London Life October 6, 2021 by lkhosla

Your indispensable guide to the capital

IS THIS THE ANSWER TO LONDON’S EMPT Y- OFFICE CONUNDRUM?

Danny Bird

25EP, Eccleston Place, SW1

How we live in London has changed and so has how we work. The biggest change? Flexible working—once the preserve of forward-thinking start-ups—is now mainstream, which means companies need less oﬃce space. Enter 25EP, one of the many co-working spaces cropping up across the capital. It’s more private members’ club

CLI325.ll_cover.indd 37

than the fiasco that is WeWork (the co-working unicorn start-up, the IPO of which failed two years ago) and offers a full hotel-style concierge service, as well as discounts on fitness classes and food at neighbouring gyms and restaurants. Choose between hot desk, permanent desk and private-office membership. There are kitchens, communal spaces,

plenty of meeting rooms and phone booths. A 1970s-style tea-and-coﬀee trolley winds its way round the vast, multi-storey space every afternoon. Oh, and it’s dog friendly. RP From £249 per month plus VAT, including 24/7 access, 200 pages of printing and complimentary alcoholic drinks every Thursday and Friday (www.25-ep.com)

29/09/2021 17:52

LONDON LIFE

News

WHAT’S ON IN

LONDON

The theatre, exhibitions, comedy shows and live music are all back. COUNTRY LIFE rounds up the best things to do in the capital Ballet Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Opera House, WC2, until February 25, 2022 (www.roh.org.uk) Sport NFL London Games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, N17, October 10 and 17. Watch the New York Jets ((below below)) take below (below) on the Atlanta Falcons or the Miami Dolphins versus the Jacksonville Jaguars (www.nfl.com/uk/london-games)

Art Frieze in Regent’s Park, until October 31. This year’s work addresses architecture, geopolitical power struggles and the environment (www.frieze.com) Theatre Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace Theatre, W1, from October 14 (www.nimaxtheatres.com) Theatre Dear Evan Hansen at the Noël Coward Theatre, WC2, from October 26 (www. noelcowardtheatre.co.uk) Sport Six Day London at The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, October 26–31. Watch some of the world’s most accomplished cyclists (below ( left left) take on the velodrome ((below right) right). The event website has a handy seating chart (www.sixday.com)

November

Art ‘Hogarth and Europe’ at Tate Britain, SW1, November 3–March 20, 2022 (www.tate.org.uk)

Miscellaneous Regent Street Motor Show, November 6. Celebrating 125 years of motoring history, with veteran, vintage, classic and modernday cars displayed along the street, which is closed to normal traffic for the event (www.regentstreetmotorshow.com) Music EFG London Jazz Festival, November 12–21. Listen to artists from across the globe at venus across the capital (www. efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk) Theatre The Book of Mormon at the Prince of Wales Theatre, W1, from November 15 (www.thebookofmormonmusical.com) Opera Macbeth at the Royal Opera House, WC2, November 16–30. Shakespeare’s classic drama, produced by Phyllida Lloyd (www.roh.org.uk) Comedy Rob Brydon: A Night of Songs and Laughter at The London Palladium, W1, November 17 and 18 (www.lwtheatres.co.uk)

CLI325.ll_events.indd 38

30/09/2021 16:53

Alamy; Getty

October

News

Christmas Christmas at Kew, November 17–January 9, 2022. Feast on roasted chestnuts, watch the annual Palm House light display and pick up presents and decorations (www.kew.org) Sport A Question of Sport Live at the Eventim Apollo, W6, November 21. Only a few tickets left (www.ticketmaster co.uk/a-question-ofsport-live-tickets/artist/1411403) Ballet The Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House, WC2, November 23 to January 8, 2022 (www.roh.org.uk)

Alamy; Getty

Art ‘Lubaina Himid’ at Tate Modern, SE1, from November 25. A theatrical exhibition (www.tate.org.uk) Sport Champions Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall, SW7, November 25–28. Catch US Open winner Emma Raducanu in her exhibition singles match (www.royalalberthall.com) Sport Barbarians versus Samoa at Twickenham Stadium, November 27. Part of The Killik Cup (www.twickenhamstadium.com)

December

Art ‘Life Between Islands, CaribbeanBritish Art 50s–now’ at Tate Britain, SW1, December 1–April 3, 2022. Works by Caribbean artists living in Britain (www.tate.org.uk)

Miscellaneous An Evening with Nigella Lawson (top left) at Royal Festival Hall, SE1, December 5 (www.southbankcentre.co.uk) Music Carols by Candlelight at Royal Festival Hall, SE1, December 11 (www.southbank centre.co.uk) Theatre Circus 1903 at Royal Festival Hall, SE1, December 16–January 2, 2022. Travel back in time and experience a turn-of-the-century circus show (www.circus1903.com) Miscellaneous Covent Garden Legends and Landmarks Tour, starting at the Royal Opera House, WC2, December 19. Discover more about the Royal Opera House and the legends of London’s Covent Garden (www.roh.org.uk)

January

Theatre Cirque du Soleil: Luzia (above) at the Royal Albert Hall, SW7, January 12– February 12 (www.cirquedusoleil.com/luzia) Film London Short Film Festival, January 14–23. Ten days of short-form films and conversation (www.shortfilms.org.uk) Art ‘Francis Bacon: Man and Beast’ at the Royal Academy of Arts, W1, January 29– April 17. Focusing on Bacon’s unerring fascination with animals (www. royalacademy.org.uk)

LONDON LIFE

Opera La bohème at the London Coliseum, WC2, January 31–February 27. The English National Opera takes on Puccini’s classic (www.eno.org)

