SEVEN DIALS - CHERISH IT

I was in Soho yesterday, having an early Christmas lunch with two university friends —enjoying a thirty-plus-year tradition always full of laughs. We were in The Union Club on Greek Street, just a few yards from Seven Dials. The original idea for the book Seven Dials stemmed from a much more sober lunch with a literary agent about ten years earlier. Still, after several false starts, business projects, and much procrastination, I didn’t really knuckle down to write Seven Dials until about 18 months ago.

Filled with Christmas spirit, wandering through Seven Dials after lunch seemed right, and I’m glad I did, as the place was lively. Absolutely packed with people, hustle, stalls, shops, £5 coffees, and smart restaurants alongside the chaotic indoor food market. The Christmas lights make the place highly “Instagrammable,” so I shared a shot here. On the way back through Covent Garden, I saw that Rossopomodo has closed. I had been going there for a decade — a small small Italian eatery, but a part and parcel of the district and a real loss. Places like Seven Dials are made out of the lasting value of places like this. I hope more don’t close.