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Located in the heart of Drury Lane, Takari is surrounded by some of the capitals best theatres. Guests are welcomed by bright colours, comfortable surroundings and the aroma of spicy dishes as soon as they enter this delightful Indian restaurant. The food is cooked in accordance to traditional Indian methods which enable you to enjoy the cuisine in its true sense.

The innovative menu focuses on pleasing different and unique culinary requirements. Some old favourites include a generous portion of lightly fried shrimps sautéed with mustard seeds and crushed black pepper, and deliciously spiced lentils, chick peas, flour and chopped onions rolled in a ball. The main course selection offers some interesting dishes such as jungle curry - chicken fillets stir fried with spring onions, green peppers, ginger and crushed chillies, and a wonderful combination of pureed spinach and onion, flavoured with garlic, cumin and kasoori methi.

If you want to take a breather from the tourists thronging Covent Garden or maybe just rest those tired feet after a huge bout of shopping, the Upper Deck Café and Bar at the London Transport Museum aims to provide succour. The stylish interiors, done up in the startlingly different 'moquette' design based on the 1930s Northern line pattern, are pleasing and set the atmosphere.

The cosmopolitan menu has roast asparagus with Iberico ham and parmesan shavings as well as Thai crab cakes with mango, coriander and lime salsa. Morning visitors get to choose from a full English breakfast to the lighter Greek yoghurt with strawberries, honey and granola. An interesting selection of pastries and ice creams along with flapjacks or chocolate brownies will do wonders for your dentist's bank account, and in the short term will make you feel, well, just extra special.. Don't miss the transport themed cocktails with interesting names such as routemaster or tipsy trainspotter that set the tone for the museum venue.

Formerly China City, this Lisle Street restaurant has re-opened with a smart new look and a name to match; it is separated from the busy streets of Chinatown by a tranquil courtyard. Imperial China is a vast venue, set over three floors and prides itself on authentic cuisine, something it obviously achieves if the stream of Cantonese customers are anything to go by.

The dim sum is both deliciously tasty as well as great value for money, while the varied menu ensures there is something for everyone. So for starters expect to find deep fried 'pon pon' prawns in sugar cane skewer, barbecue spare ribs or house hors d'oeuvres of vegetarian pancake rolls, spare ribs, sesame prawn toast and seaweed. Main course dishes are not to be sidelined either with choices like roasted duck Cantonese style, sweet and sour pork with pineapple and fried bean curd in black bean sauce. The sweet flavour of water chestnuts comes through at dessert time in the form of a deep fried pudding in syrup.

Whilst evenings at the Adam Street restaurant are restricted to members only, lunch is a satisfying experience that can be enjoyed by all. The laptop-toting variety will find the a great deal of comfort within its pleasant confines and so do the others, after all many are impressed just by the setting, minimalist, yet with that subtle touch of class.

The food, however, makes a bigger impression and modern British cooking is what's on the menu with dishes such as poached salmon with asparagus, quail eggs and grapefruit hollandaise; roast breast of corn-fed chicken with mushroom ravioli and Madeira jus, and profiteroles with pistachio and vanilla ice-cream and hot chocolate sauce.

The wine list also comes in for particular praise, compiled by well known expert Nick Tarayan, formerly of Leith's, it was rated by Andrew Jefford in the Evening Standard as 'four out of five'; he commented that there was no rationale apart from taste, rather than merely reputation, for the selection, which meanders all over the globe, and that they are clearly and succinctly annotated.

Long gone are the days when our great national institutions saw it as no part of their duty to supply their visitors with refreshment. Then came humanity and accountants, let's hope in that order, and now the National Gallery has really pushed the kitchen out. Or to be more precise Oliver Peyton has, and in conjunction with David Collins has transformed the top floor of the building into a very glitzy place, full of people many of whom have no intention of looking at the national collection. Which is fine since entry to the galleries is free, but two people having a good dinner in the dining room are unlikely to emerge with much change out of £100.

The food is indubitably British, making few demands on the intellectual cuisenaire, but full of good cheer. Think oxtail soup with marrow dumplings, crisp pork belly with pease pudding and scrumpy, followed by warm treacle tart with clotted cream. Breakfast is served in the Bakery from 10 am, through elevenses, light meals and afternoon tea. Lunch in the restaurant and dinner on Wednesday evenings (only) are incredibly popular and already the Dining Rooms have a cult following.

An increasing number of restaurants and the like are making it their business to support small-scale farmers, growers and cheese-makers, and the benefit of their devotion to their products is evident within the menu here.

This attractive restaurant ought to be on everyone's little book of places to eat out; Le Deuxième also happens to be the younger sibling of Cafe du Jardin, a favourite eating place in Covent Garden for many years, and follows broadly similar lines with both its menu and its wine list. There's a good selection within each course, concentrating on interesting ideas and strong flavours, and it has established an excellent reputation since it opened its doors in 2001.

The menu offers an epic proportion of choices veering away from the traditional European style and bringing in some novelty; there's pan fried foie gras with toasted brioche, caramelised rhubarb, hazelnuts and Madeira jus, and tomato and smoked paprika fish soup with clams and mussels. Then steer towards main courses of pork belly with mustard mash, black pudding and Calvados jus, and char-grilled rib eye of Scotch beef with pommes frites and béarnaise.

The house selection features a Chardonnay, Les Templiers 2007 and Carignan, Le Croix Gratiot Languedoc 2006 amongst many other worthwhile entries.

Inspired by the munificent lotus flower, this hybrid hub goes through many transformations and moods in a day making it a hot spot for Londoners. It is, first and foremost, a serious fine dining restaurant serving Chinese, Thai, Chettinad, Malaysian, Singaporean, Vietnamese and Burmese dishes. It also doubles as a bar, gallery, club and, during non business hours, a venue for business gatherings. Specially commissioned video content designed by video artist Jean Pierre Dangmann adds to the chic interior.

Chef Manish Mehrotra leads the kitchen supported by a wine list compiled by Charles Metcalfe. Start with sweet chilli lotus root, chives and fresh coriander, and tossed baby idlis - soft rice cakes - with cashew nuts and Madras gun powder, before moving on to masala morels with water chestnut and herb lemon rice. A coconut and palm sugar brûlée with elderflower sorbet could bring to a pleasant end this exotic experience.