London on the cheap

With a little planning, you can see and do a lot - and save

Author: By Richard Thomas, Globe Correspondent

Date: SUNDAY, March 8, 1998

Page: M20

Section: Travel

Last summer, for instance, we stayed at the Butlers Wharf residence of the London School of Economics, sharing a self-catering flat during the school's summer break. Living in this modern graduate school building, on the south bank of the Thames close to Tower Bridge, gave us easy access to the heart of London. Our long-term rate, about $27 each per night, proved great value. Never mind that our large double room didn't have ``en suite'' facilities -- a shower and toilet were right outside the door. We shared a large fully equipped kitchen/lounge and balcony with the occupants of five additional single rooms.

Friendly maid service kept rooms and public areas spotless, as well as supplying us with fresh towels and bedding. Television, a pool table, computer games, daily newspapers, cold drinks, and even a sandwich machine were available in the basement recreation room. The self- service laundry facility was a welcome asset.

In many ways, the convenience of the residence, with nearby restaurants, cafes, and shops along the river reminded us of a ship. In keeping with the sea theme, after an evening pint at The Anchor Tap, we would sit by the Thames, watching the sunset reflect off Canary Wharf Tower, beyond the river traffic of ferry boats, sloops under sail, and barges. With the river-walk as a promenade deck, we could maintain the illusion of being at sea. At night, floodlights illuminated Tower Bridge. And the red double-decker buses crossing beneath the lighted towers looked like toys in a storefront window.

These days, only occasional cruise ships necessitate the opening of the drawbridge. In its time, the Thames was one of the world's busy seaports. The solid Victorian warehouses of Butlers Wharf, which once stored spices, have been converted into luxury apartments and offices. Now this area of the waterfront is very upmarket. ``Walking the deck'' during the afternoon we would visit shops in the Tower Bridge Piazza, or sip a cappuccino by a fountain of bronze nymphs.

A useful shop for our self-catering needs was Essentials. Here we could buy most anything: groceries, toothpaste, wine. A nearby bookstore offered intellectual sustenance.

For lunch we liked Le Pont de la Tour's deli and bakery. Slices of French ham on buttered dark Russian bread were a favorite. Le Pont de la Tour on the riverwalk includes a restaurant with outdoor seating, a chop house, a wine merchant, a food store, and a bakery. The restaurant is first-class, a place for that special treat.

Boarding the Pool of London Ferry at Butlers Wharf, we were handed a ``passport.'' This small wallet contained a map, sailing schedule, and vouchers offering discounts at several attractions among its ``hop on, hop off'' stops. These include the HMS Belfast, a World War II cruiser permanently moored near London Bridge, the Design Museum, and The Horniman restaurant at Hay's Galleria. The round-trip journey takes a half-hour and costs only about $3.50 (half that for children).

The ferry makes five stops during its short journey: Tower Pier, London Bridge Pier, HMS Belfast, Butlers Wharf, and St. Katharine Docks. This daily service is available from early spring until late autumn. During winter, it runs only on weekends. One ticket gives all-day privileges. You can visit the Tower of London, then hop back on the ferry for lunch on the other side of the river. We recommend the Cafe Rouge in Hay's Galleria for an authentic taste of France.

It's been said that the best things in life are free. A long walk, for instance, costs nothing, and you can savor the sights at your leisure. And London is a grand place for walking. Pick up an ``A to Z London Street Atlas'' and you'll never be lost.

From Butlers Wharf, we followed the Queens Walk past London Bridge. Strolling along the Thames Way, through Southwark, we stopped by Southwark Cathedral, with its Harvard Chapel (John Harvard's mother owned an inn near here), and the reconstructed Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Later, we attended an exhilarating performance of ``Umabatha -- The Zulu Macbeth'' (cost: about $8.50.

If walking isn't your thing, you can tour the city riding the upper deck of a London bus. (Buy an All Day Travel Card, also good for the Underground). Bus 11 trundles down trendy Kings Row in Chelsea, through Sloane, Parliament, and Trafalgar squares, before passing St. Paul's Cathedral. Next to walking, the bus is probably the best sightseeing value in London.

