One of the most special pubs in London, not so much for the place itself but rather for the crowd you will meet there; a mixture of locals, art students, passers by and weirdos. A place to feel at home and share a beer with the staff and/or the landlord (Paul).

This painted of the shopping centre by my brother, Leo Verhoeven, shows a rather idyllic vision of the shopping centre we both share. Its pretty rough, full of budget shops and funny cafes and framed by a shanty town style open air market. I have a real soft spot for it as the classic under dog, thats so often slated and condemned but lives on.

The finest artisan Italian ice cream in the heart of London.

Rotorino is a lovely little Italian, intimate but casual spot in East London. The food is great and when the weather is good - having your wine and pasta outside is nice.

The second coffee shop has to be Kaffeine. Having only recently come across this one, I was certainly impressed and they may even have the best coffee I've had, since a short stay in Portland, Oregon.