Tao, London

Situated in a dear little lane right next to Mansion House tube station, and with a bar upstairs and restaurant below, this nouvelle Chinese serves up the food you want to eat, East or West. It attracts the suits, considering its location, but the ambiance is light, modern and comfortable rather than stifling or testosterone-laden - and a courtyard at the back hosts a pleasant mixture of people enjoying complimentary prawn crackers with their drinks. In the restaurant, chef Bruce Warwick, formerly of The Groucho Club, goes for the crowd-pleaser approach. Try the wild mushroom spring rolls and fried barbecued chicken. For more Chinese fare, the crackling pork is a good bet (and it comes with the decidedly un-Oriental apple chips); if you just can't get enough of British traditional favourites, then have potted prawns. Yes, really.