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This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to London
I moved to London when I was 19 years old and knew nothing. I bounced from north to west to east and back to north. There’s lots of secrets to be found, and really London is just a collection of villages.
When I lived in north London, I loved getting a cup of tea at Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath. The view over London is brilliant, and if you have an explore while you’re there you’ll find a collection of prints and drawings of exactly the same view from maybe 200 years earlier, with St Paul’s in the distance.
I’ve always enjoyed walking along Regent’s Canal from Camden to King’s Cross, and — if you live in the capital or anywhere nearby — one of the best memberships you can get is to London Zoo. I have memories of pacing around there with every one of my kids in their buggies, down through the park from Primrose Hill, around the zoo, and out to Regent’s Park. Just lovely.
One of my favourite things to do is to go to La Fromagerie on Moxon Street in Marylebone, an area that’s totally transformed over the past 20 years. The owner, Patricia Michelson, is a doyenne of cheese. Go with an open mind and tell the staff you want a selection for a picnic, and ask them to do you a sliver of maybe seven different cheeses — from soft to hard, cow’s to goat’s and a curveball or two. Pick some nice condiments and fruit, bread and biscuits, maybe a bottle of something too, and you’ll have the best, most decadent picnic ever. Potter over to Regent’s Park, find a quiet corner in the rose garden and enjoy. I nearly got arrested for cycling through Regent’s Park once, but that’s another story!
St John in Clerkenwell is an iconic institution that I would always encourage, but another that’s perhaps less well known is Andrew Edmunds on Lexington Street in Soho. Sadly, Andrew died last year, but his restaurant lives on and what is special for me is that Tom Trubshaw, one of my ex-students at Fifteen, is now head chef. He’s also an ex-St John boy and a wonderful young man who’s all about wholesome simplicity and simple elegance when he cooks. Last time I went it was bloody brilliant.
A place I consistently love is Rochelle Canteen in Shoreditch. Margot Henderson is a fine cook and foodie, and I’m always really happy there. The food is really single-minded, super thoughtful and delicious. It’s set in the courtyard of an old school, and you have to hunt for the gate to get into this hidden gem. And if you’re going there, you may as well also go up to Hackney for the best cake and coffee at Violet. Claire Ptak made the wedding cake for Harry and Meghan. Her cool and stylish café is always a joy. All you’re short of now is a pub, so try The Cock Tavern on Mare Street.
For cocktails, it’s not cheap but the Artesian bar at The Langham hotel on Portland Place is lovely. t’s an extraordinary setting, with delicious drinks, and it’s really going to be up there. Afterwards, walk across the road to Pizzeria Mozza, Nancy Silverton’s joint. She’a another doyenne of the food scene, and her Californian influence is clear — think great dough, delicate pizzas that don’t sit heavy on the tummy, and beautiful artisan toppings. I actually fell in love with a slightly controversial combo there called Pizza alla Benno: an intelligent recreation of ham and pineapple (which for Italians is ethically wrong). For this, sliced pineapple is macerated with equally wafer-thin jalapeños, creating something reminiscent of an Italian mostarda di Cremona or “mustard fruit”; when paired with smoked ham, cheese and the fire of the oven, it just made sense.
If you go to Stoke Newington, you’ll find a pink-painted restaurant called Rasa, run by a lovely, extraordinary man called Das Sreedharan. I worked in his kitchen for three weeks as a much younger man, when he also had restaurants on Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia, and it absolutely changed my life. The rest of the team spoke very little English, which turned out to be the biggest gift as I really had to tune into my senses. The use of controlled spice and the layering of flavour was a revelation and so elegant. Maybe one day Das and I will do a collab — I’d love that. So pay them a visit; you’ll find it’s a fantastic-value meal.
Lastly, one of the best birthday presents my wife has ever given me is a membership to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. They send you cute magazines and samples, and you get access to white-label barrels of all sorts of incredibly whiskies. If you’re reading this thinking you don’t like whisky, then trust me, they’ll find one you do. And when they find it, they’ll zone into your style and open up a whole world of that whisky for you. It’s like trainspotting for whisky lovers. They also have a club near Farringdon, and further afield in Edinburgh and Glasgow, that you can visit as a member. Such a nice gift.
Jamie Oliver’s new restaurant, Jamie Oliver Catherine St, opens on November 28; 6 Catherine Street, London WC2B 5JY
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