Style setter: London’s in vogue venues in Soho and Mayfair

Words by
Charlotte McManus

4th July 2018

Visit London’s hottest destinations, from luxury gyms and boutique shops, to fine dining restaurants and tempting bars... all this and more in just 24 hours

9am Wake up in a cosy wood-panelled room at The London Edition, complete with faux-fur throws on the beds. Breakfast is a real treat in the sumptuously appointed Berners Tavern, where baked eggs and fresh smoothies can be enjoyed among the gilt-framed paintings. Cross Oxford Street into Soho proper, where luxury health club Third Space offers everything from vinyasa yoga and jiu jitsu to hypoxic training sessions.

relax at The London Edition

relax at The London Edition

11am Having worked up a sweat, it’s time for some retail therapy. A few doors down on Brewer Street, Woolrich is a haven for outerwear; their arctic parkas are ideal for keeping out the winter chill. Shoppers after more unique, off-kilter pieces should drop into Machine-A for cutting-edge fashion from the likes of Maison Margiela, Raf Simons, Martine Rose and Craig Green. Concept Store Y also has a well-curated mix of indie labels — think Roz Buehrlen jewellery and Mr Boho shades.

1pm For lunch, head to Rambla on Dean Street. Launched in October by Enchant chef Victor Garvey, the menu is inspired by the Catalan dishes of Barcelona. Try the braised oxtail canelones with Nevat cheese cream or the quail drumsticks with pancetta and Pansals wine sauce. For the less carnivorous, nearby Machiya serves simple Japanese dishes with a home-style feel, including steaming soba noodles and matcha roll cake.

Sea Bream Rambla

enjoy sea bream crude at Rambla

3pm Suitably stuffed, make one last stop on Brewer Street for a real blast from the past. Fiorucci, the stuff of fashion legend with roots in London’s Swinging Sixties and NYC 1970s cool, recently made a return to the capital with a three-storey concept store. Its 21st-century offering is pop culture personified, complete with Martini bar, café and customisation space (screen-printing and patchwork) alongside denim, accessories and ready-to-wear. At its new home on Berwick Street, OTHER/shop — from the co-founders of B store — has laidback UK-made styles by both guest labels and their eponymous brand, ranging from chinos and denim to slouchy scarves.

5pm Leave bustling Soho for upscale Mayfair. It’s a season of firsts; Moreau Paris’ inaugural London boutique can be found on Bruton Street, drawing customers in with the delicious scent of its luxurious leather goods, while Huishan Zhang’s debut flagship stocks elegant East-meets-West clothing and bespoke creations over on Mount Street. Elsewhere, stop by Avery Perfume Gallery for niche fragrances and Dover Street Market for winter collections from such fashion favourites as Balenciaga, Gucci, Loewe and Miu Miu.

Gucci Dover st market

Seek out Gucci at Dover Street Market

8pm For dinner, book ahead (and bring an appetite) to Indian Accent, the newest addition to Albemarle Street, where it replaces another popular Indian eatery, Chor Bizarre. Having enjoyed a storming success in New Delhi and New York and gaining sparkling accolades in both locations, London is next. Helmed by chef Manish Mehrotra, innovative dishes include kathal phulka tacos, patrani macchi fragrant with galangal, and kulcha flatbreads with camembert and potato bhuna.

10pm The night is still young. Head for Upper Grosvenor Street and Dickie’s Bar, a new standalone bar offering from Corrigan’s Mayfair. The cocktail list, by The Dead Rabbit’s acclaimed Gregory Buda, has influences from Ireland and the States; the Crannog Island, made with Irish whiskey, Scotch and sweet vermouth, is a superb winter warmer. Once back at The London Edition, pop into the intimate, pleasingly old school Punch Room for a nightcap before bed — perhaps with some impromptu live music if you’re lucky.

raise a glass at Dickie's Bar

Raise a glass at Dickie's Bar