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Restaurants
Over the last couple of years the available choices for people dining out have increased tremendously. From being the unexciting capital of jellied eels and fish and chips, London is now one of the world's most exciting gastronomic cities. Although many of the most well known places can be found in the centre, there are a few gems in the outer boroughs, also worth investigating. In the West End there is a broad range of expensive restaurants such as Mirabelle and Claridges but also some for a low budget including pizza and fast food restaurants. Fans of Indian cuisine should head for the East End and Chinese lovers for China Town, the oasis for the budget traveller. Many eateries offer very good set-up menus. Another area with expensive but trendy restaurants is Soho. But there are also reasonably priced options such as bistro type eateries or pizza restaurants. Here you also have many cafes and pubs which are especially in summer immensely overcrowded. Around Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square there are a lot of mid-priced restaurants, as well as a number of fast food chains and pubs. Covent Garden, the artistic area of London, hosts many eateries with moderate prices. In summer there is always the possibility to sit outside on the Covent Garden piazza. In the streets around the square are numerous cafes, bars and pubs which also serve some dishes. Friends of fast food will have a lot choice at Aldwych and the Strand and Embankment where the fast food giants have established themselves. Most of the restaurants in the city are quite expensive, especially for people with a tight budget. But beside the noble restaurants, London has many pubs and sandwich bars which are a good alternative.
London’s cuisine
Originally, the English cuisine does not have such a good reputation abroad. Shaped by the country’s climate, its geography and history the traditional cuisine consists mainly of a combination of meat, potatoes and vegetables with a thick gravy. Deserts at most British homes are Rhubarb crumble or bread and butter pudding accompanied with custard. Breakfast mostly includes scones with jam and butter or cream, biscuits or sandwiches. The traditional breakfast that is commonly known as “cooked breakfast” consists of a combination of bacon, grilled tomatoes, fried bread, black pudding, beaked beans, sausages and eggs.
As a result of post-war immigration food is today more often a fusion of many countries with influences especially from North America, China and India. For this reason traditional food is mixed with spices and curries from India and Bangladesh, stir-fried food from the Chinese and Thai cooking as well as influences from the Italian and French cuisine. Lately, there has been a change in Britain’s kitchens due to the increasing popularity of celebrity chefs on TV who have brought up a new awareness of good food. Organic ingredients become more and more important. But nevertheless, there are a lot of fast food chains all over the country which was adopted quickly from the United States. The most famous fast food dish is, undoubtedly, fish and chips which can be eaten at high number of restaurants and bistros all over London. But since the 1980s a lot of Kebab houses, pizza restaurants and fried chicken restaurants have become immensely popular.
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