PAINTING THE TOWN

Heston Blumenthal and head chef Ashley Palmer-Watts (who both cut their teeth at The Fat Duck) bizarrely fantasised about recreating the cuisine of 16th century Britain. After researching its culinary history, they came up with experimental dishes that many would, as first glance, regard as a mite hard to stomach. I mean words like Black Foot Pork, Ragoo of Pigs Ears, Rice and Flesh, Pigeon and Salamugundy would rather suggest a Neanderthal renaissance on the horizon. Perish the thought! However, there's more to Dinner's menu than meets the eye. The Meat Fruit (£12.50), a chicken liver paté to you and me, actually turns out to be creamy enough and beautifully shaped as a mandarin, complete with edible skin made of mandarin jelly. It is served with fried bread, so only order if cholesterol level and fat RDA aren't a worry to you. The Savoury Porridge (£14.50), a somewhat soggy-looking dish of cod cheeks and oats, the appearance and taste of which reminds of green lentils, proves to be a refreshing and flavoursome winner. If the Cod in Cider (£22), oven baked to a lovely texture and perked up with wood-fired mussels and chard wins you over, you'd still be hard-pushed to find a more satisfying fish experience than the Roast Turbot (a steep £32). Again delicately oven-baked and rounded off with a cockle ketchup and chicory, that dish alone would justify your visit, it's that good. Note that the vegetable sides are surprisingly uninspired - I mean, really, only just potatoes, carrots and cabbage!?! You'd find more exciting choice in hospital wards. That might in fact be a blessing as you can skip veggies and keep your appetite for the Tipsy Cake (£8.50), Heston's signature dessert. Its caramelised spit-roast pineapple and donut-type brioche, sprinkled with brandy sugar, will titillate the taste buds of any sweet amateur. You might want to know that there is a reassuringly good-value 3-course set lunch for £28. The service is unfussy and very attentive. The extensive wine list takes forever to read but we managed to find a delectably light  2005 Louis St George Pinot Noir at £21.50 a glass and a not at all sickly sweet 2006 Tokaji 4 Puttonyos at £19.50. Also note-worthy is Adam Tihany's sober dark wood decoration of Mandarin Oriental's bright, spacious ground floor dining room, complete with its glasshouse open kitchen, not forgetting the delightful view of Hyde Park's trotting horses. WHERE?: 66 Knightsbridge, SW1. TELEPHONE: +44 (0)20 7201 3833. when?: Mon-Sun 12noon-2.30pm, 6.30pm-10.30pm. £: £60-£120. Alex Gerry

For their first foray in the UK, American company W Hotel has undoubtedly hit the jackpot taking over the ex-Swiss Centre in Leicester Square and turning the huge neglected building, originally built in 1968 then pencilled in for demolition in 2006, into the very personification of cool and style. It was to become a Jurys Inn Hotel but had a narrow escape and morphed instead into an amazing wrap-around translucent glass monument. Ten floors, 192 rooms, a library, conference rooms, a screening room, a weights room, a spa, a lounge bar and a members' club. The common denominator? Iconic disco balls scattered all around, including the world's biggest (3½ metres in diameter) overlooking the über exclusive black and ruby-red Wyld Bar. It's basically a Tequila Bar where punters can also choose their cocktail ingredients. That's if you ask mixologist Gian Carlo nicely (he who curated the inventive drinks list). Not a lot to ask when you pay upwards of £12 for a drink. Attention to details here is always evident. The new shot glasses, for instance, are designed by Natasha Law, Jude's sister. Note that the Bonkers Ball, an enticing mix of Moët, rum, Tequila, pineapple and orange juice, is served in a massive glitter ball. It will set you back a proportionally substantive £350 (for 6) and, if you insist on Dom Pérignon, then you'll have to dig deeper in your pockets for a further £200. Money no object? Then treat yourself to this twilight zone of cushy, silky self-indulgence, especially if you've already experienced the more established Sanderson's and St Martin's. The “Wonderful” (standard double room), priced around £299, merge bathroom and living room together, as the sink stands proud as you come in and serves as a much needed cleaning-cum-vanity unit, while the shower and the wc are cleverly hidden behind mirrored closet doors. You also get a nifty blue glow emanating from under the beds. The screening room also sets standards being decorated in the style of a camera lens. As for the library, its book shelves take the shape of the Union Jack, festooned with porcelain plates. The spa on the 6th floor , although not a patch on its amazing rival at the Sanderson's, boasts two massage rooms, a changing room with lockers, an impressive weights room decked out by a dry and a steam room. In a nutshell, this is pure indulgence that comes at a price, but well worth your money if it isn't an issue. where?: 10 Wardour Street, W1. Leicester Square. TELEPHONE: +44 (0)20 7758 1000. Alex Gerry

