London: Reclaiming the South Bank

London, England

PHOTO: Magdalena Bujak

Until about seven years ago, no visitors to London ever went south of the river, the area where I lived during the 1990s. The National Theatre, Shakespeare's reconstructed circa 1600 Globe Theatre and the Hayward Gallery apart, the South Bank was to London what Queens is to New York City: a sprawling dormitory where you'd never take your in-laws walking.

But in May 2000 (annoyingly, at the same time I left London for New York), everything changed. Cutting-edge contemporary art came to the South Bank by way of Tate Modern. Then Lord Norman Foster unveiled his gleaming Millennium Bridge, forming a footpath from St. Paul's Cathedral, in the north, to Tate Modern, in the south. Suddenly, south London was hip. And in the middle of it all, among the gritty Victorian railway arches and lanes around London Bridge tube station, was the area's jewel: the gourmet's mecca that is Borough Market.

To me, the short walk east along the South Bank between Tate Modern and the market is now the most exciting part of London. All the sinewy new glass and steel of the radically transformed riverbank looks like the set of Blade Runner against the north's venerable landmarks: Big Ben, St. Paul's, the Tower of London. Just past the Globe, the path cuts away from the river and turns down cobbled alleys barely changed since Dickens's time. Though this is merely the market's outer edge, it's already more chic than in my day: the viaduct under one of the cavernous arches has been turned into an oenophile's fantasy, Vinopolis (1 Bank End; 011-44-870-241-4040; vinopolis.co.uk), a wine-themed attraction, three bar-restaurants and a tasting room that includes the Whisky Exchange, a store stocking 1,500 single malts.

As for the market itself, where to start? The refurbished Victorian wrought-iron main structure, trains clattering above it, contains rows and rows of organic-farm stalls of fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, cheese and meat. But it's the atmosphere that draws me back: Kevin the tenor who sings as he serves at Turnips, the grocer (011-44-20-7357-8356); the gents in breeches and bowler hats at the sausage and pie stand; the ruddy-faced farmers dispensing tips on how to cook your diced venison and Jerusalem artichokes. My favorite is Brindisa (011-44-20-7407-1036), whose hot chorizo roll is the best this side of Barcelona's Boqueria.

The most dramatic change, however, is in the restaurants. After exploring Borough Market recently, I strolled past London Bridge and the new, lopsided glass and steel mayoral offices near Tower Bridge (shown above) to meet a friend who lives in a loft in Shad Thames, a neighborhood of reclaimed TriBeCa-style riverside warehouses. We usually eat roast foie gras and duck egg at Terence Conran's Pont de la Tour (Butler's Wharf, 36D Shad Thames; 011-44-871-223-8005), but this time he suggested a new restaurant at Borough Market called Roast (Floral Hall, Stoney St.; 011-44-20-7940-1300). Celebrity restaurateur Iqbal Wahhab's latest venture is tucked between railway arches inside the market, the source of much of the seasonal foods, including game meat, it specializes in. The pheasant I ordered was so delicious, it almost made me want to move back.