Jodie Harsh’s royal guide to London
DJ, producer, party thrower and glamourous Queen of the UK Jodie Harsh takes us round her favourite haunts in London. This is your guide to the coolest stuff in the British capital.
WHERE TO DRINK
The Queen Adelaide
A proper little east London gay boozer where all the Central Saint Martins students hang out — so you might order a vodka soda next to the next Gareth Pugh. Friday nights are a riot.
Sketch
This place is beyond epic. Formally Christian Dior’s London home, it’s transformed into an art-gallery-restaurant-bar hybrid with lots of little themed areas to hang out in. The toilets are famous — the cubicles are shaped like eggs. The cocktails in the Glade room are pricey but you’re drinking them in an indoor disco forest — it’s the most instagrammed bar destination in London.
The Betsey Trotwood
This is about as proper pub as you can get. It’s a tiny little three-floored house in Clerkenwell where Burberry held its recent after-show party. Order a cheap pint of beer and drink it next to an old geezer who’s had a market stall nearby for the last forty years. Proper Eastenders vibes.
WHERE TO EAT
Hoi Polloi
We’re in proper Shoreditch hipster territory here. On the ground floor of the Ace Hotel, you enter through a flower shop and order loads of really delish but mainly naughty food. Great to people watch at Sunday brunch when it’s full of fashion girls and their hot boyfriends.
Kingsland Road
The bottom half of Kingsland Road is packed with really great Asian restaurants, mainly Vietnamese. Loads of loud, brash canteens and family run businesses, all serving top-notch and cheap food to fill you up before you hit the local clubs in Dalston and Shoreditch. This is the real deal and won’t break the bank.
Sexy Fish
Absolutely my favourite place in London right now. Everyone is eating here in this temple of modern art and OTT glamour. I feel like this is where Samantha Jones would take her work clients on a business trip to London. I’ve been here lately with Jeremy Scott, Lindsay Lohan and Hailee Baldwin, all on separate occasions. Everyone’s loved it. DJ’s play all night long, the music’s loud and the sashimi is fantastic.
WHERE TO PARTY
Dollar Baby
Sorry about the hardcore plug — this is my party. A crazy gay-mixed Friday night rave in a three story leopard print carpeted, neon-lit strip club called Metropolis. The muscle boys tend to stick to the sweaty basement where we play house beats and the gals, club kids and queens love the ground floor R&B/pop extravaganza. Lady Gaga came by our opening night and everyone from Ugly Worldwide to Rita Ora come down when they’re in town.
The Box
It’s been open for years, but it’s a classic. The Box is the Soho den of debauchery where sleazy shows are put on for London’s A-list party crowd — rich dudes, pop stars, supermodels and the odd member of the Royal Family. The paps still lurk outside and it’s just as fun inside as when it opened with a bang half a decade ago.
Kaos
Monthly raves in Electrowerkz club in Angel, a gritty warehouse vibe. Minimal techno and industrial beats. This one goes late and goes loud. It’s been described as a magical parallel universe… which may have been the drugs talking…
WHERE TO SHOP
Beyond Retro
Super cheap vintage store off Brick Lane. A huge warehouse space packed wall-to-wall with lewks, henny. Reserve a couple of hours, bring cash and be prepared to rummage on your hands and knees for bargains galore.
Storm In A Teacup
Cute Kingsland Road designer consignment store. Great designer pieces and lots of rare finds from Westwood, McQueen and Commes. There’s also a little Victorian sweetie counter, so you can buy designer clothes and candy in the same place, which really is the dream right…
Harvey Nichols
The original Cathedral of Fashion in the real boujie part of town: Knightsbridge. Patsy and Eddie namedropped this store in every episode of Ab Fab and it’s still cool twenty years later. It’s pretty compact compared to the other department stores like Harrods and Selfridges, and you can pick up cosmetics, something for the home and a Moschino dress under the same roof. Bring Daddy’s credit card and and empty stomach. The restaurant on the top floor is great.
Jodie Harsh on Instagram and Twitter @JodieHarsh — follow her there for DJ dates and new music
Her new series The Hotline is weekly on WOW Presents’ YouTube channel
Photo: Danny Baldwin
Makeup: Dani St James
Styling: Callum Vincent
Top – Moschino
Jewelry – Mawi
