My London: Jonathan Saunders

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A Georgian townhouse in De Beauvoir Town, Hackney. I love the area. It’s perfectly situated in between London Fields and Highbury for walks with my dog Amber — a half whippet, half Staffordshire bull terrier.

Last ballet you saw?

I saw the Pina Bausch company perform at Sadler’s Wells. The show was surprisingly funny and beautiful as always. Not being allowed to take photographs during the production was a good discipline: it made me realise how rarely we enjoy a moment without having to capture it.

Who’s your hero?

Keith Haring. He came from nothing and influenced public perception of art.

Best place for a first date?

The bar at Bistrotheque. It’s always busy, so no awkward silences, and serves the best vodka martinis. That will do the trick.

Ever had a run-in with a London policeman?

I’m from Glasgow… What do you think?

Building you’d like to be locked in overnight?

Tate Modern. I love the idea of being on my own in such a vast space with all that wonderful and priceless art.

Best meal?

Recently I ate at Bocca di Lupo with fashion critic Tim Blanks. We sat at the bar and had a multitude of small plates, including sage-leaf tempura and pumpkin ravioli.

What do you collect?

Books — our house is full to the brim with them. I’m particularly into art direction in photography, art and design books from the 1970s and 1980s.

Best place for a nightcap?

There is a great secret cocktail bar in Angel that is tiny and always packed. It’s called 69 Colebrooke Row.

Biggest extravagance?

Cooking. I always make far too much food and a wide array of different dishes that no one could possibly finish. Also, the occasional facial. I’ve just had the best one from my friend Teresa Tarmey in Notting Hill.

Where do you go to let your hair down?

At home with a karaoke machine, or my boyfriend Justin [Padgett] on the guitar, with friends and a bottle of tequila.

Which shops do you rely on?

Borough Kitchen in Hampstead; they do really good cooking classes. Sunspel, near my gym on Redchurch Street, for simple, well-made basics. Donlon Books on Broadway Market for its incredible selection — particularly the Japanese books. They also have a great new shop next door, full of colourful obi belts, African textiles and framed posters. Hill & Szrok Master Butchers on Broadway Market. It’s old-school, with great staff, and it turns into a no-reservations restaurant in the evening where you sit around the butcher’s bench.