February

Children Imagine Children’s Festival at Royal Festival Hall, SE1, dates to be confirmed. A multi-day programme of Arts and culture workshops, events and more, reimagined for children (www.southbankcentre.co.uk) Music James Blunt (above left) at the SSE Arena, Wembley, February 5 (www.ticketmaster. co.uk/james-blunt-tickets/artist/980710) Miscellaneous Jason Fox: Life at the Limit at the Cadogan Hall, SW1, February 15. The author, former Special Forces soldier and star of Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins on his time in the SBS (www.cadoganhall.com)

LONDON LIFE Editor Rosie Paterson Editor-in-chief Mark Hedges Chief sub-editor Octavia Pollock Art Heather Clark, Emma Earnshaw, Ben Harris, Dean Usher Advertising Katie Ruocco 07929 364909 Pictures Lucy Ford, Emily Anderson Email firstname.surname@futurenet.com

CLI325.ll_events.indd 39

30/09/2021 16:53

Explore the finest London property on the market now. Looking to sell, rent, buy your first home or make an investment? We're here to help you find your perfect property match, whatever your plans. From striking penthouses to quaint mews homes, take a look at our latest available prime property from across the capital.

If you're thinking of selling or letting your home or would simply like some advice on the market, get in touch today on 020 4502 8029.

+135%

Bishops Row, Stevenage Road, Fulham SW6 Guide price £3,000 per week

harry.anthony@knightfrank.com

The Mount, Esher KT10 Guide price £2,308 per week

Prospective tenants up 135% in August 2021 versus the five-year average.•

The Pryors, East Heath Road, Hampstead NW3 jamie-leigh.harvey@knightfrank.com

Guide price £995 per week

mumzad.soobhany@knightfrank.com

*Knight Frank data Aug 2021. **Lonres data Sept 2020-Aug 2021, properties £2m+ & £1k+ per week

All potential tenants should be advised that, as well as rent and the deposit, an administration fee of £288 and referencing fees of £48 per person will apply when renting a property (if not an AST). (All fees shown are inclusive of VAT.) If the landlord agrees to you having a pet, you may be required to pay a higher deposit (if not an AST) or higher weekly rent (if an AST). Please ask us for more information about other fees that will apply or visit www.knightfrank.co.uk/tenantfees.

+34% Offers accepted up 34% in August 2021 versus the five-year average.•

Mallord Street, Chelsea SW3 Guide price £10,950,000

charles.olver@knightfrank.com

Spencer Road, Chiswick W4 Guide price £4,650,000

Lion Gate Gardens, Richmond TW9 paul.westwood@knightfrank.com

Guide price £5,500,000

james.williams@knightfrank.com

No.1 Sell or let your property with London's leading agent.••

Tedworth Square, Chelsea SW3 Guide price £12,950,000

Your partners in property for 125 years

stuart.bailey@knightfrank.com

knightfrank.co.uk

Impressive Victorian House Ridgway Gardens, London SW19 Wimbledon Village High Street: 0.3 miles An opportunity to acquire an extremely rare double-width plot on a no-through road in a prime Wimbledon Village road. Reception room, kitchen/breakfast room, dining room, 6 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, study, family room, cellar, double garage, garden. EPC = E Freehold | 5,198 sq ft | Guide £7 million James Morrison Savills Wimbledon 020 3468 0104 jmorrison@savills.com

Robert Holmes Wimbledon Village 020 8131 2983

savills

savills.co.uk

Impeccably Designed Home Finstock Road, London W10 Portobello Road: 0.8 miles With a wealth of living and entertaining space, this sensational home has been extended both into the loft and with a spacious and light lower floor. Open plan reception/kitchen/dining room, 5 bedrooms (2 en suite), further bathroom, shower room and cloakroom. EPC = E Freehold | 2,899 sq ft | Guide £4.5 million Danielle Kersh Savills Notting Hill 020 3883 7405 danielle.kersh @savills.com

Keith Rigby Rigby & Marchant 020 7221 7210 keith@rigbyandmarchant.co.uk

savills

savills.co.uk

LONDON LIFE

CULTURE MAYFAIR

Covid restrictions permitting, you could attend a different cultural event almost every day in Mayfair, spanning from the Arts (the Royal Academy) and history (the Society of Antiquaries), to science (the Royal Institution and the Faraday Museum; the Royal Astronomical Society and the Geological Society) and music (Handel & Hendrix in London, plus countless live music venues). ‘A sense of history and charm is hard to avoid [in Mayfair],’ says Alexander Millett of the eponymous property consul.

BEST IN SHOW

A side effect of the pandemic has been a rise in interest for country living, but with theatres, exhibition venues and restaurants fully re-opened, London is exerting its appeal. Carla Passino has the pick of the best areas to live

SHOPPING MARYLEBONE

Quiet, sophisticated and studded with independent boutiques, Marylebone is the antithesis to Oxford Street. Shops here range from the chic (Rixo, Sophie Hulme, Matches Fashion) to the stalwarts (The Conran Shop, Anthropologie, Space NK), the quirky (the Koibird concept store, with its changing collections, Gallery Eclectic, with its Japanese ceramic art, or VV Rouleaux, with its whimsical haberdashery) and the traditional (Daunt Books’ Edwardian store and Penton’s hardware, Marylebone Lane’s oldest shop). The weekly Farmers’ Market is the perfect place to source everything from the plumpest tomatoes to traditional English roses.

