Less than a 30 minute drive from central London, Incanto restaurant is located in the affluent leafy green suburbs of Harrow-on-the-Hill, a stone’s throw away from the prestigious Harrow school. Set in a former 19^th century post office, the front of the restaurant is a delicatessen-cum-café with a few scattered tables and some window seating, attracting locals with its Italian produce and quick-fixes like Italian coffee, sandwiches and assorted cheeses and salumi.

How the City has changed… it doesn’t seem so long ago that the area around the Bank of England had just a smattering of shops and watering holes: these days, the penny has dropped that everyone needs to eat, drink and buy things. In these days of cookie-cutter shops and wine bars, The Anthologist are doing something different, something which has clearly taken a lot of thought and effort.

When I first heard of Aqua I thought it was an odd combination, bringing together two quite different cuisines, Japanese and Spanish, in one restaurant and of course anyone else would be forgiven for thinking the same. Aqua Kyoto is an excellent restaurant, the surroundings are plush, bordering on opulent and service there is second to none. We had a brilliant evening there.

With the RHS Chelsea flower show just around the corner, The Botanist is both aptly named and perfectly located for a pre or post show pit-stop and they have even conjured up some lovely cocktails to mark this year’s flower-powered festival and so it would be rude not to try them.

The Galvins have an empire now and you can eat rather more ‘refayned’ versions of their dishes at La Chapelle, and I am sure they are worth the money. But for classic cooking in an environment that makes you want to linger for hours, you can’t beat their original and best restaurant – Bistrot de Luxe.

There’s no doubt Dolada offers a real Italian experience quite unlike any others and for my money far better than Heinz Beck at Apsleys. The cotoletta could be cut from the menu and the lamb tagliatelle re purposed, but I’d go back just for a bucket of that Frico. It was friccing fantastic.

Some things calm the soul, just make everything seem a little bit better, . And after a tortuous journey involving two trains and one bus we found one on the outskirts of Kingston; a stretch of the Thames which on a dry, late Spring evening was picture perfect.

A short walk from Euston station, Mestizo adds a vibrant splash of colour to the rather grey part of central London in which Hampstead Road sits. It is a popular restaurant, serving great authentic Mexican food in a friendly atmosphere.

Gordon Ramsay’s latest opening comes in the shape of the re-vamped and re-located Petrus restaurant. The new location is so discreet that you could miss it, which in fact exactly what happened but I found it eventually. The staff at Petrus are very friendly; the food is really very good and even better than that is the value you get with the unbeatable set lunch menu is almost unbelievable.

The Refinery is one of three sister bar/restaurants in London that, we understand. have the same standard menu, but have differing daily specials, depending on what’s available from local markets. If you find yourself in SE1, it’s worth venturing away from the perhaps better known spots close to London Bridge or Waterloo, and spending some time there.