We stayed at The Scarlet for a week recently, and had breakfast, lunch, supper and dinner in The Scarlet on various days.

The restaurant is beautifully positioned with fantastic views out over the beach and cliffs at Mawgan Porth, and a lovely terrace outside for sunny days – for views this place definitely competes with places like Vertigo, Oxo Tower, etc.

The menu changes daily for dinner, with an emphasis on fresh, locally sourced produce. It's £42 for a three course set menu, with an imaginative wine list and tonnes of wines by the glass. Breakfast also changes daily and lunch and supper are both served from an “anytime, anywhere” menu which you can have by the pool, in the bar, on the roof terrace or as room service.

I would definitely go back.

We went to Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant as part of an “eating and drinking” trip to North Cornwall. Luckily I didn't read the reviews below before we went, otherwise we wouldn't have gone, but we had a lovely lunch which it would have been a pity to miss.

While I agree that the staff were not the most welcoming (whether when I called to book, or when they phoned to reconfirm, or in person on the day), the food was great. I had the japanese style crab for starters, followed by monkfish rolled in garlic and fennel semolina and panfried. My husband had the smoked salmon with beetroot, followed by the lamb for main course and we thoroughly enjoyed both.

The wine list was good, but I was disappointed not to see more wines by the glass, and not to see more English wines.

There was zero atmosphere in the restaurant – it was only half full (it was a Monday lunchtime during term time, so no surprise) and the staff had spread everyone out around the quite large restaurant so it was a bit like eating in a mausoleum.

It's worth noting that this restaurant is on an uninspiring street in Padstow with no views etc. You could be anywhere. If you want to enjoy the Cornish views, head 15 minutes down the road to The Scarlet in Mawgan Porth or to Jamie Oliver's 15 in Watergate Bay.

Starters, mains and drinks for two was £99.

I went to B&L with a work contact who had already been on numerous occasions. As they have a no reservations policy we turned up at 12.10 and there were plenty of tables available. The crowd is a mix of work people and shoppers and there was a good buzz. The food and decor is very American.

B&L is suitable for a relaxed work lunch with a contact you know well or for dining with friends or a date with someone you know well, but not for a formal lunch or with someone you don't have an existing relationship with – cracking the claws and sucking out the meat while wearing a plastic bib is not the best look if trying to cement a new relationship!

I had the lobster and my companion had the lobster roll, which looked much easier to eat and is perhaps a better choice for dates / work lunches. Both arrived on a metal tray, mine with a reasonable portion of chips and a smallish side salad. I had my lobster steamed and it was nicely cooked – not overdone. I usually prepare my own lobsters from scratch and have a real thing about over-cooked or dried out crustaceans. The tables are very close together and the tin tray was difficult to eat from, my food kept sliding around. This isn't a big issue, just a minor frustration.

I was horrified however to hear that the lobsters are from Nova Scotia. The waitress went on to say “that's seasonal, now we're coming into Spring we'll be buying them from…” Here I waited to hear “Scotland, Ireland, Norway”. But no. Maine, New England. It is TOTALLY unnecessary to fly our tasty friends across the Atlantic and I was unimpressed. It does genuinely make me think about whether I will go back or not, which is annoying as everything else would encourage a return visit.

We went to Soif on a Saturday night with quite high expectations as I am a Terroirs fan. In brief Soif has a great buzz, good menu, nice wines, service pretty poor. I was a little disappointed but am still intending to go back.

Food-wise, Soif is heavy on charcuterie, cheese and hearty French food. We had the pork belly, fennel and mushroom salad, the chicken liver salad and charcuterie for starters. We also ordered padron peppers but these never arrived. For mains, we had the monbaillac and choucroute (bratwurst and sauerkraut, very Alsace), the kidneys, the hake with mussels and the braised beef. The braised beef was a bit fatty, but everything was really tasty – big gutsy flavours and really fresh. Starters are mostly around £7, and mains are about £12, so the food is well priced.

