London Passage to India

Neelam Mathews experiences the desi connection that spices up the city of london

For an airline that offers manicures at 30,000 feet, Virgin Atlantic is every bit, funky and fun. I have no complaints ensconced comfortably in the upper class cabin outfitted in bold colours state-of-the-art electronic seats with recline settings that ultimately extend to more than six feet of flat sleeping space. So comfortable are the chairs that I start to contemplate skipping that extra drink at the bar and instead, slip into night wear offered by the carrier.

What a way to start a business trip! Having had a four-course meal, tried a plethora of entertainment and online choices, a sample 64 music CDs, 40 movies, surfing 130 TV programmes, I get a neck massage from in-flight masseur, Natalie, and the next thing I know is that I am in London, being gently woken up with a glass of fresh orange juice.

My suite at the 587-room Le Meridien Grosvenor House is a suitable introduction to the best in London. The luxury hotel is located directly across the street from Hyde Park in the fashionable Mayfair area of London in Park Lane. Proving the prophets of doom wrong, the threat of world events does not seem to have dampened travel. India has become the fastest growing market for the property, as assistant to general manager Howard Hartley explains. "Our apartments are popular with top Indian corporates who generally stay for around four days," says Hartley.

A ten-minute walk from Marble Arch and Green Park underground stations, the hotel has been regarded as one of London’s most exclusive addresses since 1927. Obviously designed in an age when space was not a premium, from my spacious suite I can see the road that leads to Oxford Street, where I will soon be heading. The business lounge is adequately stocked with spirits for the happy hour and a generous breakfast. There is friendliness about the staff as Gita, the German executive in the lounge shows an eagerness to know the meaning of her name when I tell her of its Indian origin. The business centre is useful for checking on that obsessive need to access email. Here in one of the world’s great cultural cities that offer numerous museums, galleries, theatres and attractions and also home to internationally renowned concert halls such as the Royal Opera House, Royal Festival Hall and Royal Albert Hall, I begin to feel strangely at home and soon realise how close I am to it. Bollywood fever seems to have gripped London. Even The Savoy has acquired a distinctly Indian flavour. On offer are a new range of distinctive Indian teas, with a selection of traditional Indian delicacies with the Maitre Chef Anton Edelmann offering ‘kathi kebabs’, ‘mathris’ and ‘dhoklas’ with Indian afternoon tea. Although at the Oscar ceremony last March, Lagaan missed out on the `Best Foreign Film’ award, it seems clear that the world has perhaps begun to realise that Indian cinema is more than just song and dance. It is also about theatre and more of AR Rehman’s music.

‘Tak Dhin Na Din- Everything is possible in Bombay Dreams,’ runs the theme song at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, making this the first £4.5 million Bollywood musical on West End! Agile melodies twist and turn to patently Indian rhythms. From the gyrating rhythms and optical pleasures of Rani the temptress singing Shakalaka Baby, with ‘fantasies flying’ to the ‘dishum dishum’ scene with Bruce Lee-like antics, the masala is all there in Bombay Dreams, that continues to run a year after it first previewed.

Bollywood Dreams is a complicated plot involving the slum hero, Akaash, who dreams of becoming a star. Plucked by a movie mogul from obscurity, he falls in love with the movie producer’s daughter and even takes on a tough Mafia boss. The highlight is a number, Chaiyya Chaiyya, when the stage explodes with thrilling percussive music and a cascade of pink-turbaned dancers, delighting Indian and western audiences alike. As I try hard to eavesdrop on the comments of visitors at the end of the show, that vary from "disappointing" to "fantastic" and "I can’t seem to get that tune off my mind", I decide to take the Indian experience further. And what could be better than one of the two of London’s Michelin-rated Indian eating sensations, The Tamarind?

Located on 20 Queen Street, Mayfair (Tel: 0171 629 3561) Tamarind has been described as "Sophisticated contender for the finest in town", "Chic, suavely decorated ... best north west cooking."

"At Tamarind, we love to introduce people to the delights and sophistication of Indian cuisine in a refined and glamourous environment," says the genial general manager Rajesh Suri. Ex-Oberoi chef Atul Kochhar’s cuisine is boldly flavoured and original, while the restaurant and menu is centred around the tandoor ovens, Tamarind’s a la carte menu features an eclectic mix of dishes from around the sub-continent. Starters include tandoori prawns and scallops salad with sour grapes and mint and chicken cakes with mace, ginger and basil; mains include: lamb cutlets marinated with fennel and half spring chicken with mace and cinnamon marinade. Something to die for and return to the Tamarind are its chutneys of dates, grapes, tomatoes and all the exotic herbs one can associate with ultimate flavour. The Chef tosses the slender kulchas filled with vegetables and herbs, which even to my Indian palate are utterly delicious. No wonder, ‘business ladies who lunch’ are frequent visitors, as well as famous celebrities who linger in the evenings over dishes like Jhinga Khyber, King Prawns marinated in ginger, yoghurt, sunflower and sesame seeds, or Rogan Josh. Tamarind’s autumn menu promises game - quail, grouse or partridge prepared Rah style. If you are solo, and don’t like lunching alone, one of their frequent London Restaurant Club events is the place to be. There are three set dinner menus at £34.00, £38.50 and £45.00, and a lunch menu at just £16.50 for three courses. In London, new and exciting things are happening. A transformation of Leicester Square, the heart of London’s Theatreland and the busiest public spaces, has begun, with the aim of turning it into a stylish plaza rivalling the best in Europe. Good news for night owls is that outdoor dining at over 17 restaurants and cafes, with uniformed waiter service, is being allowed until 1 a.m. every night until November, in a pilot scheme by Westminster City Council. A 24-hour warden service and improved lighting have already been brought in. Says a Visit Britain representative: "Chinatown, which adjoins the square, with its myriad oriental restaurants and stores, is also in line for rejuvenation." So the next time you are in London, check out the new Chinese gates, a renovated Pagoda, improved lighting and a ‘city guardian’ patrol to deter street crime, everybody’s worry.

