Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Central London

  • London (Central) – Limousine

    I would say that this was part of Steve’s secret plan for the Hike Norfolk trip to London, but this one is down to Dave…

    We were on our walk and I discover that Dave, one of our most social members who keeps chatting to everyone, had introduced himself to the driver of the limousine. Before we know it the driver is letting us have a look in the car, which was quite fancy in its layout. The driver was particularly friendly and engaging, although he probably didn’t have much choice with Dave chatting away.

    I’m not really one for cars, but this is what it looks like inside. Apparently the car is a Hummer, but I have no idea…..

  • London (Central) – Sclater Street Signs

    My medieval English dictionary says that sclater is an alternative word for slater, so it’s perhaps formerly a street where roof-slaters lived. There’s also a suggestion that it’s an old word for slaughter, so could have been where animals were killed before they went to the market.

    Either way, the interesting element here for me were the three streets signs. The first one is from the eighteenth century, the second is twentieth century and the third in another language which is of more relevance for the new population of the area.

  • London (Central) – Shoreditch Underground Trains on Offices

    These four former Jubilee underground carriages have become a little bit of a local tourist site in Shoreditch, now being used as offices on top of a building.

    The trains are located on a railway viaduct which is part of the old line which went into Broad Street railway station. That’s the railway station to the left of Liverpool Street Station on the above map, and it was demolished in 1986 as it had become surplus to requirements.

    So, on the above map, the railway line on the right is the current Liverpool Street to Norwich line, and the railway line on the left has been terminated where it ended at Broad Street and joined up with the section of railway line which is showing as a dead end above. The four tube carriages are located on the piece of line which has thus fallen out of use.

    The railway carriages can’t be visited by the public other than on special open days, but they are available for private hire as they do offer something of a talking point.

  • London (Central) – Duck and Waffle

    Our breakfast location on the Hike Norfolk day trip to London was a little shrouded in mystery as Steve was keeping it a surprise. We discovered, and I think the view was that we were impressed, to find out that we were going to the fortieth floor of Heron Tower (now formally known as 110 Bishopgate).

    The view looking up in the lift.

    The lights in the bar area of the restaurant. We were running a little early so we had a wait in this area for the table to become available, with another customer looking a little the worse for wear. Although this is a 24 hour operation, and indeed the highest 24 hour restaurant and bar in London, so perhaps that is a little inevitable.

    The views from the restaurant.

    A morning latte, which was excellent with its rich flavour and it was served at a drinkable temperature.

    I went, after much deliberation, for the spiced dahl which had two poached hen’s eggs, fresh coriander, flat bread and sumac sprinkled over the top. This was way above average, with the eggs being runny and brightly coloured, the sumac added flavour, the flat bread was lightly toasted and moist and the chickpeas were perfectly cooked. The sauce had a deep flavour and the dish was well seasoned, with everything being at the appropriate hot temperature. The portion size was also larger than I had expected, so this was a perfectly adequate breakfast meal.

    The pricing wasn’t the cheapest, but there was inevitably an element of paying for the location, with the drink being £4, the breakfast £10 and there was a compulsory service charge of around £2. The service was efficient and professional, but not particularly engaging. However, the efficiency was useful as we had an hour slot for the table and this proved to be entirely sufficient for our needs.

    We had booked across two tables so that we didn’t have to order from a set menu, which is required from larger groups. However, the staff seated us at neighbouring tables, so we could still hear what Dave was talking about.

    Overall, I thought this location offered better value than I had anticipated when we entered, although there is perhaps a need for a refresh of the interior as some of the seating was looking a bit worn.