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11 Best Indian Restaurants In South London

11 Best Indian Restaurants In South London

The earliest known dedicated Indian restaurant opened in the United Kingdom was the Hindostanee Coffee House on George Street in Westminster, owned and run by one Sake Dean Mahomed, and which began trading in 1810. Though Britain apparently already had a taste for curry by this point, as shown by the fact that curried dishes were included in cookbooks published during the eighteenth century, the Hindostanee Coffee House apparently closed only a year after opening due to a lack of business - though some accounts suggest it continued trading till 1833. To put this into context, the first outlet dedicated to selling the dish now most synonymous with the UK - fish and chips - opened during the 1860s. Curry has become a staple of the British diet, and is easily one of the most popular 'takeaway' foods commonly served in the UK. Almost everyone has a favourite curry dish, and a favourite curry restaurant. We're not going to try to change that, but maybe you're thinking about trying somewhere new, and if you are, we've got you covered. To help you get your search started, here is our list of the 11 best Indian restaurants in South London.

13 Best Bike Shops In South London

13 Best Bike Shops In South London

Bicycling as a method of transport for getting round London has grown and grown - something which is only positive. While some cyclists are not as responsible as they should be, it's likely that those individuals would be just as careless behind the wheel of a car, so we should be thankful that they are only in control of a bike. South London Club are firmly behind this clean method of transport which also provides a convenient opportunity to exercise. We understand it can be aggravating as a driver if a cyclist skips a red light, but just bear in mind that if you are involved in a collision - they'll be coming off a lot worse, so maybe be a little more forgiving when in control of a machine that was directly involved in the death of 1,732 people in 2015, and in incidents which caused serious injuries to 22,137 individuals. Anyway, less about that, and more about how useful bike shops are, and how the gradual growth in the number of independent bike shops across South London reflects how many people are now using their bike to get around. We know that a good bike shop is something that many people rely on for repairs and whatnot, so we think it's a good idea to give you our list of the the 13 best bike shops in South London.

Vote For South London's Best Park!

Vote For South London's Best Park!

Parks are vitally important, particularly in urban environments like London. To be able to escape the concrete and steel cage of the city, for just an hour possibly, has to be a good thing. Not that the countryside is for everyone, there are plenty of people who can't stand the slowness, the absence of activity, but to have that sort of space is very good. Below we've provided you with a shortlist of what we think are the best park in South London, and we've tried to make the spread as fair as possible. Obviously all of this is subjective, and we may have missed your favourite park out, for that we can only apologise - we did out best. We tried to make the definition as fair as possible, so if it was defined by the council that runs it as a park, we included it - which explains the presence of Blackheath in the shortlist. We've been asking you guys to vote a bit recently, and you guys have responded really well. We had a vote for South London's Best Train Station, and then we asked you to vote for South London's Worst Train Station - almost twice as many of you voted in the latter poll, than in the former, giving an indicator as to how much us South Londoners like a good moan.  We won't be asking you to vote for South London's worst park though, we don't think that's anything worth celebrating at all - parks as an idea are inherently positive, and should be treated so, regardless of their current state. Anyway, we've included images of the parks below the voting form, have a look at some of those if you need to be reminded what they look like. The voting closes on Thursday 27th July, and the results will be released on Friday 28th July.

17 Places For Your Favourite Foods In South London

17 Places For Your Favourite Foods In South London

We all have a particular meal that we enjoy more than others, it's natural, so don't feel bad about it. Some days you feel like trying something new, some days you don't, and today we're gonna be focusing on those days that you don't - though you could still use this list as a guide of places where you can try new foods, there's absolutely nothing stopping you. There are even more added layers to all this, you could use this list as a guide for new places for you try your favourite foods at, did you think of that? Yes? Well done then. If you are using this list of 17 places for your favourite foods in South London for any of these reasons, that's fine, we just hope you're using it safely, in a responsible environment, with people you trust. Anyway, here it is.

