Eastern promises

I spent large amounts of yesterday trying to deliver on my promise of organising a date, and kicking myself for forgetting that other Londoners are uncannily savvy and always getting in there first, doing annoying things like booking up all the places i'd like to go. However, looking on the bright side, (a) I spent lots of time checking out places that I intend to return to, and (b) I reconnected with the wonderfulness that is Time Out after a couple of months of ignoring it.

And as it happened, eventually a cunning plan came together, which proved to be lovely despite the inevitable lateness-caused-by-rubbish-traffic that always characterises my interactions with any area near Liverpool Street. We wound up at the Eyre Brothers restaurant, where I apparently ordered the thing on the menu designed exclusively for girls (herbs and cress and walnuts, yum) whilst S consumed a steak bigger than my head. This restaurant is text book good - dark wood, delightful waiters who forgave my earlier rudeness on the phone, well-spaced tables, great loos. I gather it is part of the chain that also runs Cigala so I unwittingly have been handing them fistfuls of cash in recent weeks. But I don't really mind cos they're lovely.

From there we went on to Green and Red, which I can't stop calling Green and Blacks, even though I don't even like chocolate much. N was full flow at her leaving do, and it was lovely to see her, and various other former workmates, as well as a surprising number of thinktank boys who all appeared to be there as the arm candy of their girlfriends who were in N's book club. A little out of place amidst music bordering on cheesy in a Mexican basement bar, but still...

It all got a bit messy thanks to sherry mixed with wine mixed with margharitas mixed with rum and cokes, but that was probably a good thing given we more or less walked home thanks to the serious lack of taxis (what was it T was saying about no one taking taxis since Bear Stearns???)

And I now have a whole bank of other nice bars and restaurants i need to pay a visit to in that area... including the Great Eastern Dining Room which looks gorgeous and would contribute to my mission to eat my way round the world without leaving London. Similarly, and coming highly recommended by L, the East room follows the Milk and Honey concept with the whole impossible to find entrance, deliciously dark and sexy interior, and top quality cocktails (not that I particularly want to think about that today). Slightly further afield is the Buen Ayre steak house in 'gritty' Hackney... er... or upmarket Broadway Market, depending on what you're reading... and according to this review, 'a good place to take fat friends to'. genius.

Muchos tapas

OK so my Spanish leaves something to be desired but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy tapas every once in a while. I wound up in Cigala last night, having briefly considered Barrafina, which I really want to try but as S and I agreed, perhaps not at 9pm on a Saturday night when apparently the whole of London was out (if the amount of booked-upness is anything to go by). Perhaps everyone is tiring of the whole January detox tedium.

I really like Cigala, esp their squid in mojo sauce (yes, really), and esp after having such a brilliant evening there. We ended up in the downstairs bar, empty but for us and a miserable couple who were taking their bitterness out on the lovely waiter. As we'd just seen No Country for Old Men - N was right about it being a film of pure genius - we found ourselves imagining ducking bullets and oxygen cylinders behind the various red pillars as we sipped our mighty fine sherry.

London tapas can be pretty dodgy and I confess I haven't ventured that far into the posh tapas territory of places like Fino and The Providores and Tapa Room. However I am much more familiar with the local Vox mish-mash of Spanish and Portuguese places where the tables are formica, the beer costs a pound a bottle, and the football's never off (the pic here of Little Portugal aka South Lambeth Road was taken on the day of the world cup final). I love a few of those places depsite the fact I've had a few really unpleasant meals to sort the wheat from the chaff....

Rebato's is probably my favourite, with its faded red velvet banquettes, and a fancy back room full of ferns and mirrors. I wish I'd known D and A when they had their 'we're not married' reception there - must have been a brilliant night. Estrela is perfect for coffee and people-watching. Madeira cafe, now that it's opened up its restaurant, is great fun and has a good line in blue lighting, which shouldn't work but somehow it does. Others that come highly recommended by people who know more than me are A Toca, not so far from the gym; and O Cantinho - on the Stockwell Road but don't hold that against it.

Random Italians that I love

I had a brilliant night tonight with a bunch of old friends brought together by the medium otherwise known as Facebook. Rather than waffle on about the power of social networking, or wondering how it is that we all ended up working in social policy one way or another, I'll talk instead about Italian restaurants that I think are cool.

That's because we wound up at Italian Graffiti, possibly a contender for my top five restaurants in London. B, who was there tonight, remembers going there as a kid with his ma for glamorous lunches. Don't think the decor has changed. Cheap, good house wine, great venue, all round top marks from me. Went there first with J-J, one brilliant night where we wound up at Trash Palace via some free champagne (thank you essex banker boy) at the Soho Hotel.

