Antico Restaurant & Lounge Bar

My friend recently showed me a NY Times article where Bermondsey Street restaurants, pubs and shops were featured, including the charming Antico. This lovely restaurant opened up kitty corner to the Bermondsey Square Hotel. It only opened up earlier this year -- in fact we remember peering in frosty windows during the New Year holidays to see a large family (presumably the owners) sharing dish after dish of steaming hot Italian food. They looked so happy, and the restaurant was so warm and inviting, we couldn't wait until it officially opened. Goodness knows why it took us half a year to finally go there, but it was worth the wait.

The ground floor -- which is the main restaurant -- is fully accessible. The lounge, however, is downstairs with no lift access that we could see. Wheeling in the restaurant is easy since there are no raised thresholds. We went for Saturday brunch, and there were only a few other tables when we first arrived. The hostess was lovely and gave us the option to sit anywhere we chose. She swiftly removed a chair to make space for the wheelchair with no fuss at all, which is always a good sign.

I had a goats cheese and spinach frittata, and Chazz had the eggs florentine. Both were splendid. I was expecting mine to be made with thinly sliced potatoes, but the error was mine as I must have been thinking of the Spanish-style dish. In any event, the ingredients were fresh and delicious, and the seasoning perfect. Chazz's hollandaise sauce was particularly good. The portion size looked average, but neither of us could finish our plates in the end. 

The service, though extremely friendly, was slow when it came to bringing the bill. A small complaint since we were seated so promptly and our meals came out quickly and the food was hot. By the time we left the restaurant was quite full, a good sign on an early Saturday. 

We loved the atmosphere of the restaurant. It was immaculately clean and bright, and the tables all had  crisp white linens. The exposed brickwork and cool music created a youthful atmosphere. Hats off to the NY Times for highlighting such a great restaurant right on our doorstep. Photos will follow, but as it has not stopped raining for three months we haven't had the right lighting for a while.

The Dickens Inn

The Dickens Inn

The Dickens Inn is an impressive pub located in the idyllic setting of St. Katherine's docks, a marina in the heart of London. It is so lovely to escape the masses of people at the Tower of London, cross Tower Bridge Road, and then wind your way through the twists and turns of St. Katherine's docks to find, over a little foot bridge, this massive timber pub set on three full floors.

The building dates back to at least the 1800s, and may originally have been a tea warehouse. During a 1970s redevelopment project the building's timber frame was restored. Charles Dicken's grandson, Charles Cedric Dickens, formally opened the Inn in 1976.

The beer garden is a little on the small side, but can be accessed by an iron gate which looks easily accessible to wheelchair users. The Tavern Bar is the "pub" portion, and is about the size of three pubs put together. There is a very nice long ramp (also serving a nice looking Indian restaurant called Mala which we'll have to go to next) that provides easy access to the pub entrance on the "ground" floor. 

The ramp going past Mala and leading to the Inn

The interior is dark with rich wood and leather chairs -- quite a juxtaposition to the outside views of gleaming white yachts and sparkling water. The prices are quite dear (10 pounds for two beers) but the atmosphere is worth the high price. The Tavern Bar only has a limited pub grub menu, so we're interested to see if The Grill on the first floor is accessible since it does Sunday lunches and has even better views of the docks. Check this space for further information!

This is definitely a place that we'll come back to time and time again because just being in the docks makes you feel like you're on holiday, and catching sight of the majestic pub makes everyone  smile.

Details:

Marble Quay

St Katharines Way
London
E1W 1UH
Tel 0207 488 2208

Bea's Diner

We've been itching to try Bea's Diner ever since we passed by the other week when visiting Maltby Street Market for the first time. Today we seized our chance and were not disappointed. 

Bea's Diner

This is not a typical restaurant -- it is really just four long picnic tables assembled near an open kitchen and plonked in the middle of a huge cavernous space under the railway arches. That said, it's magical and if you even have a hint of any arty side then you will appreciate the funky vibe of this place which is kind of Iowa meets London (pitchfork on wall, painting of red pickup truck, Tom Petty in the background and yet packed with yummy mummies and flat-capped wearing hipsters). 

For wheelchair users, the space is a godsend. There is absolutely no lip between the pavement and the inside and there are no doors -- you can just wheel right in. The tables, as mentioned, are picnic-style but wheelchair users can just pull up on the ends without a problem. We shared our table with a couple and two children and there was plenty of room. 

