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The neo-classical interior is graced by domed skylights by Pietro Agostini and curving banquettes provide a particularly plush surface for the hind quarters of the well heeled. What better place than to regale ones self with a big boy's lunch whilst taking a short break on a hard day making money?

The full à la carte does not stay still for long but expect to find dishes along the lines of starters of carpaccio of tuna, oriental spices and toasted sesame seeds, radish, ginger and lime vinaigrette, or salad of Cornish crab and avocado with brown crab meat, herb mayonnaise, lemon oil and bloody Mary sorbet. However, the scallops 'mid cuit' with citrus and tarragon, virgin olive oil, liquorice and fennel will bring a quiet smile of delight to the connoisseur.

From the main fish courses the seared sea bass with fennel seeds, Provençal vegetables, basil mash and warm saffron and tomato vinaigrette is a rare treat, whilst amongst the meat and poultry the limousin veal fillet comes to table with sweetbreads and asparagus Chablis and sorrel velouté puff pastry.

From an impressive list of puddings keep a lookout for a chocolate, whisky and coffee praline lombardo. There's also a feuillantine of caramelised Granny Smith and Guinness ice cream topped off deliciously with glazed hazelnuts. A wine list that is impressive in its scope includes legendary names and years.

1 Lombard Street - The Brasserie and Restaurant are bookable online, please use the drop-down booking box to bring up Brasserie in it; be careful to use Restaurant if you want to book that.

Their Website is well worth visiting as a prelude to the real thing.

Hidden away in St George's Wharf on the banks of the Thames, The Riverside bar and restaurant offers patrons an oasis to unwind in at leisure in elegant and capacious interiors. Apart from the modern British and European food, stunning views of the London skyline up and down the river will have their attention.

After having imbibed a cocktail or two at the stylish bar, you could settle down with pressed terrine of gammon, chicken salad with Wiltshire bacon and honey or a crispy duck platter. Then, progress to butternut squash risotto, steamed sea bass with pak choi, fish pie topped with golden Cheddar mash or sweet potato curry with Kashmiri pilau. Traditional British food classics served here include fish and chips, bangers and mash, salmon and smoked haddock fishcakes, and West County fillet steak with Portobello mushrooms. To pamper the sweet tooth, there's warm chocolate fondant, berry crumble with white chocolate ice cream and baked Camembert cheese. The Riverside's premium selection from wines to whiskies gives guests their choice of tipple.

To gain further information, just visit their extremely comprehensive Website.

Located in the heart of the Square Mile and only hundred yards from Bank tube station, Browns Old Jewry is one of the City's hidden treasures. Even though the restaurant has only been open since 1999, for many of its regular guests it seems impossible to think of a time when Browns in the City didn't exist.

Located just off Cheapside, Browns offers excellent wines, cocktails and delicious food all served by one of the friendliest and slickest front of house teams in London.

The large restaurant is located on two different floors with a mezzanine level catering perfectly for private parties and events. Browns Old Jewry has developed its fantastic reputation by making every guest feel welcomed and special, which is no mean feat when you see how busy it gets, particularly at lunchtime.

Browns is a classic English restaurant with a menu that evolves rather than changes. It offers a genuine value for money experience and can cater well for large parties with a more expansive budget. A plate of appetisers to share comes in either vegetarian, Italian meat or seafood form, or there are thin and crisp flatbreads topped with such delights as garlic, rocket and Parmesan. Starters cleverly re-invent some of the classic brasserie dishes; expect to find crab and avocado salad, ham hock terrine, and a fine selection of freshly made soups depending on the day.

Fish and salad dishes include Browns's smoked fishcakes witha tomato, red onion and mixed leaf salad with horseradish crème fraîche. A real value seafood platter will have smoked salmon, Browns crab mix, squid, kiln cured salmon, large shell-on tiger prawn and marinated king scallop assembled together served with brown bread and butter.

