The stunning Michelin-starred restaurant Galvin at Windows, is located on the 28th Floor of London Hilton on Park Lane and was launched in May 2006. It is superbly situated in the heart of Mayfair. With an interior evoking the glamour of the 1930s, we were intrigued to find out why this bar and restaurant has become one of the most talked about destinations since opening, and has maintained its Michelin- starred status each year since 2009.

On arrival we were taken to the Galvin at Windows bar where they offer a wide range of cocktails, from the classic martini and negroni to the specially created ‘signature cocktails’ that showcase the knowledge and expertise of the team. We were able to relax with a glass of Galvin champagne, whilst we marvelled over the 360 degree stunning views over the capital, including some of the most iconic sites: from the sky scrapers of the City and Canary Wharf, to the London Eye, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace and Wembley Stadium. This bar and restaurant certainly boasts some of the most spectacular views of London.

Chef Patron Chris Galvin and his team create seasonally inspired menus based around modern French haute cuisine. All of which make this a sought-after dining experience and a definite place to go if you are looking to impress, celebrate a special occasion or just have a great time with friends, colleagues or family. The kitchen is led by Head Chef Joo Won, who has been at the restaurant since 2006 and has worked his way up the ranks from Chef de Partie to Head Chef.

We enjoyed the Menu Prestige, priced at £82 for three sumptuous courses. But, there are a range of other menus available including a 7-course tasting menu at £119 per head, and some fabulous ‘affordable’ offers on the website.

The seasonally inspired Menu Prestige offers a good variety of dishes, and gives you the option of starting the meal with a choice of caviar (at an additional cost). Starters include Ballotine of Foie Gras with spice salt, orange, pistachio, & honey millefeuille, Marinated Iberico Pork with mooli and pickled mushroom, and Salad of Asparagus, Turnips, Lemon Grass & Romseco. I opted for the Cured Loch Fyne Salmon, brown crab mousseline & celeriac remoulade. My wife chose the Velouté of Mushrooms, hen egg, confit duck legs & wild garlic pesto. Both of these dishes were beautifully presented and memorable for their flavours, quality and texture.

The main course selection held great appeal to me, including such offerings as Lobster Risotto & tarragon oil, Fillet of Scotch Beef, braised shallot, short rib beignet, ox tongue & red wine jus (both dishes supplement £6), or the Pan-Fried Red Mullet with shellfish ravioli, aioli & spinach. I selected the Rump of Lamb, glazed breast, Bolognese, goat cheese & jus gras. The lamb was perfectly lean, with a deliciously rich jus. I enjoyed the pairing of goats cheese and Bolognese too, giving an exciting twist to the dish. The friendly Sommelier had recommended matching this with a glass of Chianti, which provided the perfect accompaniment. My wife ordered the Fillet of Stone Bass, caponata, olive, crispy baby squid & courgette. This dish did not disappoint - the delicate flavour of the fish still discernible amongst the olive, caponata and baby squid.

Ahead of dessert we enjoyed a selection of seasonal cheeses by Maître affineur ‘Buchanans’. This is available as an additional course for £18 or as a dessert choice for a £12 supplement. The selection of desserts is one of the best I have seen in a long time, with recommended wines to complement each choice. I was won over by the Valrhona Chocolate “Cigar ”, Tonka, Coffee, Bourbon Sponge & Hazelnut Ice Cream (with a delicious glass of Madeira), whilst my wife opted for the Pear Soufflé with warm Salt Caramel Fudge and Cinnamon Ice Cream. This she declared to be heaven on a plate, and I have to say I was blown away by the delicacy of the texture.

The whole experience was enhanced by the easy-going, friendly attention of our Sommelier. She did a fantastic job of pairing each course perfectly with wines from a wide- ranging list. The Cognac trolley is, in itself, a sight to behold, made up of some of the most beautifully ornate bottles I have seen. A the end of the meal, with the gentlest of persuasion, she suggested that a digestif was a perfect idea. She was right, of course!

The highly attentive, yet unobtrusive service, coupled with some of the most jaw-dropping views of London, makes this restaurant a real destination, but your reason for visiting Galvin at Windows should first and foremost be for the food. With menus to suit a wide range of occasions and budgets - including a dedicated Kids Menu and Sunday Lunch Menu, Michelin-star cuisine is more accessible than you might think.

