London — my favourite places, my corners, my version of the city

Hi everyone! I’ve been meaning to write properly about London because I’ve visited several times now and somehow never tire of it. My first trip was with school when I was about thirteen. I loved it even then, although I obviously experienced a very different side of the city.

I’ve been back a few times since, including twice within the space of a few months. Greg loves London too, which means we can spend all day walking, try somewhere for dinner, cross town for a shop and do it all again the next morning without either of us complaining. Well, almost.

What I love most is how distinct every neighbourhood feels. Soho can be absolutely heaving and, twenty minutes later, you’re in Hampstead and London looks like a different city. Its little streets, shops and constant buzz sometimes remind me of the Marais, except you’re in north London with Hampstead Heath just around the corner.

So this is a collection of places I’ve actually been to. Some have become regular stops; others are newer finds. I’m not going to pretend I’ve tried all of London — that would be ridiculous — but I can genuinely tell you about these.

Morning in Shoreditch — breakfast at Ozone

Ozone is one of those breakfasts we repeat on nearly every trip. We sit at the counter facing the kitchen, watch every plate go past and immediately reconsider whatever we were planning to order. I’ve had the eggs Benedict on bubble and squeak cakes, and the breakfast bun on another visit. Portions are generous, the coffee is properly good and you can walk for hours afterwards without thinking about lunch.

Open from 7.30am Monday to Friday and from 8.30am at weekends.

📍 11 Leonard Street, EC2A 4AQ — Overground: Shoreditch High Street

I wrote more about it in my guide to breakfast and brunch in London.

Brick Lane — Beigel Bake

Afterwards, we often wander over to Brick Lane and stop at Beigel Bake. It never closes, there’s nearly always a queue at the window, but it moves quickly. You order, collect a still-warm beigel and eat it outside. The prices are remarkably reasonable for London and, best of all, the place hasn’t tried to make itself prettier or trendier than it already is.

I love the sign too. There’s nothing complicated about it: a white background, the name in big blue and red letters, job done. It’s probably been there for years, but you recognise it instantly and I can’t see any reason to replace it with something more modern. That’s something I love about London graphic design : an identity doesn’t need to be elaborate to stay with you. It’s the same in my work as a web designer: I never want to erase what already works simply for the sake of redesigning everything.

155 Brick Lane, E1 6SB — Overground: Shoreditch High Street

Soho — where I eat, shop and wander

Soho is probably where we spend the most time. You can go in for lunch and somehow lose the whole afternoon because there’s a record shop, a shopfront or a bar you hadn’t planned on seeing just next door. It’s also where I’ve tried the most places.

At Polpo, we ordered spaghetti and meatballs with a carafe of red wine. Candles on the tables, a busy dining room and nothing needlessly complicated on the plate. After walking all day, it was exactly what we fancied.

📍 41 Beak Street, W1F 9SB — Central or Bakerloo lines: Oxford Circus

We also went to Rudy's Neapolitan Pizza. The base is thin in the middle, the crust is nicely puffed and the pizza isn’t buried beneath fifteen toppings. It was very good and the place was packed, so we clearly weren’t the only ones with that idea.

📍 80 Wardour Street, W1F 0TF — Central or Bakerloo lines: Oxford Circus

The first time, I went in expecting the Indian dishes I already knew. There was no cheese naan or creamy coconut chicken curry in sight, so we shared several plates and tried things I probably wouldn’t have ordered elsewhere. That’s exactly why we went back.

They also have a branch in Shoreditch — 35–42 Charlotte Road, EC2A 3PB.

📍 12 Denman Street, W1D 7HJ — Bakerloo or Piccadilly Underground: Piccadilly Circus

I have also written a full review of my favourite restaurants in London if you would like all the details.

At Sounds of the Universe, I found As You Were by Liam Gallagher, Definitely Maybe and a limited-edition silver version of Standing on the Shoulders of Giants for the album’s 25th anniversary. Needless to say, the decision didn’t take long. At the back of the shop, a neon reads ‘Music Healing Force of the Universe’. It sums up the place rather well — and, honestly, my relationship with music too.

And whilst I’m on the subject of Liam and Oasis again, I’ve also written about the documentary Don’t Look Back in Anger, which I went to see in Lyon. Yes, I know: we’ve gone from a Soho record shop to a cinema in Lyon, but whenever Oasis is involved, that is a perfectly logical route in my world.

📍 7 Broadwick Street, W1F 0DA — Central line: Oxford Circus

We also dropped by Supreme. I look at the clothes, obviously, but I’m just as interested in the interior, the walls of skate decks and the installations. This time, an enormous sculpture was hanging above us, so I probably photographed the ceiling more than the collection.

Open Monday to Saturday from 11 am, Sunday from 12 pm.

2/3 Peter Street, W1F 0AA — London Underground: Oxford Circus

Adidas — obviously I had to go in. A whole section was dedicated to the Oasis x Adidas collection released for the 2025 tour. Whenever I think of London, one song immediately comes back to me: Live Forever. If you know, you know.

