Solo dining is a neglected aspect of restaurant culture. We think of restaurants as places to meet people, but a huge amount of my young life, when I first starting cooking, was about expanding my palette at different affordable restaurants. Most of my friends weren’t interested in food during our early 20s and I didn't have much time off, so it was all about finding places to drop into for a relatively cheap meal. That culture is a big part of what makes Soho such a fun and exciting neighbourhood.

There’s no greater compliment than someone wanting to dine alone at your restaurant. It suggests they feel incredibly comfortable in your place, but it’s also somewhere they want to treat themselves. I’m a counter guy as I love watching what’s going on behind the scenes. You have the benefit of being able to order lots of dishes that arrive quickly, so there’s a sense of immediacy that strips back any formality.

A Soho restaurant crawl should start at Barrafina. It revitalised Soho’s dining scene when it opened nearly 20 years ago. My first visit reminded me of eating out in Barcelona as a kid. I loved standing up and enjoying a few simple dishes at the bar, taking in the hubbub of the place. It also reminded me of going to the football and the thrill of the crowd and being surrounded by people. I choose a Catalan classic from the blackboard, which is always super fresh, especially the seafood, which is just very, very good.