She Loves London

Tag: Covent Garden

  • The Many and Varied Things I’ll Miss About Working on the Strand

    I’m relocating for work.

    Not actually relocating, obviously. Just going ten minutes up the road for a different job, but in London terms that’s basically like moving to Africa.

    This is slightly daunting because I’ll now have to negotiate the minefield that is deciding where to eat lunch in an entirely new area of the city, which, as everyone knows, is the most crucial part of every office worker’s day.

    Hold me. 

    Alas, after two years working just off the Strand – land of the pre-theatre meal deal, posh hotels, lost tourists, Gordon’s Wine Bar, and the excellent sort of colleagues who adopt you an actual monkey as a leaving present – it’s time to move on to a new stomping ground between the hours of 9:30 and 6pm.

    But in the meantime, here’s what I’ll miss about working in WC2N.

    1. Fake Number 10

    It’s Downing Street! It’s not Downing Street. It’s David Cameron’s gaff! It’s not David Cameron’s gaff. It’s Number 10! Ok, it is Number 10, but instead of politicians you just get the occasional news reporter pretending they’re at the real one. I KNOW, CRAZY.

    downing street adam street

     

    2. The 3,456,936 branches of Pret within lunch-walking radius.

    They say you’re never more than one meter away from your nearest Pret A Manger in London. Actually that might be mice. Or rats. Given the proximity of your friendly neighbourhood branch of Mutant Rodent Tesco, it could be either of those things. But look how many. LOOK:

    pret radius

    3. Inconspicuous tourists

    Lunchtimes just won’t be the same without a daily game of Dodge the Daytripper, coupled with a round of Stupid Things I Heard a Tourist Say in Covent Garden. Where is all the grass around here, anyway?

    tourists in covent garden

     

    4. The wide assortment of local wildlife.

    Ponies, ferrets, Olympic athletes, dogs, WC2N has them all. Although my new area of work does have men being walked like dogs, to be fair – so onwards and upwards ‘n’ all that.

    wildlife

    5. Crossing the Impossible Road

    With no less than four lanes of traffic, a weird cobbled path thing down the middle, and a pavement scattered with beady eyed, clipboard wielding charity workers, crossing this street is nothing less than a minefield. Think Krypton Factor, but with more Potsu noodles.

    strand

     

    So see ya later, Covent Garden.

    Aurevoir, excellent colleagues.

    Gordon’s, Embankment Gardens and Bag Bike Man…you will remain in my thoughts.

    Goodbye, Strand. It’s been emotional. 

     

  • Warning: Dangerous Tree in Covent Garden

    Because sometimes, signs are funny.

    dangerous tree in covent garden

     

    dangerous tree

     

  • Of Mice And Tescos: Three Alternative Places to Get Your Lunch In The West End

    Over on Bedford Street in the West End yesterday, there was a serious problem.

    That problem was in Tesco, and it had a tail.

    Several hundred really quite mucky tails, in fact, if the sign on the door was anything to go by:

    Health notice for mice in Tesco
    The sign on the door at Tesco in Covent Garden yesterday (now taken down)

    Around the sign stood a group of baffled, slightly disgusted workers on their lunch break; their faces desperately trying to recall the last time they got food from the supermarket, and whether it had any unexpected “pepper” garnish.

    One of those people was a particularly disappointed man; his face showing signs of exertion from so spectacularly missing the point.

    “But when is it going to open again?” he asked me, searching my vaguely amused face for the answer. “It says when it closed and what’s wrong, but not when it will re-open!”

    Mice aside, it’s clear that the workers of Covent Garden are facing a dilemma. It’s like the song said, “Now that we found mice, what are we gonna do…for luun-ch?”

    Well, fear not. Je suis on hand with three ideas for places near Covent Garden where you can get food and – most importantly in your hour of blessed office freedom – a side of friendly conversation from the staff on your lunch break.

    1. Chipotle, Charing Cross Road [map]

    Burritos. ‘Nuff said. Don’t be put off by the queue which often reaches out the door – it goes down quickly and these babies are worth the wait. Benito’s Hat is closer on New Row, and the staff are friendly there too, but to be honest it rates lower in my Burrito League. Yes, I’ve got a league. No, you can’t see it.

    2. EAT, Bedford Street [map]

    I know what you’re thinking, EAT? Really? There are fifty million branches of EAT around London (official figure), so you’d be forgiven for passing this one off as just another bloody generic food chain. But the one on Bedford Street is worth a visit purely because I reckon it has the friendliest staff in the entire world. Smiley, happy, chatty and always on hand with a quip about the weather, and a fork for when you get bored of spearing your vegetable dumplings with chopsticks.

    3. Checkers Sandwich Bar, Bedford Street [map]

    There’s always a queue out the door during lunchtime at this place, even though there are about five other places alongside that serve the exact same thing. And do you know why there’s a queue out the door? Because it’s staffed by nice, polite, friendly people who make a blummin’ brilliant toasted ciabatta sandwich (and other stuff), and you get free soup with it. I’ve yet to pin down the slightly ambiguous flavour of the soup, but it’s the thought that counts.

    So there you have it. Three places to get food while you’re waiting for the country’s biggest supermarket chain to sort out its hygiene.  Enjoy.