A contemporary café, great for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea, on the top floor of Dover Street Market, just of Picadilly Circus.

This is one of the only buildings in London that can lift depression. Each concrete block in the building is hand cast and hand hammered. Certainly the best bannisters in town.

I grew up in Brighton which is full of cheesy bars like this. If you can handle being surrounded by multiple screens playing Kylie at full volume, its pretty much the cheapest bar in central london. The cliental is so varied its great for people watching and completely un pretentious.

The Thames is not traditionally the prettiest river but it has its moments. Here it is turning pink in a sunset this summer. Its the reason the city is here and I like how in moments of real importance it rises to the occasion. For the golden Jubilee the queen floated down it with hundreds of boats, it was an amazing sight, like vikings setting out for battle. Good river spots - North Bank Savoy Gardens, Royal Festival Hall.

By far the best bagels in London, they are open 24 hours and being just down the road from my flat a bit too local. It is run by a man called Mr Sammy, who doesn't muck about with portion size. It is well worth a visit especially for their smoked salmon and cream cheese speciality.