Bedford & Strand (bar)

With its prim Edwardian trappings, this handsome cellar bar/bistro could be a set from below stairs at Downton Abbey. Where milord’s retainers drank porter, you’ll choose from a wide-ranging list of global grapes subdivided into ‘reliable’, ‘honest’ or ‘decent’, including plenty by the glass & carafe: St Chinian at £20 a bottle is always a good bet, & trading up secures fabulous Australian Marsanne, Pieropan single-vineyard Italian Soave & top-notch Henriques & Henriques’ 10-year-old Madeira (£50). Also check out cocktails by the ‘carafe’. Theatre-goers with a show to catch & those happy to linger until curtain down can pick from the tapas, dips, terrines & rustic sharing boards on the deli counter, or veer towards the bistro side of the operation for more fulsome modern European food.