Hidden away in the backstreets of Finsbury Park, I used to share a house opposite this pub, where it assumed the role as our second living room. A real north London gem, I still go there these days for the tree-house-like, leafy terraced beer garden, which is perfect for summer evenings.

Best place to go for simple pasta dishes.

Great beer selection, good food, and the big screen in their beer garden makes the Abbey Tavern my favourite place in London to watch sport

One of my favourite record shop in London! The iconic Rough Trade, in the heart of Ladbroke Grove, just off Portobello Road.

Although off the beaten track from the large national galleries, 198 is no less an important part of London’s artistic heritage. Developed during the social unrest in the Brixton area in the 1980s, 198 has grown from a community arts space into an exciting contemporary visual arts body that is often the first place to see the next rising star of the London art scene.