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Situated in the iconic London Victoria Hotel, part of the Hesperia group, 2 Bridge Place offers a restaurant facility that brings a sense of wellbeing and quiet confidence to its customers. The hotel has 212 guest rooms, including 7 suites and an executive floor. Air conditioning is wall to wall throughout, and each room has Wi-Fi, complimentary wireless and internet access. The décor of the rooms combines cheerful colours with a restraint that calms and relaxes.

The Life-Style Leisure Centre is there to keep you in trim whilst away from base, together with the indoor pool, whirlpool and sauna. Nine purpose built meeting rooms are each designed to meet different requirements. On the more gastronomic level the warm, modern décor in the restaurant picks up the mood running, providing equally well for the romantic à deux, relaxed business dinners and a splendid starting point for hitting the town later on in the evening.

Hunan is not only the name of this restaurant but also the name of a Chinese province known for is spicy cuisine and this is definitely the best restaurant in London to experience this style of food. The restaurant is run by Mr Peng, who has a reputation for deciding what customers would like to eat, so many diners find it wise to simply run with his choice at a cost of £28 a head, that gives you a variety of some of the best dishes on offer.

MU has launched a completely different approach to Modern European fine cuisine. The a la carte dinner menu provides a fine selection of dishes that demonstrate well the range of the cuisine and Chef de Cuisine, Paul Knight's signature style offers innovation that combines flavours and techniques from around the World.

The bar has an equally high reputation for serving some of the best cocktails in London. These accolades reflect the quality of the cuisine, which defies most attempts to place it in the usual categories but can certainly be said to derive from the best. Whilst it is completely separate in many ways, MU is actually sited in the 4* Deluxe Millennium Knightsbridge Hotel, which is conveniently situated for all the excellent shopping in Sloane Street.

Pizza Express remains a hugely popular bedrock of casual eating. Its popularity is testimony to the fact that across the country, they have restaurants where you will always be guaranteed a good nosh, with children's tastes being well catered for.

Pizza Express has gone even more Roman, and following the success of that particular example of listening to their public have introduced Romana pizzas, including the scorching Etna and the hearty Siciliana.

These pizzas are now thinner, bigger and crispier, and if that sounds like a marketing line, it is. However, unlike many such lines, this one is true, and their quality is always consistent, though cleverly they have still managed to retain a homemade feel to their pizzas.

As an alternative to pizza, try their pollo pesto - cavatappi pasta with torn chicken breast, mushrooms, red onions and mozzarella in a creamy gruyere, parmesan and pesto sauce and finished with grana padano - or the niçoise salad with mixed leaves, yellowfin tuna, free range egg, green beans, potatoes and tomatoes with olives, anchovies, capers and house dressing.

Many of the big chains have come a long way, and Pizza Express is certainly amongst them. One of the first to be quoted on the Stock Exchange - in 1993 - Pizza Express is not a franchise operation and retains tight control through its own staff.

Their wine list - though short - contains some surprisingly good offerings, especially their intense Australian Chardonnay, and a big, full-bodied Merlot from Cusumano, Sicilia.

Founded by Giovanni Quaglino in 1929 this glamorous restaurant came under the scrutiny of Terence Conran in the early 90s, which has done it absolutely no harm at all. Launched in an ecstasy of love on Valentine's Day 1993, the magic never fails.

Quaglinos has always been a happy place, somewhere where people with something to celebrate have gone to be sure of staff who understand, chefs who respond and management who know how to manage. The sheer exuberance of that iconic staircase is enough to rouse anybody's spirits as you sweep into the classic brasserie, full of animated chatter. This is London at its best!

The buzz factor, girls with oomph, people-watching, exotic sculptures and paintings, and imaginative seafood all play their part in winding up the pace. Yes, an agreeable whiff of decadence does come into it, but nobody seems too bothered either way.

The menu seldom stays the same for long. Head Chef Darron Bunn has developed a classic menu which invokes the brasserie style, and the à la carte menu is a vehicle for Quaglino's Crustacea Altar, always a feast of seafood that is fresh, widely acquired and the sort of thing that floats into the minds of those who settle for nothing but the best from the sea.

The well designed Classic Menu with three or more choices from 3 courses makes a meal of summer pea soup with herb chantilly, followed by risotto of courgette and plum tomato, and finally closing with a apricot and almond tart.

However, it is to the à la carte that many are drawn, where the word 'entrées' sets a certain note that is welcomed by those who like a little style on their food. So shall it be chicken salad with pickled vegetables and peanut dressing, or hand dived scallops with chorizo, garlic and chopped parsley? The choice is yours; native West Mersea's oysters, fillet of red mullet served with cous cous, black olive and sun blushed tomato salad or a crustacean platter.

