A healthy curiosity will serve you well on your travels. Keep your guide book in your pocket and get off the beaten track.
Never mind about the old saying, ‘Curiosity killed the cat’. Curiosity is a good thing, especially if you are visiting foreign cities, or even places in your own country. Poking around back streets and asking local residents to recommend restaurants will bring more rewards than sticking to the main tourist drag and eating with all the other tourists who probably found the restaurant as you did, from the same guide book.
Living in London, I often see visitors going to the tried and true name brand restaurants, which are sometimes okay, but you certainly are not getting a ‘London experience’ - you could be anywhere in the world. Yet, in the West End, all you have do is stroll down some of the narrow alleys off main streets such as Oxford Street, Regent Street or Piccadilly to find old pubs that serve good food, small family restaurants, as well as unusual little shops - some of which are real gems.
For example, off Oxford Street, opposite Bond Street Tube Station, is a narrow alley called St. Christopher's Place, which leads to some delightful small shops and restaurants. It’s very easy to walk by without noticing it. On Regent Street, look for tiny, u-shaped Heddon Street - a great spot for good food. There are three or four restaurants in this small odd-shaped street, all worth a visit.
One of my favourite ‘off the main beat’ streets is Jermyn Street - an historic street noted for its elegant shops for men, fine good and perfumes. It is also steeped in history. Click here to read more.