The wine list was a good mix of comfortable classics for when you just want something reliable and some unusual varieties for adventurous days. Wines started at about £25, but there wasn't much below £35. The wine is definitely where your spend goes in Soif.

In terms of service, Soif is a busy, buzzy place, but the staff need to focus on the table they are speaking to at the time, not gazing over your shoulder while half-heartedly listening (which is what two members of staff both did to us on Saturday night). We arrived ten minutes early for our table for 4 and were shown to a table down the back beside the coat rack and practically under the service area. As the two guys in our party are both large boys I said we would need to sit somewhere else. This caused total consternation, even though there were 3 other tables for 4 empty. Hilarious. In addition to the missing padron peppers, I also asked for the parmesan to be omitted/on the side on my starter, and it wasn't. Our wine took forever to turn up and we had to ask for menus 3 times.

Having said that, Soif is still a great addition to the Northcote Road area and I will definitely be back.

We went to the Nut Tree for lunch after a morning shopping in Bicester. It's about a 15 minute drive away, but feels a million miles from the hurly burly that is Bicester on a Saturday before Christmas.

Driving down winding lanes through pretty Oxfordshire villages totally erased all the shopping-induced mania , and we were thrilled when we saw the Nut Tree's pretty thatched roof and cosy interior.

The pigs in the sty in the garden are very friendly, rushing over, squealing, to be fed. Some people may be squeamish knowing that they will end up in the Nut Tree's kitchen, but it's all about provenance, and how better to know that the pork is top quality and not pumped full of antibiotics?

We were a bit disappointed to be seated in the modern extension rather than the more atmospheric original pub, but on the plus side the extension is very bright and airy so we could see the beautifully presented food better than we would have in the dark but cosy pub.

The Nut Tree's tasting menu looked lovely; the pick of the best things from the a la carte, and at £55 per person (plus £35 for matching wines) is pretty well priced compared to London.

We ate from the a la carte, with the girls having two starters after gorging ourselves on the fabulous bread (the walnut and raisin was particularly good).

The pan fried terrine of pigs head and black pudding, served with sauerkraut, piccalilli dressing and fried quails eggs was delicious and beautifully presented; meltingly soft and the gutsy piccallii cut through the dense pork flavours really nicely. The parfait of chicken livers with fig chutney and toasted brioche was rich and creamy. The grilled diver caught scallops with butternut squash puree, cavalo nero and ras al hanout caramel were plump and juicy, perfectly cooked – not at all rubbery or overdone. Lastly, the pave of Nut Tree smoked Loch Duart salmon with whipped horseradish cream, Avruga caviar and salmon skin biscuit was really good – the horseradish cream was a nice light touch.

The grilled fillet of aged Oxfordshire beef with triple cooked chips, baked tomato, onion rings, béarnaise sauce was nice but not as good as Chez Bruce's chateaubriand.

For dessert we shared the chocolate fondant with orange jelly, which was decadently oozy, and the prune and armagnac souffle with caramel ice-cream. The souffle had a touch too much armagnac in it for my taste, but was light and fluffy.

The bill came to £120 including tip for a glass of manzanilla, 5 starters, a main and two desserts.

We really enjoyed lunch and will definitely be back.

We went to the Ginger Fox for a Sunday lunch. Having parked in their car park we went in the pub and picked up one of their handy maps of local walks, and happily tramped through the mud, working up an appetite. Before the walk I was convinced I would just have the Welsh Rarebit with Sussex Ale, but post-walk I was ravenous and feeling very greedy!

I had the fig, blue cheese and chicory for starters – light and flavoursome. The figs were really ripe and tasty, at this time of year you sometimes get ones which are very gritty but have no real flavour. I had a second starter as my main course, the lamb sweetbreads with pomegranate seeds. These were really rich and creamy without being too much; sometimes sweetbreads can be a bit sickly, but they were very nicely done. For dessert I shared the apple and blackberry crumble with vanilla custard – very autumnal.

