Coffe, Cake and Kink

London's only (so they say) kinky coffee shop. They sell coffee, tea, cake and erotica and pride themselves on being risque. In fact the atmosphere is more like having tea at a strangely comforting Aunt's house and the tea comes in generous pots which are more than enough for one. The service is solicitous and the cake delicious.

Bread

The bagel bakery on Brick lane has excellent Chola and rye bread. It is open at all hours, meaning that you can buy a soft, fresh, crusty loaf of rye bread with carraway seeds at 10.30 at night - if you wish to.

Boating

Todays activity...going to lunch by boat. caught a boat from Masthouse pier to St. Katherine's Dock and walked over Tower Bridge to the design museum. The boat goes by Canary warf and has great views as you approach Tower Bridge. You can take this boat all the way to Savoy Pier, past Tate Modern and London Bridge.

good cake

Tate modern members bar has good sandwiches, salads and excellent cake (pictured), particularly carrot. Also does strong coffee and has a fantastic view, seats outside when the weather is better. They open late on Fridays and maybe saturdays (check) and is the perfect place for a glass of wine after work overlooking the city and facing St. Pauls. You have to be a member (my membership has currently lapsed) which isn't cheap ( about £60 a year) but you also get free entrance to all of the exhibitions and private views (for an extra 20 quid).
Tate modern also does art.

toilets

anybody needing the loo whilst out and about should visit the ICA on the Mall. There is a fee to go to the exhibits or the bar but the clean, well furnished toilets are right by the entrance and free! The exhibitions are sometimes a little bare, incuding the high profile BEcks Futures but they do have some interesting talks and the odd juicy film preview. If you are not a member then you can buy a day membership which is basically a ticket to whiever event you go and see plus access to the bar...and more toilets.

Running in the rain

Just been for a run in the misty rain. I was relctant and needed to be coaxed but it was excellent - very bracing! running route was along the river from Island gardens towards sth Quay and back along the road. Was very picturesque, including the noisy and smoky Tate and Lyle factory.
see route not long but long enough for me.

Ray's Jazz cafe

Ray's is part of Foyles book shop on the Charing cross road, you go in through a separate entrance and up some stairs. It is a jazz music shop and cafe. I don't like Jazz ( I know, I know, all music is Jazz and you shouldn't label good music, blah, blah, blah... I still don't like it) but I do like the cafe. Narrow wooden tables, large pot plants, trendy, nerdy looking types on tiny laptops at the benches by the windows, good sandwiches, great coffee and excellent cake. The service is slow but you just have to go with it. The toasted paninis are really good, particularly the cheese, tomato and rosemary, they do a tasty humous and roasted pepper wrap and the coffee is good and strong, not like a milky bedtime drink. It can be difficult to find a table but get there early enough and it shouldn't be too tricky.

Pret a manger

Although the design museum does superior sandwich and cakes, clearly you may actually be in a different part of town nd need another option. Pret is good value, fresh food with a wide variety of options, particularly for veggies with their veggie special each week. I particularly recommend the egg mayo and roasted tomato baguette or the posh cheddar and pickle. The cakes are not so good though, small and wrapped in plastic. The coffee is good, though not as good as at the design museum but is the best chain place for lunch when generally roaming around london.

More lunching

Not so good, for any type of sandwich at all, is Starbucks. It is expensive, the egg ones taste vinegary and the cheese ones have slimy mayonaisse thickly coating the cheese. The coffee is okish but more milk than coffee.