London Revisited: Something Old, Something New

What do you call a dim sum restaurant that’s earned itself a place in the fifty best restaurants of the world? A Michelin-star restaurant that serves up great food and chic in equal proportions?

You call it Yauatcha. The brainchild of Alan Yau (who also set up Wagamama and Hakkasan), Yauatcha oozes style. The delicate pink and green wrapping of the cakes in the ground floor tea shop is just right. The dimly lit (though somewhat cramped) basement restaurant has none of the standard red and gold tones of most restaurants in nearby Chinatown. Here, the ceiling’s lit by bulbs in a `starry night’ effect; a huge aquarium stretches the length of the bar; the tables are grey textured wood, the sofas a vivid turquoise. Huge white peonies stand in tall peach and orange-tinted vases, and the staff wear uniforms created by Tim Yip, who designed the costumes for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Tarun and I booked a day in advance, for lunch. We were led to our table as soon as we arrived, and a young waiter arrived with our menus almost immediately. After a lot of thinking, we finally decided on ordering three types of dim sums: siu maai, crispy duck rolls, and steamed spare ribs with black bean sauce. For drinks, Tarun chose a strong Yobisu beer while I settled for something soft- a wonderfully refreshing and fruity kiwi lime iced tea.

The drinks were great, but the food was simply superb. The siu maai, tiny open moneybags of steamed minced pork and prawn, were lightly seasoned, and the casing was paper-thin and perfect. The crispy duck rolls were bursting with pieces of duck, beansprouts, cucumber and other vegetables, and came with a lovely dipping sauce of which an important ingredient was one of my favourite flavourings: five-spice powder. The steamed spareribs, cut into bite-size pieces that allowed us to devour them with minimum mess, were excellent too: very low on fat, and with just the correct amount of black bean sauce. Tarun isn’t particularly keen on black bean sauce--he tends to find it overpowering--but even he agreed that this was great.

We ended up feeling not quite full, so we ordered another item, shanghai dumplings. These were stuffed with a lightly seasoned mixture of chicken and prawn; steamed; and then fried on a griddle till the thin dough casing was slightly crisp and chewy on one side. Delicious, and very interesting!

Although the cakes and desserts upstairs looked tantalising, we skipped dessert--we’d eaten so much, we didn’t have room for anything else. The bill, along with a 12.5% service charge, came to £25.88. Not cheap, but definitely worth it.

On the flip side: service is erratic (our drinks came very fast, the food crawled), and I read somewhere that they only allow you 90 minutes to eat up. I don’t know if that’s true, but we weren’t given any ultimatums. I, on personal experience, would rate Yauatcha as a definite must-do for any lover of dim sums.

Busy, vibrant Covent Garden is a far cry from majestic Westminster Abbey. But there is, as I discovered, a link between the two, for `London’s best shopping experience’ was built on land that originally belonged to Westminster. The `Convent Garden’, as it was known, came into being in the 1630’s due to the work of the architect Inigo Jones and the developer, the Earl of Bedford. The marketplace and piazza were created under the aegis of Charles I.

Initially a fruit and vegetable market, Covent Garden diversified into gambling and prostitution by the early 1800’s--a magistrate dubbed it the `Great Square of Venus’--and although it did revert to being a market, it acquired its present blend of restaurants, stalls and boutiques only in 1980.

Tarun’s very fond of Covent Garden--he loves watching the performers--so we decided to go spend some time at the marketplace. We arrived about 5, on a hot summer day. Our first glimpse was of some of the many street performers who show off their skills here. On our right, a man dressed in the red and black uniform of a guard, with a bulbous false red nose protruding from below his tall black hat, delivered the punchline in a one-man comedy act. On the left, a man stood stock-still next to a bicycle, which, like the man and his clothes, was painted gold. A few steps further on, a muscular man, his head shaved, stood clad only in a decorative loincloth-type costume--this time, all in silver. Another performer dexterously (and seemingly effortlessly) juggled with four white balls, while a young magician entertained a huge crowd with the help of a pack of cards, a small table, and a cute toddler called Lucas, all wide-eyed and blond, drawn from the crowd.