Browns's own steak, mushroom and Guinness pie is a real puller, with the rack of lamb not too far behind. Profiteroles with a warm Belgian chocolate sauce and sticky toffee pudding combine traditional with new classic, but the fact is that after years of experience in the field of what might be termed comfortable eating, Browns have it pretty well stitched up.

Evenings are a more relaxed affair as people enjoy a leisurely meal after work or before visiting one of the Barbican's theatres. The bar gets particularly busy early in the evening as office workers enjoy a beer, a glass of wine or a bottle of champagne from London's best value for money list.

Step into Browns for a relaxed weekday breakfast or brunch with newspapers, simple food and a well constructed Bloody Mary. And what a brunch it is! Fresh melon and pineapple with Greek style yogurt and blueberries, eggs Florentine, Royale or Benedict, the full English, champagne by the glass or smoothies, it's all there.

Private parties are especially well catered for with packages ranging from a full sit down dinner to a canapé and drinks event. Browns Old Jewry provides the perfect balance between the energy of London's West End and the refined sharp of the City.

For their full menu and details on private party bookings, do visit their Website.

Luc's Brasserie does what generations of politicians have generally failed dismally to do, namely bring the English and the French together into close proximity - and smile. The location for this superb diplomatic achievement is none other than the historic and increasingly fashionable Leadenhall Market, in the City of London, with its picturesque cobbled walkways that have somehow miraculously survived the health and safety process, and its echoes of London past and present, now triumphantly joined at Luc's with Parisian chic.

One of the greatest achievements of the Leadenhall Market project lies within its creation of a classless zone where all sorts and conditions of people happily whoop it up, and it is into this scene that Luc's blends with precocious ease, offering food that is cosmopolitan and appealing. So the city slicker finds himself sitting next to the day visitor from Cheltenham, or the lonely émigré from La France itself, amidst a riot of simple wooden tables casually draped with spotless white cloth.

The décor is indiscreetly French, with a restaurant that seats 100, and an upstairs private dining room that accommodates another 30. To provide before and after space a long elegant bar is backed with a cluster of high tables at which solitary visitors to Luc's can cherish their isolation with a meal and a glass or three.

Chef and Partner, Darrin Jacobs, has produced a menu that signals yet another success for l'entente cordiale, starting with some bacon and potato rösti with poached egg and hollandaise, sautéed foie gras with caramelised apple, calvados, sauce liege and toasted brioche, or some escargots de Bourgogne. Grilled Dover sole offer at least a breath of L'Angleterre and the French attitude to matters of meat is well captured in the duck rillettes with red onion confiture.

Steaks feature strongly; all are served with oven dried tomato, frites and sauces au poivre or béarnaise. Chateaubriand for two invariably makes the best of the cut as well as rolling nicely off the tongue when ordering. Calves' liver Lyonnaise makes a welcome change from our often uninspired methods of making this nutritious meat appealing to a wider public.

The eponymous steak hache burger has all the appeal of a well prepared faggot combined with the flavours of well hung meat, served plain or with beef tomato, cos lettuce and dill pickle.

No French leaning menu is complete without a boeuf bourguignon, or bouillabaisse with rouille, gruyere and croutons, and of course the French are always much more adventurous in their approach to bucolic meat such as wood pigeon, served here with braised endive and wild cherry sauce.

Desserts offer profiteroles with Luc's white chocolate ice cream, tarte au citron, mousse au chocolat and, of course, crème brûlée.

A wine list that leans exclusively towards the Gallic mode should come as no surprise, nor indeed as a disappointment bearing in mind the quality of the 100 plus wines from which to choose. Their Website is well worth a click to find out more about special offers and opportunities for private functions in this central City location.

Serving modern Lebanese food with flair, LayaLina on Beauchamp Place in the heart of fashionable Knightsbridge delights the palate as well as the senses with a vibrant ambience. Just a stone's throw from Harrods, Layalina is open every day of the week from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., evenings here come alive with music and belly dancing, reflecting the typical verve and zest of traditional Lebanese culture.

