Two of my favourite activities are reading and eating, so I'm very easily excited by a bookshop and a good restaurant! Here are some that I've come across in London.
READING
Assouline (photo above)
My first visit to this French publishing house was in Paris, where my eyes were on stalks at the gorgeous, glossy coffee table tomes on fashion, lifestyle and travel. Last year Maison Assouline opened a UK branch on Piccaddilly; this time, my eyes were on 'The Spirit of Monte Carlo' and 'French Riviera: Living well was the best revenge'.
196a Piccadilly
W1J 9EY
Stanfords
The picture above does not do justice to the immense collection of travel books, magazines, maps and prints in this wonderful bookstore. The books are grouped by destination, and we're not just talking a measly shelf for each one - I could easily spend a whole day here. I bought a copy of Afar Magazine and a pop-up book on London.
12-14 Long Acre
Nr. Covent Garden, WC2E 9LP
EATING
Nopi
I have to admit, I visited Nopi because a) I'd seen an Instagram of the huge mound of fresh salads, b) it's in a handy location for shopping on Regent Street and c) I always think that Yottam Ottolenghi comes across a lovely guy in interviews and on TV.
I had lamb cutlets with sorrel pesto and vanilla chicory with roasted butternut squash, cardamom yoghurt and roasted pecans - I would never have thought to put these items together in one dish but all of the flavours complemented each other well. For dessert I had rhubarb Eton mess which didn't have the wow factor of the main, but was nevertheless a good way to round off a lovely meal.
The interior of the restaurant is also gorgeous - as above, the bathrooms are pretty amazing, if a little confusing when trying to exit!
21-22 Warwick Street
Soho W1B 5NE
nopi-restaurant.com
Polpo
So... Polpo has been open for several years now and I'm late to the party, but since I went to Venice and had some of the best meals of my life I am pretty enamoured with the concept of cicheti. I started with an Aperol spritz which was right on the mark (though I prefer how they come in Venice: in a large wine glass). I had crab arancini to start and liguini vongole for mains, followed by the flourless chocolate and hazelnut cake for dessert. That sounds like a lot of food, but the portions aren't gigantic and it was just the right amount of food to be able to continue shopping afterwards without falling asleep.
There are now other Polpos across London but Beak Street is the original, and you can read the story of how Polpo started at this location in the brilliant Polpo cookbook.
41 Beak Street
Soho, W1F 9SB
polpo.co.uk
Aubaine
Late last summer I had a very lovely meal at Aubaine: a chilled glass of Rose, squid, lime aioli and coriander to start, then the fish of the day - rainbow trout - with samphire. For dessert, the waiter brought over a trolley of treats and explained what each pretty little piece of patisserie was - I chose a passion fruit tart.
The meal was made even better by perfect service. It's not always fun as a solo diner, but I got just the right level of attention, and instead of being seated in a corner by the bathrooms I got a prime seat in front of the terrace.
260-262 Brompton Road
Brompton Cross, SW3 2AS
aubaine.co.uk
Click here to read my other London posts - and please let me know if you have any other good bookshop or restaurant recommendations up your sleeve!