Michelle Dockery's My London

Home is…

My parents’ house in Dagenham, where I grew up with my two elder sisters.

Where do you live?

I bought myself a flat in North London near Hampstead Heath last October. I like it because it feels like I’m almost outside London.

Best meal you’ve had?

Bob Bob Ricard, for the chocolate bombe thing at the end. I love that place.

Best thing a London cabbie has said to you?

It’s not suitable for publication.

Last album you bought?

Jessie Ware’s Devotion. She is brilliant. I discovered her at Primavera in Barcelona, and it’s all I listen to at the moment.

Last play you saw?

Antigone at the National, with Jodie Whittaker and Christopher Eccleston. My sister Jo was in it; she was understudying Ismene, so was playing lots of different roles. I loved it. I started at the National when I was in my early twenties so it was brilliant going back and seeing her.

Most romantic thing someone’s done for you?

Taken me ice skating at the Natural History Museum. It was my best friend but it was still very romantic.

First thing you do when you arrive back in London?

Go straight to Essex to see my family.

Best London shops?

Any Whistles, and Folk and Oliver Spencer on Lamb’s Conduit Street for clothes; Magma in Clerkenwell for books and magazines; Exmouth Market for places to eat, and Department of Coffee and Social Affairs on Leather Lane. I also love all the antiques places in Islington; Camden Passage has a gorgeous shop called Workshop that does beautiful wool coats.

Building you’d like to live in?

One of the apartments at the top of the Shard. I imagine the view is amazing.

Animal you’d most like to be?

A honey badger — because ‘honey badger don’t give a s**t’!

Best piece of advice you’ve been given?

My mum taught me always to see the funny side of things.

Favourite London discoveries?

I love discovering tiny streets. There’s one off Hatton Garden that has Ye Olde Mitre on it, which is one of the oldest and smallest pubs in London. It’s right in the heart of all those modern buildings.

Best place for a nightcap?

I’d get an apple martini in the top-floor bar at Ronnie Scott’s. I love it there; I actually sang there a few years ago.

Who do you call when you want to have fun in London?

My sisters Joanne and Louise.

Earliest London memory?

Going to the V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green with my grandad. I have a really strong memory of seeing all the little dolls in glass boxes. I lived in Hackney for a while so when I went past it on the bus it used to bring back memories.

What would you do if you were Mayor for the day?

Put in more cycle lanes. I love cycling, but if I could find a way of building something above the streets for cyclists, that would be amazing. We need even more space.

Biggest extravagance?

Sushi. When I lived in Clerkenwell I used to go to Sushi Tetsu at least three times a week, which really ate into my bank account.