SWIMMING HAMPSTEAD AND HIGHGATE

It takes a brave heart, but open-air swimming is an invigorating experience and, for devotees, there’s no better place in London than Hampstead Heath, which has not one, but two open-air swimming options. Opened in 1938, the Parliament Hill Lido’s unheated pool is accessible 365 days a year, although those who prefer wild swimming head to Hampstead Heath Ponds. The Mixed Pond is on the Hampstead side of the Heath; the Gentlemen and Ladies Ponds are both on the Highgate side. Once you’ve dried off, you have all the many draws of Hampstead and Highgate within reach.

CLI325.ll_where_buy.indd 44

30/09/2021 13:51

LONDON LIFE

BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS HACKNEY AND HOXTON

Both cosmopolitan, exciting and creative, Hackney and Hoxton are perfect for younger Londoners—they have art aplenty (Hundred Years Gallery, A-Side B-Side), great restaurants, pubs and cocktail bars (Colours Hoxton, The Ginger Pig Café, Marksman, E5 Bakehouse, P. Franco, the hilariously named My Neighbours the Dumplings, and, for vegans, Temple of Seitan), markets (Hoxton Street market, Mare Street, Victorian Broadway) and multipurpose spaces, such as the Hackney Empire, for cabaret, dance, drama, music and even opera, or the Queen of Hoxton for eating, drinking, clubbing, theatre, films and a spot of outdoor Prosecco. The Burberry outlet in Chatham Place is ideal for presents, too.

FOOD

BERMONDSEY Once best known for its antiques market, Bermondsey has become the capital’s gourmet hub. Its food markets (plural) have everything to rival nearby Borough, whether it’s the weekend offering of arepas, gyozas and jamón at Maltby Street, charcuterie, oysters and ice-cream sandwiches at Druid Street Market, or the pastas, pizzas and rum shacks at Vinegar Yard. All this— together with the offerings of myriad restaurants (such as Casse-Croûte), cafes (Watch House, Hej) and tapas bar and restaurants (José, Pizarro) that line the local streets—provides muchneeded sustenance to tackle the Beer Mile, a crawl of the craft brewery bars around Druid Street, Enid Street and Almond Road.

PART-TIME LONDONERS CHELSEA AND KNIGHTSBRIDGE

Those who spend only part of their time in London often prefer to have the thrills of city life on their doorstep and neither Chelsea nor Knightsbridge disappoint. The shopping, whether on King’s Road, Sloane Square, Sloane Street or Brompton Road, is some of the best in London, as are the spas (Ushvani, Spa de la Mer, Bulgari, Mandarin Oriental, Bamford Haybarn at the Berkeley and the Lanesborough Club and Spa) and restaurants—counting only the Michelinstarred ones, Chelsea has Claude Bosi at Bibendum, The Five Fields, Elystan Street, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay; Knightsbridge has Céleste, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Marcus and, on the border with Belgravia, Pétrus and Amaya. There’s a wide selection of events, too, whether the Chelsea Flower Show, exhibitions at the Saatchi Gallery or the Harrods sales.

INTERNATIONAL ATMOSPHERE SOUTH KENSINGTON

You can visit at least half a dozen countries without ever leaving South Kensington. Explore Chinese ceramics, sculpture and paintings at the V&A Museum, discover Polish culture and food at Ognisko Polskie and Daquise, or enjoy a Russian-style spa session at the South Kensington Club (beware the icy water). Brush up on your German at the Goethe-Institut or have a beer and schnitzel at Stein’s Berlin; sample tapas at Brindisa ahead of enjoying the Spring Weekend and London Spanish Film Festivals at Ciné Lumière or watch

a French classic (also at Ciné Lumière), before tucking into an éclair at Maitre Choux or popping into the Librairie La Page for a novel. ‘South Kensington has always been considered a very cosmopolitan and international area, but the borough is particularly popular with French buyers, so much so that it is sometimes referred to as “little Paris”,’ says Tristan Garton of Dexters. And for truly international families (or the truly French), the Lycée Charles de Gaulle offers a choice of French Baccalauréat and A-levels.

CLI325.ll_where_buy.indd 45

30/09/2021 13:51

LONDON LIFE

LIFE ALFRESCO RICHMOND

If you hanker for urban greenery, Richmond is the place to be. Richmond Park has 2,500 acres of grasslands, trees, fungi and wildflowers brimming with deer, birds, bats and butterflies, but the town also has the vast Old Deer Park, with its sports pitches, tennis courts, outdoor gym and the Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club, the Green, framed by Maids of Honour Row, and scenic Thames-side walks north towards Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and south towards Ham House (via the Petersham Meadows). All the trappings of alfresco living are also available, from three excellent ice-cream parlours (Danieli, Amorino and Venchi) to riverside dining and drinking (Gaucho, Stein’s, The White Cross).

PROFESSIONAL COUPLES SHOREDITCH

NOTTING HILL

Whether you are looking for quirky independent shops (People’s Sound Records, The Cloth Shop), Instagram-perfect streets (Lancaster Road, Elgin Crescent, Denbigh Terrace) or a strong community, few places can compete with Notting Hill for urban lifestyle. ‘[It] is a blend of the very best that London has to offer,’ believes Arthur Lintell of Knight Frank. ‘A village within a city, rich in counter culture, history, colour and beautiful architecture at every turn, from the secret communal gardens and green spaces to the exquisite local cafes, antique shopping and world-class restaurants.’ Not to mention a certain film bearing its name.

BEST FOR FAMILIES DULWICH AND MUSWELL HILL

It’s a tie between Dulwich and Muswell Hill, both of which have parks, boating lakes, an array of local shops, good transport, a great selection of pretty family homes—and a crop of excellent schools. Muswell Hill has four outstanding primaries (Muswell Hill, Rhodes Avenue, St James’s Church of England and Coldfall), plus Fortismere and, among the independents, top-performing Highgate and Channing. Dulwich has several well-regarded independents (Dulwich Prep, Dulwich College, Alleyn’s Junior and senior schools, Rosemead Prep, Oakfield Prep, James Allen’s Prep and Girls’ School), as well as the outstanding Dulwich Hamlet Junior School, Dulwich Village Church of England Infants’ School, Rosendale and Harris Primary Academy, plus The Charter School North Dulwich, Kingsdale Foundation School, Harris Boys and Harris Girls.

