Top, Best & Fun Rooftop Bars in Ilford

"If you guys have been following this blog for a while you may have realised that I am borderline obsessed with Sky Garden. I think it’s not only one of the best views and best rooftop bars in London, but it’s also very Instagrammable. The combination of stunning views over the rooftops of London, with modern architecture and green plants is a winner for me."

"Set atop 20 Fenchurch Street (aka the Walkie Talkie building), Sky Garden is the highest public garden in London. Amidst a lush urban jungle, it offers stunning 360° panoramic views of the city. The unique setting and spectacular views easily make this one of the most Instagrammable places in London."

"Perhaps the most Instagrammable restaurant in London, Sketch boasts distinctive powder-pink interiors set in an 18th-century Mayfair townhouse. The Wes Anderson-esque space, the work of Paris-based interior designer India Mahdavi, comprises pink walls and matching scalloped, pink-velvet booths, completed by artworks courtesy of David Shrigley, who also designed the restaurant’s flatware. The food is equally well-designed, described by the restaurant as “site-specific sculptural works."

"Describe Sketch in one word and it would obviously be ‘pink’. The marshmallow coloured seats and walls will have you reaching for your phone, but the woodland mural in The Glade Bar and egg-shaped loos are pretty cool too. Bet you never thought you’d actually pee in a pod."

"Sketch kept popping up (from other sites, friends, IG) but the site doesn’t seem to let me make reservation for one. were you traveling alone, and did you have that issue?"

"This West End institution takes its name from market trader Josef Sheekey, who, in the 1890s, was granted permission by Lord Salisbury to serve fish and seafood in St Martin’s Court provided he supply after-theatre meals to Salisbury’s guests. More than a century on, it remains an established favourite with the capital’s glitterati, who you can often spot slurping oysters or tucking into the famous fish pie post performance. In 2008 it expanded to include the J Sheekey Atlantic Bar next door for a slightly less formal experience, featuring a buzzing open kitchen and ample outdoor seating for relaxed al fresco dining."

"J Sheekey, aka “Sheekey’s,” has been a major player on the West End fish and shellfish scene since the 1890s. It is as dependable as it is theatrical, and the exemplary fish pie’s velvety cream sauce over cod, salmon and haddock makes it a comfort-food superstar."

"A jewel of the Covent Garden dining scene, this incredibly smart restaurant was opened by 1890s fishmonger Josef Sheekey on the permission of Lord Salisbury (who wanted somewhere to eat after the theatre)."

"It’s perhaps a tad misleading to call this a casino, given that it’s actually located above a casino and is famous for its poker. Yet there are other things you can do here such as play roulette and slot machines, so it deserves to be on the list. If there’s something you want to play that you can’t then you can always pop down to the Grosvenor Casino below."

"‘Chay’ means ‘vegetarian’ in Vietnamese, but these guys actually give your street-food favourites a totally vegan twist – thanks to seitan, walnut and mushroom pâté, lemongrass soya, sriracha ‘mayo’, seaweed ‘crunch’ and other goodies. Here you’ll find plant-based versions of bánh mì, bibimbap, noodle salads, steamed bao buns (filled with kimchi, Korean fried tofu and even fake ‘char siu’) as well as excellent lunchtime bento boxes with a choice of bao and noodle salad. Don’t miss: Soya ‘chick’n’ noodle salad with vegan fish sauce (£7.50)"

"Goddards at Greenwich has been around since 1890 and is a proper old school pie and mash shop. The menu is filled with the classics including minced beef, steak and kidney and chicken and ham pie served with liquor, gravy, mash, baked beans or peas, and two of you can eat here for under a tenner. And if you’re not down with the pies, David Beckham is a regular and we can all get down with that…"

"As pretty as a box of luxury chocolates, Matsuba is all dark wood and subtle light panels, with a discreet sushi bar, vintage Japanese parasols dotted around and quietly polite waiters. The menu trawls through the full Japanese repertoire from tempura to tonkatsu, but also expect a smattering of Korean dishes including bulgogi and bibimbap. Affluent Richmond locals appreciate Matsuba’s very decent wine list too."

"Funnily enough, the Museum of Childhood is actually first and foremost geared towards adults who want to relive their own childhoods, but don’t worry – they’ve planned ahead and know that many adults will be bringing their own children. For toddlers, there are interactive exhibits featuring toys and games at the Museum of Childhood, as well as drop-in activities including crafting and storytelling to get your toddler involved in some educational play."

"The V&A Museum of Childhood, part of the Victoria & Albert Museum, is a London museum dedicated to housing collections by and for children. The museum's collection includes costumes, toys, and objects dedicated to celebrating childhood. In addition to its permanent collection, the V&A Museum of Childhood regularly hosts temporary exhibits."

"Spanning the 1600s to the present day—toys, clothes and interactive displays are set within a 1872 hangar with marble floor and visible cast iron frame."

"170 million items and 330 miles of shelf space make this not only one of the best museums in London, but also one of the biggest. It also hosts regular, curated exhibitions based around its rare collections; including displays of the original manuscripts of Charles Dickens, Virginia Wolf, Jack Kerouac, Lewis Carroll and varying instalments of maps, sacred texts, newspaper and sound archives. Details: 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB | Free entry, exhibitions from £14 | Find out more and book–"

"Consisting of low-slung red-brick terraces and fronted by a large plaza featuring an oversized statue of Sir Isaac Newton, Colin St John Wilson’s British Library building is an architectural wonder. Completed in 1997, it's home to some of the greatest treasures of the written word, including the Codex Sinaiticus (the first complete text of the New Testament), Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks and a copy of the Magna Carta (1215)."