James Sherwood’s Discriminating Guide to London: An Unabashed companion to the finest experiences in the world’s most cosmopolitan city.
By Nick Stark
I LOVE this book.
How could I not adore a guide to the best restaurants, hotels and attractions in my hometown of London that begins its review of St. John’s restaurant near the Farringdon tube stop thus: “the smug marrieds and consciously coupled in Clerkenwell would have one’s balls for sweetbreads if one dared to classify St. John’s ‘nose to tail’ menu loaded with dishes involving offal, too visceral for all but the alpha male.”
In one effortless sentence (page 119) author James Sherwood references three of London’s biggest literal, musical and culinary touchstones for the past two decades: Bridget Jones, Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow and of course, Fergus Henderson, whose nose to tail concept of fine dining can be found at St. John’s and points elsewhere in the capital.
If you are visiting London any time soon and you want to breakfast like a king, drink cocktails in the company of sophisticated British personalities, or shop for antique jewelry, this handy volume will take you there. Small of size and outsized of content, once read, Sherwood’s book will doubtless become indispensable for all those visiting what the author lovingly calls ‘the world’s most cosmopolitan city’.
Or consider this review, the book’s first, of Caravan in Exmouth Market: “Breakfast is not so much served as art-directed to appeal to healthy urban trendies. The ‘eggs any style’ fry up is served on a rustic doorstep of sourdough bread with layers of brittle streaky bacon….Caravan is a local treasure for serving robust, Dickensian breakfast fare such as baked eggs and smoky black pudding with maple roast apples.”
I’m a sucker for this type of review. As a resident of London for 20 years prior to moving to California and a keen reader of lifestyle guides to the capital during my teenage years, I find James Sherwood’s latest book (to be released March 16th) echoes much of the best writing on the subject from the 1970s and 1980s while adding plenty of contemporary detail. The book, like the city, is both timeless and of the moment. Packed with Sherwood’s sardonic wit, this marvelous guide celebrates traditional London, yet finds much to enjoy in the ephemera too.
The book takes its cue from a 1970s publication of the same name by another James Sherwood (no relation) who is today the owner of the Orient-Simplon Express and luxury hotels and restaurants around the world and who contributes a foreword to this new guide.
The chapter titles give the reader an appetizer of what is to come: the Where to Eat section includes subchapters including….’like a king’, ‘with amorous intent’, ‘when you’ve come into an inheritance’, ‘with a thirsty best friend’, and perhaps most usefully, ‘when entertaining a dowager’.
In the hotel section the book includes suitable choices if you are with your lover, are seeking old school elegance, the company of beautiful people or where to simply stay for business, and similarly the drinks section will advise you on your best choice of where to drink in the company of beautiful people, in historic interiors, in evening dress, after hours or, if you feel like slumming it, there’s even recommendations of hostelries that offer a touch of camp cabaret (the Café de Paris, the Cellar Door and the Crazy Coqs, since you asked).
There are also invaluable sections on furniture stores, book stores, the best clock and watch retailers, advice on museums and art galleries, plus a wonderful ‘exceptional streets’ section highlighting such unique places for a stroll as Saville Row, Lamb’s Conduit Street, Burlington Arcade and Cecil Court.
James Sherwood is the archivist at the venerable Savile Row tailors Henry Poole & Co (founded 1806), editor-at-large for The Rake magazine and contributor to the New York Times, Daily Telegraph and World of Interiors. He was the BBC fashion critic at Royal Ascot for eight years and regularly appears as a royal style and fashion critic on British and American television. His previous books include Savile Row: The Master Tailors of British Bespoke, Fashion at Royal Ascot, and The Perfect Gentleman: The Pursuit of Timeless Elegance and Style in London.
His weekly Letters from Bloomsbury Square on his website (www.james-sherwood.com) is read by 20,000 of his closest friends.
Whether you are a newcomer to the world’s greatest city or, like me, a former denizen who loves to wander around reliving old amusements – and finding some new ones – there is simply something for everyone in this book. Flying to and staying in London can be eye-wateringly expensive. This wonderful publication will help you get your money’s worth.
James Sherwood’s Discriminating Guide to London: An Unabashed companion to the finest experiences in the world’s most cosmopolitan city. Hardcover: 432 pages Publisher: Thames & Hudson; (March 14, 2016). Language: English. ISBN-10: 0500518289.
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