Evening Standard Magazine, 15 August
Sebastian Shakespeare at Crescent House

A few years ago I hosted a party above the Earl Percy in Ladbroke Grove. "Oh, how nice of Earl Percy to lend you his home," said Lady Olga Maitland when she RSVP'd. Er, no, Olga, I explained politely, the Earl Percy is a pub not a person. Her misapprehension worried me. The pub decor was so down-at-heel that I spent hundreds of pounds tarting the place up to make it fit for party purpose - or at least salubrious enough for an Earl's daughter. Since then the Earl Percy has changed beyond all recognition, transforming itself into a Thai food bar, a pizza outlet and latterly a hotel, but it still seems unsure of its identity.

Metro, 15 August
Maria O’Loughlin at One-O-One

So London is the latest playground for the world's super-rich, turning us into a city of butlers and poor relations. Where to rubberneck this most rarefied of breeds? Perhaps scarfing a few lager-tops in the beer garden at the Deptford Arms? Or rooting for bargains at Chrisp Street market? Of course not. We head straight for Knightsbridge, where a duplex flat just sold for £16m. Where, if you need a pint of milk, your corner shop is Harrods. Or if you'd like a hot date (gratuities at your discretion) with a young lady who looks like a supermodel and talks like a Ukrainian tractor driver, you can call in to… Well, I'll leave you to identify those particular establishments for yourselves.
One-O-One -Metro review in full >>

Time Out, 8 August
Guy Dimond at the Rosendale

In the 18th and 19th centuries, West Dulwich wasn't London. It was on a busy corridor running north from Kent, where stagecoaches would stop to allow both horses and customers to recuperate before the final leg into the Big Smoke.The stagecoaches have gone, but West Dulwich is still remarkably green and leafy - and the old stagecoach route past Crystal Palace is still there. London has of course grown up around the old coaching inns, yet many remain. The Rosendale is a particularly fine example - three floors of generously proportioned Victorian rooms, with the ground-level façade still covered in original tiles. Inside it's airy and light-filled.
Rosendale - Time Out review in full >>