Travelling to the world's fashion hotspots sounds glamourous - and it is! - but at times, it can also be stressful. You touch down in a city like Milan, or Paris, and you want to make the most of your time there. But it's so hard to know where to go outside of the common tourist haunts. So, what I usually do is solicit the advice of the most plugged-in local I know to get the inside track on where to go. My friend Conrad Roeber is a true London boy, and recently hooked me up with a list of the hottest spots in the English capital. Check out some of his picks, the next time you ride in to Londontown:

Bars

The Loungelover Bar. Photo Courtesy www.toptale.co.uk

-- Loungelover. Fantastically beautiful bar in Shoreditch, on Redchurch street. Mad, eclectic design.

Shoreditch is the coolest part of London and goes completely mad at weekends. Loads of extremely well-designed bars and restaurants to discover just wandering around.

-- In particular, the bars on Hoxton Square are very lively, full of interesting people etc.

-- Back in the West End, there are bar/restaurants such as Sketch, Conduit St (Mayfair). A very beautiful bar, full of beautiful people (and incredible toilets!!!). Very fashionable. Very expensive.

-- For a real touch of class: the bar at Claridges. Stunning interior in one of London's grandest hotels.

-- For uber-chic cool, the bar at the Sanderson Hotel, on Berners Street (just north of Soho). Madonna comes to this hotel for her regular massage.

-- For a great view, Windows on the World, at the top of the Hilton, Park Lane. Highest bar in London. And there's a good French brasserie - Galvin - up there if you want to eat while you're at it.

Cafes

The Flat White Cafe. Photo Courtesy www.flat-white.co.uk

-- Wolseley, Piccadilly, during the day for tea. Very posh - very much a place to be seen. Likely to see Kate Moss and her crew, visiting Hollywood celebs, etc. Also very good for lunch or dinner, but extremely hard to get table.

-- Flat White, Berwick St, Soho. Very busy, small, cool, excellent coffee. Kiwi-run.

-- The Milk Bar, in Bateman Street, Soho

-- Criterion, Piccadilly Circus. One of the most beautiful restaurant interiors in London (1930's). All gold mosaic. Good food, too.

-- The Nordic Bakery, Golden Square, Soho. Big, sticky cinnamon buns.

Restaurants

The River Cafe. Photo Courtesy www.rivercafe.co.uk

-- Yauatcha, Broadwick Street. Simply the BEST dim sum in London (and other excellent Chinese food). Sit in the lovely upstairs tea room. Great for tea and cakes too, during the afternoon. Highly recommend - it has a Michelin star but isn't particularly expensive. Amazing service from gorgeous Chinese girls wearing oddly provocative uniforms...

-- Arbutus, Greek St, Soho. Really good.

-- Scotts, Mount St, Mayfair. Really beautiful restaurant, but hard to get a table. Worth trying, though.

-- J. Sheekey, off Charing Cross Road, W1. Excellent traditional, beautiful, fish restaurant. Same people as Ivy (which is famous and hard to get in to, but which I don't recommend as the food aint particularly good). Hard to get table. Try lunch.

-- The River Cafe, Hammersmith. The best Italian restaurant in London. Wonderful WONDERFUL. But a bit of a trek. Must book, but wonderful if the weather's good and you can sit outside.

Must Sees

The Tate Modern Museum. Photo Courtesy www.davids-world.com

-- Go to Kew Gardens, if fall foliage or if in spring or summer. The most gorgeous gardens. English gardening at its best. Stunning, huge tropical glass houses.

-- Tate Britain (Pimlico) has a Francis Bacon exhibition on right now. Britain's most famous 20th century painter.

-- Tate Modern (Bank) has a big Rothko exhibition, and the place is definitely worth seeing for the building itself. Good cafe for lunch on the 7th floor with absolutely stunning views over London.

-- Serpentine Gallery, in the middle of Kensington Gardens / Hyde Park, has an interesting Anselm Keifer exhibition just opening up. Lovely place to walk to through the park.

-- Go to the John Soane Museum, Lincoln Inn Fields - wonderful small museum of artifacts

-- Wallace Collection, just near Selfridges. Good restaurant in central courtyard, too.

Galleries

The White Cube, Saint James. Photo Courtesy common.wikimedia.org

-- (East End): White Cube, Hoxton Square. Browse along Cambridge Heath Road - this is where the hip galleries are.

-- (West End): browse along Cork St. Waddingtons etc.

-- (West End): Hauser and Wirth, Piccadilly. The top contemporary gallery.

-- (West End): White Cube, St James's. Very impressive place.

-- (West End): Haunch of Venison, in Haunch of Venison Yard, off Brook St (off Bond St).

-- (East-ish): Victoria Miro, between Angel and Old St (look it up)

The Tourist Spots Worth Touring

Portobello Road, London. Photo Courtesy thisislondon.co.uk

-- Go buy food in Borough Market. Go to London Bridge and follow signs. Lovely place.

-- See Southwark Cathedral while you're there

-- Wander down Portobello Road (from Notting Hill) for antique shopping on Friday (not Saturday)

-- Westminster Abbey. 1,000 years old and where Elizabeth I is buried. Astonishingly beautiful and historic.

-- Go to Hampstead Heath. Like a little piece of English countryside in the middle of London. Take a picnic, or go to Kenwood House, which is in the middle of the Heath and has a decent cafe / restaurant for tea or lunch

-- Walk down Brick Lane from Shoreditch. Great mix of cool London and Bangladeshi London. Very lively. Visit Hawsmoor's stunning church, Christchurch, Spitalfields, while you're there.

-- And visit Spitalfields Market for antiques, clothes and some interesting shopping and lunch.

So there you have it. A big thanks to Conrad for sharing his fave spots in London. The next time you're at a funky cafe in Shoreditch and you bump into Kate Moss, be sure to tell her Conrad and I say "Hello!"

Posted by ADRIAN