Outside of the usual attractions to see in London (e.g. the British Museum, Buckingham Palace), the following are a selection of items that my travel partner and I visited to during our 4-day stay in London.

Location: across the street from the British Museum

Delicious coffee. For a place across from the British Museum, it's not particularly well visited - but 5-pound lattes are not for everyone.

I sit here waiting for my friend to land at Gatwick airport. A friend of the barista comes into the cafe and, after a few minutes of small talk, proceeds to talk about this TV special about a man whose penis fell off and had a new one grafted onto his arm (the special which I'm pretty sure was also called The Man With a Penis on His Arm). And something about how it gets particularly bothersome and how it accidentally hits his grandmother once or something like that.

Location: a block away from Regent Street, SoHo

Located in a Tudor-styled building, this department store is where one could partake in high fashion or (if you're like me) get inspired by the in-your-face and avant-garde designs that are indeed too large to fit in either carry-on or check-in luggage. Sadly.

Location: on Regent Street near the curve to Picadilly

In the early 1900s, the New Gallery building in London was once a movie theatre. As was the case for any theatre built during the silent film era, the building featured live music for all productions screened, which is probably why a theatre organ was installed. Almost a century later (and after spending the last half of the decade as a Seventh-day Adventist church), the New Gallery building is now a Burberry flagship store. The theatre organ is still located in the back of the building —supposedly next to the break room for staff.

If you are here to look for a lovely Burberry trench coat and not appreciate historical musical instruments, you should know that the staff here are great and the location is convenient enough when shopping near central London.

Location: underneath The Breakfast Club in Spitalfields

If you have an "appointment with the mayor," you'll be led into this cool speakeasy. Cocktails are delicious and not outrageously priced. However, space is at a premium as you will likely be sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with your fellow guests. I was still able to hear my friend despite it being fully crowded.

Location: nestled in a conspicuous location in the West End

You won't find too many people who would rate Beast at their top, but by far, it was one of my and my travel partner's best dine-outs in London. It could be dining at a large communal table on a quiet night. It could be the immaculate combination of king crab legs and steak on the bone. Or it could be the effects of the alcohol from the sommelier-chosen wine pairing we had with dinner.

Whatever the reason, our server was friendly and approachable, the pace at which the food came out was well-tempered, and we ended the night having genuinely enjoyed the experience and the food. If you're expecting a more formal affair, be warned that this is not the place for you.

Location: at Claridge's Hotel, in the centre of Mayfair

I'll be frank with you: I first heard about Claridge's from a series 2 episode of My Dad Wrote a Porno (so I guess technically from the book Belinda Blinked 2 [maybe NSFW?]). However, a quick Google search impressed me with how quaint and dainty their afternoon tea feature looked.

The venue is posh, so it works well for a fancy outing (or, in our case, a pre-meal before a theatre show). Between the seemingly bottomless supply of sandwiches (I have never been to an afternoon tea where we were allowed to order more sandwiches if we'd like) and the delectable sweets, we were able to relax to the gentle playings from the jazz pianist who happened to be right in front of us.

It was an enjoyable afternoon tea, but a warning for travellers: when we left, they gifted us a healthy plant for our journey—except Canada would definitely not allow us to bring it back into the country. We sadly left it to the housekeepers at our hotel to hopefully take care of.

I was surprised that Matilda was playing only a few blocks away from our hotel. After growing up with the Roald Dahl novel and the movie starring Mara Wilson, I wanted to see this production. It's a great all-ages performance, and the music is catchy, though there were times when I felt that the pacing was a bit janky. I have no complaints about the actors and actresses; their performances were on point, and the stage production (particularly during the show's first half) was fun to watch. Try to get a seat in the first row of the gallery, and not just because you can throw small packets of sugar at the patrons in the orchestral level below. Though I get why you would: sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty.

Location: in Knightsbridge, south of Hyde park and west of Buckingham Palace

Harrod's: You really need a place to sit so I can enjoy all your delightful goodies right then and there instead of having to haul them all back to the hotel. I can't complain about the quality of the food, though—perfection! But I might make some noise about the price: the duck wrap, lobster rolls, and wagyu katsu sandwich (yes, I know those are all luxury foods) came to around 54 pounds. Yikes!

Location: in Fitzrovia, near Oxford/Tottenham Court

Instagrammable this restaurant is. Clean and delightful, we went for brunch at this Italian restaurant. Though on the pricy side, the food was absolutely delicious and somewhat original. There is something whimsical about the plethora of bottles on the wall and the greenery that lines the ceilings and shelves of the restaurant.

Location: in Mayfair, just off of Regent Street

There are actually five different venues within sketch that you could partake in, but the arguably more popular (and, may I add, better) location is the exceedingly pink Gallery room. It definitely clocks as a "must-return" restaurant with uniquely fascinating cocktails and food that's just as delicious - though the whimsy and charm of the decor are probably the reason why many people come here. Surprisingly, the tower of onion rings was a smart choice to share among 4 friends, in addition to the standard fare of steaks and fish.

But if we're going to talk about whimsy and charm, special attention needs to be made about the toilet area. Contained in this all-gender area is an array of white toilet pods that look as though they come out of an episode of Doctor Who, with a guest appearance of a cleaner decked out in a complete maid outfit. During the weekend, there is a full-on bar and lounge as well!

Location: on Fleet Street in Temple, London

You get this adorable rubber duck named "Shirley" when you stay here! Five out of five.