Getty; Alamy

BEST ALL-ROUNDER

For couples looking for a great place to enjoy life after a day’s work and at the weekend, Shoreditch is hard to beat. It has countless bars and pubs for an evening drinks crawl, great restaurants, cafes and street food (The Clove Club, The BikeShed Motorcycle Club, Trattoria Gloria, The Old Blue Last, Bar Kick, most places at Boxpark), cinemas and performing-arts venues (Rich Mix Arts Centre, Shoreditch Town Hall) and quirky, independent shops and vintage markets (pretty much anywhere on Brick Lane)—plus it feels like living in an open-air museum, thanks to the extraordinary production of street art that graces the area’s walls.

CLI325.ll_where_buy.indd 46

30/09/2021 13:51

Parkgate Road, SW11 £2,000,000

For sale, an exceptional house of circa 1,784 sq ft providing accommodation over four floors on the corner of Parkgate and Anhalt roads, one of North Battersea’s premier addresses close to Battersea Park and Albert Bridge. End of Terrace / Kitchen / Dining Room / Sitting Room / Drawing Room / Master Bedroom Floor (Comprising Bedroom and Bathroom) / Two Further Double Bedrooms / Shower Room / Laundry / Garden

instagram /radstockproperty

LONDON LIFE

LOCAL HEROES

Reliable, familiar, affordable: everyone needs an excellent neighbourhood restaurant right now–and they need us. Emma Hughes picks her favourites

ONDON is not a city,’ Mark Twain wrote in his 1896 autobiography. ‘It is 50 villages massed solidly together over a vast stretch of territory.’ As well as a pub, green space and at least one bafflingly irregular bus service, every village needs somewhere excellent to eat. Whether you’ve been living in the capital for years or merely spend your working hours there, the chances are you eat in London as a whole: brunch at a new opening in Soho, a working lunch at an old favourite in the City, dinner on the South Bank or Borough Market before the train home. Ever since the days of grand 18th-century supper clubs at tables in the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, eating out has meant going out to eat, a kind of miniature holiday within the city walls. In these unusual times, the pleasures of the usual can’t be overestimated—sitting

Illustrations by Polly Crossman at the same table, ordering the same thing, chatting with the same familiar faces. If the essence of hospitality is knowing what somebody wants before they themselves know they want it, where could be better placed to provide it than somewhere you’ve been going for years because it’s right on your doorstep? In other words, a neighbourhood restaurant. Restaurants that deal in shorthands for neighbour(hood)liness—chummy menu copy, sharing plates, hashtags everywhere—are 10 a penny. The real deal is harder to find. What are the tells? First, the restaurant needs to have been open for long enough to put down roots. This doesn’t have to mean decades, a year is a long time in the London food world. The cooking, obviously, has to be reasonably priced and reliably good, but not so rarefied that you feel you have to dress up for it (unless you want to, of course). Like one of the Lyons Corner Houses of old, its menu should have the reassuring predictability of a catechism, with the occasional surprise thrown in. Looks-wise, authenticity is paramount: no mood-boarded colour schemes or painstakingly painted plaster-effect walls, please. Finally, it should be a welcoming prospect for walk-ins and those who, for whatever reason, are dining solo. All of the restaurants listed below fit the bill admirably. Of course, a place can tick all of these boxes without actually being a neighbourhood restaurant. The most important thing, the thing that makes the difference, is the people (what else is a village made of?). Unlike big chains, the best neighbourhood places tend not to have a fast staff turnover, which means you can build up a real relationship with the frontof-house team. In a city of nine million souls,

there are few nicer feelings than being brought a frosted glass of something chilled without even having to ask for it. Heaven on earth. The economic climate is only going to get more challenging for independent restaurants —in March next year, the moratorium on the forfeiture of commercial leases finally comes to an end, at which point the true impact of the past 18 months on so many small businesses will become apparent. When it comes to neighbourhood favourites, we really do need to use them or lose them. Here’s to London’s local heroes: long may they make one of the world’s largest cities feel like home. Jikoni, Marylebone (left) Billed as a ‘no-borders kitchen’, Ravinder Bhogal’s jewel-box restaurant off Marylebone High Street serves dishes inspired by Asia, the Middle East and Africa in the warmest and most welcoming atmosphere imaginable. Its community spirit is embodied by its ‘Civilised Sundays’ series, in which speakers such as Claudia Roden give a talk before a shared feast. 19–21, Blandford Street, W1, nearest tube Baker Street (www.jikonilondon.com) The Italian Greyhound, Mayfair (right) It might be an arancini’s throw from Park Lane, but this stylish new spot is a world

