soup and Korean tea as well as pickle dishes and kimchi.
For more info on korean food visit http://hansikuk.com It has a map of all the restaurants in New Malden as well as in Central London where they are situated around Charing Cross Rd and Oxford St.

Chloe left a great suggestion in the comments section. La Tasca is a Spanish Tapas restaurant which is very relaxed, trendy and often has great deals. There are several branches in and around Oxford St and the one nearest Selfridges is in St. Christopher's place, which is not far from Bond St tube station. Don't expect haute cuisine, the food is down to earth, but good and the ambience is lively.
photo by monsieur paradis

This is a great play adapted from a book by Susan Hill and is for seasoned theatre goers as well as an addictive introduction to the theatre for the uninitiated.

I took my children when they were teenagers, and they absolutely loved it. So much so, that they went again taking their friends along with them this time!
It is one of the most exciting, gripping and successful theatre events ever staged, is now in its nineteenth year in the West End, and is an adaptation of Susan Hill's novel.

The plot is as follows:

"A lawyer obsessed with a curse that he believes has been cast over him and his family by the spectre of a Woman in Black, engages a sceptical young actor to help him tell his terrifying story and exorcise the fear that grips his soul.

It all begins innocently enough, but then, as they reach further into his darkest memories, they find themselves caught up in a world of eerie marshes and moaning winds.

The borders between make believe and reality begin to blur and the flesh begins to creep ..."

I highly recommend that you go and see this play, whether you are a visitor to London, or you live in London and have not seen it. The best place to get cut price tickets for plays is lastminute.com.

This forum is great to get ideas for what to do in London and for finding current offers for day trips. It is a money saving website so it's the best way to find out how to make the most of your budget.
You can also post your own question about London and your own trip to London. You can get tips on places to visit/attractions, where to stay, travel, where to eat etc.
Here's the link:
Money Saving Days Out In London

First it was a film with famous stars such as Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, now it's a successful play which has been on tour and is now playing at the West End in London.

It features well known personalities such as Anita Dobson, vintage Eastenders actress, Jerry Hall, a model and ex partner of Mick Jagger, June Brown, long standing Coronation Street actress, Jill Halfpenny, former Eastenders actress and former Strictly Come Dancing winner and others.

I went to see Calender Girls a couple of weeks ago with my girlfriends. Had a great time.
I was surprised at June Brown's energy, who is a very sprightly and active 82 year old and also bared all for the Christmas Calender.
For a synopsis of the play visit the Calender Girls website

I was expecting an all female audience but there was a fairly mixed crowd, admittedly with more women than men, but the men seemd to really enjoy the bit where the women had to undress and pose for the calender photos lol!

The play had a wonderful energy to it and was very funny too, despite the subject matter.
Worth catching...

I have been watching a cookery series on BBC2 called 'Chinese Food Made Easy' by Ching-He Huang and in one of her masterclasses videos, she recommends a restaurant called " New World" for Dim Sum which is in the Chinatown area of London.
I'll definitely check this one out when I'm next in Chinatown.
Incidently there is a wonderful authentic Chinese restaurant in the outskirts of London, in Purley, next to the Wing Yip supermarket.

I went to see a film with a friend in Trocadero, which is near Piccadilly Circus and we went for dinner afterwards to a restaurant called Feng Shui, which was recommended in the "Where to Eat in Chinatown" clip above.
We were very disappointed. Not only was the food overpriced, but the quality wasn't particularly good either.
To top it all, I had a horrendous headache the next day and felt like I'd had a hangover even though I'd had no alcohol the night before.
Me thinks they were a bit heavy handed with the MSG!!!

Tip: if you ask them not to add MSG to your food, most restaurants will do it happily except for some dishes that are pre prepared (eg Peking duck, sauces etc).

Barnes is where all the well heeled live. It's not far from Hammersmith and has free parking if you intend to go by car.
This restaurant, which is not cheap, is a lovely place to go on a romantic date.
It overlooks the Thames river and has a quaint, romantic ambience.
It's called The Depot, and can be found at Tideway Yard, Mortlake High Street, London, SW14 8SN.
And by the way the food is excellent and they have good value set menus in the week.

Update: was a bit disappointed with the service and the food the last time I went...