London off the beaten path

Guests sample the goods at Ladurée, which is said to have invented the double-decker macaron. The shop in London’s Burlington Arcade is part of a luscious chocolate tour.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Fortnum & Mason, another stop on the chocolate tour, features truffles celebrating the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

It’s all about chocolate, including violet and rose crèmes, at Charbonnel et Walker. The shop, founded in 1875, is also on the delectable chocolate tour.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Rooms at the Church Street Hotel in London’s Camberwell district are washed in bright colors and have Latin-flavored touches.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Next door to the Church Street Hotel is Angels & Gypsies, a restaurant with an Iberian-influenced menu. Among the small plates: jamón serrano and jamón ibérico.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

What better way to put out the fire of a pork pibil taco than vanilla ice cream topped with roasted pumpkin seeds and cajeta sauce, a caramelized milk, at Wahaca in London.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

St. Giles Church is in the Camberwell area of London, where a visitor’s hotel dollars stretch further than in the central city.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

The new H10 Hotel on Waterloo Road in southern London caters to business and budget travelers.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

The green door opens to the Bonnington Cafe in London, which serves low-cost vegetarian and vegan meals.  (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Lunch at the Bonnington Cafe in London, a community restaurant, cost 5 pounds (about $8) and came with a salad and vegetarian squash and chickpea curry.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

The Olympic rings decorate a lawn at the Royal Botanic Gardens, or Kew, near London. Beginning in July, England’s capital is hosting the Summer Games.  (Oli Scarff / Getty Images)

Plenty of waterfowl can be found at Kew Gardens. Providing a photogenic backdrop is Museum No. 1.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Walkers pace along Regent’s Canal in London on a sunny day.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

A bridal couple pose for photos at Rembrandt Gardens in the Little Venice area of London.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Patrons relax at the Waterside Cafe on a barge in the Pool of Little Venice along Regent’s Canal in London.  (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Umbrellas flood a display area at James Smith & Sons, which has been keeping Londoners -- and visitors -- dry for decades. The company, founded in 1830, has been on New Oxford Street since 1857. The sign is a bit misleading. It’s been in business since 1830 and in the same shop, virtually unchanged, for more than 140 years.  (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Once, the Cutty Sark carried tea from China (and later wool from Australia). Nowadays, the 1869 clipper ship sits in a steel cradle in Greenwich, England, its beauty restored after a fire nearly five years ago.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

For a change of scenery, hop the Eurostar for a meal in Paris. The trip takes a little more than two hours. Perfect timing for dinner in the City of Light.  (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

After a Eurostar trip from London, travelers will alight at the Gare du Nord station in Paris, making it an easy escape from the hubbub of the British capital.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

The Terminus Nord is a Paris bistro across the street from the Gare du Nord, where the Eurostar disembarks. It’s an easy spot for a romantic dinner in the French capital.  (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)