Marylebone

The most beautiful bookshop in London - possibly in England. Long oak galleries, skylights, and books organised by country (a Daunt innovation) so travel writing, fiction, history, and food books about the same place sit together. The discovery method this creates is entirely intentional and entirely effective.

A national museum in a Georgian townhouse on Manchester Square. Free entry. The collection includes Frans Hals's Laughing Cavalier, Velazquez's Lady with a Fan, and Watteau's The Music Lesson - masterpieces in rooms small enough to see them properly. The armour collection is the finest in Britain.

In a converted 1889 fire station on Chiltern Street, still one of London's most desirable restaurants a decade after opening. American chef Nuno Mendes's cooking is genuinely excellent. The crowd - fashion editors, actors, and enough real estate wealth to fund a mid-sized country - is part of the experience.

In the Cramer Street car park every Sunday, 10am-2pm. Sixty-odd traders selling British produce: cheese from Neal's Yard, bread from artisan bakers, fresh pasta, vegetables from farms within an hour of London. The best farmers' market in central London by a considerable distance.

The Royal Institute of British Architects headquarters on Portland Place hosts free exhibitions on architecture and design throughout the year, ranging from the history of London's buildings to current practices. The building itself - a 1934 Portland stone palace - is the first exhibit.

Agnar Sverrisson's Icelandic-influenced restaurant on Portman Street - restrained, technically precise cooking that prioritises texture and acidity over richness. The tasting menu is one of the most distinctive in London, and the pre-theatre menu is remarkable value for the quality.