The restaurant's executive head chef Joseph Chahine comes with nearly thirty years of experience and is highly acclaimed for his culinary skills. His extensive menu delivers a flavourful variety of dishes combining creativity with traditional culinary techniques. The mezze selection includes cold, hot and tartar dishes with choices of hummus, tabouleh, stuffed vine leaves, prime fish fillet topped with herbs and pine nuts and served with a spicy tomato salsa, crispy cheese filo and kafta nayeh - a traditional dish of minced lamb tartar mixed with parsley, onion and fresh spices.

A delicious beginning to the meal is followed by sumptuous vegetarian, fish, chicken or lamb main courses. Vegetarian options include artichoke heart stew of grilled artichoke, flavoured with olive oil, spinach mushroom, white cheese, onion and garlic. While fish dishes include roast fish, a classic Lebanese fisherman?s dish with prime fish-of-the-day served on a bed of seasoned rice with a fragrant glaze. Meat dishes include the house speciality of LayaLina lamb, slow cooked fall-of-the-bone lamb leg served with mushroom and rice of the day, or chicken taouk - a traditional  shish kebab of marinated chicken pieces, char grilled and served with roasted vegetables and garlic sauce could be equally satisfying.
 
No Lebanese meal is complete without a salad and choices here include fatoush, a mixed leaf salad with tomatoes, sumac, cucumber and roasted bread croutons, or a seafood salad with prawns, pickled calamari, anchovy fillets, mixed leaves and tomatoes, flavoured with green sauce, cheese and virgin olive and garnished with roast almonds. Other options include a rustic village salad of cheese, tomatoes and black olives or chicken salad of grilled chicken marinated with garlic, lemon and red capsicum, served on tossed green leaves with cucumber, onion and tomatoes.

The grilled selection offers marinated lamb cutlets with bouquet of wild herbs and mustard served with Lebanese couscous, or succulent fillet steak, and seasoned beef fillet grilled and served with mushroom sauce on a bed of asparagus, vegetables and flavoured rice. Sides of traditional bread, steamed rice cooked with minced lamb onions, pine nuts and Arabian spices, and thick cut potato chips served with homemade salsa or Lebanese pickles complement your main course dish.

Elaborate confections of baked fresh pears served with ice cream and mohalabiyah, cheese honey - a dessert dish of steamed cheese with semolina and honey, topped with ashta and syrup and sprinkled with crushed pistachio, and aish al saraya, homemade crispy dough cooked with honey, topped with cheese, banana and pistachio make for tempting desserts. Guests can savour a range of champagnes and cocktails in the trendy lounge bar and sample a variety of fine wines too. 

A two-course lunch menu comes with a complimentary glass of house wine. Sharing set menus are available too. LayaLina offers a takeaway menu and home delivery as well for the convenience of its patrons.

Guests can also chill out at LayaLina Privée, a late night cocktail lounge adjoining the restaurant. Stylish contemporary interiors with individual touches provide the perfect setting for Knightsbridge denizens and out-of-towners to relax and unwind in comfort while enjoying a range of exotic signature and classic cocktails. A main room and a VIP room can be booked for private parties with up to 150 people.

More information is available on their Website.

Located at the St. James end of Jermyn Street, Franco's has been serving the local community, from early morning to late night, for over 60 years. Surrounded by private clubs, lifestyle boutiques, art galleries and hotels, this restaurant has amassed a remarkable customer base who are impressed with the team's relaxed, friendly approach and attention to detail.

The interior is stylishly decorated with a 1940s theme with walls adorned with attractive modern paintings and mirrors creating a luxurious appearance that is comfortably reassuring. Part of the Hambro family portfolio, Franco's is a reliable favourite, its character evolves throughout the day from the early morning breakfast, to the charged lunches and romantic candle lit dinners in the evening; an all day operation that is perfectly tuned.

The menu has been developed by the Head Chef Paulo Parlanti and combines both traditional and modern dishes. Only the very best seasonal ingredients are often flown in from Italy to ensure that the food is not only authentic but wonderfully flavoursome.

