“Whenever I write a book—we’ve done 14 cookbooks, and now Table 4 at The River Cafe: Conversations About Food and Life (Gallery)—I work with such great designers and photographers, it’s a true collaboration,” says Ruthie Rogers, chef and cofounder of the Michelin-starred River Cafe in London. “It’s great to live in a city where design, photography, and writing are so valued.” Rogers, who has been awarded an MBE and CBE, moved to the capital from New York, lived in Paris when her late husband Richard Rogers was designing the Pompidou Centre with Renzo Piano, then moved back to London, where she opened her celebrated Italian restaurant on the Thames with the late Rose Gray in 1987. Her latest book is based on her podcast, in which she and such guests as Emerald Fennell, Keira Knightley, Bono, Olivia Colman, and Victoria Beckham discuss food memories at, yes, Table 4.
Below, other places in the city that are so valued.
Restaurant: Can I say The River Cafe? For my birthday last summer, the staff gave me a quiz. The first question was, How many pieces of our Chocolate Nemesis cake had we sold? [Answer: More than 48,000] The second question was, Who eats here the most often? The answer was me. While I love exploring new restaurants, this is the one I love the most.
For breakfast: Marchesi in Mayfair. Walking into here is like walking into a café in Milan. You can have a plate of prosciutto, or scrambled eggs and pancetta, or quite simply an espresso.
For a caffeine fix: The Monocle Café on Chiltern Street, opened by my friend Tyler Brûlé, who started Monocle magazine. It’s a beautiful little shop with great coffee.
For dessert: My favorite dessert is ice cream. Sometimes after work, I’ll stop at Venchi and ask the taxi to wait for me while I run in and get a nocciola gelato with panna (whipped cream). It feels like I’m back in the Val d’Orcia.
Late-night diner: Maroush, on Beauchamp Place. It’s open all night, you can have the best shawarma, hummus, and fattoush.
The Bridge TheaterPhoto: Philip Vile
Theater: The Bridge Theatre, Nick Hytner’s place near London Bridge. When Guys and Dolls was on there, I went to see it six times.