CLI325.ll_restaurants.indd 48

28/09/2021 15:36

LONDON LIFE

CLI325.ll_restaurants.indd 49

28/09/2021 15:36

LONDON LIFE

away from W1’s snootier offerings. A generous menu of Italian favourites—chickpea panelle, ricotta ravioli, Ligurian olive-oil cake with grilled peaches—hits the spot whether you’re stopping off on your way home from work or settling in for the night. The upstairs bar is especially well appointed; if you’re feeling bold, ask for a Sicilian, a savourysweet cocktail made with smoked scamorzawashed bourbon, porcini and walnut. 62, Seymour Street, W1, nearest tube Marble Arch (www.theitaliangreyhound.co.uk) Sambal Shiok, Holloway Although Londoners flock to Holloway Road from all over the city for bowls of Sambal Shiok’s laksa, it has kept its focus northwards, providing lunch boxes for locals and keeping plenty of seats for walk-ins. Malaysian chef-owner Mandy Yin has put together a superb (and superb value) menu featuring moreish potato curry puffs, fried chicken, rice bowls and pandan cake. 171, Holloway Road, N7, nearest tube Holloway Road (www.sambalshiok.co.uk) Café Deco, Bloomsbury (below) One of this summer’s most anticipated new openings has already slotted into the rhythms of Bloomsbury life: witness the office workers popping in for potted shrimp and toast as a Friday treat and the publishing lunches that turn into dinners. Chef Anna Tobias made her name at Rochelle Canteen and has launched Café Deco in partnership with the team behind 40 Maltby Street, so expect unfussy,

but spectacular ingredient-led dishes, such as chard and feta pie and slow-braised lamb. 43, Store Street, WC1, nearest tube Goodge Street (www.cafe-deco.co.uk) Colbert, Chelsea (above) All Corbin & King restaurants are supremely hospitable, but Colbert is the one that feels most like a neighbourhood spot. From eight until late, it serves an unstuffy menu of French bistro favourites to the sort of pavement table you want to linger at with a succession of small, strong coffees. Speaking about Sloane Square, Jeremy King once said he wanted to build ‘a restaurant that feels like it has always been there’, which Colbert certainly does. 50–52, Sloane Square, SW1, nearest tube Sloane Square (www.colbert chelsea.com) Westerns Laundry, Highbury After a spell in lockdown as London’s most bouji mini-market, Westerns is back and better than ever. The high-ceilinged, candlelit room—a former laundry, as the name suggests—echoes with the popping of pet-nat corks and the clatter of cutlery on perfect sharing plates of seafood. Always worth the walk to Drayton Park. 34, Drayton Park, N5, nearest tube Highbury & Islington (www.westernslaundry.com) Bar Crispin, Soho If you were teleported straight into this place, you’d never guess it was right in the middle

of touristy Carnaby Street. A new venture from the team behind Shoreditch’s Crispin (itself a faultless neighbourhood restaurant), it’s a friendly, all-day affair that’s big on natural wines and small, thoughtful plates: native oysters, pig’s head terrine, Cornish mids with black garlic and a tart of the day. 19, Kingly Street, W1, nearest tube Oxford Circus (www.barcrispin.com) Stockwell Continental, Stockwell (left) Three years after it opened on South Lambeth Road, this warm and welcoming Italian from the team behind The Canton Arms is at the heart of the community. The wood-fired oven turns out enormous, generously topped pizzas from Tuesday to Sunday (there’s a special breakfast one at the weekend), and sitting out at one of the pavement tables with a Campari spritz and a plate of home-baked focaccia is one of south London living’s greatest pleasures. Come more than once and they’ll remember you. 169, South Lambeth Road, SW8, nearest tube Stockwell (www.stockwellcontinental.com) 400 Rabbits, Elephant & Castle Londoners are still on the fence about the in-progress Elephant Park development, but this enormously fun and friendly pizzeria should go a long way to making it feel more homely. With £4 negronis (surely London’s best-value cocktail?), tear-andshare Marmite garlic bread and a selection

CLI325.ll_restaurants.indd 50

28/09/2021 15:36

QUEENS ROAD, RICHMOND, TW10 GUIDE PRICE

£4,750,000 FREEHOLD

[5 bedrooms] [study/bedroom 6] [gorgeous garden] [3600 sq ft ] Built in the Dutch style and originally known as Park Villas West, this landmark row of houses is well known in Richmond for its uniformed design, set-back from the road behind gated entrances with parking for several vehicles. EPC D 020 3930 4278

RICHMOND@HAMPTONS.CO.UK

HAMPTONS.CO.UK

LONDON LIFE

of sourdough pizzas full of flair for less than £10, this is a joyful place to have on your doorstep. 16a, Ash Avenue, SE17, nearest tube Elephant & Castle (www.400rabbits.co.uk) Sinabro, Battersea With only a handful of tables and the rest of the seating around the kitchen counter, dinner at this south-west London favourite feels like being invited round to a very stylish friend’s house for a meal. Co-owners (and husband and wife) Sujin and Yoann serve a French-Korean set menu that changes every fortnight, plus a carefully chosen wine pairing —the fresh bread with seaweed butter and the matcha rice pudding are the stuff of legend. 28, Battersea Rise, SW11, nearest station Clapham Junction (www.sinabro.co.uk) Milk Beach, Queen’s Park Tucked away at the end of a pretty cobbled mews, this day-to-night Australian-owned restaurant and bar does it all. Coffee and a doughnut first thing? The pastries come from St John. Weekend brunch? Expect the likes of Clarence Court scrambled eggs and Vietnamese curried crab on a homemade crumpet. Wine tastings? All the bottles are from independent producers whose stories the owners admire. After dark, the twinkling lights come out, turning it into one of west London’s most low-key magical spots. 19–21, Lonsdale Road, NW6, nearest tube Queen’s Park (www.milkbeach.com) Towpath Cafe, Haggerston (below) Right on the water, this lovely, casual little spot has long been the best place along the Regent’s Canal for breakfast, brunch and lunch, serving the likes of Turkish eggs with sourdough, anchovy and mozzarella-stuffed courgette flowers, whipped cod’s roe and freshly baked cakes. It’s now open for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays and watching the sun set with a glass of rosé as you peruse the daily changing blackboard menu is what dreams are made of. You can’t book, so get there early or late. 42, De Beauvoir Crescent, N1, nearest station Haggerston (www.towpathlondon.com)