Whether it's a strong coffee and warm croissant before work or a hearty cooked breakfast, Franco's is the perfect setting for all those that prefer an early rise. The outside tables provide an excellent opportunity to watch the world go by whilst being warmed by the heaters. The menu comprises of old favourites such as eggs Benedict, as well as Franco's complete breakfast; a combination of both cooked and continental elements. For those more formal business meetings the smaller private dining room is an ideal space if privacy is required.

The lunches attract regulars and locals alike. Those who require a speedy meal generally head to the main restaurant to be part of the buzzing atmosphere, whilst those who prefer a more leisurely affair, head downstairs to the quieter and more relaxed ambience of the mirrored room. On the à la carte starters such as pan fried scallops with mustard, pear purée and beetroot or white crab meat with tomato and avocado purée can be found along with mains of roast duck breast with braised onion and mustard fruit chutney and a vast selection of quality cuts from the grill. Alternatively the splendid set lunch, that offers a choice of 2, 3 and 4 courses, pinches less in the current climate.

For the serious shoppers who have skipped lunch or those who are in search of a decadent treat, Franco's has introduced a full Afternoon Tea Menu with scones, clotted cream and finger sandwiches. In comparison with those offered by other establishments, who shall remain nameless, it is truly a steal. As evening falls, the lights of the West End beam and attract many to the theatre menu, which is probably the best value of the day, with a collaboration of dishes from the lunch and dinner menus. By dinner Franco's has changed gear again and offers an impressive range of classic dishes with asparagus salad with poached egg and black truffle, sliced Parma ham with marinated artichoke, followed by grilled king prawns with cherry tomatoes, capers and mixed leaves.

The wine list has been expertly devised to include a selection that is understandably of 80% Italian origin. Every year Franco's hosts Europe's largest Rose Wine list featuring wines from around the world. Whatever the grape variety you prefer there will be something for you!

From intimate dinners, or lavish banquets to cocktail receptions and product launches the private dining room is exceptionally versatile and can be transformed for any occasion. The space can hold up to 60 guests seated and can also be divided for smaller functions to allow an area for pre-dinner drinks or a break out space.

As Time Out magazine explains 'Franco's succeeds...by getting dozens of small details exactly right'. Their Website will tell you more.

Owner Brian Stein was surprised by many things after his arrival in the UK from Johannesburg in the 1960s. He quickly adjusted to the climate and the twin obsessions with tea and queuing but was dismayed to discover that there were no decent American style burger and cocktail bars in the entire country. Eventually, after tiring of queuing up in the rain waiting for one to open he created his own. More than thirty years later, he presides over the largest single independent restaurant group in the UK.

Maxwell's Covent Garden is the majestic, two-tiered flagship restaurant, which sits snugly next to the Opera House. There is seating for twelve guests outside, which affords front seat views of the carnival of artists performing along James Street. Inside you will discover a vast, effervescent 300-cover setting, with an elegant wood bar stretching into the distance. There are also private booths on the lip of the mezzanine where you can relax in the embrace of dark wood surrounds and look down onto those eating and dancing on the lower level.

Down the sweeping stairs lies seating for 120 guests who are surrounded by a huge mural that wraps itself around the walls and presents an irreverent vignette of twentieth century celebrities. Here, Lady Thatcher winks coquettishly at ribaldry from the Pope and Mother Theresa flirts with Elvis.

Maxwell's, rightly, takes pride in its menu, which has drawn critical approbation from Jamie Oliver, the doyenne of enormous, pukka burgers. The James Street restaurant is at the vanguard of dish creation for the rest of the group. The signature dish is the famous Maxwell burger made from prime steak with lettuce, tomato and red onion cradled in sesame seeded bun, although there is a range of world influenced recipes such as hickory smoked ribs, peri-peri chicken, and Portobello mushroom linguine tossed in a creamed Parmesan cheese, garlic and herb sauce.

Puddings include twice baked deep crust apple pie served warm with cinnamon ice cream and New York cheesecake with passion fruit and mango coulis. Of course, there is still plenty of choice for vegetarians and a specialised children's list is always available, complete with activities and games.

