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Located on the 24th floor of the City of London's tallest building, Tower 42, Rhodes 24 is the latest offering from one of Britain's top chefs, the ever popular Gary Rhodes CBE. Re-awarded a Michelin Star for 2006, Rhodes Twenty Four offers traditional British cuisine in an outstanding location in the heart of the City, with stunning views across the capital.

Commonly revered in culinary circles as the 'Chef's Chef', Gary has a reputation for bringing quality, precision and finesse to every dish he touches. Rhodes Twenty Four's core value is very British fare and the menu at the 76 cover restaurant reflects the very best dishes, flavours and textures of British food, but always with an innovative twist.

The menu features British classics and favourites, each born from the ideas of old, displaying a new elegance and style; from new season lamb with fresh mint jelly, mutton hash and grilled sardines on toast, to jam roly poly with fresh custard and jam sauce.

Commenting on the menu, Gary Rhodes said: "British classics and favourites have passed through many changes, with different approaches to ingredients resulting in varied techniques and tastes. I have always had a strong passion for classics, more or less all of the new trends have been born from them and we take the traditional concept from its original idea, introducing recognition of flavours with elegance. These recipes, with their rejuvenated style, are here to be enjoyed and to revive the feelings predominantly for good traditional British cookery".

From the tables and chairs, the lighting, ambience, architecture and sculptures, to the glassware, plates and every knife and fork, Rhodes Twenty Four shows and tells a new story from beginning to end. The story Rhodes Twenty Four wants to share is that good food doesn't have to be played with or overdressed; all it needs is to be put together simply and well.

Candid Cafe can be found on Torrens Street in the heart of Angel Islington, a rustic and friendly cafe where you can curl up on the cosy sofas and enjoy a sandwich or a cup of coffee. Its regulars might well be those who attend Candid Arts Galleries at the same location, but irrespective of your inclination towards art, it's easy to settle down at the cafe or delightful courtyard for a delicious Mediterranean inspired meal.

There might be starters of carrot and coriander soup followed by a main course of chicken in mushroom sauce with roasted sweet potatoes or maybe a helping of vegetarian lasagne. Sandwiches and salads are some of the other excellent options and you could top off your meal with a slice of lemon or banana cake or perhaps apple crumble with cream or custard. They have a vast array of teas, regular and herbal, coffees and juices alongside soft drinks.

Clifton Restaurant in Westferry Road offers all the mandatory curry treats from the Indian subcontinent, from tandoori chicken to tikka masala, as well as a number of regional specialities, especially some unique Bangladeshi dishes. This restaurant is a sister restaurant to the original Clifton on Whitechapel Road.

Accompanying old favourites like lamb vindaloo, garlic chicken and rogan josh are specialities of Bangladesh such as koftas in a spicy and sour sauce, beef cooked with shatkora and tiger king prawns cooked with garlic, ginger and fresh coconut and served with a creamy mild sauce. Seafood and dishes from the grill include grilled tiger prawns, king prawn butterfly, Bengal grilled fish, lamb chops, grilled duck tikka and tandoori chicken bujon. Basmati plain rice, mushroom pilau, tandoori paratha and garlic naan complement the main selection. Vegetarians can choose between assorted lentils cooked with richly flavoured herbs and spices, baby aubergine masala with garlic and butter, and lightly spiced mixed vegetables balls cooked in a spicy sauce with baked tomatoes and capsicum.

For the ultimate in Indian dining Café Spice Namasté at Prescott Street, London, offers a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere with truly exotic dishes. Namasté means 'gracious' welcome in Hindi and it is on the principle and philosophy of 'welcome' that Café Spice Namasté was initially conceived. Cyrus Todiwala OBE, executive chef of this award-winning Indian restaurant, is highly acclaimed for his unique style and widely acknowledged as one of the most creative Indian chefs working in the UK today.

In its decade of service it has sought to truly redefine Indian food, décor and service. Its elaborate and extensive menu incorporates the best of Indian cuisine with specialities and influences from all over the Asia, often, with a European twist.

Rare, unusual meats feature on the menu and Cyrus's Speciality Menu changes fortnightly to take advantage of the best the British seasons have to offer. A truly extraordinary menu that at any one time can include squid dynamite marinated in a fiery Goan peri-peri masala, and the traditional Parsee-style chicken curry made by first roasting then pureeing peanuts, almonds, cashew nuts, poppy seeds and fresh coconut with red chillies and a host of spices and condiments.

The author of two specialist cookbooks, Cyrus was conferred the OBE title by Her Majesty The Queen for services to the hospitality Industry.

The décor at Café Spice is vibrant, contemporary and bold to match the food that is served, with saffron, cinnamon and kasbah blue predominating the colour scheme. The restaurant is airy and comfortable, and there is also a vibrant ginger garden for those who prefer to dine al fresco.

A cool, after work crowd is drawn down the cobbled street and in through the gothic arches to the restaurant at Tart, set in a beautiful old vestry which has been transformed into a restaurant and bar - complete with the glamorous feel of a Victorian gentlemen's club.

Easily locatable, only around five minutes from Farringdon station, the place prides itself on its warm welcome, passionate attention to detail and way with red meat - fittingly, as it's so near Smithfield market - though the likes of the wood pigeon and slow roasted belly of pork also meet with consistent approval. Tart also boasts a 4am dancing licence and an excellent, well produced cocktail menu to complement the food.

The Andaz Hotel's fish restaurant is a veritable shrine to the sea. Classic fish dishes are served in the wood-panelled restaurant, where the handsome mosaic-fronted crustacea bar offers some of the best fruits de mer in London. Vast platters of seafood often do not translate into the size of the portions, but here they do. The adjacent Catch Champagne Bar offers much the same food at a considerably faster rate alongside a brilliant list of champagnes and wines, many of which are available by the glass.

Main courses on offer might include such piscatorial delights as: smoked haddock and salmon fishcakes, horseradish sauce; seared escalope of salmon, sweet and sour peppers; roast halibut, artichoke and parsley salad, aioli or seared scallops, roast tomato, thyme and garlic. While their desserts like lime crème brûlée; lemon parfait, caramelised tangerines or apple tart tatin with calvados crème fraîche are especially recommended.