London from a Resident

This is one of the best gastropubs in all of London. Book in advance if you're going at a weekend. This place has some truly talented chefs, and a cavernous dining area (with a vaulted ceiling about 12 feet high) covered entirely on one side by local artist's works.

Try the terrine or scallops as a starter, and the rib-eye steak is also sure to be a good bet. The atmosphere is unforgettable - all types and classes mix in here, and Kevin Spacey has been known to visit.

The staff can be a bit snooty but treat them well and they soon relax. Check your bill before you leave, someone behind the bar has a maths problem (although I've never had a problem when questioning it, even for a party of 9 people).

Enjoy!

The liveliest Indian dining in London. A real ethnic experience, but very safe.

Buy beer and wine from the off-licenses all down the street, and pick a restaurant. It's a mixed bag, but bargains can be had. I negotiated a price of 5 UK pounds per head for a party of 11 people once (for main course and poppadums). Expect a lot of very drunk Londoners looking for a bargain!

During the day there is the excellent Whitechapel Gallery nearby, if you like contemporary art. Not far from Hoxton, the stomping grounds of the original Brit-art crowd such as Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin (she is often seen at the Rivington Bar & Grill near old Street).

If you want a wild night in London off the beaten track, with an edge of danger (without any real risk, CCTV is everywhere on the main drags) Brixton is the place for you. You come out of the tube station to be assaulted by the sounds and smells of a truly unique community: this is an area that became host to a very large number of Afro-Caribbean people in the '50s and '60s and still has a sizeable Irish population. It's also a good place to find the most evangelical street preachers you'll ever see, often standing right next to a mixture of destitute and lost souls. Don't let that put you off though, there's a huge sense of togetherness here and a big vibe. It's like the Harlem of London. See here for more: www.urban75.org/brixton/clubs/index.html.

The biggest clubs here are the "Fridge" and "Mass", regularly attracting big crowds and hosting a wide range of nights to suit every taste. Both have a bar for warming up, the Fridge Bar (which serves a mean Absinthe), and the Bug Bar under Mass, which also serves respectable modern snack-food. If you life Drum and Bass, the George IV up Brixton hill is as authentic as you can get. Going up Brixton Hill, turn right just after the prison and you can find a real Windmill with a pub under it: perfect for winding down the next day. There is also a massive park nearby (Brockwell park, Tulse Hill) that does hot food and ice-cream in Summer. For chilling out, Coldharbour Lane has a couple of nice bars, one where I met my wife 7 years ago (the Dogstar). During the daytime this and the surrounding streets and alleys hosts an incredible food market, plus stalls with costume jewellery, wigs, clothes, and the rest. You have to go just to see the colours, feel the sound and smell, well, the smells. I'd advise you to be reasonably careful after dark though - just keep to the central area and don't go wandering into any of the housing estates. Otherwise a great place to hang out (and live, I was there for 5 years).

You may have heard of London's big commercial markets like Smitbfield and (new) Billingsgate, but these can be quite intimidating for a visitor and tend to close very early in the morning (e.g. before your hangover wears off!). Borough Market is just south of London Bridge and within a short walk of the Tate Modern and the Globe Theatre. Here you will find both British and continental produce from herbs and fish to wild French mushrooms and fresh and cured meat. A butcher on the site offers free samples of superb organic sausages and sandwiches to take away. It offers plenty of small pubs, bars, cafes, and other diversions and has superb transport links. If you want to buy food to take to your self-catering apartment, do arrive well before lunch so there's something left!

Not much to be said other than that this is the best place to get away from the tourist trap of Camden's market centre. You can walk the canal from Camdem Lock and fall in love with the canalside houses with their weeping willows; you can dine at a floating Chinese restaurant; you can watch cricket at Lord's; see wolves, big cats, scary insects, and most importantly, penguins at the zoo. But the best part is the park itself. It's landscaped in a way that seems to make everything slightly unreal and distant.

Looking over towards St John's wood you can see a mix of modern and Victorian architecture, including one of London's biggest mosques. On the other side, you have the stunning regency villas, some of which are part of the Queen's estate, and, as you gaze in awe at their elegance, behind them is the iconic, if functional, BT tower, marking the edge of the West End. On many a sozzled night it has served as a navigational aid!