A smoked salmon with horseradish and peas, steak frites, seasoned to your liking at the table, or lobster and chips are but three choices from the heat, and in season the red leg partridge make a welcome appearance amongst the meat options. Smoked haddock fish cakes, Dover sole, darne of salmon with asparagus and Hollandaise sauce, make no concessions to being anything but good wholesome food from the sea.

A restaurant with brasserie leanings could not open its doors without the crème brulee amongst the closing temptations, and the cheeses for those of us so blessed can hardly ignore a glass of Prosecco Brut Jeio Biso, only underlining the fact that Quaglino's is a place where temptation is alive and very well.

Naturally they do lunch and with quality three course lunches still at under £25 can there really be anywhere else to eat? But traditionally Quaglino's is a night place too and the bar stays open late, late. If you fancy a cocktail nightcap around the weekends, head for Quag's. And the seafood can be extremely compelling - just give a little notice and be prepared for bliss. Not cheap, mind, but when was the real thing ever anything else?

Quaglino's is a London landmark, but unlike some it consistently fulfils its promise. Click on their Website to learn more.

In upmarket Belgravia, buildings most often possess a rich historical background and The Pantechnicon Rooms, named after the prestigious edifice that once stood there on Motcomb Street, is no exception. Adding colour to local history and celebrating it, this classy restaurant has an understated luxurious ambience, in which you can relax and soak up the atmosphere along with your meal.

A snazzy bar occupies a place of pride on the ground floor, where you could order chilli salt squid, char-grilled British beef burger or the rack and shoulder of Devon lamb, with your drink. For a more elaborate meal you could traipse upstairs to the elegant dining room, where soothing neutral tones, plush leather armchairs and polished wall panelling make for a sophisticated dining experience.

Starters of seared scallops with black pudding, cauliflower and pancetta crisp, or Carlingford rock oysters, are aimed to whet your appetite, while roast turkey with brandied fig, chestnut and rye stuffing, is a simple, but intriguing, fusion of flavours and textures. A glass of wine from the comprehensive wine list is just the very thing to accompany your meal. Finally, don't miss desserts such as pear and hazelnut tart or chocolate and caramel fondant with peanut parfait.

Pizza Express remains a hugely popular bedrock of casual eating. Its popularity is testimony to the fact that across the country, they have restaurants where you will always be guaranteed a good nosh, with children's tastes being well catered for.

Pizza Express has gone even more Roman, and following the success of that particular example of listening to their public have introduced Romana pizzas, including the scorching Etna and the hearty Siciliana.

These pizzas are now thinner, bigger and crispier, and if that sounds like a marketing line, it is. However, unlike many such lines, this one is true, and their quality is always consistent, though cleverly they have still managed to retain a homemade feel to their pizzas.

As an alternative to pizza, try their pollo pesto - cavatappi pasta with torn chicken breast, mushrooms, red onions and mozzarella in a creamy gruyere, parmesan and pesto sauce and finished with grana padano - or the niçoise salad with mixed leaves, yellowfin tuna, free range egg, green beans, potatoes and tomatoes with olives, anchovies, capers and house dressing.

Many of the big chains have come a long way, and Pizza Express is certainly amongst them. One of the first to be quoted on the Stock Exchange - in 1993 - Pizza Express is not a franchise operation and retains tight control through its own staff.

Their wine list - though short - contains some surprisingly good offerings, especially their intense Australian Chardonnay, and a big, full-bodied Merlot from Cusumano, Sicilia.

The rustic flavours of Lebanese food are enjoying a renewal of interest, and with restaurants like Ishbilia serving this pleasing Middle Eastern fare, the cuisine with its Arabic and Mediterranean influences, has become increasingly popular. Cold mezza of thin slices of smoked beef fillet in special sauces or moussaka batinjan, fried aubergine cooked with tomatoes, chick peas, sweet peppers, garlic, onion and spices are delightful ways to begin your meal.

Hot mezza such as makanek, lamb cocktail sausages fried in olive and lemon juice or the well known falafel, fried croquettes of ground chick peas, broad beans, and herbs served with tahine sauce are heart warming fillers. You could also order from the numerous grills such as lahem meshwi, char grilled skewers of tender lamb cubes grilled with tomatoes and onions or the uniquely flavoured spiced minced lamb with parsley and onions, slowly baked in concentrated pomegranate juice.

Desserts such as rich Lebanese pastries are not to be missed. An extensive wine list offers well known pleasures, mingled with some you may not have come across before.