Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine March 2014 | Page 118

116

Travel | London

Liberty’s Great Marlborough St
building was opened in 1924 and
constructed in part using timbers
reclaimed from two ships, HMS
Impregnable and HMS Hindustan.
Setting up Berwick St market
at the start of the day.
Bar Américain – close to
Piccadilly Circus – is a good spot
for a cocktail … or a mocktail.

A reminder of those days can be found in
two cafés. Maison Bertaux was opened
in 1871 by a refugee who escaped Paris
with his life (and, thankfully, with his
recipes for croissants and éclairs).
While Patisserie Valerie, or ‘Pat Val’
as it’s impatiently abbreviated to,
started icing its fancy cakes in 1926.
There’s a similar tale for the Italian
population that burgeoned at that same
time. What remains of its presence is a
selection of eateries and delis including
Frith Street’s Bar Italia (which has been
in the same family since it opened in
1949) and Lina, an Italian delicatessen
on Brewer Street.
Now, in the 21st century, this cultural
melting pot is still bubbling away. With
Chinatown next door, it’s unsurprising
that Vietnamese, Korean, Indonesian,
Cantonese and Thai restaurants pepper
the Soho scene – but Japanese joints are
the current hot tickets. Popular (and
affordable) choices include Shoryu and
(the &