It's been 10 years since Hakkasan opened and traded in a dark backstreet behind Tottenham Court Road Station, with continued success. This second branch, in the heart of Mayfair, also just started on the right foot. The spacious ground floor room is complemented by an intimately-lit basement. The overall decor and atmosphere is virtually identical to what Christian Liaigre already produced in Hanway Place. Expect the familiar Japanese minimalism of black wood-lined partitioned rooms. The short but perfectly exotic cocktail menu sets the tone. Try the Hakka, an impeccable mix of Akashi-tai sake, Belvedere vodka and lychee juice, with an added dash of lime, coconut and passion fruit, or the Lychee Martini which also marries vodka, lychee juice and lime, spiced with grapefruit bitters. It would be hard to find a more appetising and varied dim sum menu in the capital. Recommended are the Char Sui Ban, plump steamed pork dumplings, the Cheung Fun, bean curd in crispy and soft pastry, and the scallop Shumai, steamed open dumplings stuffed with scallops. Mains-wise you could do worse than indulge the silver cod, roasted in champagne and honey and garnished with deep-fried lotus, intoxicating for its outlandish flavours, or the huge roast duck joint with black truffle and tea plant mushroom. Full or not, it'd be regrettable to overlook the caramelised chocolate parfait, served with hibiscus jelly, not to mention the melting chocolate soufflé, both ideally enhanced by a sweet 2002 Cuinta Deroriz port wine. WHERE?: 17 Bruton Street, W1. Green Park. TELEPHONE: +44 (0)20 7907 1888. WHEN?: Mon-Sun 12noon-3pm, Sat-Sun 4pm, 6pm-11.30pm, Thu-Sat 12.30am. £: £40 to £80. Alex Gerry

Innovation is order of the day at the Hoxton. Founded on the site of an ex-car park in 2006 by Sinclair Beecham, Prêt A Manger's head honcho, its ingenious practicality and value for money features do not cease to impress. You can even book rooms here for £1 if you act early enough, even though I've yet to see it to believe it. Bargain rates I know about started at £29 for the early birds. It's all down to booking with enough notice as the Hoxton operates as a budget airline. Allow at least 8 to 10 days to bag something between £59 to £100. I'm told quarterly sales offer 5 rooms for £1 and a further 5 for £29. Note that there's no hierarchy here. All of the 205 rooms are virtually identical and have a standard rate of £199. They have a pleasingly stylish - if basic - look, in an industrial decor sort of way and they offer all the mod cons you might expect. Comfy beds, duck-down duvets, well-designed walk-in shower room. You won't find nasty added extras either as they throw in a free Prêt-type breakfast of granola yogurt, banana and orange juice and provide an hour's worth of free calls, unlimited movies, not to mention Wi-Fi, as well as mineral water and milk on tap. The reception desk doubles up as a well-stacked off-licence at Tesco prices. Breakfast can be had in the lovely open-air garden which is adjacent to the busy meeting rooms. Note that the lobby's lounge, cocktail bar and restaurant are independently run by the Soho House group, but remain an essential part of the hotel. Anyone doing business in the City of London would find this space very convenient indeed. WHERE?: 81 Great Eastern Street, EC2. Old Street/Liverpool Street. TELEPHONE?: +44 (0)20 7550 1000. Alex Gerry

