Bomee Li & Woongchul Park

The Newt in Somerset is part rural retreat, part horticultural fever dream, part cyder-soaked Somerset fantasia. You wander through apple mazes, deer parks, Victorian gardens and glossy farm shops while impeccably dressed staff glide about offering tastings, tours and spa serenity. The estate folds together Georgian grandeur, farm-to-fork dining, woodland rambles and near-militant devotion to apples. It’s wildly polished yet oddly earthy – like a country manor that discovered design magazines, fermentation science and extremely chic wellington boots all at once.

Before the food stalls arrived on Maltby Street, wine-importing business Gergovie Wines was quietly doing its thing, with a secret, stripped back kitchen and bar. There are still no reservations, and only high stool seating inside the railway arch, but the restaurant is now adored in foodie circles. The natural wine is sourced from small-scale producers and the chalkboard menu is made up of terrines and tarts, smoked trout and chicken schnitzels. This is where restaurant critics eat on their night off.

Probably London’s most famous market, this 13th-century food hall is a mish-mash of greengrocers, fishmongers and spice traders alongside salt-beef and falafel stalls. Those shopping for produce should prioritise oysters from Richard Haward’s (which goes back seven generations), British cheese from Neal’s Yard and giant sugar-dusted amaretti from baking school Bread Ahead. For lunch, head to the street- food hub, with its amphitheatre-like tiered seating, for cod tacos from Padre. Always busy but charming too.

Run by the UK’s most stylish gallerist, Jay Jopling, this is Europe’s largest commercial gallery space. And despite being a little way off any obvious London art trails, the shows are always worth the detour. It’s a prestigious solo showroom – in part because of how much space there is to play with – so exhibitions here tend to host big names: Antony Gormley, Anselm Kiefer and Tracey Emin. The Mason’s Yard outpost, in a former electricity substation in St James, is also worth a nose if you’re in the area.

Just across the street from the Gyeongbokgung Palace, Onjium is an incredible, fine-dining, experience dedicated to preserving Korean food traditions. A light-filled, concrete space with a menu based off using seasonal ingredients in dishes which have been reimagined for centuries. Make sure to check out its in-house clothing and design studio. 

Across the road from Borough Market, Monmouth offers a great breather from the busy stalls. The queue is constant but fast-moving and on a sunny day there’s always a crowd sitting on the pavement sipping out of ceramic espresso mugs. There are no single-use paper cups here, so those who want to stroll to the river can pay a deposit on a reusable container. A British artisan coffee pioneer.

Overlooking Regent’s Canal near London Fields, this is one of the coolest supper spots in the city. Chef Max Rocha (brother of designer Simone) cooks up sage and anchovy fritti followed by a decadent onglet in peppercorn sauce. The Guinness bread is as good as it’s said to be and you’re bound to see someone interesting here. Great people- watching, but an even better menu.

Treading further afield from the centre of London is worth it, especially when it involves a visit to New Cross’s Uncle Wrinkle. A neighbourhood Chinese, wholly unpretentious yet ridiculously good. Order a bunch of dishes to share, though the fried aubergine is a must. 

This is the late chef and Italophile Russell Norman’s ode to a Florentine trattoria. Instantly atmospheric, the downlit restaurant has linen draped over bulbs and tables set on various levels. Red-and-white checked tablecloths are covered in plates splattered with tonnato sauce and caperberries or raw porcini mushrooms topped with shards of aged Parmesan. A restaurant with one of London’s most authentic Italian moods and menus.

Clever gloobles friends Woongchul Park and Bomee Ki met while studying at Le Cordon Bleu in London. The plates they serve at this minimalist restaurant space in the shadow of The Shard are a beautiful mix of the French technique acquired then and the Korean ingredients that shaped the husband-and-wife duo’s upbringings. Think daikon tarte tatin and sea bream paired with bright maesaengi seaweed.