No one’s looking for Michelin Stars at Le Garrick; it exists to serve well-priced., well-cooked food in a cosy, clubby, environment. And it is very well-priced particularly at lunchtime with set menus. They’ve launched the Lunch Club which gives a 10% discount off a lunch bill to all members. Membership is free, so what’s not to like about that?

‘Maybe we’re not the demographic they’re aiming at,” says C, kindly. I am grasping and confused, sensory faculties aghast, mind rollicking. OK, it’s not quite that bad but I feel a bit luddite here at Inamo, the hi-tec Soho restaurant where the menus are interactive, and you can webcam into the kitchen from your table top.

The Italian chef and man of the moment, Francesco Mazzei is cooking up a Calabrian storm at L’Anima, his city restaurant. But as Isobel Cripps finds out, sometimes all the PR hype and pre-conceived romanticisms can leave you feeling disenchanted.

Medcalf’s home is in the middle of the trendy Exmouth Market. I’ve already become a fan of the strip, which possesses a great selection of bars and restaurants that let their produce do the talking. That’s the essence of the market, no frills or pretentiousness here, and Medcalf is a brilliant example.

All in all, we enjoyed. There did seem to be a tendency to fritterise… were the ’70s solely a decade of breadcrumbs? But Jesse’s keen, the place is rammed, the menu keeps changing and everyone looks jolly. It’s fun, reasonably-priced and will surely draw votes this election.

I liked the Old Brewery, what they are doing and how they are doing it. The beers are made with care and attention, the beer garden looks promising for the summer, and the food has a cheerful solidity and lack of pretension that fits the restaurant like a well-worn doublet and hose. Henry would have liked it to, but would he have objected to any heads on his beer?

What is it with the bloody front door at Hix Soho? Every time I go there I have to fight the thing to get in. I’m not alone either, I often go past the place and see would be punters shoulder-charging the door and bouncing off again. No visible handle and some kind of damper system seems to be the problem, but that’s what you get when you take over an old Japanese place I suppose. Inscrutable technology.

The menu is largely straightforward and unpretentious and each dish takes a handful of great ingredients and fuses them together to make something uncomplicated, unfussy but utterly delicious. These are just the kind of things that illustrate exactly why Texture were one of just six restaurants to be awarded a Michelin star this year and deservedly so.

My first call at Gow’s was a few weeks back for a few bar snacks. Expecting nothing more than a cup of coffee and a packet or two of crisps and nuts, I was more than impressed with the plates of soft quail eggs, crumbly pork pies and heavily filled sandwich platters that arrived in minutes, leaving me with the notion that this place would swiftly become a favourite. I returned not long after with a friend and shared a good value fish platter.

It is safe to say that The Bull is a restaurant whose success relies upon the convenience of its location. This is not a destination eatery; there won’t be a foodie pilgrimage to the Westfield. The Bull is a pub that does food rather than a ‘gastro pub’. But if you fancy a burger and a beer after conquering the commercial juggernaut, and you don’t go in with any great expectations, then you will probably have a fine time. Hopefully the Ham Hock Hash will still be on the menu.