EACH week Pillow Magazine asks someone from our network of creatives to open up their little black book and reveal the secret side of London that you only know about if you’re in the know.
Cecily Mullins, Head of Music Programming for Baroque at The Playboy Club London
Tell us a bit about Baroque: Baroque is a vintage champagne lounge and live entertainment space. The club was launched in October 2012 by Gerry Calabrese, and has become the go-to destination for those looking for something a bit different.
We’ve got an amazing live music space and have already had some incredible acts through the doors to play, including Mark Ronson, The Kills, James Blake, Alt J, AlunaGeorge, Two Door Cinema Club and Grace Jones.
The venue oozes luxury and extravagance and guests are invited to try the extensive cocktail and champagne lists as well as some delicious food or even order their own bespoke champagne coupette towers.
Which area of London do you live in? I live in Notting Hill, just off Portobello rd. It may be hard to find answers to your questions that don’t involve this area!
Cecily Mullins
Why do you love it? I love living so close to Portobello rd, it’s vibrant, a bit mad and eccentric. The carnival can be a bit noisy so I tend to escape for the weekend but in general the area is pretty chilled. There are lots of lovely spots to eat, great clothes shops bars etc. in the area and in the summer it’s covered in roses. The locals are a bit bonkers though but that’s all part of the charm.
Best place to have a coffee: If you fancy a bit of a rave first thing in the morning then Coffee Plant on Portobello rd is your winning bet. They blast out some proper tunes. Coffee is all organic, fair-trade and roasted in house. You can buy beans in the back if you love your coffee.
Best place for a great breakfast: Balans at three in the morning 
never does one need food more. But if you’re after a bloody mary, head to the Electric on Portobello, recently refurbished they make the best bloody mary’s around with pickles on top. Yum! The Daylesford on Westbourne Grove do excellent breakfasts too.
Most amazing place to buy vintage clothes: Tucked away just under Trelik Tower there’s a really great shop called Relik, you can find all sorts of designer gems there.
Best market: For food I love Borough Market near London Bridge. For second hand Golborne rd market has some fun bits and pieces on offer. If you can make the trip and know how to haggle check out some of the car boot sales London has to offer, I picked up some great mirrors at the Battersea car boot.
Best quirky/independent cinema: The Lexi cinema in West London is really lovely. Also The Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley.
Best fashion boutique for amazing clothes/jewellery: Another West London nod, the Village Bicycle in Notting Hill is great for both clothes and jewellery.
Most amazing club night that Pillow Mag readers will love: Baroque of course! You can come grab some dinner and be entertained by really fun variety shows on Thursdays or catch the great performances with guest bands & DJ’s on a Friday and Saturday. Great cocktails, great music great atmosphere. Work is fun.
Cecily Mullins
Favourite place for reasonably-priced/mid-price dinner: My favourite place at the moment has to be 10 Greek Street. It’s really good and you can’t book which means you’re always with a good chance of getting a table. Just recently though I went to The Clove Club in East London (Shoreditch Town Hall), I highly recommend it. Dinner is £47 (excl wine) a head which isn’t bad considering how amazing the food is.
Your favourite secret place for cocktails: Actually I have to say that the best cocktails really can be found at the Playboy Club. There’s even one named after me! I can’t take all the credit though, Joe (Alt-J) and I created the ‘Cecily’ cocktail (with a little help from the clever bar man!) after they played at the club last year. It’s delicious but watch out, it’s lethal
Best pub: There are some great pubs around me.. The Portobello Gold is great for odd ball locals and a tropical vibe (they have palm trees in the back). Also Sundays they have live music there which isn’t actually bad. Head to the Prince Bonaparte for the best roast money can buy. I also really like the Chamberlayne in Kensal Rise, really great steaks and comfy sofa’s.
Greatest place to check out art/exhibitions: I love the Serpentine gallery.. mainly because of the walk through the park to get there. In the summertime one of my favourite things to do is take the dog for a long stroll in Hyde park then stop in at the gallery to see what’s on and have a drink in the Pavilion. Every year it’s curated by a different artist. Of course there are loads of great galleries all over London, the Tate Modern is also a favourite of mine.
Your ultimate Secret London recommendation: All of the above
Anything else you wanna tell Pillow Mag readers? Come down to Baroque for a drink and a dance!
For more information head to Baroque, Mayfair’s website.
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