Minako at the Hilton London Metropole

The views at ground level aren’t particularly edifying, but from the top of the Hilton London Metropole, the Marylebone flyover seems far distant. Boasting ‘the best views of London in London’ (according to the blurb), Minako’s dedicated bar doesn’t need to alter its black-on-black, rather corporate decor: everyone’s looking out of the window at the skyscraper scenery. Drinking generally means Champagne or cocktails, so peruse the list for one of the 10 variants on the martini theme, something cheekily retro or a Thai twist on Pimm’s jazzed up with mint, chilli, coriander & mint. If you do decide to have dinner in the restaurant, the menu offers regulation pan-Asian grazing & sharing from a predictably on-trend menu. Either way, linger & enjoy: at night, the effect is truly bewitching.