I'll be spending two weeks in London on business. The business is located in Putney--any thoughts on what it's like? I'll be dining with the client a couple of times, but would also like to explore on my own--good restaurant/cafe/shopping suggestions? I like sushi, bistro/brasserie food, Thai, Vietnamese, northern Italian, good salads. Not big on Chinese or Indian. Shopping, I'm interested in good bookstores, clothing stores for women (not teen-agers or trendoids), housewares, etc. Would like to find a nice cafe or wine bar to make &quot;my own&quot; for my two weeks there. I don't like beer (or smoke) so I'm not really a pub type.<BR>Thanks!<BR>Jeanette

Jeanette,<BR><BR>Putney has a nice high street with plenty of restaurants. The shops aren't the best-they've got a Marks and Spencer, but no great shakes. After you've aquainted with the local area, you should pop on down the road, and over the river to Fulham, which is a straight shot on the #14 bus. Fulham is boutique-y and has some great restaurants. Blue Elephant in Fulham has a huge reputation as the best Thai in London. FYI...if you were to stay on the 14 bus it would take you into my neighborhood-Chelsea (lots of boutiqes and restaurants)and then South Ken and then on to Knightsbridge past the V&amp;A museum, Harrod's, etc. and eventually all the way down to Picadilly, the theatre district, and to Tottenham Ct. Road near Oxford Street, home of the major shopping.

I lived there for quite a lot of my life. It's a very pleasant residential suburb on the river. The main roads are sadly choked with through traffic, but Putney is surrounded on three sides by the River and open common land leading through to Richmond Park, which gives it a really country-town feel and offers lots of walking away from main traffic. Find the right routes and you can go for miles and miles away from cars.<BR><BR>It has always been home to some fairly comfortably-off people (and a few media celebrities), so there are lots of OK restaurants and caf&eacute;s, and one or two quite posh ones. In my mis-spent youth I once counted 27 pubs within two minutes' walk of the High Street, as as far as I know most of them are still there. I haven't been back recently, so I don't know the full range, but I think you won't be too disappointed there.<BR><BR>I agree with Amy about the shopping. Plenty for everyday stuff for people who live there, but for special shopping, you can easily get up to town.<BR><BR>You can check out the Putney Society's website for local information: try<BR>http://www.putney.org.uk/leisure.htm<BR><BR>There are excellent links by public transport into central London, by suburban surface train to Waterloo (20 minutes) and by Tube (quite a bit longer). As well as the 14 bus, the 22 from the Bridge will take you to Chelsea (Sloane Square), Hyde Park Corner and Piccadilly. <BR><BR>There are also direct trains to Windsor and buses to Richmond (and in the summer to Hampton Court).<BR><BR><BR><BR>

I live quite close to Putney (southfields) and go there to socialise. It is full of bars and restaurants at all levels.<BR><BR>I would recommend:<BR><BR>The gourmet burger bar (self explanatory). About &pound;10 - 15 perhead with drinks, very popular.<BR><BR>Putney Bridge restaurant: Very upmarket haute cuisine joint &pound;50 ph at least. Very very good.<BR><BR>You don't say how old you are, but many of the bars etc are aimed at a 25ish yuppie clientele and are a bit too much for old buggers like me. THere are proper pubs too though, just not on the high st.<BR><BR>As others have said you have many options a bus ride or tube ride away.<BR><BR>

David, what's the name of the long bar in Putney High Street - is it the Spotted Horse? I was thrown out of there a long time ago for telling the proprietor exactly what I thought of his London Lager. Nice place.

Thanks for all your comments. I am 40 years old and not really interested in the 25ish yuppie scene. I prefer to hang out with people in their 30s and 40s (or older). I will try Blue Elephant--I once dined at the original Blue Elephant in Brussels, so it will be interesting to try a branch in another country. Putney Bridge sounds good for one of my expense account dinners!

Tony,<BR><BR>Its the spotted dog, a horrid place.<BR><BR>The lager you didn't like is Youngs London LAger, and it is horrible.

Jeanette,<BR><BR>You are the same age as me. As such I would advise missing out on the pubs that face directly onto the high st, as they are full of kids (remember british drinking age is 18, which means 16 in practice).<BR><BR>I would recommend: Eight Bells by Putney bridge station, King Charles past Putney Bridge restaurant (which is a landmark), Bricklayers arms and a pub called I think, Doggets, which has very good food. (if you see a bunch of sad looking old blokes looking maudling and comparing paunches, come and say hello).<BR><BR>The blue elephant is nice, but dead pricey.<BR><BR>

Jeanette,<BR><BR>You are the same age as me. As such I would advise missing out on the pubs that face directly onto the high st, as they are full of kids (remember british drinking age is 18, which means 16 in practice).<BR><BR>I would recommend: Eight Bells by Putney bridge station, King Charles past Putney Bridge restaurant (which is a landmark), Bricklayers arms and a pub called I think, Doggets, which has very good food. (if you see a bunch of sad looking old blokes looking maudlin and comparing paunches, come and say hello).<BR><BR>The blue elephant is nice, but dead pricey.<BR><BR>

&quot;Doggets&quot; is actually called The Coat and Badge (recall is slower at my age).<BR><BR>The Bricklayers is actually called the Putney Brick.<BR><BR>

Well in my youthful sneak-an-underage-pint-of-brown-and-mild days (yes, it was that long ago), the Bricklayers' Arms was just called that and all the better for being a slightly eccentric but otherwise traditional pub. If it's gone all yuppy then grrrr is all I can say. <BR><BR>I think the 'King Charles' referred to is the King's Head, next to the Star and Garter, both by the riverside and not too smoky/pubby, indeed as I recall the Star and Garter was getting very much into caf&eacute;-bar mode and quite nice with it.<BR><BR>

And to go back to Jeanette's original question, if you go past those pubs and along the Lower Richmond Road, you will find a number of pleasant small restaurants of a more or less French/Italian style.<BR><BR>Not to mention the Half Moon, a well-known jazz venue (not so much Diana Krall as the Bert Scroggins Banjolele Rascals, but an institution)