CLI325.ll_restaurants.indd 52

Chishuru, Brixton After her sell-out series of supper clubs showcasing contemporary West African cooking, award-winning chef Joké Bakare launched Chishuru in Brixton in August 2020. It’s hard to believe that her first restaurant has only been open for a year: it already feels as if it’s been on Coldharbour Lane forever, with a devoted local fan base as well as admirers from all over the city. From fermented rice balls and fritters to sharing plates of slow-cooked goat shoulder, the menu lends itself to any occasion, day or night. 9, Market Row, Coldharbour Lane, SW9, nearest tube Brixton (www.chishuru.com) Orasay, Notting Hill (right)) Notting Hill might have a reputation among foodies for being all chia seeds and green juices, but locals know that’s nonsense—and Orasay proves it. Jackson Boxer’s second restaurant (Vauxhall’s hugely popular Brunswick House was the first) is inspired by the Western Isles and focuses on fish and seafood: think Isle of Mull diver scallops, celeriac, shiitake mushroom and vin jaune, wood-grilled monkfish with smoked bone-marrow bordelaise and fried haddock sandwich with pickled cucumber and tartare sauce at lunchtimes. 31, Kensington Park Road, W11, nearest tube Ladbroke Grove (www.orasay.london) Silk Road, Camberwell It’s impossible to have a bad meal at this local legend, which specialises in punchy, many-layered dishes from the north-western Chinese region of Xinjiang. Expect lamb

griddled over charcoal on skewers, wide-belt noodles with homemade chilli oil, aromatic shredded potato, home-style aubergine and dumplings with plenty more chilli oil and vinegar for dipping. 49, Camberwell Church Street, SE5, nearest station Denmark Hill (020–7703 4832) Kudu Grill, Peckham Amy Corbin and Patrick Williams’s fourth South African site in Peckham might be their best looking—and most local—yet. Openfire braai, or barbecue, cooking is the thing here, with many of the ingredients coming from the couple’s allotments nearby. Look out for the grilled potato flatbread with lardo and wild garlic and the duck terrine with biltong scratchings. 57 Nunhead Lane, SE15, nearest station Nunhead (www.kudu collective.com) Singburi, Leytonstone This family-run Thai restaurant on Leytonstone High Road can be harder to get a table at than The Wolseley in normal times (it is currently takeaway only, check Instagram for changes). The blackboard specials, posted on its Instagram page daily, represent some of the most delicious and exciting cooking in the city—their popularity is such that, if you want to make sure you get to try them, you should call ahead and let them know. The moo krob (crispy pork belly with chilli and Thai basil), squid with garlic chives, quail jungle curry and strawberry-watermelon salad are all unmissable. 593, Leytonstone High Road, E11, nearest tube Leytonstone (Instagram, @singburi_e11)

28/09/2021 15:36

WESTGROVE LANE, SE10 £2,250,000 FREEHOLD

[5 bedrooms] [3 bathrooms] [4 receptions] A stunning Victorian Townhouse situated in a quiet private road in excellent decorative order and providing outstanding living and outdoor space including an incredible roof terrace with panoramic London views. Located within moments of Greenwich Park and Greenwich Market. EPC D 020 3918 7641

GREENWICH@HAMPTONS.CO.UK

HAMPTONS.CO.UK

LONDON LIFE

Changing times A lot has altered in the past 18 months and plenty for the better. Jo Rodgers looks at life before and after lockdown in London Uber Spinning at Psycle Pub crawl in Bermondsey A red eye from Heathrow Pret’s egg and spinach protein pot Dinner and a film Buying travel insurance Eating pizza in Naples A regular brunch spot Learning to ski Texting your mum Starting a new job Stocking your drinks trolley Breakfast in bed Wondering whether to get a fringe Saving for a wrist watch Spa going Driving home from France with a case of grower Champagne Brogues from Jermyn Street Fleabag People watching A proposal on a deserted island Destination weddings Upgrading your jewellery Sending roses Joining a gym Peggy Porschen cupcakes Mid-century modern Skinny jeans A YouTube smokey-eye tutorial Blow drying Reorganising your wardrobe Avocado toast Intermittent fasting Playlists Netflix Keeping your end up

AFTER Lime e-bike Wild swimming on Hampstead Heath Wine-and-cheese barge tour on Regent’s Canal The 6.37am train from Paddington to Penzance Pret coffee subscription Deliveroo and three episodes of Ted Lasso Buying art Eating pizza from Homeslice A regular picnic spot Learning to knit FaceTiming your mum Starting a new business Stocking your tea caddy A sunrise walk over Primrose Hill Wondering whether to get a fringe Saving for a Peloton Forest bathing Driving home from Sussex with a case of English Sparkling Hiking boots from Vivobarefoot Schitt’s Creek Bird watching A proposal at your kitchen island Destination gardens Upgrading your desk chair Growing roses Joining a library The Connaught Patisserie’s chocolate hound Chintz-on-chintz Elasticated waistbands A YouTube dishwasher-repair tutorial Air drying Reorganising your spice cupboard A jumper from Toast Meditating Podcasts Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Apple TV+ and so on Keeping your chin up

Alamy; Getty

BEFORE

CLI325.ll_old_new.indd 56

28/09/2021 15:37

Vicarage Gate, Kensington, W8

Price £23,000,000 | Freehold

/struttandparker

@struttandparker

struttandparker.com

Over 50 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.