425 Oxford Street, W1C 2PG — Underground: Bond Street or Oxford Circus

Ronnie Scott's, was the jazz night I’d been wanting in Soho. The club has been there since 1959, the tables are tucked tightly around the stage and people genuinely come to listen. For a drink with a completely different mood, I’ve also written about my evening at SOMA, Soho’s hidden bar.

Open every evening from 5.30pm.

47 Frith Street, W1D 4HT — Underground Northern Line: Leicester Square

Tate Modern — and London’s free museums

One of the best things about London is that many of its major museums are free.

Tate Modern, the National Gallery, the British Museum and the V&A all have free permanent collections. It still feels incredibly generous.

You need time at Tate Modern because I always end up standing in front of one work far longer than planned. You move from Andy Warhol to Dalí, then into a room devoted to something you hadn’t even heard of five minutes earlier. That’s how I found Vorticism, an angular early twentieth-century British movement somewhere between Cubism, Futurism and Art Deco — exactly what I discuss in my article about art beyond museum walls, and images that do not need to be explained to stay with you.

That is what I love about London. You walk into somewhere without knowing what you will find and leave with a completely new idea in your head.

Open daily from 10 am.

📍 Bankside, SE1 9TG — Tube Jubilee: Southwark or London Bridge

And yes, I went through the museum shop before leaving. Beautiful photography books, exhibition catalogues and graphic design titles are my downfall. I’ve gathered several of my favourites in my article about my favourite graphic design books.

Hackney — markets, records and books

Hackney sometimes reminds me of the Marais, only with its own London energy. There are small independent shops, antiques, English crockery and books everywhere. I spent ages browsing a little market stall run by a lovely couple selling records, books and all sorts of finds. Naturally, the first thing I noticed was the cover of Liam Gallagher’s C’mon You Know.

That’s also where I found a Janis Joplin record. Her voice gives me goosebumps every time: raw, unusual and instantly recognisable. ‘Ball and Chain’ is still one of my favourite songs. This is the sort of shop where you find original pressings and records you had no intention of buying when you walked in. They also recommended the David Bowie exhibition, but I ran out of time on this trip.

It is the kind of neighbourhood where two hours disappear and you leave carrying something you never planned to buy. Perfect, basically.

📍 Hackney — Overground : Hackney Central

Camden — Modfather

In Camden, I spent ages rummaging through the rails at Modfather. Nothing is arranged simply to make the perfect photograph: you have to look properly, move things around and take your time. That’s how I found a vintage Texas Starter jacket with my name embroidered on it. Of course it came home with me. I tell the whole story in my article about Modfather in Camden.

Open daily from 10 am to 6 pm.

37 The Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AH — Tube Northern Line: Camden Town

Rain Dogs — Bethnal Green

A Guinness at Rain Dogs. There’s usually a small gig on — the sort of pub where live music is part of the deal, rather than a decorative extra. I like ending a day in the East End there, with a pint and whoever happens to be playing that night. If you’re around on a Sunday, it’s also a chance to try Sunday roast, the great British Sunday ritual: roast meat, vegetables and Yorkshire pudding. I wanted to have a proper Sunday roast at least once, so that was one item happily ticked off.

Closed on Mondays.

120 Bethnal Green Road, E2 6DG — Tube: Bethnal Green

Hampstead — when I fancy seeing a different side of London

And then there’s Hampstead in north London. Twenty minutes or so on the Tube from central London and the atmosphere changes completely. Its little streets, shops, cafés and busy pavements sometimes remind me of the Marais, except Hampstead Heath is right on the doorstep. I wrote about Our day in Hampstead in a separate post, with the places where we actually stopped.

The Dover – Mayfair

In Mayfair, we had dinner at The Dover. Heavy curtains, dark wood, low lighting and records spinning behind the bar greet you as soon as you walk in. It feels a little like a 1970s New York restaurant. I spent ages looking at the turntables and the Sade, Grace Jones and Chaka Khan sleeves — and naturally took photographs before I had properly opened the menu.

I had the lasagne, which was very good, while records played behind the bar. The menu sticks to familiar French and Italian classics, and that is precisely why it works: the room is already doing plenty, so the food doesn’t need to show off.

Evenings only — booking advised. Closed Sundays.

33 Dover Street, W1S 4NF — Jubilee or Victoria line to Green Park

Why London feeds my creativity

Looking through the photographs in this post, I realised I shoot plates as often as signs, menus, record sleeves or the lettering on a shopfront. It makes sense: those are often the details I remember best once I’m home.

That eye for detail is part of my work as a web designer too. When I’m creating a website for a hotel, restaurant or brand with Minuit d'Orsay, I always begin with what makes the place recognisable: the colours, the objects, the way people are welcomed, sometimes even a tiny detail on the menu. That’s how you build a website that couldn’t belong to anyone else.

If you run a hotel, restaurant, shop or brand and your identity or website needs another look, you can simply send me a message and tell me about your project.

If you’re planning a trip to London, save this page. I’ll keep adding the places I’ve genuinely tried as I return.