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• Toklas Bakery (Temple, above), perfect loaf w/ soft interior, crunchy crust

• Dusty Knuckle (Dalston, Harringay), favourite London loaf sold at two locations and shops around town

• BreadBread (Various), farmers’ market stall selling delightfully chewy sourdough

• e5 Bakehouse (Hackney), East London staple w/ own bakery school

• Pophams (Islington, Hackney, Victoria Park), crafted sourdough served as loaf or on dine-in menu

• TOAD Bakery (Camberwell), neighbourhood spot known for sustainable loaves

• St. John Bakery (Bermondsey, Borough, Bloomsbury), iconic London restaurant’s take on classic sourdough

• Jolene (Shoreditch, Newington Green, Islington, Hornsey), exceptionally popular wholewheat loaf; new branch opening in Soho on 23 April

• Sourdough Sophia (Islington, Highgate, Hampstead), beloved specialist shop born during lockdown

We’ll share our sourdough starter with you.

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Sourdough

The Nines are FOUND’s distilled lists of the best in London and further afield. Paid subscribers have access to the complete Nines archive.

• Toklas Bakery (Temple, above), perfect loaf w/ soft interior, crunchy crust

• Dusty Knuckle (Dalston, Harringay), favourite London loaf sold at two locations and shops around town

• BreadBread (Various), farmers’ market stall selling delightfully chewy sourdough

• e5 Bakehouse (Hackney), East London staple w/ own bakery school

• Pophams (Islington, Hackney, Victoria Park), crafted sourdough served as loaf or on dine-in menu

• TOAD Bakery (Camberwell), neighbourhood spot known for sustainable loaves

• St. John Bakery (Bermondsey, Borough, Bloomsbury), iconic London restaurant’s take on classic sourdough

• Jolene (Shoreditch, Newington Green, Islington, Hornsey), exceptionally popular wholewheat loaf; new branch opening in Soho on 23 April

• Sourdough Sophia (Islington, Highgate, Hampstead), beloved specialist shop born during lockdown

ASK FOUND

Three PROMPTS for which we request your attention:

• Where’s your favourite Sunday roast?

• Where are you booking for your summer holiday?

• Oyster Week is in the books. What should FOUND’s next theme week be?

Got answers or more questions? Hit reply or email found@foundldn.com.

RESTAURANTS • First Word

Buttered up

The Skinny: From the chef-owner of beloved north London neighbourhood Italian spot Trullo, Burro is a buzzy new restaurant in Covent Garden serving produce-led cooking. It opened in March in Floral Court, taking over a large space previously occupied by The Petersham.

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George Davies, best known for his retail achievements (the octogenarian founded high-street fashion brands Next, Per Una and George at Asda), has now put his name to a very different venture, a boutique hotel in the Cotswolds, where the Liverpudlian entrepreneur has lived for the past 30 years.

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Three for-sale leaseholds in Richmond that recently came to market:

→ Sheen Rd (Richmond, above) • 5BR/3BA/4R, 332 m2 terraced house • Asking price: £2.75mn • 19th-century home w/ bow-fronted facade, original features, period integrity • Ownership type: freehold • Agent: Knight Frank.

→ Ormond Rd (Richmond) • 4BR/3BA/3R, 217 m2 semi-detached house • Asking price: £2.95mn • c. 1699 build, William and Mary period architecture • Ownership type: freehold • Agent: Knight Frank.

→ Little Green (Richmond) • 5BR/3BA/2R, 270 m2 semi-detached house • Asking price: £3.75mn • Georgian from the 1720s overlooking Richmond Green, owned by the Crown until 1961 • Ownership type: chain-free • Agent: Featherstone Leigh.

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Podcasts, food

The Nines are FOUND’s distilled lists of the best in London and further afield. Paid subscribers have access to the complete Nines archive.

• Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware (above), celebrities like Jeremy Allen White invited for meal w/ singer Jessie Ware and her mum, listen

• Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster, comedy show where celebrities like Carey Mulligan and Gillian Anderson are asked to name dream starter, main & dessert, listen

• The Go-To Podcast, no-BS interviews with UK and global restaurateurs and chefs incl. Alison Roman, Ravneet Gill, listen

• The Food Programme, BBC Radio 4 show investigating all aspects of food, from farming to the rise of matcha, listen

• Ruthie’s Table 4, The River Café owner Ruth Rogers interviews A-list customers like Victoria Beckham, Gwyneth Paltrow, plus politicians incl. Kamala Harris, Tony Blair, listen

• Dish, Waitrose-branded comedy show where chef-host Angela Hartnett cooks for celebrities incl. Millie Bobby Brown, Mark Ronson, w/ co-host Nick Grimshaw, listen

• Borough Talks, interviews w/ Borough Market stall & restaurant owners discussing food & business ins-and-outs, feat. Padella, Tacos Padre, listen

• Comfort Eating with Grace Dent, comedy show where celebrities such as Stephen Fry, James Norton share favourite snacks, listen

• Vittles, monthly in-depth conversations & interviews from the eponymous British online food mag, listen

ASK FOUND

Three new PROMPTS for which we request your attention:

• Where’s your favourite Sunday roast?

• Where are you booking for your summer holiday?

• Oyster Week is in the books. What should FOUND’s next theme week be?

Got answers or more questions? Hit reply or email found@foundldn.com.

RESTAURANTS • First Word

Caviar & ice cream

The Skinny: Mayfair’s upscale Sushi Taku relaunched as Sushi Amamoto in January. The 16-seat omakase restaurant marks the first international venture from revered chef Shogo Amamoto, who is working with existing head chef Jongho ‘John’ Park on the high-end menu. The chef’s Taipei flagship is one of the most difficult tables to book in Asia.

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• Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware (above), celebrities like Jeremy Allen White invited for meal w/ singer Jessie Ware and her mum, listen

Read more

“£12.99?! For a magazine!” my mum cried, bewildered, when I asked for a copy of iD with a big feature on Rinko Kikuchi, for my 17th birthday. Begrudgingly, she accepted, but now, nearly 17 years later, she can see it was worth the investment. Admittedly, that copy is dog-eared, but still on my bookshelf, and I revisit it time after time for inspiration on set design, editorial shoots and make up.

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Three for-sale leaseholds in South Kensington that recently came to market:

→ Thurloe St (South Kensington) • 2BR/2BA/1R, 119 m2 flat • Asking price: £1.6mn • white-stucco-fronted w/ skylit reception and period detailing • Ownership type: leasehold • Agent: Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward.

→ Onslow Sq (South Kensington) • 2BR/2BA/2R, 127 m2 flat • Asking price: £2.95mn • another white stucco, this one w/ large roof terrace over communal gardens • Ownership type: leasehold • Agent: Tedworth Property.

→ Roland Gardens (South Kensington, above) • 3BR/3BA/1R, 167 m2 flat • Asking price: £3.15mn • newly refurbished duplex with rear terrace onto paved patio • Ownership type: share of freehold • Agent: Russell Simpson.

Subscribe now

The Skinny: Mayfair’s upscale Sushi Taku relaunched as Sushi Amamoto in January. The 16-seat omakase restaurant marks the first international venture from revered chef Shogo Amamoto, who is working with existing head chef Jongho ‘John’ Park on the high-end menu. The chef’s Taipei flagship is one of the most difficult tables to book in Asia.

Read more

JACK JEWELL • acupuncturist
Neighbourhood you work in: Soho
Neighbourhood you live in: Bethnal Green

It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I ride an aqua-coloured Vespa to Golden Square, imagining myself as a poor man’s Steve McQueen – if he were a therapist. I love buzzing into my building and riding the lift that opens out onto the waiting room of my clinic. There are aromatic Ayurvedic teas and cold-pressed juices waiting for me and my clients, and I settle from the adrenaline of the ride as soon as I walk in.