11 Best Independent Galleries in South London

11 Best Independent Galleries in South London

It may come as something of a surprise to some of you, but art does not have to be in a ginormous, grandiose space in order to be good. In fact, art doesn't have to be anything to be good, you know why? Cos it's all subjective! Art is a matter of taste and taste should be utterly personal, though if we're going to be truthful, that isn't entirely the case. Just like wine and music, it's what you like that matters - not what people tell you to like. Just because something is expensive, and it's by a famous name does not make it good. If you want some art that you like, go find some art you like, and a really good way of doing that is by visiting independent galleries. Just like independent theatres, it's a great place to find emerging artists who haven't necessarily been annointed by wealthy backers, and have had to work their damn socks off even to get in these small galleries. To give you a head start, we've brought together a list of what we, and stress that we part, think are the 11 best independent galleries in South London.

Blue Plaques of Lewisham, Lee & Hither Green

Blue Plaques of Lewisham, Lee & Hither Green

More proof of the prejudice held by the powers that be, well, in regards to important residents at least, Lewisham (Centre), Lee & Hither Green have nine blue plaques between them. Nine! It's a disgrace, an absolute disgrace. Anyway, anger aside, some of the names on this list are rather remarkable beasts, who have had quite a significant relationship with the local area

11 Great Italian Restaurants in South London

11 Great Italian Restaurants in South London

Italian food is pretty well-travelled. Go anywhere in Europe or North America, and you'll probably be able to find an Italian restaurant. Italian food is undoubtedly popular - it's so popular that a particular Italian food is the central premise to a worldwide fast-food chains. If you hadn't guessed, that particular food is pizza. When you think of Italian food you probably split it between pizza and pasta - some of you might even think of just pizza. Italian food is so popular that it's hard to think of a time before it in the UK, a time that we shall call 'BP'. If you can't, we'd encourage you to ask your parents, or anyone you know who was alive, or at least aware, during the 60s about it. Having a favourite Italian restaurant is an essential we would say, and South London has plenty of fantastic Italian restaurants waiting for you to discover them, so to help you out, we've compiled a list of 11 great Italian restaurants in South London.

25 Cuisines To Try in South London

25 Cuisines To Try in South London

South London is an incredibly diverse region, and is home to numerous different ethnicities that all contribute something different to the areas that they call home. There a number of different avenues through which different groups access each others cultures, and are able to some extent experience them. These include mediums like visual art and music, however, we're not here to talk about them, though they are worthy of discussion, no, we're going to be talk about a more overtly sensational medium - food. Though you can taste similarities between different cuisines, each and all have something about them that sets them apart - be it a reliance on particular ingredients native to the country, or a signature popular dish. There are even some cuisines that have become so established here that the cuisine served on these shores has mutated, for want of a better word, and there are dishes served that were developed in the UK - see chicken tikka masala. So here is a list of 25 different cuisines that you can try in South London.

9 Best Supper Clubs & Pop-Ups in South London

9 Best Supper Clubs & Pop-Ups in South London

London is renowned for its fantastic food scene, increasingly more of which is being supplied by the many supperclubs and pop-up eateries springing up across London. These not only provide diverse and affordable dining opportunities but let passionate chefs and foodies wow guests with their creative dishes and unique food culture. Here’s are a few of our favourites from South of the river.

9 Cocktail Bars in South London You Have to Try!

9 Cocktail Bars in South London You Have to Try!

The art of making cocktails takes passion, fresh ingredients, and an extensive knowledge of flavours. There’s a professionalism to it that takes bartending to a whole new level, a level beyond pouring a pint. When done well, cocktails are a defining feature of a night - sometimes you want to go out for a pint, sometimes you want to go out for cocktails - maybe both. Say it to yourself: ‘we’re going for cocktails’. It’s grand and flash. Being an inherently grand and flash place, South London is spoilt for choice on establishments which serve tasty mixed drinks. Being South London Club (a very good potential name for a cocktail bar ©) we feel it is our duty to ensure that you are informed of the best South London establishments for grabbing the fanciest drink of all - a cocktail.