The Lobby Bar at One Aldwych

The double-height grandeur of this palatial pile's airy lobby, with its showy mix of heroic floral displays and a monumental statement sculpture, harks back to the days when ‘boom' not ‘bust' was the talk of the room among the resident Prada posse. Even in today's austere climate, there are still plenty of takers for afternoon tea with Louis Roederer Champagne (£35) or sharing platters from £28.95. Assured mixology produces gentleman's cigar (smoky Gentleman Jack whiskey, sour-cherry wine and orange-liqueur martini), wild berry fizz, delightful (Tokaji, dry sherry, egg yolk and cream) or rising sun (saké, sencha green tea and ginseng liqueur) – upscale rinses at £12.50. Elsewhere, Champagne cocktails such as hibiscus martini or apple and Earl Grey bellini cost £14.50 – competitive for a splashy hotel bar with glossy-mag aspirations.