Joe’s sounds like a cheap cafe but with its glam interior, complete with glossy style mags to read if a table isn’t free, it’s anything but. Outside I see a Lamborghini, which has probably never ever left Zone 2, attempting to parallel park. It takes him ten attempts while taxis hoot at him derisively.

A very good restaurant should always make you feel comfortable no matter what. In its dining room, Quaglino’s manages it with aplomb

There are a fair number of city restaurants that now occupy spaces previously created for financial institutions; Caravaggio in Leadenhall Street is one of them. The food was very good, though on the generous side. We had a great evening there.

300 Kentish Town Road London NW5 2TG www.kentishcanteen.co.uk It’s an ugly knot of a junction […]

Sitting on the corner of the crossroads with the Imperial War Museum opposite, The Three Stags could best be described as a prime example of an old London pub. Although walking into the pub was a little like walking into a time warp, we had a great time there and enjoyed some really good food. Given that we arrived there at 7.00 pm and didn’t leave until almost closing time, that says it all.

The Bonnie and Wild is a simple idea done well – take quality and don’t muck about with it and do it all in an informal setting. This was opening night and any slight mistakes will hopefully be fixed in time for the next Saturday. Don’t forget to bring your own bottle and reservations are a must.

In the depths of Syon Park’s rolling green, the new Waldorf Astoria brings the luxury hotel brand to Middlesex. We went to the in-house restaurant, the Capability, for an evening of comfort, gorgeous food and impeccable service. It would be a shame to restrict visits there to high days and holidays.

I’d like to see what chef David Burke can do a la carte; the constrictions of keeping to the £40 line are perhaps too much to handle given the overheads of a place like this. That said the Lutyens meal deal is a fair one, nothing stunning but perfectly ok and you get to eat in a classier place than you deserve for the money.

It’s always a pleasure to discover new, vibrant parts of London that make you wonder how you ever managed to miss it. Heddon Street is one such enclave off Regent Street where hundreds of party-goers and vegetarians (and vegetarian party-goers?) flock for a nibble at Tibits before dancing the night away.

Annie Lund visits the self-proclaimed oldest dining room in the UK, to find a confusing but enjoyable dining experience.