I moved to London about 20 years ago, and I always lived east. I lived in Brick Lane, then Bethnal Green and latterly in Stoke Newington. I moved to Borough Market in January last year, two months before I opened my restaurant here .
It was such a mad time before the restaurant opened, I was spending all day, every day at the site. We needed to do all the menu development and we did it all out of my flat. Testing all the dishes, overseeing the kitchen installation, picking the paint colours, tasting wine.
It was a hive of activity. I’ve always loved Borough Market, so when the restaurant was happening, I thought: “When am I gonna get a chance to live somewhere so central?” People often think of it as just the market, but all the little mazes of streets around have so much character. There’s this combination of being industrial and old, and there are lots of little bars and restaurants.
It’s a gem of a neighbourhood. One of my favourite places is TÓU, above the Globe Tavern, for a perfect sandwich and a glass of Pét-Nat. I really love Elliott’s, on Stoney Street, for all of their menu and also great wine.
I love Bao for a quick lunch. Obviously, I eat at Rambutan almost every day. I also love Agora on Bedale Street for a few skewers and a pint if I’m meeting a friend around here.
I hop on a bus to Shoreditch House, which isn’t very far away. Southwark Park is just 15 minutes away, and it’s got a couple of art galleries and a little boating pond. It’s go.