Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Taj Stores 112 Brick Lane, E1 T 020 7377 0061,
W tajstores.co.uk; ! Aldgate East; map pp.192-193. Big
Bangladeshi supermarket established in 1936, offering
everything from halal meats, herbs and spices to fish, fresh
fruit and veg, plus ingredients from other countries including
India, Thailand, Malaysia and Jamaica. Daily 9am-9pm.
eclectic and sometimes downright weird range of spirits
you'll find anywhere in London, including a fine range of
absinthe; vodka is a speciality. Mon-Thurs & Sat
9am-6.30pm, Fri 9am-7.30pm, Sun noon-6pm.
The Real Ale Shop 371 Richmond Rd, TW1 T 020 8892
3710, W realale.com; ! Richmond; map p.341.
Microbrews and craft beers from around the world,
including ciders, perries and wines, and regularly changing
cask ales from local breweries. Mon noon-7pm, Tues-
Thurs 10am-9pm, Fri 10am-10pm, Sat 10am-9pm,
Sun 11am-7pm.
Vintage House 42 Old Compton St, W1 T 020 7437
2592, W vintagehouse.co.uk; ! Leicester Square; map
p.100. The creaking shelves of this old, family-run drinker's
paradise in the heart of Soho are crammed with wines,
brandies and more than 1350 malt whiskies. Mon-Fri
9am-11pm, Sat 10am-11pm, Sun noon-10pm.
BEER, WINE AND SPIRITS
Berry Bros & Rudd 3 St James's St, SW1 T 0800 280
2440, W bbr.com; ! Green Park; map p.66. This
glorious three hundred-year-old wine merchant houses a
huge range of fine wines - from £5 to £25,000 - in a
ravishing
30
seventeenth-century
building.
Mon-Fri
10am-6pm, Sat 10am-5pm.
Gerry's 74 Old Compton St, W1 T 020 7734 4215,
W gerrys.uk.com; ! Leicester Square; map p.100.
Characterful old Soho store, crammed with the best, most
MUSIC
While the megastores have collapsed under the might of the MP3, a number of independent and specialist music
shops in London cater for nostalgists and musos hunting for vinyl and CDs. Berwick Street in Soho, and London's markets
(see opposite), especially Camden, are good sources of vinyl.
Gramex 25 Lower Marsh, SE1 T 020 7401 3830; !
Waterloo or Lambeth North; map p.216. A splendid find
for classical music and jazz lovers, this eccentric new and
secondhand record store features CDs and vinyl, and comfy
leather armchairs to sample or discuss your finds at leisure.
Mon-Sat 11am-7pm.
Harold Moores Records 2 Great Marlborough St, W1
T 020 7437 1576, W hmrecords.co.uk; ! Oxford Circus
or Tottenham Court Road; map p.97. Two welcoming
floors of CDs and vinyl, mostly classical and jazz, with rare
releases and lots of contemporary, avant-garde selections.
Mon-Sat 10am-6.30pm.
Ì Honest Jon's 278 Portobello Rd, W10 T 020 8969
9822, W honestjons.com; ! Ladbroke Grove or
Westbourne Park; map pp.274-275. A fine selection of
jazz, soul, funk, r'n'b, rare groove, reggae, world music and
more in this West London stalwart, with current releases,
secondhand finds and reissues. Mon-Sat 10am-6pm,
Sun 11am-6pm.
Rough Trade 130 Talbot Rd, W11 T 020 7229 8541;
! Ladbroke Grove, map pp.274-275; Rough Trade
East: 91 Brick Lane, E1 T 020 7392 7788; ! Aldgate
East or Shoreditch High Street Overground, map
pp.192-193; W roughtrade.com. The musos' favourite,
this historic indie specialist has knowledgeable, friendly
staff and a dizzying array from electronica to hardcore and
beyond. There's a second, huge, branch, Rough Trade East,
in the Old Truman Brewery. Regular in-store performances
at both. Rough Trade: Mon-Sat 10am-6.30pm, Sun
11am-5pm; Rough Trade East: Mon-Thurs 8am-9pm,
Fri 8am-8pm, Sat 10am-8pm, Sun 11am-7pm.
Ì Sister Ray 34 Berwick St, W1 T 020 7734 3297,
W sisterray.co.uk; ! Tottenham Court Road; map
p.100. This is a record store in the old mode, a sizeable,
long-established and well-informed vinyl specialist,
specializing in cool music from the 1960s up to the present
day, and offering anything from spacerock to psychobilly.
Mon-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun noon-6pm.
Sounds that Swing 88 Parkway, NW1 T 020 7267
4682, W nohitrecords.co.uk; ! Camden Town; map
pp.284-285. The bricks and mortar outlet of the groovy
No Hit Records label, with a very Camden Town rockabilly
vibe, this colourful vinyl and CD store offers an eclectic,
personally selected range from blues/folk via rockabilly to
garage punk. Daily noon-6pm.
GIFTS AND ODDITIES
Ignore the Beefeater teddy bears and tacky comedy T-shirts - London can be a splendid place for souvenirs. In addition
to the city's many fabulous museum stores (the shops at the V&A, London Transport Museum, the Wellcome Collection
and the Southbank Centre, by the Royal Festival Hall, yield particularly rich pickings), and its department stores (see
box, p.426) - Liberty and Selfridges are the best for gifts - London has plenty of offbeat places that are perfect for
out-of-the-ordinary gifts.
 
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