Pancakes packed with blueberry goodness

Now...the food. I had the blueberry pancakes, and Chazz had the plain buttermilk. These were the best pancakes that we've had since leaving the States. Thick, fluffy and full of flavour. Being greedy, we also slathered real butter in between each pancake, and topped with Canadian maple syrup. I don't remember eating every last bite, but that's what happened in a pancake haze.  The blueberries were bursting with freshness, and amazingly did not make the pancake soggy which can often happen. They were served piping hot, and quickly. 

I had freshly squeezed orange juice which was very good, and I appreciate the homey touch of drinking it out of a mason jar. Chazz had tea which was good but too fancy for his taste -- he prefers just the ordinary plain tea (as do I). 

Next time we'll try the poached eggs with hollandaise sauce on a "flour station muffin" which looked amazing (we saw two people order it when we were there). Also, I might try the bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon. Heck, we'll probably just try their whole menu which, being admittedly small, is probably all done very well. 

An amazing place that's already a favorite. I only wish I would have thought of opening a diner like this first.

Details:

Hours: Saturdays only from 9 am "until we run out"

Tel: 020 7242 8330 

www.beasofbloomsbury.com

Red Buses

Besides black cabs, the red buses are our primary source of transportation around London. Although we live in an area where lots of the tube stations on the Jubilee Line are "wheelchair accessible," we have found that they are not actually accessible for us. That's because Chazz's power chair, like many models, have small wheels in the front. Therefore, although the platform and trains are often level in tube stations that are marked as accessible (though not always, I found about a foot incline at Stanmore, which is supposed to be accessible), the gap between the platform and tube make it impossible to get on and off the train because the small wheels will fall in. 

Apparently at some stations you can arrange to have someone bring down a ramp to get on, and then call ahead for assistance at the station where you want to get off, estimating when your train will be due (and having this confirmed by he conductor once you board). But who the heck has the time or patience for that type of planning? After we factored in the risk (ramp not being available to get off and being stuck on train), we decided to give up on this and just use the buses.

On the plus side of London -- all red buses are accessible (except the heritage routes 9 and 15), and you can get virtually anywhere you want in London via a series of buses. And, provided you qualify, you can do this for free if you're disabled with a "Freedom Pass" http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/freedompass/. More information is about wheelchair travel on buses is available here:  http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/transportaccessibility/1171.aspx. This web site says that any wheelchair user can board for free (doesn't mention Freedom Pass). I don't know if this is the case -- we always paid the full fare for both of us until we received the Freedom Pass. Therefore, I don't know if we were being charged for Chazz when we shouldn't have been, or if the information on the TFL website isn't up-to-date. Perhaps someone who is more knowledgeable on the subject can comment here? I think this would be useful information for disabled visitors to London to know...

The red buses lower to the ground, and ramps extend from the back of the bus flush with the pavement. There are few stressful moments re getting on and off red buses that you should be aware of:

1. Rude bus drivers. For the most part, our experiences with bus drivers have been very good, but there have been a couple of bad apples. You can usually sense when this will happen -- you can see the dismay and aggravation in the driver's eyes as he pulls up and sees you sitting in the chair. Even though it's a small delay to let you on, and requires minimum effort, it's still extra work and hassle for him. If you see that the driver is clearly out of sorts by your very existence, then you can either suck it up, or you can wait for the next bus. I know the latter isn't very courageous, but having dealt with a particularly mean bus drivers before (yelling at us in front of other customers when ramp wasn't deploying properly) it depends how much fight you left in you at the end of the day.

2. Ramps don't work. As mentioned above, this is the chief obstacle of a smooth bus journey. We've found that this often results from the bus not being positioned properly by the curb. Based on experiences with vans, we believe this may be due to the sensors -- if you get to close to the curb, there can be too much pressure on the ramp when it reaches the pavement which can short out the electrics. Also, if you're too far away there's not enough contact with the pavement to allow for deployment. In either case, usually this can be fixed by asking the driver to pull up a couple of feet. It usually solves the problem, but in one instance where we asked the bus driver to do this he became irate and completely lost his temper (see 1 above). It worked though.

3. The bus may be crowded/customers will not move. Chairs take up a lot of space, no doubt about it. In rush hour, buses will just pass you by because there's no way you're getting on. Getting on would require about 5 able-bodied people to either squeeze in further (not possible in existing sardine-like conditions), or get off. It's just not going to happen. We travel off-peak whenever possible. 

