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Ottolenghi takes a rather simplistic approach to the décor and layout, with two large white melamine tables, round which everyone sits, in a well lit white room that could produce an austere effect. However, everything here is concentrated on food, from its creation to the point where it gladdens the heart, and appetite, of the beholder.

Char-grilled broccoli with chilli and garlic, and roasted aubergine with miso, spring onion, chilli and toasted sesame, or maple roasted carrots, phew! You may already feel purified, de-toxed or something better than the state in which you arrived. Perhaps the glazed organic salmon to follow or seared beef fillet with a daily changing sauce, followed by dark chocolate mousse will return you to normality

It may come as no surprise to hear that the place is heaving, which in some ways is counter-productive in a restaurant that is bare of soft furnishings, but for an evening, or lunch, where the quality of the food is at the top of the agenda you will go a long way before you do any better.

In the fashionable heart of London, Prince Gardens Restaurant lives up to its surroundings with elegant interiors reminiscent of the Middle East. Serving Iraqi cuisine, the menu reflects the region's rich culinary heritage with an array of delicious traditional dishes, appealing and exotic in the ingredients they use and the way they have been cooked. Relax and look forward to a languid session of gastronomy.

The lunch and dinner spread includes a variety of mezze, dips, soups, salads, dumplings and grilled meats. The choice includes fried chickpea balls, aubergine purée, chickpea purée, stuffed grape leaves, lamb stew and lamb with rice, almonds, raisins and spices. Try the signature Prince Gardens Farrujj, succulent baby chicken marinated overnight and grilled to order, or masghouf, a delicious traditional Iraqi fish cooked on charcoal grill. Other dishes include the Iraqi kebab, charcoal grilled minced lamb and onions served with a grilled tomato, kubbah mosul, crushed wheat paste stuffed with minced lamb, onions and pine nuts and fried, and tabbouleh, chopped parsley, bulgur, mint, tomato and scallion with lemon juice, olive oil and black pepper. The sumptuous baklawa makes an appropriate dessert. An extensive drinks list, including cocktails, provides complementary refreshment.

An oasis in the midst of Victoria, Bank Westminster is ideally situated between the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace. It is situated in a delightful conservatory annexe to the Crowne Plaza Hotel, overlooking a tranquil Victorian courtyard with a flowing fountain, ideal for outside dining in the warmer weather.

Bank Westminster has two private rooms, which can accommodate twenty guests in each for a sit down meal, or it can be opened up into one big room for forty guests. Perfect for celebrations, corporate events or just an intimate meal with friends Bank Westminster transports guests away from the hustle and bustle of London's city streets.

At the front of the restaurant you find the lengendary Zander bar where the drinks are always flowing and the expert bar tenders are ready to guide you through one of Londons most exciting cocktail lists. Mezze plates and Asian platters are a must when peckish in the bar, great to share with friends over a fine bottle of wine.

The first of the acclaimed Noura chain of restaurants to be set up in Britain, Noura Belgravia is a spacious and stylish dining space that effortlessly manages to combine contemporary décor with traditional Lebanese cuisine. Located on Hobart Place in Belgravia, the restaurant started by two enterprising brothers, features an elegant beige décor with rich furnishings and an elaborate bar area at one end. The food is a mix of brasserie style quick bites served at lunchtime and more formal, fine dining during the evening.

The a la carte menu includes starters of hot and cold mézzes such as batrakh, a traditional dish of boutargue fish roe with garlic and olive oil, moudardara, lentils and rice served with fired onions, and mousakaat banjan, baked aubergines with tomato and chick peas. Main courses include grilled sea bass served with olive oil, marinated and grilled lamb cutlets, charcoal grilled lamb skewers and kafta meshwiyeh- minced lamb with parsley, pine kernels and onions.

There are also exotic desserts of knafeh bel jebn, granulated pastry on melted cheese with warm syrup and ossmalieh, caramelised wheat filled with clotted cream. 

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.

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.