My fellow walkers had the chicken and mushroom terrine ("amazing, one of the best things I've ever eaten" he declared), belly of pork (meltingly soft and sweet) and the gnocchi (portion a bit small, but very tasty).

Service was friendly and efficient. This would be a lovely place to come back to for a Christmas lunch/dinner (menu looks very good, a great mix of tradition and invention) or in the summer – the garden gives a great view of the funny thatched fox on the roof.

We went to the Walnut Tree for a Friday night dinner on a walking weekend in Wales. We booked at the last minute and were lucky to get a table – the Walnut Tree clearly has a great name locally and it was full and very buzzy when we were there. Unfortunately I was wearing my “stylish” walking gear – the rest of the ladies looked suitably glamorous. Next time I'll have to dress for the occasion.

We had a drink in the bar on arrival, along with a tasty appetiser (home made cheese & sesame biscuits and a warm spinach and goats cheese parcel) we had a very nice carafe of crisp Alsace pinot gris. The wine list by the glass or carafe is pretty good here – good news for drivers as it's in the middle of nowhere. The wine list is broken into three categories to help diners choose whether to try something unusual or stick with the classics.

We just had mains and dessert; I had seabass, potato cake with anchovy and green vegetables (leeks, samphire and green beans) and he had skirt of beef. The seabass was lovely and fresh in a light buttery rosemary sauce, but unfortunately the potato cake was over-salted and I couldn't finish it. The beef was melt-in-your-mouth soft and beautifully cooked.

For dessert we shared the chocolate marjolaine, which was utterly decadent, with coffee and petit fours.

We were very pleased that when the waitress noticed my potato cake wasn't eaten that she asked why. She came back from the kitchen shortly afterwards to say that they had tasted it and it was over-salted. Our dessert and coffee was on the house, which we appreciated.

We would definitely go back or recommend the Walnut Tree to friends.

I go to the Old Vic a couple of times a year and have always struggled with where to eat beforehand; the chains on the Southbank are a bit far away and very dull. My (previous) favourite place on The Cut doesn't take bookings, so all in all theatre nights were all a bit stressful. I have no idea how I didn't notice the Waterloo Bar & Kitchen before; it's practically in the same building as the theatre, only a few metres from the front door. It's definitely top of my list for future Old Vic nights out after Saturday's dinner.

The menu (see website) has a good range of bistro classics with something for everyone. It is supplemented by 4/5 daily specials and we had a real struggle chosing. In the end the four of us went for chorizo & squid (starter served as a main), Thai sea-bass with coconut rice and prawns, and 2 steaks. We also ordered some spinach and mixed veg on the side. The side dishes were smaller portions than we expected, I probably got one carrot and a forkful of spinach, but apart from that we were all very pleased with dinner. The seabass was delicately flavoured and perfectly cooked, the chorize and squid was gobbled down so quickly I didn't get a taste (it was declared “delicious”) and the steak was exactly medium-rare (I am sick of being served steak cooked through and told it's medium-rare).

For dessert we shared a cheeseboard and the blueberry cheesecake, all delicious.

The restau definitely caters for the pre-theatre crowd; we had a 6pm table for a 7.30pm performance and assumed this would mean just enough time for main course before popping next door, but service is very prompt so we had time for dessert as well.

There was a good atmosphere, plenty of buzz and the restaurant was pleasantly full.

My only complaint is that the house white isn't great – a bit chemically.

I am booking again today and would definitely recommend it to friends.

I took a client here for a work lunch last week and came away with very mixed views.

We had the fixed price menu; a starter and main course each for £24. The food was very good (prawns with walnuts and the fried okra, followed by crispy fried beef and salt and pepper chicken) and portions were very large – there were a lot of leftovers. We had two beers, a coke and a tomato juice and the bill was £75.

However there was no atmosphere at lunch; only 2 other tables were taken downstairs and the whole upstairs was empty. The service was APPALLING. Inspite of the restaurant being practically empty our waiter actually huffed every time we asked for a drink or for plates to be cleared, and our food was slammed down on the table. It felt like he was doing us a favour by doing his job. I think the service was probably the rudest I have ever encountered.