Even during off-peak hours, some people are funny about space. Generally there are two types of people -- those who, when they see someone who might need an extra hand, can't do enough to help. Type two either don't notice, don't care, or a bit of both. We can't really come down too hard on the latter type. Your bit of standing space is something to be coveted and preserved at all costs. To be asked to move away from your hard-fought safe zone is an imposition - we get it. That's why it's nice to travel in pairs, because the able-bodied person can clear the way and tell everyone that someone in a wheelchair is getting on (even though this is perfectly obvious). This is where being American really comes in handy. You are already presumed to be loud, pushy and generally without any sense of decorum. Use this to your benefit to clear the way. Getting on with just English people is more tricky because it's a series of apologies (sorry, I can't walk, is there perhaps a chance you can use your two legs to shuffle along so I can ride too, if it's not too much trouble?).

4. Prams/Buggies. This is a subset of category 3 above, but deserves it's own mention. There is a sign in the wheelchair area of buses saying that prams can be parked there unless a wheelchair user needs the space. These instructions are rarely observed and, in our experience, the bus drivers will not ask someone with a pram to move. Unless you've been lucky enough to find a nice parent who is willing to share the space with you or move, you're pretty much stuck and have to get off and wait for the next bus. This is an occasion where I think it's perfectly acceptable to scowl and make a comment about "some people," whether under your breath or otherwise. This might be enough to get you on, but in all likelihood you're probably going to have to get the next bus. Just hope it doesn't rain.

We hope the above doesn't sound negative. We're actually incredibly impressed with how accessible the London bus system is, how far you can travel, and the fact that London is progressive enough to allow disabled passengers to ride for free. In Chicago, by comparison, our experience was that disabled people have to undergo a rather humiliating assessment where you have to prove you are disabled by walking/rolling around a block with a transport employee. If that person doesn't think you are disabled enough, you don't get a free ride (Chazz didn't qualify, even being quadriplegic).  London rocks in this sense, and we fully intend to continue using its great bus service. 

Details:

Most buses run 5 am - midnight, and then night service buses are available for many routes.

Central London map: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/centlond.pdf

Tourist map: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/central_bus_map.pdf 

Journey Planner: http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/user/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=en

Maltby Street Market

What a find! Thanks to our new neighbors Dimitri and Marissa for letting us know about this hidden gem of a market that's right on our doorstep! 

The Maltby Street Market is much more accessible than Borough Market because it's so much smaller, and fewer people know about it. It is only open from 9 am - 2 pm on Saturdays. The market is really a series of shops in the railway arches, and seems to be centered around The Monmouth Coffee Shop. Now, you can't get a cup of coffee at The Monmouth Coffee Shop in Borough Market on a Saturday for love or money. This is because every tourist in London is told they must have a cup of the famous coffee, and the queue wraps around corner. However, you can easily walk in and get a cup of coffee at the Maltby Market in what is actually Monmouth's warehouse.

Jam doughnuts from St. John's Bakery

The market has everything you could need or want, but on a smaller scale than Borough Market. You don't feel like you're missing out on anything though. Quite the contrary -- you can't help but feel like a bit of a hipster at being part of what seems like a secret foodie community. 

Tozino

We filled our shopping bag with lots of tasty treats.  Bread from St. John's Bakery, cured ham from a Spanish meat stall called Tozino, and most spectacularly, Norwegian smoked salmon from Hansen & Lydersen that melts in your mouth. 

Hansen & Lydersen

We need to go back to try the beer from The Kernel Brewery http://thekernelbrewery.com/, cheese from Mons Cheesemongers, and the pastrami from Monty's Deli ("Jewish Soul Food"). 

There are also unusual shops around the area -- art deco furniture shops, old radiators (?), even a Porsche dealer ... the list goes on and on.

Potentially the most exciting discovery of the day, however, is a diner called "Beas Diner" that serves American-style brunch (buttermilk pancakes, French toast, bagels and cream cheese). It's hard to say what we like most about the look of this place...maybe it's unprentious air -- just bare bones furniture in the middle of a very accessible, perhaps cavernous, space. Perhaps the 50's music nicely drowned out by laughter and chatter from the happy customers. Definitely the waitresses who seem to have gotten the memo on American-standard table service. 