Galvin at Windows London Hilton on Park Lane, Mayfair, London W1K 1BE - Telephone 020 7208 4021 - website

I have worked at Canary Wharf on and off for over 25 years, from when it didn’t have the Jubilee Line, and at weekends the only way in or out was by bus that took an hour to get from Canary Wharf to Bank. Now it has grown three fold, and is about to welcome Cross Rail, but what hasn’t changed in all that time is its style. Canary Wharf is a place with grandiose buildings with vast atriums, high ceilings, an abundance of marble and unfeasibly large doors that are almost impossible to push open!

Although Boisdale is located in Canary Wharf, its charm is how different it is, as it has the feel of a Mayfair men’s club in the heart of Canary Wharf and is certainly unique to all the bars and restaurants here.

Boisdale is situated on two floors overlooking Cabot Square, and regardless of whether you are on the first floor on the terrace surrounding the oyster bar or in the restaurant on the second, the view out over Cabot Square fountains is a wonderful backdrop. The oyster bar is an art deco connoisseur’s dream, and has arched bar mirrors the shape of the window leading to the terrace where those looking for an after work drink or an informal bite to eat can sip a drink and watch people making their weary way home.

If you take the elevator to the second floor rather than the first you come out into one the more majestic restaurants you will find. Canary Wharf restaurants are all glass and white walls whereas here the walls are Boisdale’s distinctive lacquer red and dark green with rich mahogany panelling, more at home in St James’ rather than the modern Canary Wharf, but Boisdale dares to be different and stands out because of it. The feeling is warm and classy and the colourful walls are adorned with pictures of stars who have played the venue along with a few artistic nudes! Your route to your table is flanked on one side by an awe inspiring 12 metre long glowing amber whisky bar. The bar holds approximately 1,000 different bottles of malt whisky and I think can rightly claim to have one of the most extensive and magnificent whisky selections in the world.

The Boisdale is not just a restaurant and bar, it is a music venue as well, and regularly has jazz, blues and soul music sourced by its patron of music, Jules Holland. It also has bands/singers and that list of performers is impressive. We visited when Alexander O’Neal was playing and took advantage of their Dinner and Show Club, and other famous artists in recent months include Melanie C (the one Spice girl who could sing), Rita Coolidge and Marcella Detroit (from Shakespears Sister).

Our evening started with dinner followed by a performance from one of THE soul singers of the 80’s. For starters I selected the Mini Roast Dumfriesshire Blackface Haggis with mashed potatoes and bashed neeps, and my wife the Crispy Szechaun Pepper & Chilli Squid with lime and chilli mayonnaise. Haggis is not everyone’s cup of tea, indeed it is not my favourite, but as Boisdale has Scottish roots and I was promised it was something special I plumped for it and was glad I did. The tastes were rich and rewarding and the special secret ingredients and spices resulted in a very special sauce, and earthy neeps and creamy potatoes were perfect accompaniments. The Szechuan and Chilli Squid was light and crispy and packed a fair punch, and the lime in the creamy mayonnaise added a slight hint of sharpness which married with the heat nicely.

Portion sizes are generous and none more so with our selections for mains. My wife opted for the Truffle Aberdeenshire Rib-Steak Hamburger with black truffle mayonnaise, gruyere de comte cheese, roast mushrooms and thrice cooked chips, and I the 12oz Dry Aged Aberdeenshire Ribeye Steak with thrice cooked chips. The burger was a gooey delight as the juices from the meat soaked into the bread, and my steak melted in my mouth and had that lovely chargrilled flavour with a slightly crispy outer skin. The chips were gorgeous and the light fluffy potato encased in a crispy skin was perfect.

As said the portions are generous, so we paused for a while before tackling dessert and enjoyed the happy buzz generated by contented diners whilst sipping on a crisp and light house Sauvignon Blanc. When we were ready my wife was served the Apple Tarte Fine with Burbon Vanilla Ice Cream and I went with the Dark Chocolate & Caramel Marquise with Honeycomb. The tartness of the apple and the sweetness of the pastry were perfect partners and that contrast was also exhibited with the sweet caramel and the bitter dark chocolate in the marquise. The marquise was indulgently smooth, and although I had eaten well, it was just so good I felt I could have eaten another slice!

Alexander O’Neal, featured on our cover, played a great set, and as we left we remarked that Boisdale has something for everyone and is a perfect way to spend an evening, as where else can you get such a perfect combination of drink, food and music, all set in an eclectic mix of styles and colours which combine to provide a unique venue. But don’t take my word for it, try it for yourself.

