Dawn O'Porter misses London. While living in Los Angeles with her husband Chris O'Dowd, the writer and founder of fashion brand Bob has had a case of withdrawal symptoms from her favourite cocktail bar, brunch spot and hairdresser in the capital.

But fortunately she'll be back from October 15 to 18 to co-host Stylist Live - a four-day festival of cocktails, culture, catwalks and conversation - with Edith Bowman.

Dawn and Edith will be overseeing proceedings as we host a variety of brilliant speakers, workshops, food stalls and fashion shows in London's Business Design Centre.

In the meantime, we catch up with the star to find out about the places she always makes time for when in town.

Dawn's favourite places for...

A lazy Sunday brunch
I think it's worth becoming a member of Shoreditch House just for their breakfast offering. In summer it's beautiful just sitting on their rooftop and in winter there's usually firewood burning. It's the perfect place that isn't home. I usually go for a classic poached egg or avocado toast - the trendiest thing you could eat right now. Yes, I'm mad for avocados, too.

The cheesy pizza
This one is easy - Pizza East in Shoreditch. The venue is massive and atmosphere is really fun. I'll always go for a margherita. Sometimes I might get something like salami added on top, but I get really scared that I'll make the wrong choice. So I stick with a good old margherita pizza and sprinkle chilli flakes.

A killer cocktail
I’m not into modern stuff so I always go back to American Bar at the Savoy. It has an air of old school glamour and class. I like sitting there and imagining all the stars who have been there before. My go-to drink is an Old Fashioned - I'm a big fan of whiskey.

A great sandwich
Two friends of mine, identical twin sisters Laura and Jess, have just opened a café in Crystal Palace called Brown & Green. They make the best sandwiches. It's always fresh, very healthy and their menu changes daily. But you can't go wrong with their classic Sourdough bacon butty with rocket and tomato.

A date night
We (Dawn and her husband Chris O'Dowd) used to live in Bermondsey right by a restaurant called Pizarro and we would go there all the time with our little mixed breed dog called Potato. Bermondsey is the most dog friendly street I’ve ever come across between London, New York and Los Angeles. Pizarro do great wines, tapas and simple Spanish cooking. The menu seems to change daily, but my highlights have been sweet meats and razor clams. The owner is there a lot – I always take this as a sign of a good restaurant.

An unforgettable meal
There are loads of novelty restaurants in London at the moment, but I think one that’s nailed it is Burger and Lobster in Soho. I ordered the whole lobster grilled with melted butter and I just loved it. They do two things on the menu but have kept it so perfect. It’s really fun too – I love wearing an apron and just digging in.

Lazy Sunday brunches, local date nights and killer cocktails: Dawn O'Porter's guide to London