West Kensington, gloriously alone with my plants and only my own socks to pick up. I’ve lived in the Fulham area for the past 15 years but am currently considering moving east.
Where do you stay in London?
I love a staycation. The Standard’s retro decor and 1970s style has to be one of my favourite places to while away a weekend.
Where was your first flat in London?
A flat share with complete strangers in Elephant and Castle. They had sublet the box room to me so when the landlord came to visit I had to hide my things. I lived with a magician who made his living doing tricks in Covent Garden — it was entertaining when I came home from the pub with my mates.
My first job was as a commis chef under Gordon Ramsay at the Savoy Grill. On my first day I walked into the front of the hotel thinking that was the entrance for the staff — it was made immediately clear it was, in fact, not.
Chef Sally Abé has opened her first solo restaurant in Hackney
Jodi Hinds
Where would you recommend for a first date?
Below Pix in Soho is a little place called Rooms by the Hour. You get left totally alone in a room with 1970s adult films playing on the TV. A great way to get to know someone in a short amount of time…
“I’d have a two-tier system for the London Underground. One for people who know where they are going and one for tourists”
Which shops do you rely on?
I hate deciding what to wear every day so I have a staple of T-shirts from Uniqlo. The charity shops on North End Road are some of my absolute favourites and I get all my summer stuff from them.
Best meal you’ve had in the capital?
The best meals in London are lunches that turn into drinks into dinner and then into dancing. A favourite example was a long lunch at Dorian with my friends James and Laetizia.
What would you do if you were Mayor for the day?
I’d implement a two-tier system for the London Underground. One for people who know where they are going and one for tourists and slow walkers. I’d also get the Thames cleaned so Londoners could swim home from work during the summer.
Who is the most iconic Londoner?
Amy Winehouse. Nobody embodied modern London cool quite like she did. Does everyone just say the Queen?
Amy Winehouse ‘embodied London cool’
PA Archive
What’s the best thing a cabbie has ever said to you?
After being picked up from a particular restaurant the driver proceeded to tell me he had recently picked up the inebriated owner of that restaurant with someone that was most definitely not his wife a couple of weeks prior. He was none the wiser that I knew the chef in question!
Have you ever had a run-in with a London police officer?
The closest I’ve been to a policeman was when I managed to wangle my way onto one of the floats at Notting Hill Carnival and there were two police along for the ride. They were great sports — we even borrowed their hats and had a dance.
Where do you let your hair down?
To the dancefloor! I was absolutely devastated to see the closure of Corsica Studios earlier this year but we still have some amazing venues in London. Fabric, The Colour Factory and Koko are a few favourites.
Who do you call to have fun?
I call my chef pals, of course! Chefs assemble!
What’s your biggest extravagance?
I’ve just spent every penny I own opening my restaurant so extravagance is thin on the ground. I am partial to a glass of Bollinger.
What’s your London secret?
The little hole in the wall on North End Road that sells gozleme for £2. I’ll share because I get there early anyway.
What are you up to for work?
I’ve just opened my first independent restaurant — Teal by Sally Abé. It’s a little British bistro in Hackney.
I’m a bit of a sneaker head. I’ve lost count of how many pairs of trainers I have. Luckily, I can buy kids’ sizes having such small feet.
“Chef who sews together chicken and lamb” (Alain Passard, for those of you wondering).