We wandered around for a while, admiring the dresses in the shop windows; trying to see if we could afford a show at one of the theatres, and then checking out the stalls at Jubilee Market and Apple Market. Many of the stall owners here were shutting shop, but some were still around, selling prints, inexpensive jewellery and souvenirs. A quartet was playing a piece of exquisite music, Mozart, I think, and the courtyard around them was crammed with people, listening in appreciative silence.

Sitting out under the garden umbrellas, we ate a lunch of delicious Caesar salad, along with a fruity drink spiked with vodka. The ubiquitous pigeons flapped about hopefully near our table, but disappeared after a while in search of more generous patrons. Our meal finished, we treated ourselves to frozen yoghurt desserts (I had a lovely mixed berry one) at the Covent Garden Yoghurt and Fruit juice Bar. Then, after a final stroll around Covent Garden, it was time to move on.

Covent Garden’s one of those rare and delightful places that offer nearly everything: theatre, opera, street performances, chic shops, affordable souvenir stalls, fancy restaurants like Chez Gerard and Ivy, and plenty of less-expensive cafés. London must-do? Definitely!

Old links to new in London in unusual ways. For instance, St Paul’s (in the City of London) is connected to the Tate Modern (Bankside) by one of London’s most interesting new structures--the Millennium Bridge. A sight worth experiencing, we were told; so off we went.

The Millennium Bridge is a 325 metre long pedestrian bridge that was inaugurated in June 2000, but was shut down a few days later because it swayed alarmingly. Special supports have since been added to it, and despite the stiff breeze on the day we visited, the bridge seemed sturdy enough.

The Millennium Bridge is all steel and aluminium, futuristic and smart. The 4-metre-wide walkway is supported by heavy cables that dip below the walkway towards the centre of the bridge, to allow viewers an uninterrupted view along the river. And to help with that, there are etchings on the rail, showing you what’s what. Among the places we spotted were the Gherkin Building, the Globe Theatre, and the house of Christopher Wren.

I, being a history buff, was most fascinated by the well-researched and interesting story of the Thames that unfolds along the railings of the Millennium Bridge. The story of the `cleanest metropolitan river in the world’ is told through words and pictures that recount the history and the landmarks of the Thames. This offbeat exhibition has been designed by Peter Ackroyd, and begins with a history of the 30-million-year-old river, which was originally a tributary of the Rhine. The Thames has a rich heritage, and has been the focus for many recreational activities, beginning with medieval tilting contests to the annual Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race, instituted in 1829. The venue for various regattas, the riverside has also been a favourite spot for palaces, gardens and pleasure resorts.

It isn’t just the history of the Thames that’s narrated here; it’s also the geography. The Thames, we learnt, arises at Thames Head (where else?!), at Ewen, Gloucestershire. It’s 215 miles long, 191 miles being navigable. Besides the many tributaries and streams that join the Thames in its journey through the countryside, there are subterranean streams, like the Fleet River and the Stamford Stream, that actually flow below London.

Our walk across the Bridge was fascinating, and when we reached the Bankside end, we were in for another pleasant surprise. The ramp to the bank is printed with a map of the Thames, as it meanders its way to the North Sea. Important cities, famous sights, and the river’s main tributaries are marked in vivid blue and grey.

And that isn’t all. At Southwark tube station, about 10-minute walk from the bridge, is an Aeolian harp of sorts. Stand at a certain point (it’s marked with a plaque) in the station, and you’ll hear a soft, melodious chiming. This is a musical transmission of the footfalls and other movements on the bridge. Don’t ask me how they did it; but it’s fascinating. As is everything about the Millennium Bridge.