Other wonderful Italians. Well, Ciao Bella has already had its very own posting here. Then there's Donna Margherita, totally unexpected but a delight after any trip to the Battersea Arts Centre, as I found last night after seeing The Human Computer with yet another J. Spiga is a place I've not been to for too long but will be eternally seared onto my brain as the place my beloved G came out to me, over large number of negronis.

And of course there's the Vineyard of Italy in Vauxhall, worth going to simply to enjoy the rudeness of Jay, the human rights student slash waiter who is kind enough to grace said venue with his presence. Currently in receivership, which is gutting, but I am praying it returns in one form or another. Not least because it's five minutes from my house.

China in your hand

Ever since I went to Shanghai in 2004 I've been on the look out for good Chinese places in London. It's now the standard Time Out line to assert that the days of bad tempered waiters and MSG on Gerrard Street are over; but it's still hard to find places that really hit the spot. I'm not a Chinese purist but what I want is the tastes and colours of the orient. my that sounds colonial.

Of course, there's Hakkasan, where I went, unexpectedly, for dinner with J a few weeks ago. Sadly my unpreparedness meant I was carrying a luminous yellow Snappy Snaps carrier bag. Pure class. Not necessarily my accessory of choice for a place so stuffed with carefully produced women in expensive clothes. However, I don't think it's so much better than Bam-Bou that it can justify its eye-watering prices. Bam-Bou: heaven, via Caprice Holdings. I could eat their salt and pepper beef forever. And the bar at the top is one of the best kept secrets of the west end. Don't really know why I'm talking about it here in fact. Shanghai Blues also deserves a mention - the food's not anything special, but I love their upstairs cocktail bar and they play great jazz.

However, for those times when a full-on meal is not in order, there's always Yauatcha. Though it's not easy to get in there - in which case I am seriously impressed by a new discovery - Dim T. I went to the one on Charlotte Street, but there are others, including one at London Bridge, otherwise known as a depressing food desert. Really good dim sum, amazingly cheap and would you believe it, they even have a branch in Maidstone. That means there is a reason to go to Maidstone. Incredible.

Other places I'd like to try but haven't yet: Pearl Liang (Sheldon Squ), Royal China Club (Baker St), and Bar Shu (Frith St)...

Actually, more reasons to go to Hammersmith

As I was writing about the Lyric, I kept on thinking of other things that are good about Hammersmith. So before I write the whole place off, other things I like about the place:

Riverside Studios. Great double bills on sundays. nice bar overlooking the river, that is much less crowded than some of the manky, chip-stinking, toff-stuffed pubs further down. I've always wanted to live near somewhere like this - art, film, music, good coffee - mmm yes please

The walk from Hammersmith Bridge (which actually I really like too, nice and green) down towards Barnes. Pretty pretty.

The Polish Cultural Centre. Great food, a lot of vodka and tends to stay open pretty late. bring it on.

The vintage fashion fairs put on at the bunker-like town hall every now and then. I fantasise about being one of those people who know what to buy at these things; sadly, I just tend to wander around paralysed by the fear of wanting everything and knowing nothing.

So - more reasons to hang out in Hammersmith than Bromley then. Hardly a ringing endorsement but not bad, given I'm generally a bit allergic to west London...

Meraz cafe

Bangladeshi restaurant on Hanbury Street, just off Brick Lane. It's been around since 1974 so it must be alright...

cafe wanda, clapham polish cafe

From Time Out: An unexpected find amid the bland gastropubs and bars of Clapham High Street, Café Wanda can rustle up anything from a takeaway cake to a full meal of Polish home cooking. It's an informal spot, furnished with potted plants and eastern European art, and is populated by a steady stream of Polish diners, all of whom seem to know the staff by name. The small menu of Polish staples and mainstream European dishes allows diners to pick and mix; vegetarians are well looked after. To start, the mixed vegetarian platter (goat's cheese bruschetta, roasted aubergine and courgette) was excellent, if about as untypical of Polish cuisine as you can get. This was followed by the two cornerstones of any Polish restaurant: pierogi and blini. Both were faultless: the pierogi succulent and flavoursome; the two large blini (with smoked salmon and sour cream) wonderfully calorific and comforting. Our waiter's comedic patter was relentless, despite our cringing, but service overall was tip-top. Café Wanda makes a fine venue for a quiet supper during the week and is an even better choice for a raucous group dinner at the weekend.

mandalay

Edgware Road isn't exactly known for its exotic pavilions and lush, tropical landscape, but it does contain a gem of a Burmese restaurant – London's one and only. Mandalay is a small, family-run set-up, the menu influenced by Thai, Indian and Chinese cooking, as well as Burmese cuisine. Expect plenty of fish and seafood, fragrant bowls of rice and noodles, and light aromatic curries. If you enjoy healthy broths, opt for bottle gourd soup: scented with toasted garlic slivers and containing shrimps, rice noodles and strips of the gourd, it makes a superb palate cleanser. Staff are passionate about their craft and happy to take curious customers on a guided tour of the menu.