Also in the area
Fergus Henderson, the man who cuts to the chase, eliminates all nonsense and just serves the best ingredients, straight up, as they should be. Simple space, simple idea, but no one else seems able to do it. Is FH the Mies van der Rohe of British cooking? St John Bread & Wine, 94-96 Commercial Street, E1 (020-7247 8724).
With a high standard of unpretentious modern Euro cooking, warm service, and all for under £40 a head, Lanes deserves a big clap in an area overstuffed with expense-guzzling blandness. Lanes, East India House, 109-117 Middlesex Street, E1 (020-7247 5050).
Still not sure if the modern French food is worth the money, but this is still (alongside Locanda Locatelli) one of the sexiest interiors in town, with its boudoir baubles and stuffed animals. Tres quirky chic. Les Trois Garcons, 1 Club Row, E1 (020-7613 1924).