We were entertained at no cost in Ye Old Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street. Rebuilt in 1667, this chop house was a favorite haunt of literary personages, including Samuel Johnson, Oliver Goldsmith, and Charles Dickens. Johnson's house is around the corner.

Enjoying a pint of bitter in the Cheshire Cheese tap room, we fell into conversation with an elderly Cockney couple. With minimum encouragement from the service staff, the old gentleman launched into an impromptu comedy routine worthy of George Burns.

Most museums are free, and it is possible to make a brilliant day going to the British Museum, Victoria & Albert, and Natural History Museum. The Tate Gallary in Pimlico, on the Thames Embankment near Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, is our favorite. When we traveled with our children, we found that renting a self-catering flat in Pimlico was excellent value. These days, the cost is about $90 a night, moderate when you consider its location near the Tate Gallery and that it is a short ride to Buckingham Palace.

Recently traveling alone, I booked a room at Evans Hall, University College London, in the Camden Town district. Granted my bed-and-breakfast accommodations were basic: a comfortable bed, a desk, two chairs, and a sink (about $30). Shower and toilet facilities were communal. The breakfast, served cafeteria style, was gigantic. Evans Hall is a 10-minute walk from the Camden Town Underground Station, so you have easy access to the West End theater district, or anywhere in London, for that matter.

London has many fine restaurants, but we'll suggest only our favorite low-cost eateries and pubs. In England, Indian meals are a favorite. Bombay Curry in Pimlico is an old haunt, but this trip we ate at The Empress in East Ham, which is one of the best. Such small, family-run places are legion, and you'll discover your own.

Inexpensive ethnic meals abound in London. The Wong Kei restaurant in Chinatown, where you are served family style by surly waiters, has grand meals for a negligible cost. In nearby Soho, Il Panino on Winnett Street is the place for a mortadella sandwich. Nearby, Camisa's is arguably the best Italian deli in London.

Little Bay on Lupus Street in Pimlico features Slavic dinners served by candlelight. An ``in crowd'' lines up outside Mangal II on Stoke Newington Road for Turkish meals topped off with a glass of Rika. For unsurpassed English cooking, it's worth taking the overground train to Southend-on-Sea. At its ``posh'' end, Westcliff, a row of 13 small restaurants, huddled against a cliff facing the sea, all offer the same menu: roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, roast pork, and fish and chips. You can even order Spotted Dick, a suet pudding, for dessert.

The ultimate cheap eats experience can be found at old Spitafields Market. Food stands offer Hungarian, Austrian, Mideastern, Thai, Indian, and Italian specialties. We enjoyed curry from Tandoori Hut (about $5) at a long table in the center of the market.

As for pubs, we like quiet locals. The Constitution in Pimlico, The Anti Gallican near Tower Bridge, Bridge House in Little Venice, (the best Guinness in London), Blue Post in Soho, and The Mayflower in Bermondsey on the pier, from which the Pilgrims sailed, make our short list.

No matter how often you return to London, you can always discover something new. This time it was Little Venice with its houseboats and Rembrandt Gardens. We took a canal boat to the Camden Locks and returned for lunch, at an outside table, at Bridge House. Such discoveries can be made for the price of that All Day Travel Card.

If you must have a taste of ``posh'' living, you can always take high tea at the Savoy. Meanwhile, you'll have saved a lot and had a grand time and good meals while visiting London the economical way.

Pimlico: E&E Apartments, 90 Wilton Road, London SW1V 1DN, Telephone: 011-44-171-828-0453. Ask for Elaine Green or Edwina Nolan. Rentals are available throughout the year.

Camden Town: University College London, Evans Hall, 109 Camden Road, London, NW1 9HA. Telephone: 011-44-171-485-9377; fax: 011-44-171- 284-3328. Bed-and-breakfast and self-catering accommodations. Ask for the manager.