London remembered: A dozen random "bests"

BEST PUB: The Churchill Arms, Kensington Church Street.
I'll always remember the small lads perched on stools, sipping lemonades and watching Arsenal v. Aston Villa, the decor devoted to County Clare's GAA teams and the friendly young barman who befriended us. When I asked about the Manchester United v. Leeds United result, he told me Leeds had won and that I should "rub it in" to the other barman. Cheers, mate!
BEST CIDER: Addlestone's Premium Cloudy Cider. I sank a pint (or was it two?) at The Malt House in Fulham, as the pub filled with Chelsea supporters.
Ah. It was two pints, sorry.
BEST FISH 'N' CHIPS: Geales, 2 Farmer Street W8.
I had haddock. Inger believes the chips were so crunchy because they had been briefly par-boiled before being placed in the fryer.
BEST DESCRIPTION OF AN ESSENTIAL OIL: At Neal's Yard Remedies in Seven Dials.
It stated: "Myrrh. Blends well with Frankincense."
Y'know, I've read that somewhere before.
BEST OPENING PARAGRAPH IN A 300-YEAR-OLD BOOK: "Being a very dismal account of four young men, who made a match to play at cricket, on Sunday the 6th of this instant July 1712, in a meadow near Maiden Head Thicket."
-- "The Sabbath Breakers," displayed at the museum of Lord's Cricket Ground.
BEST SIGN AT A FOOTBALL GROUND: "Caution Beware of Stray Footballs."
-- Entrance to the North Stand, Brisbane Road, Leyton E10.
BEST PERFORMANCE OF A CHINESE FEMALE BY A MASSIVE BLACK MALE: Clive Rowe in "Aladdin" at the Hackney Empire.
Rowe was absolutely brilliant, as was the remainder of the pantomime's cast.
BEST SANDWICH: Egg and cress (pictured, left), served with the cream tea special at Auntie's Tea Shop, Cambridge.
Second place goes to the sausage and fried onion sandwich at the Lamb & Flag, Covent Garden.
BEST MUSEUM: Joint first place goes to the museum at Lord's Cricket Ground, St. John's Wood, and the London Transport Museum, Covent Garden.
BEST REMINDER OF MY RAGING ANGLOPHILE TENDENCIES OF HIGH SCHOOL: Stepping into the Rough Trade record shop in Brick Lane, I realized within moments that the album playing on the shop's stereo was "Sister Feelings Call" by Simple Minds, my favourite album by my favourite band in high school. It was eerie.
BEST SONG BY THE JAM HEARD IN A RESTAURANT: "The Bitterest Pill," heard while I ate cottage pie in the S&M Cafe in Portobello Road.
BEST PUNK ROCK PILGRIMMAGE: Inger photographed me snarling outside No. 430 King's Road, Chelsea.
Now a Vivienne Westwood shop, No. 430 was the location of "SEX," the Westwood and Malcolm McLaren shop where the Sex Pistols were formed.