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One of London\u2019s most innovative restaurateurs, no one knows the food scene in London like Markus Thesleff. Here\u2019s his guide to the capital…<\/p>\n
Holland Park in Notting Hill, since 2018, with my wife and my dog. It\u2019s hugely multicultural and feels like a village, a neighbourhood where people still say hi to each other. There\u2019s loads of art and the food scene hits so hard.<\/p>\n
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Mimosa at the Langham hotel, where Markus Thesleff stays<\/p>\n
Press handout<\/p>\n
Where do you stay in London?<\/p>\n
I love the Langham<\/a> \u2014 something about the building brings old London and new London together. The other is the Pan Pacific. From the rooms to the staff and the design, I feel like I\u2019m in a five-star luxury hotel in Asia.<\/p>\n Where was your first flat in London?<\/p>\n Growing up, I was in Battersea<\/a> \u2014 my family moved here from Sweden. It wasn\u2019t great back then, it was pretty rough. Then I had a great party flat on Westminster Bridge Road\u2026 <\/p>\n When I came back from uni for my summers, I worked in the family business; we did the meatballs for Ikea<\/a>. A few years on, I opened my first nightclub, Pangaea. We built through the night. When the door was being replaced, we were inside working, with music on and people lined up, thinking it was a club night!<\/p>\n Where would you recommend for a first date?<\/p>\n I\u2019m a huge fan of La Petite Maison<\/a>. You can\u2019t go wrong there. It\u2019s guaranteed that after a couple of their Tomatinis, the edge will go. It\u2019s probably more glam today than it ever was.<\/p>\n Which shop would you go to, to buy a present for your wife? <\/p>\n You\u2019ll laugh, but maybe Whole Foods? She\u2019s so into all-natural products. Otherwise, she\u2019s not into showy stuff, it\u2019s all about quality, so I\u2019d search in a few little boutiques.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the best meal you\u2019ve had? <\/p>\n My meal of last year was Lita<\/a>, I went with my wife and had steak tartare, tuna carpaccio and langoustines. The next morning, I felt I could just eat all that again right now. So moreish. <\/p>\n I love the city and I just want it to be better. But between the Government and the Mayor, it\u2019s a shit show \u2014 who\u2019s dumber?<\/p>\n Markus Thesleff<\/p>\n What would you do if you were Mayor for the day?<\/p>\n I love the city and I just want it to be better. But between the Government and the Mayor, it\u2019s a shit show \u2014 who\u2019s dumber? Who knows how to kill a golden goose faster? On the macro level: fix the safety of the city, empower police, clean up crime. Hospitality and tourism are the soul of the city, so I\u2019d give more attention to that. I\u2019d fix VAT shopping<\/a> too; half my black book has left town because of it. If it\u2019s not fixed, it will be a big problem.<\/p>\n Who is the most iconic Londoner? <\/p>\n Either Winston Churchill, who was a dude: timeless, totally uncompromising, and larger than life. Otherwise, it\u2019s Queen Elizabeth II. <\/p>\n Markus Thesleff: \u2018There\u2019s just something beautiful and magical when London\u2019s lit up\u2019<\/p>\n @blank76\/Pixabay<\/p>\n Where do you go and what do you do to have fun? <\/p>\n I go through the City of London at night, and down to the Thames. There\u2019s just something beautiful and magical when London\u2019s lit up like that. When you\u2019re at Los Mochis City<\/a>, at one end, you\u2019ve the view of the sun setting behind St Paul\u2019s. It just glows. On the other are Sushisamba<\/a> and those towers, it\u2019s like Singapore. I sit there, have a margarita and it\u2019s the future and history all together, all in one.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the best thing a cabbie has ever said to you?<\/p>\n The craziest experience I had was when I was growing up, my grandmother had Tourette\u2019s, and I didn\u2019t understand what it was until that cab ride. Usually we spoke in Swedish so it never struck me until the driver said, \u201chow are you?\u201d and she was like: \u201cf*** you!\u201d This 5ft 2in, 75-year-old lady! I was mortified, I was waiting for this huge cab driver to get out and kill us.<\/p>\n Have you ever had a run-in with a police officer? <\/p>\n I came out of a bar and they\u2019d evacuated the area and I remember talking to this old-school bobby who told me it was a terrorist threat \u2014 these were IRA days. They\u2019d just done a controlled explosion where he was standing, but he stood there like it was nothing. People don\u2019t give them enough respect.<\/p>\n Those little garden squares in Mayfair, they\u2019re little pockets of calm you don\u2019t expect<\/p>\n Markus Thesleff<\/p>\n What\u2019s your London secret? <\/p>\n Those little garden squares in Mayfair, they\u2019re little pockets of calm you don\u2019t expect.<\/p>\n Markus Thesleff says the British Museum is incredible<\/p>\n Getty Images<\/p>\n What\u2019s your favourite work of art or building in London?<\/p>\n I love Tellaeche\u2019s stuff, that\u2019s why I commission him. But growing up, I always loved Turner, which was weird given I was a kid with a mullet listening to rock music. Buildings? The British Museum is incredible.<\/p>\n What are you up to at the moment for work? <\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/londonskylinenightstpaulsv1.jpeg\")
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