It
all looked so horrible: the Weitz brothers, bakers of American
Pie, filming Nick Hornby's novel, with Hugh
Grant. Yet it turned out pretty good, with self-centred
Will (Grant.) finding
a life of determined isolation isn't as simple as it seems.
Will's
neighbourhood is oh-so-trendy Clerkenwell,
once a radical working-class district (Lenin edited the
Bolshevik newspaper Iskra here), now the latest place
for stylish conversion jobs. You won't recognise the door
to the stripped-down, antiseptic flat, where Will attempts
to lead his 'island' life, as this was constructed specially
for the film. The real entrance is 16-18
St James Walk, at Sekforde Street.
Want
to sample the hedonistic 'island' lifestyle? Follow Will
as he shops at luxurious French deli Comptoir
Gascon, 63 Charterhouse Street, nearby, opposite
the old Smithfield meat market.
Take
your date to the Otto Dining Lounge,
215 Sutherland Avenue, Maida Vale, but hope that
you have a little more luck than the hapless Will. Spacious
and coolly minimal.