I would never go back here.

We drove to the Crooked Billet last weekend from South West London, pooh-poohing reports of how difficult it is to find. I don't know what our SatNav was thinking but on the way there we drove down single track lanes, with grass growing in the middle, through a forest. I was dying for a bit of country air and definitely got what I asked for. On the way back we managed to stick to tarmac roads and were in Henley in about 10 minutes so I think it was just our SatNav being adventurous on the way out.

The pub is very charming, and really nicely decorated; cosy and olde worlde, but not chocolate boxy. There are picnic style tables out the front for when the English summer decides to make a fleeting appearance, and indoors has a few different areas. We had two small children in our party and were in a largish room with two other biggish groups with kids. The other areas were all grown-ups. I don't know if this was on purpose but if so it was very sensible to have all the kids in one room so no-one else was bothered by the little monsters.

Food-wise I was very pleased with the menu and our friends, who hadn't read the SquareMeal reviews, were thrilled as they were expecting Fish ‘n’ Chips pub grub. There was a prix fixe with about 5 or 6 options for each course, and a lovely à la carte with international flavours; my seared tuna with tapenade tasted very Sicilian, my husband's Moroccan lamb was lovely and spicy and the lemon sole with seared scallops had a summery Gallic touch. Decent wine list with a well-priced prosecco and a reasonable number of wines by the glass. We paid £42 per couple for starters, mains, coffees and a bottle of prosecco (no other booze as driving back to London).

I would definitely go here again. It would be a lovely haven to visit for crews/families who are in Henley for a few days and fancy getting away from the madding crowd in a very English country pub.

I've been to The Anthologist for lunch on a number of occasions, and recently hosted work drinks there.

It's great for a relaxed work lunch (in the restaurant bit, not the main bar section) – very Manhattan, good food, not expensive, good atmosphere.

When we decided to host drinks there we decided not to go with the private room as it's underground and our party (25 people) was a bit too small to fill the room. So we were offered a section in the upstairs bar. There was no venue hire, the nibbles menu was well priced and the events team were extremely helpful throughout.

On the evening I was less impressed – rather than being in one of the large booths in the bar we were stuck over at one side, by the restaurant door. The place was rammed (as it always is – which is fine, we wanted somewhere lively) and because we were in such an odd place none of our guests could find us. We had to keep walking around to find them and herd them towards our strange little spot on the doorstep. Very annoying when we booked two months in advance. So if you are planning to have an event here, be VERY specific about which section you want to have it in.

We went to Galvin Café a Vin for lunch on Sunday after a wander around Spitalfields Market. There are so many places to eat in the area, lots of them yummy (Canteen, S&M, etc) but all very very busy, noisy, big queues, etc.

Café a Vin is just to one side of the new modern shopping centre which leads into the old Market, opposite Patisserie Valerie. There was a good buzz but it wasn't crazy noisy, so it was a bit calmer to eat in than some of the alternatives.

Sunday lunch is exceptional value. It's 14.95 for two courses from the set menu, which has 3 choices per course. I had the fennel, tomato and anchovy salad for starters. It was lovely and light, very fresh. My husband had butternut squash soup with parmesan and pine nuts which was really rich and creamy with a lovely toasted taste. Very warming and seasonal.

For main course I had the red mullet with roasted potatoes, roast tomatoes and black olives. The red mullet was BEAUTIFULLY cooked – not dry at all, and the black olives gave it a very Mediterannean taste. He had the roast lamb which was served pink in the middle and was melt-in-the-mouth good.

Definitely worth a visit if you are in the Liverpool Street/Spitalfields area. A great way to sample the Galvin cuisine without paying Galvin prices!

I went to Altitude for Brunch on Sunday 24th October having booked with the special offer on their website “£39 instead of £97 for a delicious buffet style organic brunch with juice and unlimited coffee, plus a choice of a Bellini or London's hottest Bloody Mary and entrance to the viewing gallery at Altitude 360º – saving 60% off the usual price.”

