RICH’S REVIEWSGOOD TASTE. NO AIRS. LONDON, PERSONALLY.

THE LONDON BIRTHDAY EDITION · 15 OCTOBER 2026

A London day
worth sharing.

Seven memorable stops, from a birthday lunch on Heddon Street to cocktails in Mayfair and an evening in Soho. Our photographs, personal impressions and the details worth knowing.

Find your next great stop ↗Explore the complete day ↓
07 reviewed stops61 photos + a video01 memorable birthday
SEVEN PLACES, PERSONALLY VISITED✦FOOD · DRINKS · COFFEE✦LONDON · 15 OCTOBER 2026✦A DAY WORTH REMEMBERING

RICH’S LONDON GUIDE · VISITED 15 OCTOBER 2026

Find your
next London stop.

We enjoyed every stop on this birthday outing. Browse by category, explore the neighbourhoods, or follow the complete day below.

7 reviews

About these reviews: personal impressions from one visit on 15 October 2026, illustrated with our own photographs. Bills reflect what we ordered on the day. The short version? We thought the whole day was the nuts.

THE DAY. THE PLACES. THE VERDICTS.

Six stops. 36 little moments.

01

HEDDON STREET · LONDON W1

Meet you at
The Starman.

THE FIRST CHAPTER

Bowie on the wall.
A pint on the table.

The Starman makes a distinctive first impression: gold lettering outside, green tiles inside and Bowie artwork throughout. The photographs capture a pub with plenty of character.

We began with a pint and a table outside on Heddon Street. A relaxed opening to the day, with an interior worth taking a closer look at.

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✦ A DETAIL TO REMEMBER

That green tiled floor, and Bowie watching over the bar.

Full review & venue information for The Starman ↗

02

HEDDON STREET · NUMBER 12

A table at
Fonda.

THE SECOND CHAPTER

A birthday lunch
worth making time for.

Fonda provided the centrepiece of the birthday: a table by the window, pink menus and a handwritten card from the team. Those details gave lunch a welcome sense of occasion.

Our order ranged from oysters, crudo and ceviche to tacos and short rib mole, followed by dessert. The bill came to £292.10 for two, including service. An indulgent birthday lunch that we thoroughly enjoyed.

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✦ A DETAIL TO REMEMBER

A little pink card, signed with love from Fonda.

MORE FROM OUR TABLE

Tacos and the dining room.

The next plates bring tacos to the table. A look around captures the striped seating, warm yellow walls and blue tile details, with the open kitchen in view.

THE NEXT COURSE

The main course.

The table fills with short rib mole, red rice dotted with peas and pickled vegetables. Iced drinks bring another splash of colour, with a closer look at that seasoned rim.

A SWEET LITTLE CELEBRATION

A birthday dessert.

Churros and dipping sauce arrive, along with a little birthday moment: a single lit candle beside dessert. A few more photographs to remember this part of the day.

A BIRTHDAY TO REMEMBER

A birthday moment.

THE MEAL, REMEMBERED

What we ordered.

The receipt fills in the details: oysters with aguachile and apple, seabass ceviche and yellowtail crudo; Baja tacos and fillet costra; then short rib mole with red rice and pickled vegetables.

Drinks included Champagne Palomas, Smokey Pasilla Chilli Palomas and Classic Margarita Habaneros. Churros and fig rice pudding rounded off the order.

Food & drinks subtotal
£254.00
Service · 15%
£38.10
Total for two
£292.10

As recorded on our receipt · 15 October 2026.

The menu photograph is a keepsake from our visit.

THE DESSERT CLOSE-UPS

Dessert at Fonda.

A closer look at the churros with dipping sauces and the fig rice pudding.

Full review & venue information for Fonda ↗

03

BROOK STREET · MAYFAIR

Next stop,
Claridge’s.

THE THIRD CHAPTER

Cocktails in
an elegant setting.

Claridge’s brought a change of pace after lunch. The entrance, flowers, glassware and pale curved bar created a polished setting for cocktails.

Our No. 3 Martini and Mojito Royale were £25 each. With still water and service, the bill came to £69. A special-occasion stop that suited the birthday well.

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✦ A DETAIL TO REMEMBER

Red flowers, crushed ice and a little Mayfair polish.

THE COCKTAILS, NAMED

The drinks and the bill.

The bill identifies our No. 3 Martini and Mojito Royale: £25 each. Acqua Panna still water was £10, with £9 service, bringing this bill to £69.00. Glamour has, as suspected, submitted an invoice.

Full review & venue information for Claridge’s Bar ↗

HOTEL CAFÉ ROYAL · GREEN BAR

Cocktails at Green Bar.

Our camera roll and receipt identify this stop as Green Bar at Hotel Café Royal: a Glenfiddich 21 Old Fashioned, a Negroni and still water. The bill came to £83.95 including service.

Our Green Bar guide and photographs ↗
A little movement from the day · 10-second bar clip · tap to play.

OUTSIDE CAFÉ ROYAL

Pink flags above the pavement: Café Royal makes it into the street-side camera roll too.

BETWEEN STOPS · SOHO

Back out into the streets.

After Claridge’s, the day carries on into Soho. A few photographs from the wander: the busy pavement outside The Toucan, The Vintage House shopfront and two cigars out on the street.

04

SOHO · THE COFFEE STOP

Algerian
Coffee Stores.

THE FOURTH CHAPTER

A compact shop
full of discoveries.

Algerian Coffee Stores offered a different kind of interest: shelves of labelled jars, brewing equipment and colourful packets in a compact, busy shop.

It was an enjoyable stop to browse during our Soho wander. The photograph gives a good sense of the shop’s densely stocked shelves and counter.

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Full review & venue information for Algerian Coffee Stores ↗

05

SOHO · A COURTYARD PAUSE

Garlic
& Shots.

THE FIFTH CHAPTER

A pause in
the courtyard.

After the hotel bars, Garlic & Shots brought us back to earth in the best way: bottled drinks, a red fence and a courtyard with wonderfully rough edges. Rich described it, affectionately, as if someone had brought the debris from a demolished building.

This part of the visit was about taking our time together. Our photographs record the courtyard atmosphere and a few of its smaller details.

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✦ A DETAIL TO REMEMBER

A red fence, trailing greenery and a moment together outside.

THE BONUS REEL

Details from the courtyard.

A few details and a portrait from our time in the courtyard.

Full review & venue information for Garlic & Shots ↗

06

SOHO · THE FINAL STOP

On to
Trisha’s.

THE SIXTH CHAPTER

An atmospheric
final stop.

Trisha’s was the final stop of the evening. Blue neon, green fairy lights, checked tablecloths and walls filled with photographs gave the room a distinctive atmosphere.

It was a fitting end to a day we had enjoyed throughout. In Rich’s less formal words, it was “the nuts” — a wholehearted personal recommendation.

Find this stop on the map ↗
✦ A DETAIL TO REMEMBER

Blue neon, green lights and a wall full of faces.

Full review & venue information for Trisha’s ↗

THE LAST WORD · 15 OCTOBER 2026

A proper day out.
Trisha’s to finish.

Seven stops, good company and a birthday well spent. From Heddon Street to Soho, London did us proud.

Revisit the day ↑

ALONG THE WAY · 15 OCTOBER

Selected from both Riches’ cameras. Tap a photograph to explore.

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15 OCTOBER 2026 / TWO RICHES IN LONDON

01 / 07

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Your photos. No soundtrack needed. Arrow keys to move; Escape to close.