Never, ever, be tempted to drive or cycle on London roads.
I know that's not the advice you were after, but what you were asking for won't keep you alive.
Cycling is okay on non major roads IF you are a good cyclist. driving i don't see the point of, especially in central london, when you consider just how well connected the city is.
Orcs nest is good.my brother in law once found a shop (no idea where) in london where the owner didn't have what he wanted in stock ,so he closed the shop for an hour,went home, picked up his personal copy of the book, and met up with my brother in law at a tube station later on to sell him it.
how long will you be in london? I'm moving to uni in September and am hoping to build a gaming group.