Still considered the most gorgeous boutique hotel in London, The Sanderson has become some sort of hip institution since its opening at the end of the '90s. It actually looks nothing more than a nondescript '50s office building from the outside but, as soon you pass the door, it is clear that you have entered a baroque twilight zone where walls have given way to opulent white silk drapes and the furniture marries African craft with design classics à la Dali. Just as in the St Martin's Lane Hotel (also from the Morgan group), Philippe Starck really pushed the boat out with a decor that Jean Cocteau would be proud of. Beside the iconic red-lipped sofa which faces the front door, you'll come across swan-rimmed armchairs, bar stools with women's eyes peeping at you, an oversized Louis XV wardrobe, the list goes on and on. The scintillating onyx 25 metre-long Long Bar is also a prime example of Starck's genius. It faces a lovely tropical courtyard, complete with a pool and fountains, and leads to Suka, a lovely Malaysian restaurant. Enticing cocktails, the likes of Martinis (£12) and Champagne passion fruit (£15) are well worth a try if you have deep pockets, but the good-looking, up-for-it crowd who fills the place nightly, proves to be the main attraction, certainly more entertaining than the intimate Alice in Wonderland-themed Purple Bar which is reserved to the hotel's guests and members. There are 150 rooms, including Standard (£365), Superior King (£395), Deluxe King (£425) and Loft suites (£900). These are all June rates, VAT excluded. The Egyptian cotton sheet-clad beds are set in the middle of the rooms. Ceiling-to-floor voile separates every area. You'll marvel at the all-glass bathrooms, another unique touch, except that you may feel a mite exposed if you're sharing a room and require privacy. Also, there's no kettle in the rooms and you have no choice but to order room service if you're gagging for a night cap. Beware though, as you might be left with a bitter taste in your mouth when a humble cup of tea will set you back £4.50, plus £3.50 per person delivery, plus 18% service charge. Daylight robbery, you might think, since you've already footed upwards of £245 bill for a standard room. It might be wise to skip tea then and await the famously grandiose breakfast. Remember to reserve a room as high as possible, away from the ground floor's hustle and bustle around the Long bar, as noise does travel here. Bear in mind that booking 21 days or more in advance entitles you to 30% off your stay. Book 3 nights or more and you get a further 15%. The hotel's piece de resistance, the 10,000 square-foot Agua Spa, has to be seen to be believed. Again all white, with each room separated by curtains hanging from the high ceiling, it offers 14 treatment rooms, a chill-out area and several meditation rooms, all furnished with a bed, and a DVD/MPEG4/TV/FM/USB/Game monitor. Soothing background music mixes classical with John Barry-type incidental sounds. There are 8 Agua Spa Cuisine Packages to choose from, each includes 2 thirty-minute treatments, a smoothie and a menu option. I personally picked Boosting Post Workout (£150 for 115 minutes), which includes a personal training session in the impressive weights room and, after a steam bath and a shower, a divine deep tissue massage. I ordered the coconut oil, hemp and dried fig smoothie, the sprouting broccoli casserole with steamed rice and curried Mung bean, all delicious and extraordinarily healthy. Also highly recommended, Eve Lom's Anti Ageing (£180 for 145 minutes), the ultimate cleanse and aromatherapy massage. That was my original choice but it was booked up upon my visit. To my knowledge, this is the very best spa, or at least one of the best in London. Bar the steep prices draw-back, Sanderson still proves to be an essential place to visit in London. It's worth keeping an eye out for regularly updated offers on the website. WHERE?: 50 Berners Street, W1, Oxford Circus. TELEPHONE: +44 (0)20 7300 1400. Alex Gerry

