Hawksmoor Air Street, London

The best bit of the Hawksmoor cook book is the introduction (though their instructions on cooking steak - room temp, no oil, high heat - are exemplary) in which they express the clear intention that their restaurants should be fun. It makes them ideal for dates and groups, several of which were in the restaurant even in the early pre-theatre slot.

Pre-theatre at Hawksmoor is a bargain. For £26 you can have three courses, one of which should be the excellent ribeye steak. I went for potted shrimp on toast and eton mess to bookend my meal. Triple cooked chips are of Heston quality and buttered greens as wicked as a veg can be.

Air Street is, as I've remarked before, lovely to look at though for me the dark cellar of Seven Dials is the slightly better. Hawksmoor.

A very nice glass of Chateau de Ricaud was £8.50.