This week, we stayed in London for “Meet the Buzzhopper” following Gabriele’s nomination of man of mystery – and hyper prolific Buzzhopper – Ant! It’s really worth browsing his scores of tips for a chuckle and to check out his illustrations! Ant is also one of our Resident Artists and we’ll soon be uploading his London cityscape to the London tips page.

Off we go:

A bit about you Ant!
From my native Scotland untimely ripped, I’m a cartoonist, artist and (debatably) musician living in London. I’ve been lucky enough to do a fair bit of travelling, with the result being that in each new country I make new friends, try new cuisines… then come back to London craving said cuisines, so I go out looking for them. Then, those friends – by now heartily sick of their native food – come to London to visit and seek out new taste experiences, and guess whose shoulders that falls on? So I now have a hodgepodge collection of bars, restaurants and tourist attractions that can be seen and enjoyed without wading through a bunch of screaming unruly school kids on a class trip.

 You have ‘in a wineglass of my own” as a Vibe, so what kind of places do you enjoy? 
Wine Bars hold me in thrall, dying breed that they are. There’s a kind of faded glamour about them, as long as you define glamour as mid-‘80s Athena posters of that bird in the tennis costume scratching her arse / travel posters for countries that don’t exist anymore / wax-encrusted Chianti flasks. But invariably, you’re in the hands of experts. The likes of the Albertine in Shepherds Bush or Shampers in Kingly court – these are places that sell fantastic wines, many of which you’ll never have tried or seen before, and have friendly geniuses behind the bar to guide you through them. Plus, they’re the sort of places where you easily fall into conversation with whoever’s at the next table or stool.

What kind of things makes you say “this is a Buzzhopper place?”
This is a bugger of a question because it’s so hard to define. Take Gordon’s Wine Bar, for example. It’s hard to class it as a secret given that it’s always packed, and getting a table involves missile-crisis negotiating. But every visit feels like a special occasion, whether it’s from snaring a good seat and laying into the cheeseboard, or just sitting back with a glass of Oloroso and admiring the candelight. There’s nowhere else in the world like it. Or when you’re queuing up outside Meat Liquor and they trot out with a tray of fried pickles to keep you going – you know you’re onto a gem. But at the other end of the scale, even a maligned chain like JD Wetherspoon can throw up surprises, such as serving up haggis, neaps & tatties in the week before Burns Night for a fiver, with a drink included. It’s easy to sneer but this is quality stuff – McSweens’ haggis, no less – at a bargain price.

What’s your favourite tip from another Buzzhopper so far, perhaps one that you’ve used yourself and wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. 
Hah, Taqueria by Jana Sanchez (editor’s note: Taqueria is definitely a great spot!) Don’t get me wrong, I love Tex-Mex in all its inauthentic glory and yes, I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve gone out to Lakeside for a fix of Taco Bell. Although I should be. But this- this is the real deal, proper Mexican, freshly made with quality ingredients, executed with a degree of expertise that would have the likes of Wahaca shuffling in the corner, looking at their shoes and mumbling “Don’t know, sir.”

What would you say to  people discovering/using the site for the first time?
I think it’s important to recognise that the travel bug doesn’t have to end when you fetch up at a destination. I’ve known people who have jaunted all the way from Wagga Wagga, and then never ventured more than a kilometre from Earls Court Station. It doesn’t help that London in particular can be a bit tribal; you might need physical threats and sodium pentothal to convince a Stoke Newington resident to go to a soft launch in Clapham. But perseverance is usually rewarded (and don’t be ashamed to blag if your name isn’t on that list, chances are it was thrown together ten minutes ago by a disgruntled workie). Go with your gut instinct. Buzzhoppers are a savvy bunch, and they are sharing their most jealously-guarded secrets with you. Get in there before everyone else does.

Who do you nominate for the next “Meet the Buzzhopper?”
Let’s kick the focus back over the the Big Apple – I’m looking at you, Jana Sanchez.

Thanks Ant! If you’d like to know more about Ant and read up on some of his illustrated tips, head over to his profile.

Happy Buzzhopping!