New Malden

Where much of outer south-west London settles into familiar suburban patterns of chain coffee shops and estate agents, New Malden stands apart. This is London's Korea Town, home to one of the largest Korean communities in Europe, and it shows the moment you walk down the high street. Grills, banchan and neon signage in Hangul sit where you might expect a Costa or a Nando's, giving the area a character that has nothing to do with the rest of the borough it sits in.

New Malden works as a base for people who want easy access into London without staying right in the centre, and its own identity gives visitors a reason to linger rather than just pass through. It's a practical, residential sort of place rather than a tourist town, which means accommodation tends to be geared towards those visiting family, working locally, or using it as a quieter alternative to central London stays.

With over eighty restaurants packed into a relatively small area, New Malden rewards anyone happy to wander and try somewhere they haven't heard of. It's not a place built around big sights, but as a food destination within Greater London, it's genuinely distinct from anywhere else nearby.