The drinks menu is an eclectic mix of cocktails ranging from the well-travelled traditionals to newly coined upstarts. There is also a prodigious array of quality wines and bottled beers served by some of the country's most accomplished and outrageous cocktail waiters; you will find more information on their wine list.

To view their menu, just visit their Website. Do note that they are happy to accept bookings and enquiries by e-mail and they are closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Whilst the postcode of Richard Corrigan's latest home, at the side of The Grosvenor House Hotel just off Park Lane, is one to be envied, what matters even more is the driving force which this much admired Irish chef brings to his main ingredient, honest no- nonsense food in generous portions. With an exciting wine list that pays dutiful homage to the kitchen, Corrigan's Mayfair represents a combination of 21st century luxury and style with down-to-earth home-inspired British cooking. As you might imagine the atmosphere fairly buzzes with the electricity of proper values and confidence.

The menus provide the backbone of this seemly restaurant, reflecting the expectations held by a customer base that takes in both corporate and social influences. So an enviable breadth of choice operates throughout. Carpaccio of roe venison with buttermilk cream, watercress, truffle and lardons are clever combos that at first may startle but on closer acquaintance makes good gastronomic sense. Steak tartare, horseradish cream, caviar and crispy shallots brings together two main ingredients which might not at first sight appear as a union made in culinary heaven - but just try it.

No self respecting menu that offered fish its own section could exclude scallops. Straight from the gods the eye is drawn, and even pan roasted Cornish scallops with Jerusalem artichokes and braised pork osso buco has to accept a worthy competitor. Slow cooked heel of beef with oxtail comes wrapped in cured ham with heritage beetroot and foie gras. Sprouting broccoli meet blue cheese, and chips are cooked in goose fat; vegetables are an essential part of the enjoyment and fun.

Roast parsnips with honey and black pepper combine health-giving ingredients with a happy blend of flavours, whilst the cheese board bears all the indications of one of the top London suppliers. Pear and lime pannacotta is served with yogurt sorbet.

Only Corrigan's could produce a Sunday seasonal market menu - what a brilliant idea! Start with a lobster pancake with American sauce or duck ballotine with sour cherry mousse. Staying traditional? Then there is only one course open, the baked fillet of hake served with peas, lettuce and bacon, though it may be a bit of tussle with New Season lamb with pepper relish, sheep?s cheese and wet garlic on the menu too. Those of a determinedly seamanlike persuasion need look no further than the fish pie with lobster, monkfish, haddock and scallops before going out on a blaze of glory with the crème caramel and rum soaked raisins.

Weekday lunch changes daily offering a three course meal at £27 that includes a 250ml carafe of wine, and this could commence with cured salmon, heritage beetroot and smoked salmon tartare; herb roasted chicken and leek pie, coasting down the winning straight with a sticky toffee pudding with clotted cream. Whilst on Sunday it is £27 for three courses, without the wine.

The wine list cannot be missed. With over 300 different choices there is virtually no limit to the combinations customers can create and Mayfair's Sommeliers always ensure that standards and stocks are maintained.

There are two private rooms to cater for the larger party, the exclusive Chef's Table, that seats twelve, and the Lindsay, which can cope with up to 25 guests.

There is a great deal more to know about Corrigan's Mayfair, and their Website will amply repay a visit. Meanwhile take an early opportunity to make your own mind up about this impeccable and friendly restaurant in the heart of London.

High above Piccadilly, The Terrace Restaurant is one of the roomiest venues in London; with its vented natural sunlight captured in the shadows of the stone pillars, it boasts a blend of old and new world within its classical yet contemporary surroundings. Compared to the bustling West End below, the restaurant offers a relaxed and refined dining experience.

Alternatively, if you prefer a chic slice of a Venetian 'al fresco', lunch can be served on the balcony.

They describe their menus as, 'Being modern European with a cool fashionable twist, serving food which is mouth watering and sumptuous - satisfying the ultimate connoisseur'.

