One of London's best kept secrets, Spiritual Bar is a small and super welcoming live music bar on a side road near Chalk Farm station. Always somehow busy but not too packed, they play host to most of London's best emerging blues, rock and folk musicians, and owner Raf is the nicest dude you could meet. And makes a serious mojito

This vegetarian south Indian is a bit of a hidden gem, good curry friendly staff very reasonable with bring your own booze doesn’t get much better than that.

Get on the list for tickets and surprise someone who will appreciate the 'village of books' upstairs in particular.

Sometimes when I wake up it feels like I am at sea watching a big ocean liner pass by. It is the view from my home in one of the two stepped concrete apartment blocks that make up the Brunswick Centre in Bloomsbury. When you visit skip the chain stores of the shopping centre below (except for the excellent Renoir Cinema) and instead get an invitation to one of the small but gorgeous flats with their winter gardens or just wander through the spectacular concrete A frames and across the vast sun drenched terraces on podium level.

Great little neighbourhood hangout. Delicious food, good coffee and open evenings Thursday-Saturday. Next to the Sylvanian Family shop!