Blueberry Pancakes at Bea's Diner

Next weekend we're going to go for a test run of the blueberry pancakes so watch this space. If this place is half as good as we think it's going to be then we will be bringing all of our friends there for a new Saturday morning tradition.

Bea's of Bloomsbury

Details:

9 am - 2pm every Saturday

72 Druid Street SE1 2DU

Nearest Tube: Bermondsey Street (accessible for some wheelchairs)

Black and Blue

Black and Blue is an upscale restaurant specializing in steaks and fine wines. We visited the location in Borough Market, but other restaurants in this chain are located in equally trendy spots throughout London (e.g. King's Road and Notting Hill).

We had already stuffed ourselves in the food stalls of Borough Market, so regrettably we cannot review the food at Black and Blue yet.* However, we can comment on its accessibility, having spent a lovely afternoon sipping wine there one recent sunny afternoon.

We'd like to shake the hand of the architect who designed this restaurant. He or she managed to meld functionality with design. To enter the restaurant you walk (or roll) up a gentle sloping ramp -- so subtle that most able-bodied people do not even notice this unique and accessible entrance. The front patio is roomy enough for wheelchairs, and has the added bonus of heat lamps which we understand are probably for smokers, but still are heaven for the rest of us on chilly days.

Inside, there are two large communal tables on either side of the large bar. These tables would be ideal for certain power chairs users who need higher tables, and are large enough for a group of 6 or 7 (or more) people. The large dining area is in a separate adjoining room having a stairwell and a LIFT in the middle of the restaurant that go up to bathrooms, including a separate disabled bathroom. It's a bit unusual to see a lift in the middle of a dining floor, but for some reason it works at Black and Blue. The only slightly odd thing about the restaurant itself is that some of the decor seems a bit 1980s.

Perhaps it's the proximity to Vinopolis, but Black and Blue has an outstanding wine list with plenty of excellent choices by the glass. The beer list was notably smaller, although we did see a couple of people having beer with their burgers.  The service was slow bordering on inattentive, but not intentionally so (which always makes it more tolerable). While the prices are reasonable considering the quality and location, be forewarned that a large service charge is included in the bill regardless of how many people are in your party.

Details:

Black & Blue

1-2 Rochester Walk

Borough Market

London SE1 9AF

http://www.blackandbluerestaurants.com

*Since our original post Chazz and I did go back and tried the dinner menu with friends. We had several starters and burgers. The food was almost as good as average bar food in the States and at least twice as expensive. Again, the service was absent-minded bordering on non-existent. The wine was again excellent, however, and quality of beef was good. Because we were with two of our most charming friends we had a wonderful evening notwithstanding the food. We'll definitely only return here for drinks, however.

The Bridge Lounge and Dining Room

The Bridge Lounge is a nice pub on Tooley Street, just opposite City Hall (the building that looks like a giant brussel sprout) and very near Tower Bridge. Both of the entrances to the pub are accessible, and there is plenty of room inside since the bar is in the center of the pub, with tables and chairs all around and a nice, wooden floor. There is also a fireplace which we imagine is quite cosy but have not experienced (despite it being quite cold both times we went), and a separate, disabled bathroom. 

The pub might be too busy to be enjoyable on weekdays since there are a lot of office buildings around the area, and quite a few businessmen about that seem like they need a lunchtime tipple. But weekends are lovely. There are no t.v.s, so don't come here if you expect to watch the footie. But, if a quiet conversation is all you're after, then this place fits the bill. 

On the plus side, the pub is very clean, and the staff are welcoming. However, service can be slow, and the appetizers were not at all special (lukewarm chicken wings and onion rings). Still, we'd be willing to give the food another chance and sample the lunch or dinner menu sometime (perhaps the sausage and mash, which sounded quite good).*

The only downside about The Bridge Lounge is that the upstairs area, with lovely views of Tower Bridge, is not accessible. Still, the accessibility on the ground floor and the bright and pleasant atmosphere makes for a great pub experience. 

Details:
186 Tooley Street
London SE1 2TZ
T: 020 7403 4112
http://www.thebridgelounge.co.uk/contact.html

*Sadly, we went back to try the lunch menu. We won't be eating here again. The sausage and mash, which is advertised as the house speciality, looked and tasted small and sad in the cold, watery mash. My fish finger sandwich was dry and and lukewarm. These are not difficult dishes to get right. It's a shame, because the pub is so cheerful and the table is very accessible. We'd like to like this place, but will keep it as a back-up drinks place only.