My London: Russell Norman

The restaurateur has a thing for expensive guitars, loves the fried egg sarnies at Bar Bruno and sips whisky in a secret Soho basement
Dipal Acharya5 April 2018

Home is…

Blackheath. I grew up in Hounslow, spent my formative years in Swiss Cottage, and am now south of the river.

Where do you stay in London?

Hazlitt’s (above) for its evocative Georgian decadence and quirky bathrooms.

If you could buy any building in London, which would it be?

I wouldn’t want all of Senate House — just the library. The building is a masterpiece of modern architecture but the library feels strangely incongruous, like it’s from another dimension.

Most memorable meal?

Lunch with the late Sebastian Horsley (below), an artist and dandy, at Bar Bruno on Wardour Street. It’s one of the last remaining greasy spoons in central London and has a great 1950s vibe: all formica, stainless steel, HP Sauce and excellent fried-egg sandwiches.

Where would you like to be buried?

I recently discovered

that my paternal great-grandparents are buried side-by-side in East Finchley Cemetery. That’ll do. You can dispose of me there with a bunch of gladioli and my stuffed toy tiger, Max.

What makes someone a Londoner?

I don’t know any real Londoner who has ever visited Madame Tussauds or Buckingham Palace.

Favourite shops?

Red Wing Shoes on Newburgh Street for Moc Toe 875 boots; Moscot on Beak Street for spectacles (I like the Lemtosh frames); Romanys on Brewer Street for ironmongery — I have a hardware fetish — and Turnips in Borough Market for vegetables.

Biggest extravagance?

Elizabeth Arden skin products.

What’s your London secret?

The bar (above) which is located below Milroys whisky shop on Greek Street. I had no idea it was there until a few weeks ago. You go through a bookshelf at the back of the store. It’s all a bit Bugsy Malone and rather wonderful.

Most iconic Londoner?

Sherlock Holmes was my hero when I was growing up. I would make pilgrimages to Baker Street and even considered wearing a deerstalker.

What are you up to at the moment?

My new book, Venice: Four Seasons of Home Cooking, has just come out and I do whatever my publisher tells me, which means a lot of travelling, a lot of interviews and a lot of book signings.

Who is your hero?

In my humble opinion there is no better writer of journalistic prose than Anthony Lane. He reviews movies for The New Yorker but I’d read his shopping lists. As a writer, I look at his economy of expression and elegance and strive to be even half as good.

What do you collect?

Guitars. I probably have too many but my favourites are a 1927 Gibson L-1, a 1956 Martin 00-18 (left) and a 1960 Guild M-20.

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