Andy  "andyravensable" B.'s Profile

On my search for the best bacon sandwich in London, the Butcher at Leadenhall certainly deserves a special mention. Something of a secret amongst those who work in the area, the Butcher is situated halfway down the main covered area of Leadenhall Market, and doesn't advertise openly. In fact, the only giveaway that they're offering breakfast vittals is the presence of a grill and a price list. However, once you've found it, the fare is simple, but very good. The obvious choices are there - bacon butty, sausage butty, but the piece de resistance is their butcher's butty - a combination of bacon, sausage and an egg, cooked in a small skillet, so that it doesn't fall out the edges of the roll - and very tasty too. Drinks are on offer, if not a little limited to water, orange juice and fizzy drinks, but you can always pick up a coffee a few doors down if need be. Prices are quite reasonable, so it won't break the bank, and it's leagues ahead of the usual fare you get from the mass produced chains. If you work in the area, or are near Liverpool Street on a weekend and fancy a treat, you can do a lot worse than going down and giving it a try.

Upon walking up Houndsditch, you could be forgiven for thinking Pardoe and Wood are one of the ubiquitous suit shops you find littering the Aldgate area, especially with their trendy brown and white sign jutting out from the shop front. However, once you pass through the glass facia and into the shop itself, you're presented with a bleeding-edge fasionable sandwich shop, consisting of clean white surfaces, dark floors, and the shop fare carefully laid out in clean rows, harking back to the style remiscent of a Bond Street boutique. The staff are attentive, friendly, and ready to bend over backwards to help, while the food itself is fresh, tasty, and healthy, without making it feel like you've just shelled out your hard earned for Peter Rabbit's lunchbox. There's a slightly homely air, too - sausage sandwiches and fish finger sandwiches hark back to the ones you made at home, while adding little extras, such as mustard mayonnaise, or lime juice, to give them that little extra that makes paying the pound or two more worthwhile. As the shop sits opposite a rather large Pret, I'm glad to say that Pardoe & Wood put them to shame, and I certainly know that I'll be picking P&W over Pret in the future.

Top tip - they don't advertise it, but ask for the wi-fi password, and they'll happily pass it on to you.

Having been out with friends the night before, I had the desire to find something for lunch to combat the effects of the previous night, and I was so glad I chose Grazing.

A small sandwich shop on Great Tower Street, Grazing provides a range of excellent quality, delicious meat sandwiches and boxes, from the reknowned roast pork sandwich with a choice of apple sauce, crackling and gravy, to their fantastic burgers. You can get boxes filled with your choices from the range on offer to rake away, or can sit at the number of tables they provide at the back. The food is so good quality that a decent steak won't break the bank, and won't have you asleep at your desk in the afternoon! They even provide loyalty cards, so when you come back, you can be rewarded for doing so.

As someone who's quite bored with the usual Pret and Eat fare, I fully endorse Grazing as the place to go, and go again!

The Old Dairy is a well known pub in the "north of Finsbury Park"/"south of Crouch End area", and a favourite of many locals. Situated in an expansive area, the establishment hosts not just a large bar with tables, chairs and many comfortable chairs to lose oneself in for an afternoon, but also a reputed restaurant, serving mouthwateringly good food, for a slightly above average price, and even a "bring your own bottle" deal for Monday evenings. As well as this, they frequently organise evenings, such as the pub quiz on Tuesdays, which you can certainly expect stiff competition, as it seems most of the pub takes part, and, while the prizes are generous, the questions are equally difficult! One warning, however; this place does get busy, so if you're considering going for an evening, it's best to get someone along to bag a table as early as possible, as it does fill up in the evenings.

Quietly tucked away from the main thoroughfares of Greenwich, the Spread Eagle is a charming old style restaurant, bedecked in white tablecloths, heavy wood furniture and pictures on the walls that exude various naval characteristics of the area. All very charming and very comfortable. The menu provides a range of options, including a lavish tasting menu, decently priced for such extravagance, and a range of other dishes as well, so you can pick your own starters and mains. The wine list isn't bad, but not terribly extensive, and only have vague descriptions of each type of wine, rather than for each bottle, which could lead to confusion for those less well informed about such things.

Situated in the hinterland between Holloway Road and Hornsey Road, North Nineteen a friendly, welcoming pub, run by a superb staff who take the time to chat and get to know you, and make a point of remembering you when you come back. They provide an interesting selection of CAMRA recommended, well-kept beers, a wide choice of wines and ciders, as well as superb menu, which, although slightly more pricey than others, is of excellent quality, and sure to put a smile on your face. The pub itself is split into two, with the front section being more of a saloon bar, and the back more of a comfy space ideal to relax for an evening or a weekend afternoon, with both served by the same staff from one room to another. A firm favourite, and sure to be a hit if you're in the area with friends, meeting up with others, or just fancy a quiet pint.

