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This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to London
Spending a Saturday in London feels like a real luxury for me, as we are usually travelling, working or spending time at our home in West Sussex. When the opportunity comes along, we tend to make the most of it by fitting in as much as we can.
My wife Christie and I will often start off early with breakfast at E5 Bakehouse, a bakery, mill and shop nestled in the railway arches by London Fields station. We always order scrambled eggs with chilli oil on what is, as far as I am concerned, the best bread in London, and pick up provisions for the weekend: their homemade granola, bean-to-bar chocolate and signature Hackney Wild loaf — a simple wheat sourdough with a moreish character.
From there we usually meander along Hackney Road and make a quick pit stop at Columbia Road, one of my favourite streets in London with its run of shop buildings that date back to the 1860s. It’s home to 60 independent businesses ranging from delis, pubs, cafés and restaurants to gardening, antique and vintage stores, as well as the famed weekly flower market. It’s a delight to people-watch there on a weekend, and I like to pop in and buy records from Vinyl Delivery Service, based inside the wine shop Idle Moments, which has an excellent selection of rare Japanese vinyls.
The main part of the day is usually spent visiting as many galleries and art exhibitions as possible. At Stuart Shave’s Modern Art on Helmut Row, off Old Street, we recently saw a beautiful group show that included some of our favourite artists, including Lucian Freud, Leon Kossoff, Lubaina Himid and Michael Andrews. As we make our way into central London, we often swing by the AA Bookshop, an architectural specialist store located in a townhouse on Bedford Square, and spend a good hour or so rifling through the shelves looking for inspiration. We recently picked up a copy of El Croquis 192: 6a Architects, the international architecture magazine’s issue dedicated solely to the London-based practice. Currently we are in the throes of working on a new project in the north of Scotland and sources like this are paramount to us.
While I am in the area, I like to run into Shrine to the Vine, the team behind Noble Rot’s bottle shop on Lamb’s Conduit Street. They always have exceptional and ever-evolving wines from interesting producers at reasonable prices — and it is one of the few places that I can seek out Eben Sadie’s Columella in London.
From there, it’s off to St James’s, a part of town I like to spend a lot of time in for its cluster of galleries and restaurants. Ben Hunter has a serious eye for modern British artists alongside an excellent and focused contemporary programme. He currently has a solo exhibition of new paintings by Jared Ginsburg, a talented friend of mine hailing from South Africa. A show I haven’t been able to stop thinking about was Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert’s sublime exhibition of Frank Auerbach’s self-portraits — I must have visited seven or eight times.
When it’s time to eat, we’ll stop at Maison François for its impeccable service and delicious all-day menu. Both Christie and I love the tartare de boeuf préparé à la minute, which is prepared tableside. I have a serious sweet tooth, so it’s always followed by the tarte aux pommes from the dessert trolley.
After a welcome pause, it’s a brisk walk to Mayfair to visit David Zwirner, a gallery I’ve been collecting from for close to 10 years — works by Alice Neel, Oscar Murillo, Jockum Nordström, Lucas Arruda, Rose Wylie and Gordon Matta-Clark, among others.
I’ll also make time to pop into Adret, a few roads away on Clifford Street, which is one of the best independent clothing retailers in London. Adam and his business partner Seto sell one-of-a-kind pieces from their menswear line, all handmade in Indonesia using rare textiles and fabrics. Each piece is unique. They don’t have an e-shop or any information online, so you have to go to the store if you’d like to see their new arrivals, which feels so refreshing these days. I am a sucker for their bomber jackets and zip jumpers.
If we have time, and especially if it’s summer, a weekend should include a dash to Hampstead Heath for a swim in the mixed pond; it has become a real ritual for us both and a magical way to end a warm day. Then it’s a cold shower and a quick Guinness at The Wells Tavern before heading to Newington Green to meet friends for dinner at the wonderful Primeur, which is a bit of a second home and a special restaurant for us. Owners David and Jeremie are close friends, and we have been dining here since it opened in 2014. It’s packed full of charm and character, with great music and comfortable chairs that you can sink into for hours. David’s approach to proper cooking is full of flavour and elegance — there is no better restaurant in London to eat your way through the menu of seasonal small plates while sampling one of the city’s finest cellars of low intervention wines. It’s everything a neighbourhood restaurant should be. And the best part: it’s just a short walk to our place in London, where I can savour the delights of the day.
James Brown is the co-founder of Blue Mountain School, a multidisciplinary art, retail and restaurant space in Shoreditch, east London
Tell us about your perfect London Saturday in the comments below. And follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @FTGlobetrotter
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