Sloane Square borders some of the most luxurious and exclusive areas in London, namely Knightsbridge, Belgravia and Chelsea, and is surrounded by wonderfully large town houses in the mixed style of Gothic, Classical and Edwardian. It is an exclusive area and was given its name after Sir Hans Sloane who owned the land at the time. The Botanist occupies a prominent corner of the square and was so named after the aforementioned Sir Hans, who was a famous botanist and collector whose other claim to fame, after naming the square, was that he bequeathed his collection to the nation which formed the beginning of the British Museum.

The Botanist is an iconic bar and restaurant where people can drop in for a drink after a hard day’s shopping along the King’s Road and watch the London elite sipping Champagne or the signature botanical cocktails, or dine in the restaurant which serves a mix of modern European food.

We visited the Botanist on a Sunday lunchtime to enjoy a relaxed Sunday Brunch, and even then the bar and the restaurant had a lively buzz, but we resisted the lure of the art deco bar and immediately went into the restaurant.

The restaurant is split from the bar and is airier due to the large floor to ceiling windows providing lots of light, but the décor in both is an eclectic mix of colours and designs. Rousseauesk painting of animals in vivid colours rub shoulders with light mauve leather chairs, wooden tables and red and blue leather chairs in the bar. This explosion of colours really shouldn’t work, but in a crazy way it does, and this crazy mix of things flows into the menu choices and dishes.

The Brunch Menu is available from 9am to 4pm at weekends and the menu is split into 4 sections, Lighter Options, Starters, Salads and Mains. The lighter options section focus’ more on breakfast dishes but with a twist, so porridge is twinned with coconut milk and passion fruit (£7.5) and sweetcorn and chilli fritters are served with grilled tomatoes, watercress and mint yoghurt (£9).

Our brunch started with the starter section where I selected the Tuna Tartare, Avocado, Radish, Macadamia and Prawn Crackers (£11.5), and my wife selected Burrata, Isle of White Tomatoes, Avocado and Chilli (£13). The Burrata was light and creamy and the chilli gave just enough heat to the fresh English ingredients. My tuna was a generous size and was good, but unfortunately the wonderful fresh, meaty tuna was swamped by the overpowering taste of sesame oil. There was a lovely oriental flavour, but unfortunately at the expense of the main ingredient.

The salad options are perfect for those health-conscious people with Superfood Quinoa (£15), along with that classic Caesar Salad (£12), but we resisted the healthy options and selected from the Mains section. My wife opted for the Scottish Salmon Fishcake, Poached Egg, Spinach and Parsley Sauce (£16) with a side of Mash Potato (£4.5), whereas I opted for the Longhorn Beef Burger, cheese, caramelised onions and fries served on a choice of buns (£17.5). The Botanist sources its ingredients from English sources and many are selected from small family owned business’ as the thought process is that these business’ care more about their products, and this is borne out by the taste. The fishcake was perched expectantly on a bed of wilted spinach smothered in a light and creamy parsley sauce which was nicely soaked up by the smooth mash, and my burger was a first for our meal, as instead of mixing lots of ingredients and tastes, this dish rested on the quality of the double beef patties which was sensible, as they happily stood up to the test.

The portions are so generous we were too full to partake of a dessert, well it was brunch! But the selection has many English classics and a imaginative selection of cheeses which sorely tempted me. Prices are reasonable for this part of the city, and that is emphasised by the wine selection where we chose a crisp and fresh house white for under £25, which would give many grander labels a run for their money.

The Botanist is a perfect place to enjoy a drink or a meal at any time of the day or night and offers quality in a lovely relaxed atmosphere.

The Botanist 7 Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8EE - Telephone: 020 7730 0077

Hard Rock Cafe, 150 Old Park Lane, Mayfair, London, W1K 1QZ Telephone: 020 7514 1700 

Every time we have visited the Hard Rock Cafe London we have always had a great time as the atmosphere is lively and the food is good. It is always busy, and the day we visited was no exception. Our children were very excited to join us, and enjoyed the buzz and party vibe as we entered the restaurant. There were a number of other families around us also enjoying time out together.

