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London may well have more than its fair share of French restaurants but Le Cercle differs sufficiently from the rest to make it worthy of attention. First the setting, a tall basement only a short distance from Sloane Square, a space with which the designers have had a real field day, not entirely eliminating the feeling of being in a night club. The predominant material seems to be leather and the overall effect is not displeasing.

The menu draws on a several-sectioned approach starting with vegetables through fish, meat, traditional French country dishes, cheese and puddings. It is suggested that everyone should order somewhere between three to five savoury dishes which, given the average portion size is not unreasonable advice. Traditional dishes appear amongst a discreet selection of new interpretations. The crab shepherd's pie came across as a rather lost opportunity, but such old favourites as black pudding, or tender baby squid served with asparagus and mangetout are well up to scratch.

Le Cercle has been described as a haven for ladies who lunch and this may well turn out to be the case, but it seems unlikely that too many of them will returning in the evening with their partners, unless they are taking a diet pretty seriously. However, it is early days and the general quality of the food and its presentation certainly has strong appeal.

Celebrities love Le Caprice, a fact illustrated by the many celebrity photographs that adorn the walls; the decor remains a very cool - but amazingly atmospheric - black and white.

Booking is essential and well in advance at that. On arrival grab a drink or two at the bar where you get a good opportunity to do some star spotting before making your way to your table. Start with a few oysters or a tomato and basil galette, before moving onto familiar favourites like grilled rib-eye steak, deep-fried haddock and chips, or more exotic seafood or grouse dishes.

Prices remain surprisingly reasonable considering the popularity of Le Caprice, and though the original founders, Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, have departed some time ago, the standards have been maintained, and they still serve so many of their classic dishes that their legion of fans appreciate.

Open all day, centrally located Brumus Bar and Restaurant at the Haymarket Hotel in Suffolk Place is the place to unwind over a glass of beer at lunch or the venue to enjoy a leisurely dinner. Its stylish contemporary interiors make it a happening meeting place for business associates or family and friends after work. Breakfast and afternoon tea is served too.

The menu works its way through chorizo, squid and salsa verde; roast figs, Parma ham and Gorgonzola; scallop, lemon and herb risotto; beer battered pollock, hand cut chips and pea purée, herb and mustard crusted lamb rack with watercress; slow roasted belly of pork with Savoy cabbage and grilled Suffolk chicken breast. To finish, consider plum tarte tatin with ginger ice cream, poached pear and orange ricotta with chocolate sauce or pannacotta with passionfruit syrup. The extensive wine list winds its way through the Old and New World and a variety of martini cocktails and bellinis entertain at the bar.

Certain things are never meant to change. Take the 'quality first' catchphrase of Balls Brothers for instance; after trading in fine wines for over 150 years, this motto still hold true. Now with a chain of bar and restaurants across London, each possessing a unique note of distinction in terms of décor and location, all share a common love for classic British food and a good choice of wines.

Menus do vary slightly from one restaurant to another, so you could spot a group of friends in Carey Lane bonding over a British grazing platter of fish fingers with chunky tomato sauce, minty lamb meatballs, Londoner cocktail sausages and potato wedges with sour cream and chives. Head to Hay's Galleria for warm chicken livers, chorizo and spinach salad, followed by smoked salmon muffin, free range poached egg and hollandaise sauce, and strawberry and vanilla parfait with summer berry coulis.

There is another draw to Balls Brother, their exciting wine dinners and tastings, and quiz, swing and jazz nights are but a few of them.

Alan Yau, creator of some high profile restaurants like Hakkasan and Yauatcha, now brings the characteristic communal style dining to London a la Wagamama. The first Busaba Eathai opened in Soho and two more outlets followed, and the interior of dark wood and decorative lanterns notch up the style factor, making it more than just an average café-style dining experience.

Eating here is mostly a one course affair and on a cold winter evening try the tom yam talay, prawn, squid and baby clams with vermicelli noodle in a spicy sour soup, and for the light eaters it could be a wing bean salad with toasted coconut, shallot and lime leaf. If the crowds are anything to go by, it means that Busaba Eathai must be doing several things right and curries must be one of them, like the aromatic geng gari gai with chicken, new potato and cucumber relish. A steaming hot cup of ginger and honey tea helps you finish the meal on a satisfying note.

Things seem to move fast at Wagamama - the Asian inspired, noodle restaurant chain that was started in 1992. As soon as you decide what you want to eat, your order is taken via a PDA, and wirelessly networked to the kitchen, so it can be made fresh and served right after. The restaurant chain does not believe in taking reservations, and all customers are seated on a first come, first serve basis. In fact, be aware that most of the tables are long ones and you will often be asked to share them.

The restaurants are modelled on traditional Japanese ramen bars that have been popular for hundreds of years - ramen are Japanese style noodles, served in a meat-based broth, topped with pork, dried seaweed or even corn. Chilli beef ramen, made of noodles in a spicy pork and chicken soup topped with a marinated and grilled sirloin steak and fresh vegetables, is hearty and satisfying.

Apart from ramen, you could opt for the coconut soup based kare noodles or teppan, cooked on a hot, flat griddle. They also offer many rice dishes like katsu curry, chicken fillet deep-fried in panko breadcrumbs, served with a lightly spiced curry sauce and sticky white rice. Vegetarians are definitely not ignored, as they can opt for saien soba, made using whole-wheat noodles in a soup topped with stir-fried vegetables, seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil and garnished with sliced spring onion.

Meat and vegetable dumplings, skewered chicken, deep-fried prawns and raw salads double as both sides and starters. Steamed green soya-beans, called edamame, go well with drinks - hold them up to your mouth and squeeze the succulent beans from the pod. If you've noticed, Wagamama is more about eating healthy food fast and less about the order. Don't be surprised if you're served the main course before the side dish - order isn't important, the aim is, don't wait - just tuck in and share.

Wash down your meal with sake, plum wine or even a Japanese beer. Wind up your meal with coconut reika - three scoops of dairy coconut ice cream topped with a fresh, tangy mango sauce and toasted coconut flakes or the tamarind and chilli Pavlova, with a crunchy meringue base served with a raspberry and tamarind sauce.

At Wagamama, you can also shop for cookbooks, sauces, ramen bowls and t-shirts. The restaurant is all about enjoying genuine, reasonably priced, Pan-Asian cuisine in a sleek but informal setting.