Not to missed for truly being one of London's best terraces. It boasts a breath-taking view over the Thames, right opposite St Paul's Cathedral and an exquisite cruise-liner decor dominated by a blue leather horseshoe-shaped bar. Open since November 2010, OTB offers a huge wine menu and 40 spruce cocktails, all reasonably priced at around £8. The Creole Rum Shrub's sweet orange liqueur flavour and exotic spices reinforce the idea that you might be cruising the Caribbean Sea. The Dark & Stormy is another enticing rum cocktail, but you might rather treat yourself to the Gothic Manhattan which fuses vermouth, whisky and cherry liqueur. Those with a sweet tooth for Bénédictine and brandy will opt for the Pleasure Boat. Feeling peckish? You won't be let down by the well-stacked cheese platter, served with biscuits and an apple chutney drenched in Calvados. Don't overlook the charcuteries either, which feature mouth-watering Serano and Parma ham. WHERE?: Barge House Street, South Bank, SE1. Waterloo. TELEPHONE: 020 7803 3888. WHEN?: Mon-Wed 11am-11pm, Thu-Sat 11am-11.30pm, Sun 12noon-10.30pm. Alex Gerry

Zenna's recent opening in the heart of Soho couldn't have been more welcome as, at last, we have a cocktail bar with a difference amid London's often predictable cocktail scene. Located in the basement (formerly known as Akbar) of Indian restaurant institution The Fort, it could only embrace its Asian influence. That is reflected not only in the warm atmosphere and azure decor of the alcoves that surround the stylish, centrally-situated bar, but with in its amazing choice of exotic bevies, all reasonably priced between £6 and £15. At the top of the house charts features the House Nectar, a titillatingly spiced confection that'll leave you gagging for more, the ingredients of which are alas being kept secret. The Garden Martini, a refreshing and spicy blend of Bombay Sapphire Gin, apples, lime, mint and elderflower, also proves popular, unless you'd rather opt for The classic Red Fort, a hot mixture of apple, orange, strawberry, green chillies and Bombay Sapphire Gin. Feeling adventurous? Try the Illana, named after the mythological Indian golden dragon, the world's hottest cocktail, thanks to its secret chili concoction, stirred with lime, orange curacao, almond syrup and Chairman's Reserve spiced rum. The zero-fat probiotic Lassis, blended from banana, coconut, mango, lemongrass and ginger, with a super fruit detox option like pomegranate, blueberries or raspberry, also make for an irresistible delight. The bar food supplied by The Fort, tasty skewered chicken, beef, fish and vegetables, stays in line with the restaurant's high standards, at affordable prices. WHERE?: 77 Dean Street, W1. Tottenham Court Road/Leicester Square. TELEPHONE: +44 (0)020 7437 2525. WHEN?: Tue-Sat 5pm-1am. Alex Gerry

If Mexican cuisine leaves you cold, this new Soho addition is most likely to change your mind. Every night, patrons flock to the huge brick-walled, L-shaped space and its basement Tequila bar. They're very much a Soho crowd, colourful and rather loud, so avoid if you're after a quiet, intimate tête-à-tête. Note that this green-minded eatery recycle all their waste and its specialities take inspiration from typical Mexican markets. Sample the tasty enchiladas and corn tacos, stuffed with chicken or seasonal vegetables, the mouth-watering quesadillas, sort of tortillas, jam-packed with melted blue cheese and black beans, with optional chorizo. Don't overlook the delicious frijoles, creamed black beans with grated cheese or again chorizo. Grilled fish are very popular here, the pièce de resistance being  the spiced red mullet, sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and garnished with coriander rice. WHERE?: 80 Wardour Street, W1. Piccadilly Circus. TELEPHONE: +44 (0)20 7734 0195. WHEN?: Mon-Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 10.30pm. £: £20 to £40. Alex Gerry

