In her book, Agatha Christie’s London: A Historical Guide to the Queen of Crime’s Capital, Tina Hodgkinson traces the footsteps of the bestselling mystery author, and those of her unforgettable characters. In this extract we sniff out detective Hercule Poirot’s dining establishments of choice — many of which you can still frequent today. Should you have the money.
Despite the longevity and quantity of Poirot stories set in London, Poirot’s personal London connections have remained a mystery.
Virtually everything we know about him is in the context of his career. The reader only discovers the identity of his dentist Henry Morley, of 58 Queen Charlotte Street, because he is murdered in One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (1940). Despite his dapper appearance, we never discovered Poirot’s tailor or barber, or where he purchased his moustache’s grooming products. He may have frequented St James’s, the area nicknamed Gentlemen’s London due to its history of exclusive, independent retailers specialising in gentlemen’s outfitters and male grooming products. However, we do discover that his petit-fours came from Fortnum and Mason in Elephants Can Remember (1972).
When Poirot dines out, it is often in high-end restaurants, regularly located at luxury hotels, and Agatha would use real-life locations. Poirot eats out in The Savoy in The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928), in the opening scenes of Lord Edgware Dies (1933) and in the Epilogue of Appointment with Death (1937). Also, in Lord Edgware Dies, Poirot and Hastings attend a luncheon party at Claridge’s, while in Three Act Tragedy (1934) Poirot hosts a sherry party in his florid suite at The Ritz. Poirot also frequents several little restaurants in Soho. Soho had a history of welcoming refugees dating back to the French Huguenots in the 1680s, who escaped religious persecution in France, and in the 1800s Italians, Germans and Polish and Russian Jewish refugees. In 1914, many of the Belgian refugees who came to London settled there. By 1900, Soho was well established as an area for cosmopolitan dining out and nightlife. When Agatha wrote about Soho’s restaurants, she used fictitious names that reflected the character and ambience of the district. Often the restaurants have French names, such as the Rendezvous Restaurant in The Million Dollar Bond Robbery (The Sketch, 1923; Poirot Investigates, 1924).
In The Man Who Was Number Four (The Sketch, 1924; The Big Four, 1927), there is rather a lot of dining out. Poirot and Hastings visit a small restaurant in Soho, where they frequently dined, and Japp joins them when they discovered him sitting at an adjacent table. On another occasion they take a taxi to one of London’s most expensive restaurants for lunch, and once there Poirot orders the food for his guests. Then later Hastings visits a small restaurant in Soho. In Lord Edgware Dies (1931), Poirot and Hastings dine on a delicious omelette, a sole and a chicken at a little restaurant in Soho, where Poirot is well known. They finish their meal with a baba au rhum, of which Poirot was inordinately fond. In Mrs McGinty’s Dead (1952), Poirot enjoys the escargots at the Vielle Grand’mere restaurant in Soho*. In the story it also transpires that Poirot spends a lot of his leisure time searching for new restaurants to visit. In Lord Edgware Dies (1933), Poirot, Hastings and Jenny Driver dine in a small restaurant in Dover Street. In Death in the Clouds (1935), Poirot, Jane Grey and Norman Gale dine together at the Monseigneur restaurant, where Poirot eats consommé and chaud-froid of chicken. In Death on the Nile (1937), Poirot is welcomed by the proprietor, Gaston Blondin, and is seated at a table next to Jacqueline de Bellefort and Simon Doyle. In The Capture of Cerberus (The Labours of Hercules, 1947) Poirot visits the Countess Vera Rossakoff at her nightclub, Hell, at 13 End Street, WC1.
When in the City of London, traditionally London’s financial district, Poirot and Hastings visit Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, a historic public house on Fleet Street, in The Million Dollar Bond Robbery, and they return there to meet Japp in Peril at End House (1932). Their visits would have coincided with Fleet Street in its heyday as the centre of the British newspaper trade; the pubs were infamous, with journalists enjoyed long boozy luncheons. They may even have met Polly, a foul-mouthed parrot who resided in the pub until her death in 1926. Such was her popularity that when she died there were over 200 newspaper obituaries for her. You can still visit her today, as she has been stuffed and put on display in the bar. In Hickory Dickory Dock (1955), Poirot and Inspector Sharpe visit an almost empty sandwich bar in the vicinity of the hostel. The café is self-service, with both men having to carry their plates and cups to their table. They sit at a corner table, which was also Agatha’s table of choice when she dined out at Brown’s Hotel.
In Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds (Collier’s Weekly, 1940; The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, 1960), Poirot and his friend Henry Bonnington dine at the Gallant Endeavour, on the King’s Road, Chelsea. The restaurant is chosen by Henry, who dines there regularly and enjoys its leisurely atmosphere and plain English food. He tells Poirot that it serves good English food rather than fancy French cuisine, and again a corner table is chosen while Poirot allows his friend to select their food. They dine on a fillet of sole, with turkey for the main course. A few weeks later, Poirot returns to the restaurant on his own and occupies the same corner table to interview Molly, the waitress, and eats filleted sole again. In Elephants Can Remember (1972), Poirot, Superintendent Spence and Chief Superintendent Garroway meet in a small, unnamed London restaurant with a revolving door. Spence, a regular at the establishment, recommends the fish dishes before they all order, sip a glass of sherry and enjoy their grilled trout.
*Which you can still do today at a Soho restaurant famed for its snails, L’Escargot
Agatha Christie’s London: A Historical Guide to the Queen of Crime’s Capital, by Tina Hodgkinson, published by The History Press.
We featured this book because we know it’s the kind of thing our readers will enjoy. By buying it via links in this article, Londonist may earn a commission from Bookshop.org — which also helps support independent bookshops.