Particularly good value - especially for a top hotel restaurant in London - is represented by their fixed price menus at £17.95 for lunch for three courses and £27.95 menu served for pre-theatre.

The menus are seasonal and during a summer visit be prepared to find starters ranging from curried scallops with cauliflower purée and crisp pancetta, ham hock terrine with gooseberry relish, or smoked duck breast with spiced orange marmalade.

This imaginative and diverse approach continues through to the main courses from organic Scottish salmon with sautéed wild mushrooms and celeriac purée, pan fried sea bass with tomato fondue and gremolata dressing to roast fillet of beef, marrow bone, camembert fondant with red wine shallots.

Their pan fried Guinea fowl breast with fricassee of peas, pearl onions and lettuce served with barrel new potatoes and crème fraiche mustard sauce make a luxurious meal for a truly indulgent dining experience.

Diners could, perhaps, enjoy a comfortable aperitif or digestif in the Bar lounge area, before or after dinner, with a wide range of wines and champagnes to choose from.

Their afternoon tea can be similarly meaningful as you enjoy 'Tea on the Terrace', this is an experience that is all too rare in London these days.

For further details, including information about staying at Le Meridien Piccadilly or holding private parties and conferences there, do visit their Website.

It's not every day that a new restaurant opens on Park Lane, and 140 Park Lane Restaurant and Bar at the London Marriott Hotel Park Lane brings a delightfully fresh approach to this exclusive avenue.

Accommodation there is of a high order, with 157 spacious and elegant air conditioned guest rooms with luxury bedding. Executive rooms and all suites have a sofa bed in each room; Club Rooms and Executive rooms are given access to the Executive Lounge. The Marriott bedding package includes luxury cotton bedding, down mattress topper and duvets. Minibars, cable-satellite TV, separate tubs and showers, bathrobes are only some of the host of amenities that you would expect - and will - find in this superb hotel.

The modern British-European menu at 140 Park Lane has been praised by the Square Meal Guide for its 'craftsmanship' and 'artistic flair'. Be sure to arrive early to sample the Bruised Apple - their exclusive, signature cocktail.

A novelty at 140 is the open plan kitchen, not normally a feature of a restaurant of this quality, but none the less welcome, bringing a sense of involvement as well as heightened interest. Equally welcome is the fine wine display, creating an image that can hardly be anything other than tempting.

Sunday brunch is an institution at 140, with a menu that would not disgrace a decent brasserie and then some. Starters of chicken Caesar salad with fresh chicken breast strips, anchovies and croutons, smoked salmon accompanied by minced onions and capers, or potato salad crumbled with crispy bacon and spring onions, precede a good variety of main dishes of which the undoubted champion is the Sunday roast beef.

The à la carte menu opens up a range of dishes that demonstrate only too clearly the versatility of the team, with starters of guinea fowl consommé with winter vegetables and rosemary oil, and crab and prawn cakes with apple and fennel slaw, garlic spinach roasted pepper remoulade and petite salad, to name but a few.

The growth of sea bass as a leading menu item has been part of the fall out of over-fishing, and though line-caught fish can still be had, most are now farmed, and make a very sound meal, Usually baked it is served here with lemon and dill cream. Roast rack of lamb is another popular dish, the culinary equivalent of a 'safe pair of hands' and the accompaniment of glazed onions and asparagus is traditional.

Penne with grilled chicken artichokes, courgettes and tarragon cream is a step towards vegetarianism, but you can go the whole way with goat's cheese gnocchi garden peas and beetroot, a dish rich in flavour contrast and interest. Going to the other end of the scale, the dish that no self respecting menu could be without, here in 10oz form the 100% grain fed Angus, served with Marriott steak butter.

The beauty of somewhere like 140 is its ability to provide contrast, both in food and setting, so that a restaurant which is never far from the benefits of traditionalism can still hold hands comfortably with one of the most up to date and well run hotels in the world's greatest city. Their Website should help to prove this to you.