The Kraken Awakes is a student orientated pub in Portsmouth, but somewhat reminiscent of the gastropubs you find in Islington. A mixture of trendy tunes and floppy haircuts, juxtaposed against a decent drinks selection (the first place I've seen that sells Gaymers Devon cider that you usually find in Waitrose behind the bar). As a designer, the place appeals to me greatly, as the identity has been well explored, with passages from Tennyson's poem painted on the walls, beautifully set out menus, a nod to Portsmouth's baval and fishing history and charming Mr Scruff style motifs dotted around. Looking at their site, they have regular DJ nights, a lovely "Computer Club" games evening, and Sunday roasts that would put your mum to shame. As I'm looking to move to Portsmouth soon, I think this may well become a frequent haunt.

The Green Man is first and foremost, a cider pub, which, being a fan of the alchoholic apply stuff, is a massive relief from the usual experience I get in most establishments, when I'm faced with the choice of drinking either Strongbow or Bulmers all night. The rather bijou little bar proudly sports a choice of nine ciders on draught, fifteen bottled, and four in flagons, including the eponymously famous Green Man Special, which has to be drunk with care, as too many can lead to a sudden sensation that someone's turned up the gravity all of a sudden, and make the next morning something you really don't fancy being part of. However, there are plenty of choices, and a fine evening can be had exploring the menu, from the old country flat ciders through to their more modern fizzy counterparts. The staff are accommodating when it's quiet, but can turn surly when the place fills up and they find themselves busy, perhaps the one thing that keeps me from giving it the full five stars. There's also a rather nice room upstairs that can be booked for large groups and parties, and there's frequently DJ nights and music being played, albeit sometimes on the painfully trendy side.

All in all, the Green Man is a pretty good pub to visit with friends, and it's somewhat out-of-the way location means it's nicely away from the main drag of Oxford and Regent Streets and TCR, while still being close enough for that bus home at the end of the night.

If you're planning a trip round London's alternative venues, Electrowerks on a Saturday night is a definite recommendation. Housing the now world-famous Slimelight club every Saturday, people come from all over the globe to visit London's oldest goth, industrial and EBM night, now over twenty years young. Running from around 11pm on Saturday night to 7am the following Sunday morning, this isn't a club for the faint-hearted, with up to three floors playing a range of music from old school Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilim and Siouxsie and the Banshees, through to more modern hardcore industrial, techno and noise, such as Reaper, Noisuf-x and Aesthetic Perfection.

The building itself is an old warehouse, for that true industrial feel, so don't get dressed up in your finest if you're not prepared to have to put them through the wash soon afterwards, and each floor holds a dance floor, bar and toilets, as well as the ground floor giving access to an open area for smokers, housed within a warren of passageways and open spaces.

Officially, there's a membership scheme, allowing those who sign up for cards reduced price entry, and the ability to sign in new members. If you don't know anyone who's a member, then it's probably worth explaining it to the guys on the door, who, if you're dressed in the right attire, will probably let you in for full entry price anyway. The bar's quite reasonable, and sells a range of alcohol, soft drinks and sweets to keep those sugar levels going and you dancing well into the morning.

One small tip - if you're planning on making a full night of it, and going until they kick you out in the morning, you'd be well advised to bring sunglasses, as when you finally emerge in to the shining light of Sunday morning, from spending eight hours in a gloomy warehouse dancing your socks off, the sunlight's going to feel like God's own flashlight. Trust me - the shades really help here.

it's quite normal for regulars who don't feel like going to bed afterwards to go and find sustenance, or just somewhere to sit, and you'll frequently find a mixture of black-clad goths, studded rivetheads and day-glo cyberkids hanging around the coffee shops in Islington Green each Sunday morning. If you've had a decent night's sleep that night, best to be kind to them - that just might, one day, be you.

The Electric Ballroom is a great venue, and has been a cornerstone of London alternative clubbing for years. Just up the road from Camden tube station, the Ballroom holds a range of nights, from techno to pop, as well as the well reknowned metal and rock night Sin City, and the goth and industrial night, Inferno, and has held some incredible live gigs as well.

The club is fronted by a wide doorway, where most weekend nights you'll see a queue of people waiting to get in. Once inside and past the ticket booths and bouncers (who will pat you down and search your bag - best travel light if you're thinking of going), you're free to explore the club, which includes the massive main dancefloor to your left, a smaller one upstairs if you fancy a change in style, four bars selling a range of beers, wines and spirits, a coat-check by the door and an open smoking area outside, reached by the stairs up to the far left, past the bar on the left of the main dancefloor.

The Ballroom is a massive venue, and it's recommended you grab a drink and have a good look round when you start, to save you getting lost later! Also, I've found that you can keep yourself quite entertained by varying which bar and dancefloor you use throughout the night; try your mad dancing moves on the super-large floor downstairs, and visit the island bar before heading upstairs to survey your fellow dancers before heading into the upstairs room for something different to listen to and a more intimate dancing space. Head outside for a cool down and a breath of fresh, or not so fresh air if you're a smoker, before rejoining the crowd downstairs. Heck, if that doesn't keep you occupied, there's always a pinball machine and a few video games, too!

The Ballroom really is the best place to finish off a day in Camden, and if you do some research beforehand at the website, you'll be sure to find a night suited to your tastes.