LONDON LIFE

STRICTLY

BALLROOM 90 years after it first opened, the ballroom at Claridge’s hotel has been restored to its former Art Deco glory. Jo Rodgers takes to the dance floor Photographs by Daniel Gould

CLI325.ll_claridges.indd 58

28/09/2021 15:36

LONDON LIFE

CLI325.ll_claridges.indd 59

28/09/2021 15:36

LONDON LIFE

N the autumn of 1931, invitations went out for a housewarming at Claridge’s. It was a mild Tuesday in November and guests arrived at the private entrance on Brook Street in the glittering Mayfair dark. The British Porcelain Ball began fashionably at 10pm (supper at 11:30pm; buffet at 12:30am; carriages at 3:00am) and it was the inaugural event in the hotel’s newly built Art Deco ballroom. The extension had been beneath a pile of proverbial bricks and dust, overseen by the architect Oswald Milne, for two years. By the time it was finished, the Great Depression had flattened the effervescence of the 1920s, making the antics of the Bright Young Things at parties such as this one—idealised in the past decade—look like so many boondoggles against a backdrop of mass unemployment. But this evening was in aid of the National Birthday Trust Fund and, beneath a silverleafed ceiling, amid green columns and sharply cut, mirrored walls designed by artist Walter Gilbert, Society ladies spun in a rehearsed ballet, gamely dressed as porcelain figurines.

Claridge’s itself launched the space with a light hand. A press release lingers on the new heating system (‘much superior to the old type of radiator’) and ends with a line about ‘perfect’ ventilation. It calls the now-iconic decoration as ‘interesting and sanely modern’. A reputation for insouciant fun got around. At cricketer Sir Julien Cahn’s bon voyage party in 1933, the floor was covered in artificial grass and servers wore cricket whites—a blackand-white photograph shows one of them pretending to bat. In 1954, the Irish inventor Harry Ferguson drove a tractor through the ballroom to show off for reporters and, the year before, Audrey Hepburn cut the cake at a party in her honour wearing wrist-length white gloves, grinning, her hair still gamineshort for her role in Roman Holiday. Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales sent out silver-bordered invitations to their wedding reception in 1981 and served 400 guests scrambled eggs and kedgeree for supper. In 1987, The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh held an under-the-radar dinner for their 40th wedding anniversary, celebrated a month after the real date, in the same room. In December 2019, a scheme of restoration was begun as part of works at Claridge’s that include a five-storey subterranean plunge

Alamy

‘Beneath a silver-leafed ceiling amid mirrored walls, Society ladies spun in a rehearsed ballet’

CLI325.ll_claridges.indd 60

28/09/2021 15:37

LONDON LIFE

Alamy

Every detail, from the grand foyer (preceding pages) to the cornices and doors and the ballroom itself (above right) speaks of glamour

beneath the listed building that will unearth, among other things, a spa, pool, and cinemas, due to finish in 2022. Blair Associates Architecture was brought in to oversee the work in the ballroom, but, with lockdown, the 1930s reproduction wall lights stayed off until August this year—the hotel’s busiest month in two centuries—for the wedding of a Londonbased couple. Both the bride’s and the groom’s parents had also been married at Claridge’s. This recent refurbishment has as much riding on it as the ballroom in 1931. Christopher Hussey, writing for this magazine in 1932, said that ‘a hotel, especially one such as Claridge’s, with a long-standing reputation, is not a place for experiment or eccentricity’. Any changes are made in the context of a canonised history, lashed to the Champagne-fuelled memories of people who went there to celebrate the big moments—people such as those two sets of parents in August. How not to disappoint? The architects began in the hotel archives and with plate photography from the RIBA, ferreting as much information as they could about the original design. A string of adaptations—a dropped ceiling here, a 1980s postmodern makeover there—had muddied the Art Deco vision of Milne, so the object was

to take the ballroom back to its beginnings, incorporating the work of a handful of new artists and a few technological improvements. Removing plasterboard in the foyer, the architects found an ornate rooflight of the 1930s by the Birmingham Guild. The glass was broken, but the geometric sunrays and clouds were intact. The craft metalworkers Rathbanna came in to restore the framing and Sterling Studios replaced the shattered glazing. The cascades of rectangular mirrors in the ballroom were also reconstructed by Sterling and the artist Emma Peascod was commissioned to create a new eglomise mirror in the entryway, decorated with the nipped silhouettes of women who had attended some of the most significant events in the ballroom, including the British Porcelain Ball. Around the corner, the designer Bryan O’Sullivan restored the Painter’s Room: a sweet slip of a pocket-bar from the 1930s that had become, variously, a hallway and a place for plating food. Mr O’Sullivan doused it in shades of pink and installed a bar carved from shellcoloured onyx. The artist Annie Morris was asked to create a stained-glass window and the work she contributed is inspired by the kind of loose sketch someone might make

when sitting on a stool with a drink. It nods to the perennial symbiosis of artists and bars. The 30 green columns in the ballroom are silver now and glint above a black and cream carpet inspired by the work of textile designer Marion Dorn, who provided all the carpets during the first Art Deco build. Overhead lighting is tucked behind dropped cornices in the three-tiered ceiling, keeping the illumination unfocused and buttery—wizardry borrowed from the earlier ballroom. Hussey noticed it in the 1930s too: ‘[The ballroom] is an outstanding instance of a gay effect obtained by imaginative but simple means,’ he wrote. ‘The silvered ceiling is shaped to accommodate the concealed lighting, which produces a very pleasant diffused light.’ Details about the ventilation have been left off the press release this time, but extensive sound-insulating above the ballroom ceiling has been carried out. Apparently, the noise was so deafening before that, during the more exuberant discos, no one could sleep in the bedrooms upstairs. People in pyjamas had to be packed up and moved or offered conciliatory discounts. This has been remedied, to the relief of whoever has the graveyard shift at reception. Let the band play on. 61

CLI325.ll_claridges.indd 61

28/09/2021 15:37

LONDON LIFE

Where is home in London? On the borders of Primrose Hill and Camden Town. I bought my first flat in Gloucester Crescent in 1994 and it was an amazing time, because Jonathan Miller was there, Alan Bennett, Alice Thomas Ellis, Max StaffordClark—the ‘Lady in the Van’ had only died a few years before. Every day you saw Mr Bennett cycling off to Marks & Spencer to buy his supper. Then I moved about 250 yards across the railway tracks. I’m on the top of a 1960s block with a view over Regent’s Park and greenery and trees, if you crane your neck.