The gimmicky disposal of tables and chairs - and providing diners with beds instead - is naturally a concept as old as the Hollywood Hills. St Tropez boasted one such establishment, Le Club des Allongés, as far back as the '60s and plied such luminaries as Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bardot, Bryan Ferry, Jerry Hall, Bowie, and later The Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet boys, with gallons of champagne, and left them with unforgettable memories. As Supperclub owner Bert Van der Leden puts it, "freedom is the key here … food, music, performance, art, the staff and you, the customer." From Thursday to Saturday, people arrive in the "red room" around 7-7.30pm. They are then let in the huge "white room" all around which the king-size beds lie. The menu, described as a culinary journey, is kept - perhaps conveniently - as a surprise. The Thursday night I visited with my companion, we were served as hors d'oeuvre tasty deep-fried prawns, with a salad garnish, and Tom Ka Kay, a truly delicious soup, delicately flavoured with ginger, coconut and lemongrass. The oven-cooked lamb chops - tender and lean - garnished with cherry tomatoes, broccoli in an olive sauce and potato cakes, tasted and looked equally good. The veggie option, aubergine stuffed with goat cheese, had the same garnish as the lamb. The one and only dessert, apple tart topped with Cognac cream, was strangely made with puff pastry. All in all excellent value for £50, given the entertaining performance from several acts including the delectable Mzz Kimberley, and the impeccable, friendly service from several waitresses and drag hostesses. One can also turn up, providing a £10 admission, to have a drink, watch the show and dance to the DJ's disco/'80s sounds. Great chilled feel-good atmosphere. WHERE?: Acklam Road, W10. Westbourne Grove/Ladbroke Grove TELEPHONE: +44 (0)20 8964 6600. WHEN?: Thu-Sat 8pm-late. Alex Gerry.

Looking for a quaint, relaxing dinner in cushy, old-fashioned surroundings? Then you won't regret paying the Michelin-starred Roussillon a visit. Besides the decor and soft lighting, top marks here for the impeccable, unobtrusive service and, even more importantly, a menu that would impress the most fastidious. Here, the well-heeled diners tend to speak softly in an conscious attempt not to spoil the reigning serenity. They're evidently so busy savouring the specialities that letting their hair down wouldn't quite feel à propos. It is advisable to share the 7-course set menus to fully appreciate the variety of dishes on offer. We ordered the Menu Légumes (£65 at dinner, £48 at lunch, VAT incl.) and the Summer Menu (£75, £58). The hors d'oeuvres of Avocado Textures, pickled mushrooms & toasted sesame, the Wilted baby gem, pickled radish, gingerbread purée & Provence figs, and the Velouté of Broccoli, cashew nut & Irish blue cheese, all give a clue of the menu's quirkiness, as well as instantly teasing the taste buds. Fish dishes are faultless, starting with the Wild Sea Bass, sea weed, cauliflower grapes and wild sorrel, and the Atlantic Halibut with bergamot, lemon and clam. And there's always the caramelised veal sweetbread, butternut squash and cinnamon purée, the oven-cooked Pigeon with almond milk purée and ravioli confit, and the Assiette of Rhug Estate Lamb with courgettes, all getting the thumbs up and copious enough to satisfy big appetites. Don't give up either on desserts, notably the exquisite Blood Orange Soufflé, served with a dark chocolate sorbet. Amongst the extensive selection of regional French cuvées, note that the Sauvignon Blanc, Domaine de Laulan 2009 (£25) and the Pinot Noir, Domaine Wunsch & Mann (£36), will divinely perk up the tasting menus. Perfect for tête à tête romantic dates or business meetings. WHERE: 16 St Barnabas Street, SW1. Victoria/Sloane Square - TELEPHONE: +44 (0)20 7730 5550 - WHEN: Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm, Mon-Sat 6pm-11pm - £: £40 to £100. Alex Gerry