LONDON

LUCA
Damn, Luca is sexy. Honestly, it just feels like a vintage Ferrari. Food is effortless and so appropriate for this way of thinking: British meets Italian. Anyone who dines here feels attractive and it hints at how a restaurant should just hum…like a Ferrari.
88 St John St, Farringdon, London

SWIFT
This is my kind of cocktail bar. Classic martinis meet creative excellence. The team is just brilliant and they have this very simple quality I like: they want to give you a drink. I know it sounds simple, but it is true and I am happy to give them what they want.
12 Old Compton St, Soho, London

THE CONDUIT
London has no shortage of private member’s clubs. No literally, there are loads (as the Brits say). But The Conduit actually resonates. It is made for those who kind of want to change the world over really exceptional food and actually relevant design and I can’t get enough. God Save The Private Club.
40 Conduit St, Mayfair, London

THE BEAUMONT
This is my kind of hotel. Art deco design and such a stunning restaurant and overall operation, however the devil is in the details. The closet had 7 hangers but I had 9 shirts, they fixed that really quickly and rearranged my clothes to be color coded and sleeves properly pinned to reduce wrinkles. I left a pair of glasses, so they joined them with a proper glasses cloth and all of those pesky iPhone cables, they were tied neatly with Beaumont ribbon. They take on luxury as a challenge and not a given and therefore have earned my perpetual loyalty… again and again for as long as we both shall live.
8 Balderton St, Brown Hart Gardens, Mayfair, London

ST JOHN
In the movie Boomerang, the late John Witherspoon’s character describes how he eats everything from the “rootah to the tootah.” Mr. Fergus Henderson clearly gets it and serves offals better than anybody knows. However, it is the super clean-cut, minimalist design that keeps me inspired, paired with the exceptional team and no-frills approach that makes St. John an institution.
26 St John St, Barbican, London

PERFUMER H
You can ask my ex- but I am a true sucker for scents. I came here to see the shop design which was enough to peak my interest but I left with a total smell redesign. They release their perfumes in collections like a fashion label and I knew I should have stayed with my CK One that I buy at Duty-Free because once you go to Perfumer H, you never go back.
106A Crawford St, Marylebone, London

LYLE'S
Might be the Best of the Best. This joint has the clean lines of a Danish piece of furniture, which I think they have a fair amount of. The bread deserves it’s own fan page but I always give a lot of credit to a minimalist restaurant who practices what they preach. Also, whoever does the wine program may deserve a Nobel prize to be as memorable as James Lowe’s just-about-perfect cuisine.
Tea Bldg, 56 Shoreditch High St, Hackney, London

GYMKHANA
Not getting Indian food in London is like not getting Indian food in Mumbai. Gymkhana does it in a super cool way with impeccable design, cocktails and creative takes on tandoori dishes that you have probably not seen before. We went as a walk-in and talked our way into two good bar seats but I will go back again and again.
42 Albemarle St, Mayfair, London

sketch
Sure, they have this pink tea room that may be the most instagrammed thing on the gram followed by their restrooms. But objectively they take afternoon tea to another level. They are good when they don’t have to be. The food is delicious when it doesn’t have to be. The staff is knowledgable and thoughtful when they don’t have to be either but for me it’s moving to another room that sketch really comes alive. Incredible sound, strong cocktails and the right crowd makes you an idiot for not trying to get in.
9 Conduit St, Mayfair, London

HENRIETTA HOTEL
This one is just my type. Quaint, to the point and just what I need to get by. The hotel has got style with its few rooms and the design is impeccable. It is a lot harder to do less and feel more and Henrietta is just the lady to show me a good time.
14-15 Henrietta St, Covent Garden, London