It was a beautiful sunny day with really clear skies and the views from the top were really stunning. We just caught the end of our tour as we were a few minutes late arriving, but the bit we heard was interesting so I would recommend it.

Altitude itself is very slick and modern, I've never been to any events here but it would be great for a corporate event or for a very modern London wedding reception. It was freezing though. Sit on the sunny side if you can, we sat on the shady side (nicer views; Westminster, etc) and the aircon was on full whack. I was miserably cold and our food got cold faster than we could eat it.

However, I'm afraid I am less positive on the food, service & value for money. If I had paid the full £97 PER HEAD for this brunch I would be absolutely raging. To put things in perspective that's more expensive than afternoon tea at the Ritz, or dinner at Chez Bruce with good quality wine, both of which have phenomenal food and impeccable service. Even at £36 per head it represents very poor value for money.

Firstly, the food at Altitude was fine but I can't say anything better about it. I ordered the full organic cooked breakfast and so did my husband and when they arrived out we both had different things (hash browns on one plate, not on the other, different amounts of sausage, black pudding, etc). It's not a big deal, but what that says to me is that there is no quality control and no-one checks the plates before they go out. Not a good sign.

Certain items on the menu were ordered from your table, and for others you had to go and queue at a food station while they were made. Frankly, if you're paying £97 you shouldn't have to queue like a Travelodge buffet. The food from the stations was good, but the queues were very slow as there was only one chef on eggs and one chef on crepes. After queuing for 5 minutes for Eggs Royale, and still being nowhere near the top of the queue, I got bored and went to order the full organic breakfast. The point of going out for brunch is choosing exactly what you want to eat, not compromising and eating whatever you can get.

One of the more lunchy options on the menu was a choice of four different types of pasta. I was going to order the goats cheese and porcini ravioli, but was told it takes 30 minutes to prepare ANY of the pasta dishes! So we didn't bother, and neither did the people sitting behind us.

Secondly, the service was really very poor. I had to ask three times for a glass of water, our cooked breakfast took about half an hour to appear and when I ordered a mildly spicy tomato juice the waiter looked at me like I had 2 heads. Frankly, you shouldn't have to explain something so basic.

There are so many really great places to eat in London and Altitude could be a great place for brunch before pottering around the Tate but at the moment it's very badly run and really letting itself down. If the owners are serious about running it as a brunch venue they need to re-think the concept, teach their waiting staff how to do their jobs and fire the managers.

I work in Lincoln's Inn Fields and often bemoan the lack of restaurants for lunch nearby. It's all chains like Strada and Cafe Rouge. Asadal is a real find for lunch or dinner and is excellent value.

The food is really tasty (try the Kan Poong Gi Bab; marinated fried crispy chicken. Not fatty or covered in thick nasty batter, just really light and crispy. Amazing) and the lunch deal includes a bowl of miso soup and a slice of melon for dessert. Excellent value, particularly when most of the lunch dishes cost about £8. The Korean root tea is also really good – similar to ginger tea but with a slight hint of spice.

The Korean barbecue menu for dinner is also excellent value and great dining theatre; the tables have a gas barbecue recessed in the table and after you've gorged on 3 rounds of starters a chef comes to your table with marinated meat/fish/similar, as well as lots of vegetables, sauces, rice etc and cooks it in front of you. Great fun and the smell of barbecuing food is really appetising.

Service is prompt and discrete.

We held a corporate event here last week in the Playroom and the cinema and were thrilled with it.

We had drinks first in the Playroom with canapes and little tubs of fork food (fish and chips, bangers and mash, etc) which was great, then we moved downstairs for the film. If you haven't been to The Electric I would definitely recommend it, comfy leather chairs with a foot stool and a little table for your popcorn and drink. You can bring your glass of wine or beer to your seat and when we went down with our guests there was ice-cream, drinks and popcorn ready to welcome them. All very smooth and well run.