As some readers may already know, it started with an Eric Clapton guitar - back in the seventies, Clapton liked to eat at this quirky American diner in London called the Hard Rock Cafe. The place was this funky old building that used to be a Rolls Royce dealership, and it was run by a couple of young, enterprising and music-loving Americans – Isaac Togrett and Peter Morton. Clapton became friends with the proprietors and asked them to save him a regular table, put up a brass plaque or something – and one of the proprietors said “Why don’t we put up your guitar?”. They all had a chuckle, and he handed over the guitar, and they mounted it on the wall. No one thought much more about it until a week later, when another guitar arrived (a Gibson Les Paul, by the way). With it was a note from Pete Townshend of The Who, which read: “Mine’s as good as his. Love, Pete”. The young proprietors put it on the wall. After that, the guitars never stopped coming. Today there are more than 70,000 guitars, drums, pianos, harmonicas, microphones, shirts, pants, scarves, shoes, handwritten lyrics, cars, bikes, a bus and assorted rock memorabilia - by far, the largest, most valuable such collection in the world - on the walls of over 190 Hard Rock Cafes, Hotels and Casinos in 61 countries around the world.

With this history in mind, you would hope that the quality of the food matches the reputation of the venue, and luckily it does! The menu is extensive, with a wide range of choices, but again the friendly waiting staff are on hand to give useful advice. The starters include Nachos, Hickory Smoked Chicken Wings and Potato Skins. We started with the Jumbo Combo (£20.95) – perfect for a family of four, providing a good sample of the other starters on offer. It includes Signature Wings, Onion Wings, Tupelo Chicken Tenders, Southwest Spring Rolls and Bruschetta. This large platter was served with three delicious sauces – honey mustard, hickory barbecue and blue cheese dressing, for mixing and matching, offering a perfect accompaniment. We really enjoyed the spicy kick of the Signature Wings.

There is a mouth-watering selection of Entrees, including Steaks, Fajitas, Grilled Salmon and Beer Battered Fish & Chips – from £14.75. There is also a list of Smokehouse, Salads and Sandwich options. The Burgers are priced from £15.25 (with a variety of toppings available at extra cost), and the Veggie Leggie is £16.25. The Original Legendary Burger is excellent for burger lovers (count me in on this one!), and was successfully cleaned up by our youngest son.

I chose the St. Paddy’s Burger (available for a limited to time to celebrate St Patrick’s Day). Made with the Hard Rock signature burger patty, it was topped with Jameson bacon jam and succulent Guinness cheese sauce. What better way for me to celebrate this Irish national holiday; it was delicious, succulent and sweetened by the bacon jam, and I would definitely have this one again! Priced at £16.25 it was served on a toasted bun with lettuce, tomato and Hard Rock Fries.

Options from the Smokehouse menu are all smoked in-house. Our eldest son (a permanently hungry 15-year old), chose the Hickory-Smoked Barbecue Combo (priced at £16.75), which offered Bar-B-Que Ribs and Smoked Pulled Pork. This boy loves his meat, and unsurprisingly his meal was heartily enjoyed, proven by the empty plate! The Pulled Pork was a real hit due to its succulence and the accompanying sauce. My wife selected one of their Famous Fajitas (Grilled Shrimp, priced £18.95). Served with pico de gallo, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese, fresh guacamole, sour cream and warm tortillas, she thoroughly enjoyed her choice. She was kind enough to let me sample one of the large, succulent Shrimps, as she knows the way to a man’s heart! Grilled to perfection, I would have been happy to sample a few more! There is also an extensive Kids menu and a whole menu dedicated to Gluten Free options.

The wine selection offers plenty of choice, and we enjoyed a few glasses of Sauvignon Blanc (£9.95 for a large glass). The large bar also caters for a fantastic range of beverages. The boys washed down their meals with some delicious alcohol-free cocktails, recommended by our waiter.

I knew we would have to save some room for dessert - we had promised the kids after all! The dessert list offers a fabulous selection, and we sampled the Homemade Apple Cobbler (£7.75) and the Cheesecake made with Oreo Cookie pieces (£8.25) – which I must say are two of the best, and most substantial desserts, I have ever enjoyed. This was comfort food at its best - homemade, sweet and delicious. The portions, again, were huge, and I would be curious to see if one person could eat the Cheesecake on their own! Next time, we’ll give the Hot Fudge Brownie a go, as I endured food envy as I kept watching the glorious dish going past!

As you enjoy your meal there is always something to entertain you, from the music videos or dancing waiters, to the memorabilia that surrounds you. The music is loud, and there are many tracks you will find yourself rocking along to. We enjoyed a broad range of classic rock hits, including tracks from Katy Perry, Prince, and Queen, just some of the ones I can remember. Radio Ga Ga had the whole restaurant clapping in time with the video. You will find yourself tapping your feet to most of these familiar tracks, and it is impossible not to be distracted by the amazing collection of rock and pop pieces that are displayed all around the restaurant and between the tables.

The service throughout was very good, and seems to work as a well-oiled machine. