Maida Vale was once just a sleepy west London hamlet preferred by American ex-pats for its wide streets and mansion blocks. There was the occasional celebrity sighting at The Warrington boozer, but, really, if you wanted a big night, you had to travel.

But the former backwater is transforming into a destination neighbourhood. In addition to the heroically restored gin palace The Prince Alfred & Formosa Dining Room, there's the underrated E Bar, new cool pool/DJ lounge, The Westbury, and shouty Gordon's imminent, local opinion-polarising, gastroF**kation of The Warrington.

Now there's more. Idlewild is the latest gem from the peeps behind the Ruby chain that rocks King's Cross, Portobello, Marylebone and, from next month, Hammersmith. MV now rocks, and a few of us former residents at UJ are a little upset that we jumped ship for "hipper" neighbourhoods years ago.