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hand picked restaurants

Chop'd started off in 2004 on a mercy mission to bring 'real food into real working lives'; now with six stores across London it is believed to be among the leading gourmet salad bar chains selling up to 20,000 salads per week. As more people embrace healthy eating, places like Chop'd are sure to grow in popularity.

How about choosing a delicious Scots porridge over cornflakes or croissants for breakfast or a healthy lunch salad that packs in power foods like broccoli, carrot, green beans, orange, parsley, pumpkin and sunflower seed. A ready to go warm chickpea and chorizo salad is a well-balanced preparation of chorizo, spiced tomato chickpea, mizuna, rocket, lambs lettuce, roast red pepper, tomato, red onion, chives, yoghurt and mint dressing.

Who said there is no such thing as a free lunch? Members of Chop'd birthday club can now enjoy free lunch on their birthday plus avail themselves of other offers throughout the year.

Seems like a good idea to me - dammit only eleven months to wait!

Anatolian cuisine or, for the less cosmopolitan, Turkish folk fare, is a timely reminder that food doesn't need to be fussed over, and whilst relying on simple techniques, this type of cooking has justifiably garnered an avid fan following. Tas on Bloomsbury Street stands out on its own by finding a middle ground between intense flavouring and time-honoured classicism.

Nothing demonstrates this better than starter plates of grilled garlic sausages with salad, fried egg with oak smoked cured beef, and homemade stuffed vine leaves with rice and pine kernels. Main courses are helpfully divided into salads, pasta, vegetarian, grills and seafood options, or you could count on their comforting casseroles for a hearty meal, with perhaps a choban kavurma, diced lamb with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and peppers cooked with herbs. Baklava adds to the finishing touch but there are plenty of desserts like the upside down milk pudding and candied chestnuts topped with pistachio and fresh cream, all vying for attention.

There was a time when wine bars seemed to be in recession, but Davy's have put that right. With over 30 wine bars, mostly in the centre of London, offering a dazzling choice of refreshment, well supported by quality food; this is an equation not to be missed. Truckles of Pied Bull Yard is one such conventionally-styled ale and port house with saw-dust covered floors and candle-lit tables.

The menu satisfies those who arrive expecting some real bar food; chicken liver pâté, a plate of Scottish smoked salmon with lambs leaf dressed with balsamic syrup and pink peppercorns, and grilled king prawns with cucumber and chilli salad. Main courses continue in the same vein to include bangers and mash, warm kiln roasted salmon and a specially selected 28 day aged rib eye steak, char-grilled and served with grilled vine tomato and hot buttered potatoes.

Celebrate the Truckles of Pied Bull Yard experience with a pint of Davy's Old Wallop served in a proper pewter tankard.

The legendary Gandhi name may have originated in India, but this Gray's Inn Road restaurant in London is more than an ode to all things Indian, there are enough influences on the menu, from neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh to keep diners pleasantly distracted. The décor is certainly more straightforward; clean, crisp lines abound with walls adopting red and pale yellow hues.

On a busy evening the dining area is bustling with energy and it's not uncommon to see people enjoying plates of onion bhaji, Goan king prawn chilli, or vegetable kebabs. A must-try dish for those who can handle their spices is the chicken nezame cooked in cultured yogurt, mixed herbs and peeled mustard.

It's heartening to note that Gandhi's Restaurant has taken the dessert list a step further from the customary gulab jamun or kulfi; now your interests could alternate between an amarena, a glass filled with ice-cream flavoured with yoghurt and cream, topped with black cherries, or eastern delight, a Turkish delicacy with flavoured ice-cream covered in real Belgian chocolate.

It's always refreshing to find something completely different, even if slightly repetitive. The fact is you can have almost anything at Hummus Bros - provided you have it with hummus. That, of course, is an exaggeration, but the blend of chickpeas puréed with sesame paste and lemon juice can become compulsive. Starting from a chance encounter in 2003, two years later the first Hummus Bros opened on Wardour Street, with a strong following, and then a second outlet followed, on Southampton Row, Holborn, which is not surprising when you consider their value for money lunch meal.

But it's more than just that. Think hummus with a seasoned chickpea or chunky beef topping, with side dishes of mixed or grilled vegetable salad, tabouleh or smoked barbecued aubergine. Puddings come in the form of double chocolate brownie or perhaps malabi, a delicious milk-based dessert with date honey. And if by any chance you have become addicted there are always tubs of hummus and the various toppings to take home.

Its convenient corner location on Red Lion Street cannot be missed and that alone should persuade you enough to make a mental note to visit New Tandoori Raj and satisfy your next curry fixation. It also helps to know that they have indeed bought authentic and imaginative Indian cooking to this part of Holborn, all in a calm, minimalist setting that helps you focus on the food.

The chef-recommended dishes include the richly flavoured chicken, lamb or king prawn shatkora, and the deliciously smooth butter chicken cooked in cream, yogurt and a special sauce. Discover the flavours of fenugreek and spices come alive in a mirchi methi, or the Peshawari, which blends in capsicum and onions with grilled chicken or lamb, served sizzling hot in a korai. This could be preceded by little dishes such as prawn puree, lamb tikka or tandoori chicken.

New Tandoori Raj's set menus and afternoon buffet ensures that a steady stream of diners from the nearby London School of Economics and BPP Law School avail themselves regularly at lunchtime.

Ensconced in the stylish Montague Hotel in Central London are the two sunny and airy conservatories, done up in a graceful manner with amazing views of the private gardens beyond. It's a delightful place to host a private dinner, a special afternoon tea with friends or just relax in their comfortable sofas with a book in tow.

Afternoon tea is a peaceful affair at The Montague with a setting such as this, and trays laden with teapots certainly make a welcome sight, more so the comforting accompaniments such as warm freshly baked scones with Devonshire clotted cream and strawberry jam, and a selection of pastries and cupcakes. 'Little prince and princess tea' with jam and peanut butter sandwiches, chocolate cup cake and ice cream, served with a choice of hot chocolate or soft drink will have the children beaming with delight.

With friendly, attentive service to match, The Conservatory is reminiscent of an English country garden and belies its location in the heart of Central London.