Nitin Sawhney's London

Q: How long have you lived in London?
A: I've lived in South London for about 17 years and I've been living in Wandsworth for about 7 years.

Q: Where and when did you last eat out in London?
A: I ate at Nobu at the Metropolitan Hotel. I always receive a warm welcome when I go there and it has a really nice vibe. I was sitting next to Patrick Stewart last time I was there which was quite trippy as I am a big fan of Star Trek.

Q: Where do you go for the Best London breakfast?
A: Brew on Northcoate Road. They make great porridge.

Q: What's the best London party you have ever been to?
A: Paul McCartney's 65th birthday. There were some interesting people there and the party was vintage Hollywood themed.

Q: What's the most you have ever spent on a night out?
A: My assistant's leaving do. The party was at the Ritz and a lot of money was spent on booze. The total was somewhere in the £1000s but I wouldn't like to calculate.

Q:What's your favourite London icon (person, building etc)?
A: Tony Benn. I really like his politics. I like the fact that he has always been against war and consistently in favour of negotiation rather than military intervention.

Q:If you could take one piece of art from a London gallery or Museum what would it be?
A: A piece called For the Love of God by Damien Hirst. It is made out of 8,600 diamonds. I would take the proceeds and give all the money back to the charity Conflict Neutral to help them neutralise the harmful effects of blood diamonds.

Q: What's the most recent play, gig, comedy act you have been to that you would recommend?
A: The most recent gig I went to see was of Anoushka Shankar, daughter of the famous sitar player Ravi Shankar. She played an amazing sitar concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. She will be performing with me at the Proms this year.

Q: What do you miss most when you are away from London?
A: The whole vibe of London and the cultural diversity.

Q: If you were invisible for the day where would you go?
A: I would go to 10 Downing Street and find out what really goes on behind closed doors.

Q:What's your favourite hidden gem?
A: There's a very cool place called Shunt which is between two vending machines at London Bridge Station. They put on a lot of art installations and it has a really cool bar and a very underground subversive kind of vibe. It feels like a portal to another dimension.

Q: Three top tips for visitors?
A: Bring a raincoat, see a show at the Tricycle Theatre, and go to Brick Lane and have a wander and soak up the buzz. 

Q: Most romantic London spot?
A: The top floor of Tower 42 in Old Broad Street for stunning views.

Q: What shop could you not live without?
A: The Apple store. I buy a lot of Mac stuff. They ought to give me some for free I am such a good customer.