I work as a classical acupuncturist. Acupuncture is often reduced to back pain or fertility support, but I wish people were able to see it as something that could greatly improve the quality of their life. I might see a new client who needs support with hypertension due to just not knowing their place in the world. I might support them by opening up their diaphragm so they can breathe easier, and follow up by settling the energies that are constantly reacting and responding to a hostile world. I see a wide variety of clients carrying their own struggles.

Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I’m really looking forward to going to the Meeting House Café in Peckham for a family lunch. They serve the most unbelievable meatballs and lasagne in London, guaranteed. I’ll happily drive from one side of London to the other, and even accidentally pay a congestion charge just for one plate of their food.

I celebrated my three-year anniversary with my wife and daughter at Spring in Somerset House. All their food comes from a 16-acre biodynamic farm in Herefordshire. The quality and execution is insane and it’s probably the only time in my life where I’ll get a cocktail. They do a scratch menu for leftovers, and affordable lunch options for people wanting to experience something exquisite on a relative budget.

How about a little leisure or culture?
I recently started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Pure Jiujitsu in Acton. It’s amazing. Everyone is friendly and patient with you, despite ultimately trying to render you unconscious. Martial Arts is beneficial to the spirit and it’s a really fun way to get people together for both fitness and self-defence. I strongly recommend it to anyone who’s felt lonely or has pent-up energy that needs to be released. It’s like chess but with human bodies.

My wife and baby daughter go to Queen’s Park Farmers’ Market on a Sunday. They sometimes have a great independent sellers’ market with cosy cashmere or bougie, off-the-lorry homeware at reasonable, cash-only prices. There’s also a cute little farm zoo in the park with goats. If we’re having a big summer blowout, we might do it with a little cookie from Don’t Tell Dad.

Any weekend getaways?
I proposed to my wife in Wistman’s Wood in Devon. I’m not saying you should propose there, but at the very least you can drink in light that shines through the limpid bearded lichen, or cultivate some wood energy by sitting on a mossy elder stone. It’s pure magic.

What was your last great holiday?
We were in Japan two months ago. Trip of a lifetime. Big family event. We did some major city-hopping and I wish we’d stayed longer. We fell in love with the countryside surrounding Mt. Hiei, which is the birthplace of Zen and other esoteric sects of Buddhism in Japan. Holy mountain. Swimming in rivers whilst the locals light sprinklers and eat barbecued food. The place to stay is a hotel called Moksa, designed by a prominent ceramic artist. It’s absurd. I love Japanese selvedge denim and the best stockist was BEARS in Shimokitzawa, Tokyo. They’re super-kind and will adjust the hem if you need. I also loved the Yamane denim store in Nara, where I picked up an insanely comfortable cashmere and cotton blend with a cream/off-white raw denim jacket.

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Housed in a former Truman pub complete with original glossy green tiles, Labour and Wait’s pleasing aesthetic is part French workwear, part WWII rationing era, part middle-America mom-and-pop store.

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The Skinny: Charlie Mellor, the man behind much-loved Hackney restaurant and wine bar The Laughing Heart, which closed in 2022, is back.

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TOM MARCHANT • co-founder • Black Tomato
Neighbourhood you work in: Fulham & Chelsea
Neighbourhood you live in: Fulham

It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I’m the co-founder of Black Tomato, a luxury travel company designing deeply personal, immersive journeys. I split my time across brand, product and strategy, so my mornings are usually a mix of numbers and ideas. On Wednesdays, I’m at Lighthouse Social in Fulham, a members’ club overlooking the Thames that’s just a short moped ride from home. I arrive with a flat white, find a quiet corner and start by checking how we’re tracking across markets and catching up with our London and New York teams.

I try to protect a stretch of proper focus time before meetings take over. I’m a big believer in Cal Newport’s deep work philosophy, so I block space for longer-term thinking and planning. Just before lunch, I head out for a run along the Thames Path, which clears my head.

What’s on the agenda for today?
I’m preparing for a new episode of The Pursuit of Feeling, the podcast I host, where we explore a single emotion and why it drives us to travel. Off the back of our recent This Is Boring campaign, I’m also helping shape a seven-day Brazilian Amazon journey built around space, stillness and proper disconnection. I like staying close to the creative side of the business.

Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
It usually starts at The Brown Cow [closed for renovations until May -ed.], about 30 seconds from my front door. The staff know my kids’ names and it has that proper neighbourhood feel. For somewhere a bit more polished, The Harwood Arms is hard to beat. It’s Michelin-starred but still feels like a proper pub, and their Sunday roast is the best in London. Lately, I’ve been going to Josephine in Chelsea. It has that relaxed Parisian brasserie feel, without trying too hard. For something more classic, Fifty Cheyne with its views of the river never loses its magic.

How about a little leisure or culture?
I love getting lost in Richmond Park. You pass herds of deer and for a moment it feels like you’re deep in the countryside. For music, I recently saw The Last Dinner Party at Brixton Academy and it reminded me why the venue is so special. There’s so much history and when a crowd is fully into it, you really feel it. On slower weekends, I’ll take my daughters to Tate Britain. They’re honest critics! We move from Turner to the more abstract stuff and then straight into the dress-up room. Culture should be fun, not just serious.

Any weekend getaways?
Heckfield Place is an easy escape when I need a reset. Within a few hours, you’re sleeping better and breathing deeper. The food comes straight from the estate and there’s not much to do beyond walking, eating and switching off, which is exactly the point. Salcombe is another favourite, partly because of my family history but it’s also a beautiful stretch of coastline. Long walks along the estuary, cold swims if you’re feeling brave, then a pub at the end of the day.

What was your last great holiday?
We went to Sri Lanka, along the south coast, and split our time between Galle, Weligama and Tangalle. In Galle, we’d wander the fort in the evenings; in Weligama, mornings were for surfing (trial and error). Tangalle was slower: long beach walks, grilled seafood at Smoke & Bitters, lots of rice and curry. We stayed at one of the beautiful houses within The Six, right by the ocean – it was bliss. We drove into Yala National Park and saw elephants moving through the scrub and a leopard appear out of nowhere, which was unforgettable. What stays with me most is the people: warm, curious and generous.

What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
My electric moped from Horwin has changed how I move around London. I’ve got my eye on an electric motorcycle from Maeving next.

What store or service do you always recommend?
I’m an avid reader, so I’m always recommending Daunt Books for its thoughtful curation and knowledgeable staff.

Where are you donating your time or money?
While we’ve historically supported micro projects in communities we operate in, including Morocco and Peru, we’re excited to have recently launched a partnership with Global Fund for Children, an organisation that supports grassroots groups working with children and young people around the world. A member of our team was recently in Kolkata, seeing their impact firsthand. They back local leaders who already understand their communities, rather than trying to impose solutions from the outside.

That philosophy mirrors how we approach regenerative travel at Black Tomato. It goes beyond traditional sustainability initiatives like waste reduction. It’s about ensuring our journeys actively support the ecosystems, communities and cultures our clients engage with.

Subscribe now

Wild side

TOM MARCHANT • co-founder • Black Tomato
Neighbourhood you work in: Fulham & Chelsea
Neighbourhood you live in: Fulham

It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I’m the co-founder of Black Tomato, a luxury travel company designing deeply personal, immersive journeys. I split my time across brand, product and strategy, so my mornings are usually a mix of numbers and ideas. On Wednesdays, I’m at Lighthouse Social in Fulham, a members’ club overlooking the Thames that’s just a short moped ride from home. I arrive with a flat white, find a quiet corner and start by checking how we’re tracking across markets and catching up with our London and New York teams.

I try to protect a stretch of proper focus time before meetings take over. I’m a big believer in Cal Newport’s deep work philosophy, so I block space for longer-term thinking and planning. Just before lunch, I head out for a run along the Thames Path, which clears my head.

What’s on the agenda for today?
I’m preparing for a new episode of The Pursuit of Feeling, the podcast I host, where we explore a single emotion and why it drives us to travel. Off the back of our recent This Is Boring campaign, I’m also helping shape a seven-day Brazilian Amazon journey built around space, stillness and proper disconnection. I like staying close to the creative side of the business.

Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
It usually starts at The Brown Cow [closed for renovations until May -ed.], about 30 seconds from my front door. The staff know my kids’ names and it has that proper neighbourhood feel. For somewhere a bit more polished, The Harwood Arms is hard to beat. It’s Michelin-starred but still feels like a proper pub, and their Sunday roast is the best in London. Lately, I’ve been going to Josephine in Chelsea. It has that relaxed Parisian brasserie feel, without trying too hard. For something more classic, Fifty Cheyne with its views of the river never loses its magic.

How about a little leisure or culture?
I love getting lost in Richmond Park. You pass herds of deer and for a moment it feels like you’re deep in the countryside. For music, I recently saw The Last Dinner Party at Brixton Academy and it reminded me why the venue is so special. There’s so much history and when a crowd is fully into it, you really feel it. On slower weekends, I’ll take my daughters to Tate Britain. They’re honest critics! We move from Turner to the more abstract stuff and then straight into the dress-up room. Culture should be fun, not just serious.

Any weekend getaways?
Heckfield Place is an easy escape when I need a reset. Within a few hours, you’re sleeping better and breathing deeper. The food comes straight from the estate and there’s not much to do beyond walking, eating and switching off, which is exactly the point. Salcombe is another favourite, partly because of my family history but it’s also a beautiful stretch of coastline. Long walks along the estuary, cold swims if you’re feeling brave, then a pub at the end of the day.

What was your last great holiday?
We went to Sri Lanka, along the south coast, and split our time between Galle, Weligama and Tangalle. In Galle, we’d wander the fort in the evenings; in Weligama, mornings were for surfing (trial and error). Tangalle was slower: long beach walks, grilled seafood at Smoke & Bitters, lots of rice and curry. We stayed at one of the beautiful houses within The Six, right by the ocean – it was bliss. We drove into Yala National Park and saw elephants moving through the scrub and a leopard appear out of nowhere, which was unforgettable. What stays with me most is the people: warm, curious and generous.

What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
My electric moped from Horwin has changed how I move around London. I’ve got my eye on an electric motorcycle from Maeving next.

What store or service do you always recommend?
I’m an avid reader, so I’m always recommending Daunt Books for its thoughtful curation and knowledgeable staff.

Where are you donating your time or money?
While we’ve historically supported micro projects in communities we operate in, including Morocco and Peru, we’re excited to have recently launched a partnership with Global Fund for Children, an organisation that supports grassroots groups working with children and young people around the world. A member of our team was recently in Kolkata, seeing their impact firsthand. They back local leaders who already understand their communities, rather than trying to impose solutions from the outside.

That philosophy mirrors how we approach regenerative travel at Black Tomato. It goes beyond traditional sustainability initiatives like waste reduction. It’s about ensuring our journeys actively support the ecosystems, communities and cultures our clients engage with.

ASK FOUND

Three new PROMPTS for which we request your attention:

• Where’s your favourite Sunday roast?

• Where are you booking for your summer holiday?

• Oyster Week is in the books. What should FOUND’s next theme week be?

Got answers or more questions? Hit reply or email found@foundldn.com.

WORK & PLAY LINKS: In Charing Cross, plans unveiled for 1 Embankment Place makeover • Vision for 10,000 homes at Billingsgate Fish Market • Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration sets May opening • Fashion’s ‘messy chic’ era has arrived • Did Finnish startup Donut Lab crack the EV battery code?

RESTAURANTS • First Word

Good vibrations

The Skinny: Charlie Mellor, the man behind much-loved Hackney restaurant and wine bar The Laughing Heart, which closed in 2022, is back.

Read more

• Bentley’s Oyster Bar and Grill (Mayfair, above), buzzing marble-topped oyster bar, chat w/ master shuckers while you sample, or take masterclass to shuck your own

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Having not grown up in an oyster-loving family, it was a great pleasure to marry into one. Not just for the chance to learn how they grow or to taste them fresh off a dock, but because an obsession with oysters opens up a world of easy gift-giving opportunities.

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