A slice of Scandi in the heart of London. Great for lunch, with all the meatballs, salads and classic Scandi foods you could want, along with a great little deli shop too.

Quinto sells second-hand books. I spend a lot of time here and have found some inspiring books over the years, both at Quinto and the other shops on this road. Koenig Books on the corner is good for art books, too.

On Burlington Gardens in Mayfair, Cecconi’s is a modern-day classic Italian restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week. Cecconi’s serves handmade pasta, seafood and dishes from Italy using the finest ingredients. The restaurant has outposts in West Hollywood, Miami, Istanbul, Berlin, Barcelona, New York, and Mumbai.

Warm summer nights should be spent in the high grass in Hampstead Heath above the ponds. For midsummer bring herring, snaps and songs and stay until sunrise!

Escape the Eurocentric vortex here.