Recently in Chinatown Category

Charing Cross Road - Mocha Cafe Patisserie and Internet Cafe

By
Memetic Engineer
on August 13, 2007 12:16 PM |

Between Leicester Square Tube and Cambridge Circus is the Mocha Cafe Patisserie and Internet Café at
62 Charing Cross Road, on the edge of Chinatown. There is usually with a low paid (illegal ?) immigrant holding a sign advertising the Internet access on the pavement outside.

Charing_Cross_Road_cybercafe1_300.jpg

Inside there are about a hundred internet PCs, for which they charge£1 per hour. The usual warnings apply, - hold on tight to your bags and mobile phones etc. as these are targets of opportunistic sneak thieves, who are not deterred by the CCTV surveillance cameras.

Although there is anti-virus software etc. installed, unlike EasyInternetCafes, the software is not rebuilt after each customer session, so the risk of password sniffers etc. is greater.

Mocha_Cafe_map.gif

GPS grid coordinates:
Latitude: (WGS84) N51:30:43 ( 51.512051 )
Longitude: (WGS84) W0:07:45 ( -0.129076 )


Chinatown - New Laughing Buddha restaurant - Macclesfield Street

By
Memetic Engineer
on August 12, 2007 6:15 PM |

There seems to be a growing consensus amongst the William Gibson Board tourists (see the Hacking the Gibson, in London! discussion thread) that they will meet up for a Chinese meal at the

New Laughing Buddha restaurant
12 Macclesfield Street,
London
W1V 7LH

although precisely when, is as yet unclear.

Macclesfield Street is about halfway along Gerrard Street, the main street in Chinatown.

The restaurant is next door to the De Hems public house which specialises in beers from the Netherlands, which is not too crowded in the afternoon, but is usually packed out in the evening.

Macclesfield_Street_New_Laughing_Buddha_1_300.jpg The New laughing Buddha is to the right of the Chinese ceremonial gateway in this picture, looking away from Gerrard Street.

New_Laughing_Buddha_map.gif

GPS grid coordinates:
Latitude: (WGS84) N51:30:43 ( 51.512040 )
Longitude: (WGS84) W0:07:52 ( -0.131224 )

Chinatown - Gerrard Street

By
Memetic Engineer
on August 12, 2007 5:56 PM |

London's Chinatown comprises of Gerrard Street and the surrounding side streets is full of Chinese (and a couple of other oriental) restaurants, and oriental supermarkets etc. There are also illegal Mah Jong gambling basements, money laundering and the hidden influence of the Chinese Triad gangs and the Communist Chinese intelligence agencies.

The restaurants all display their menus outside, so you get what you pay for. Other things being equal, I would choose one which has a decent view of the passing crowds.

Gerrard_Street_west_1_300.jpg Western end of Gerrard Street, corner with Wardour Street.

Gerrard_Street_map.gif

GPS grid coordinates:
Latitude: (WGS84) N51:30:41 ( 51.511494 )
Longitude: (WGS84) W0:07:55 ( -0.131967 )

N.B. As with all crowded areas in central London, watch out for pickpockets and bag thieves, including the old "distraction" trick, where one member of the gang squirts mayonnaise or tomato ketchup from a MacDonalds sachet etc, onto your clothing and then points this out to you. Whilst helping you clean up the mess, he distracts you enough to allow his accomplices to pick your pocket or bag.

Such gangs are not usually Chinese but are from Latin America etc.


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