There is an energy in London hard to miss for first timers and also its repeat visitors. Take the London West End for example. Within a couple of square miles you’ll see stretch limos and street sleepers, you can get a kebab from a van for two quid or pay a hundred pound a head for silver service. You can take in ‘Cats’ or ‘The Phantom’ or grab a can of Super Strength from an off-license and a seat on a step and catch a street performer in Covent Garden. It’s a twenty four seven scene. The atmosphere is eclectic. One of the best ways to experience the best of London’s nightlife is to navigate its various drinking holes during happy hour. Reduced or half-priced drinks can be found at all hours all over the city, including in and around the fashionable areas of Covent Garden. London Happy Hour Timetable, published at £5.00 lists 160 different bars and proved to be a valuable investment.

Down the hill, the Thames divides the city into North and South. The views of Westminster and Big Ben are straight out of coffee table books. I hop on one of the stationary boats on the Thames on a sunny Sunday, grab a pint and take it all in. It really is mesmerising. Here one could sit for hours and I have no intention of moving on as yet.

Travel Tips

Reserve an event or theatre tickets online at www.ticketmaster.co.uk. If sight-seeing, purchase the London Pass which gives you unlimited access to more than £200 worth of attractions and free travel. A one-day adult pass costs £18 while a children’s pass costs £11. You can also purchase three or six-day passes online. Great British Heritage Pass - It gives unlimited access to over 600 properties throughout the UK. It can be purchased at a cost of £30 for seven days and is available to overseas visitors from the British Tourist Authority offices. The London for Less card offers reductions at over 200 places, including money off theatre, concerts, opera and ballet tickets. It costs £12.95 and is available from bookshops and the Britain Visitor Centre at Regent Street.

Shopping Deals

Designer Discount Stores Nicole Farhi 75-83 Fairfield Road, SW18. Tel: +44 (0)20 8981 3931 Burberry 29 Chatham Place, London E9. Tel: +44 (0)20 8985 3344 In Wear 100 Garrett Lane, Wandsworth SW18. Tel: +44 (0)20 8871 2155. Caroline Charles 9 St John’s Wood High Street, NW8. Tel: +44 (0)20 7483 0080 Paul Smit 23 Avery Row, W1 Tel: +44 (0)20 7493 1287

Getting There

British Airways, Air India and Virgin Atlantic (from Delhi) connect Heathrow Airport to India directly. Other carriers including Emirates, Lufthansa, KLM, and Austrian Airlines also offer convenient connections to London.

Pubs and bars

Backpacker on 126 York Way, N1 (King’s Cross tube) is a weekend only pub. Happy Hour is from 20:00-22:00 on Fri and Sat, but the pub is open 18:00-02:00. Salsa!- Tel: +44 (0)20 7379 3277 at 96 Charing Cross Road, WC2 (Leicester Square or Tottenham Court Road tube) is open Mon-Sat, 17:30-02:00 and food is served 18:00-01:30. Sound - Tel: +44 (0)20 7287 1010 is one of Leicester Square’s hottest bars during Happy Hour. It’s located at the Swiss Centre, W1. Soho Spice - Tel: +44 (0)20 7434 0808 is an Indian restaurant known for its late-license bar. It’s located on 124-126 Wardour St, W1.

Accommodation

Le Meridien Grosvenor House Hotel (five-star) 86-90 Park Lane London www.lemeridien.com Le Meridien Russell Hotel (four-star) Russell Square London www.lemeridien.com Westbury Hotel (four-star) Bond Street London www.westburyhotel.activehotels.com Best Western Phoneix Hotel (three-star) 1-8 Kensington Gardens Square Bayswater London www.hotel-london.co.uk Somerset Bayswater (three-star) 42 Prince Square Bayswater London www.london.the-hotels.com For more hotel options log onto www.londonby.com

Getting Around

There are many convenient ways to travel around London- the London Underground, black cabs, buses and rail. The London Underground has many passes that you can buy - from one-day to weekly travel passes. Family passes and weekend passes also exist.

Eating Out

Masala Zone 9 Marshall Street, London W1 (020 7287 9966). In complete contrast to Chutney Mary’s and The Veeraswamy, Namita Panjabi’s no-frills Soho version is cheap and cheerful (thali £6) and packed. Sumosan - 26 Albemarle Street, W1. Lunch costs in the region of £30 and dinner £50. Occupying the lower ground floor, is J Bar, serving cocktails, sushi and Japanese tapas. +44 (0)20 745 5999 Fyne Fayre - Catherine Street, WC1 Bright and contemporary, Loch Fyne smoked oysters and salmon are on the menu as well as other hot and cold dishes. Three courses cost an average of £20, plus wine. There are also cheaper light dishes available. +44 (0)20 7240 4999 Chowki - Denman Street, W1 Serving home-style Indian food, the menu will change monthly to represent three different regions in India. +44 (0)20 7439 1330 Cafe Grand Prix-50a Berkeley Street, W1 Cafe Grand Prix is the sister cafe to the Grand Prix Monaco, with racing the decorative theme in the London Cafe Grand Prix. +44 (0)20 7629 0808 Preem Restaurant - Brick Lane It is the one of the best places to eat Masala Dosa, offers special cok your own curry nights. +44 (0) 20 7247 0397

Car rentals

If you have a day to spare and feel like driving around the countryside, save up to 20 per cent on Worldwide Car Rental from all the major suppliers. Book online or call 0870 758 9908. www.autos4hire.com