I’ve lived in London for the last 13 years and Seven Dials has always been one of my favourite spots.
I joined the hotel on Mercer Street as General Manager two years ago and the area has become my home
away from home. In hospitality, our day never finishes. The business stays open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We often spend long hours in the hotel and the surrounding neighbourhood. In terms of location, it’s just a great place to be. This is how I’d spend a perfect 48 hours in Seven Dials.

DAY 1

9am – Breakfast
I usually head to Timberyard on Monmouth Street because the coffee and breakfast selection is to die for, and it’s got a very cool vibe to it. The cold brew they serve and the sourdough sandwiches with super-tasty fillings set me up nicely for the day ahead.

10am – Freshen up
Seven Dials is becoming men’s grooming central. Beast, Fresh, Malin + Goetz and Murdock London are all within a five- minute walk. You can pamper yourself
and rejuvenate your senses. It’s also ideal for preening ahead of any big meetings or events, or just getting yourself in check for a big night out.

11am – Find a quiet and fun place to work
After the usual morning rush at the hotel,
I always need a quiet space to work. I choose the lounge at the Radisson BLU Edwardian Mercer Street Hotel on Mercer Street. It’s an amazing space with a great look and feel, with some of the best service in the West End. Together with powerful Wi-Fi, this is the best place for me to work.

1pm – Lunch
With over 50 independent restaurants, bars, cafés and pubs, around here you are truly spoilt for lunch options. I like to go for one of the latest editions, On The Dak, for Korean fried chicken on the go. Try the combo of Seoul Spicy chicken and chicken mandu, mouth-watering pan-fried chicken dumplings. It doesn’t get much better
than this!

3pm – Find your zen
A Neal’s Yard Remedies massage really gets rid of any stress that may build up during the day. I highly recommend it, as health and well-being really is their passion. The holistic Therapy Rooms are just
so relaxing.

4pm – Coffee time (again)
I usually head straight for Jacob the Angel in Neal’s Yard. It’s an independent English coffee house serving cakes, sandwiches, salads, coffee and lots more. It’s from the team behind The Barbary restaurant, also in Neal’s Yard, and they’ve just got it so right. I love the fact that it’s tucked away and feels like a best-kept secret.

5pm – Pint o’clock
No visit to Seven Dials is complete without stopping at the iconic The Crown pub. A true home away from home for me! Take your pint, sit outside and enjoy the best people watching experience in central London alongside the wonderful Dial monument.

8pm – Dinner
I’ve already mentioned The Barbary, which really is a wonderful dining experience, so I’d have to suggest trying Marcus Wareing’s Tredwells restaurant, as the food and wine are just sensational. It is truly a memorable experience and the service is impeccable.

10pm – Time to go home...
Unless you know where The Escapologist
is! Their cocktails will extend your evening and make it a whole lot of fun. Based in the headquarters of the secret society that ran Victorian London, The Escapologist is styled as part modern-day Victorian men’s club and part Masonic lodge. It’s a super-cool evening venue and if you’re feeling peckish, the pizzas are really on the money. The great escape from the bustling Seven Dials streets. 

DAY 2

10am – Brunch, Portuguese style
Whilst Seven Dials is often credited with being the truly authentic London experience, every now and then I like to think of it as a ‘portal’ to other worlds. Canela Café makes you think that you are on the streets of Lisbon. You will find the true Portuguese spirit here, and the food really is out of this world.

1pm – Lunch at Monmouth Kitchen
This really is a unique place to stop for lunch. It’s an Italian and contemporary Peruvian-inspired tapas restaurant which brings together the best of Peruvian cuisine with the best of Mediterranean flavours –
I recommend the smoked lamb cutlets in red anticucho sauce and the pan-fried salmon with Calabrian chilli salsa.

Dessert time – Choccywoccydoodah
This is pure chocolate heaven. There’s
such a massive selection and the cakes are delicious decadence. Downstairs there’s the intimate Bar du Chocolat and there’s nothing better on an autumn evening than the hot chocolate and pots of molten chocolate with strawberries. It’s hard to drag myself out
of here.

Dinner time – Culinary journey continues
For simply the best moules frites in London, I head to Belgo. Seafood and ‘surf and turf’ are the kings of the castle here. It’s no-fuss Belgian cooking and beer, and it fills me with pleasure when there’s an autumn chill in the air.