At the risk of appearing to be simply another pair of die-hard Dan Brown fans, we decided to visit the Temple Church while in London. Ever since it featured in The Da Vinci Code, it seems to have become very popular, but even without the free publicity, it’s a lovely, unusual building.

The Temple Church was built by the Knights Templar in the heart of their headquarters in London- Temple. The two sections of the church, the Round and the Chancel, were constructed at different periods of time, the Round being the earlier of the two. It was consecrated in 1185 by the patriarch of Jerusalem. The Chancel was built 55 years later, in 1240.

To get to Temple Church, we got off at the Temple tube station and walked along Victoria Embankment till we reached the ornately carved stone gateway of Middle Temple. Through this, along a cobbled street, we walked on before turning right onto Crown Row, past a garden bursting with roses, larkspurs and blood-red geraniums, to Paper Buildings. From here, a left turn and a short walk till just beyond the Library brought us to the entrance to the Temple Church, which sits in a quiet courtyard paved with flagstones.

This is a classic round Norman church (round because it was designed on the circular Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem), of lovely golden-brown stone. I could well believe that it was made by knights: the turret-like church tower has a distinctly martial look to it. Inside too, the Temple Church is different from most other churches, the most unusual feature being the nine stone effigies of knights that lie supine on the floor of the Round. The effigies are very varied: some are in excellent condition, with details like face, weapons and armour relatively intact; in others, almost nothing remains except a block of stone shaped like a human figure. Among the effigies is that of William Marshall (died 1219), first Earl of Pembroke, Regent for Henry III, and the most prominent mediator between the barons and King John in 1215.

We spent a while looking at the effigies, then wandered through the Round and the Chancel, admiring the lovely stained glass windows, particularly above the altar. The altar itself is decorated with wood panels painted with the Creed, the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer. The Chancel, which was largely destroyed in the Great Fire of London, was rebuilt in parts by Sir Christopher Wren. Today, with its soaring columns, its imposing organ, its pews, candles, and masses of flowers, it’s a bright, airy place, perfectly suited to the frequent performances of classical and sacred music for which it is a venue.

The Temple Church is open most days, but timings tend to be erratic because of music rehearsals and church activities. Check the church website before you visit, to guard against disappointments. There is no entry fee, though a small donation is very welcome.

Since we’d already seen most of London’s main museums and galleries, we were looking for something different--and found it. The Wallace Collection is a gem, relatively small but excellent.

To get to Hertford House, we took the tube to Oxford Street, from where we walked till Selfridge’s and then turned right, onto Duke Street. Manchester Square is about 5-minute walk from Selfridge’s, on Duke Street.

The collection was largely acquired in the 1800’s by Sir Richard Wallace and the 3rd and 4th Marquesses of Hertford. Today, this display of paintings, sculpture, furniture, porcelain, enamelware, religious icons, and more spreads across 25 galleries. The best part is that everything’s a work of art--you’d think you were back in Regency England. Nearly all the chandeliers, mirrors, mantelpieces, and carved furniture date back to the Renaissance or the 1800’s. If you want to see the Wallace Collection really well, set apart about four hours.
Among the works on display, the ones I liked best were:

1. The porcelain collection. This includes extremely colourful lead-glazed earthenware from France; Spanish tin-glazed earthenware; and Italian maiolica. There’s a fine service of Sèvres china, embellished with a floral pattern and green ribbons.
2. The snuffbox collection. Crafted from gold, silver, and other metals, these are decorated with everything from enamel to semi-precious stones.
3. The portraits by Joshua Reynolds. I’ve always been a fan of Reynolds, and the Wallace Collection has a sizable number of them scattered across the galleries. Look out for the The Strawberry Girl, of a small child clutching a basket of strawberries. You can almost feel the softness of the girl’s cheek and sense her shyness!
4. The Augsburg Service, a set of gilded items including articles for the toilette and breakfast of an unknown lady of Quality. Interesting, and beautiful.
5. The Marie Antoinette collection, which contains paintings, furniture, a clock and other items bought when the belongings of the guillotined French Empress were auctioned off. The framed notice of the auction is also part of the collection.
6. The paintings. Besides Reynolds, there are other European masters here: Rembrandt, Rubens, Boucher, Fragonard, Thomas Gainsborough, and Champaigne- whose `Adoration of the Magi’ is particularly arresting. Nearly all the light in the picture, shining on the faces round about, emanates from the Holy Infant. Among the other works, do look out for the tiny, exquisite paintings of a mother with her children, by Delaroche; and the awesome light-and-shade of Meissonier’s pictures. His depiction of two travellers, mounted on horses in the dappled shade of trees, which is a beauty.
7. And- though this also is a painting, but it merits being set apart from the rest- Frans Hals’s The Laughing Cavalier. There’s a cynicism about the cavalier’s smile that’s just perfect!

All in all, the Wallace Collection is a must-see for anyone who’s into classic art.

The Wallace Collection is open daily from 10 to 5. Entry is free. There’s a shop that sells catalogues, posters, and the like--and there’s a café.

I’m very keen on museums, and the Victoria and Albert was one I’d never visited. So this time, the V&A was on the agenda.

The Victoria and Albert is just over 150 years old--it was established in 1852 as the South Kensington Museum (it was given its present name in 1899). Originally housing a collection of art and science exhibits, the museum shifted its focus to the arts in 1913, and since then has been one of the world’s most respected art collections.

Being short of time, we couldn’t see each of the 145 galleries in the 11-acre museum. But among the most awesome exhibits we saw were:

1. The Raphael Cartoons, preliminary `sketches’ of Biblical scenes, by Raphael. Each was between 40 and 50 square feet in area, and all served as the bases for Flemish tapestries.
2. The English Galleries, crowded with amazingly well-preserved and interesting items from medieval England. There are embroidered jackets; the wedding attire of James II; lace collars, gloves and bedspreads- and a section dedicated to the exquisite embroideries of a certain 17th century maiden called Martha Edlin, whose major work was executed when she was about 12 years old!
Also part of these galleries are musical instruments and pieces of intricately carved furniture, such as the Great Bed of Ware, first mentioned in the 15th century as being at an inn in Ware (Hertfordshire). Shakespeare refers to the bed in Twelfth Night.
3. The Chinese Gallery, bursting with paintings, imperial robes, jade ornaments and utensils, and splendid porcelain, including a curvy Ming vase that you can touch. Another highlight of the gallery is a stunning imperial throne made of finely carved, lacquered wood. Lovely!
4. The Japanese Gallery, which, although it’s dominated by samurai swords and costumes, has some beautiful porcelain and woodwork (there’s a foot-long tiger carved from wood, its stripes lightly polished while the rest of its body had a matte finish. Exquisite.) Best of all were the netsuke, tiny and perfect carvings of birds, animals, and so on, that were used as counterbalances for items slung on a cord and looped through the obi of a kimono.
5. The two Cast Courts, massive glass-covered pavilions that contain plaster casts of the best classical European sculpture. Among the casts are Michelangelo’s David; an Irish cross; the pulpit of Pisa Cathedral; Trajan’s Column; and various friezes and statues.
The Cast Courts are about 150 years old- David, in fact, was gifted to Queen Victoria in 1856. The gallery between the two Cast Courts contains religious works, enameled reliquaries, carved ivory crucifixes, diptychs, and triptychs. Among the latter, a 9th-century Carolingian triptych is particularly lovely.

My verdict: a museum that’s hard to beat. If you like arts and crafts, do visit.
The V&A’s open from 10 till 5.45 daily, and till 10 on Wednesday and the last Friday of the month except in December. Entry is free. There’s a café, a shop, and free daily tours and talks. Check at the entrance of the museum for details on tours.