‘My favourite theatre is The Coliseum, so beautiful and grand’ How has it felt to see live audiences back at concerts? To be there on the First Night of the Proms and since, across the season, to hear the buzz of conversation, that wonderful moment of anticipatory silence when the conductor comes on and we’re waiting for the downbeat… then the roar of applause at the end, it was hard not to shed a tear. It is human nature to cheer when you’ve heard something amazing and we had been silenced from doing that. What are your favourite music venues in London? I’ve become slightly lazy about the whole business of dressing up to go to countryhouse opera, wonderful as it is, because we have our own wonderful festival at Opera Holland Park. The quality and the ambition of the range of repertoire that [director] James Clutton puts on is really quite remarkable.

The roar of applause at the First Night of the Proms stirs emotions for Petroc Trelawny

The Radio 3 Breakfast presenter talks to Flora Watkins about living in Primrose Hill and his favourite post-Proms tipple T H E C A P I TA L A C C O R D I N G T O ...

Petroc Trelawny My favourite theatre is The Coliseum; it’s Frank Matcham at his peak, so beautiful and grand and sumptuous. My first opera experiences were going to performances by the English National Opera. I really believe in the company’s policy of opera in English, I think it breaks down so many barriers. Where do you go to eat afterwards? Before lockdown, I used to go to Joe Allen, WC2. The food was never the thing you went there for—you went because it was theatrical and you knew all the waiters and fabulous Debbie on the front desk, and it was open late. A place I always go to after the Proms is Ognisko, the restaurant in the Polish Hearth Club on Exhibition Road, SW7. My favourite thing is meeting a friend there, having

a couple of Luksusowa potato vodka martinis, served straight up with a twist, and a few dishes of dumplings. My nearest restaurant of choice is Soutine, NW8, on the other side of Primrose Hill. It’s part of the Corbin and King empire; it has the best steak frites in London and a wonderful chicken Riesling, which, with a portion of chips, is simply the finest thing. Where do you shop? Lamb’s Conduit Street, WC1, seems somehow to have maintained a charm and a parade of useful and interesting shops that is hard to find elsewhere in London. I love Daunt’s [Marylebone High Street, W1] and the woodlined travel gallery near the back. Ortigia, on the same street, is a super place for presents.

Alamy; Jude Edginton

What is your morning routine? When I get up at 4.40am, I have a mixture of 50% Irish Breakfast/50% Lapsang, which I buy in brown paper bags from the Algerian Coffee Stores [52, Old Compton Street, W1]. There’s something so pleasant about the ritual of the tea being measured out. It takes me 10 minutes to cycle to Broadcasting House. I’m obsessive about the Santander cycles; when they opened a rank of bikes just across the road from me, it sort of changed my life. London’s cycle lanes get better and better. You also get a kind of taxi driver’s ‘Knowledge’, so I have all my own routes. If I’m going west to the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, I can cycle through Regent’s Park and Hyde Park, which is such a treat.

CLI325.ll_interview.indd 62

28/09/2021 15:38

“Once you have a building opposite Buckingham Palace... that speaks for itself. Everything we’ve done has set itself at the highest possible quality and standard, to live up to its address.” Michael Squire Partner at Squire & Partners

With 72 individual apartments sitting amongst five distinctive architectural styles, No. 1 Palace Street more than lives up to its remarkable address. Masterfully connecting the present to the past, it is a breath-taking journey through the architectural history of London. From the stunning restoration of the Palace Street Hotel with views towards the gardens of Buckingham Palace, to the contemporary façade by acclaimed architects Squire & Partners, these five buildings arranged around a central courtyard become one for the first time — made possible by the extraordinary commitment and expertise of Northacre, masters in restoration for over 30 years. Complemented by exclusive residents’ facilities, access to an enviable lifestyle and surrounded by London’s Royal Parks, the renaissance of this unique site is nearing completion.A work of art 200 years in the making. COMPLETING THIS YEAR. REGISTER YOUR INTEREST FOR A PRIVATE VIEWING. * APARTMENTS FROM £2,350,000**

A DEVELOPMENT BY

CONTACT

enquiries@northacre.com +44 (0) 207 349 8000 numberonepalacestreet.com

*Subject to pre-qualification. **Prices correct at time of publication.

LONDON’S FINEST ADDRESS

No.1

Grade l listed Nash residence is the pre-eminent house and mews property in London, offering superb family, guest and staff accommodation, right in the heart of Regent’s Park.

Hanover Terrace is situated on the western side of the outer circle and offers a wide range of recreational facilities, including London Zoo, Open Air Theatre, Queen Mary’s Rose Gardens, boating lake and tennis courts. Baker Street station is five minutes’ walk away.

To arrange a viewing, please email Ronel Lehmann, ronel@finito.org.uk or call +44 (0)20 3780 7700 • Approximately 6,727 sq ft • Private garden • Parking for four cars • 24 hour security • Long leasehold c. 111 years

9000

• Price on application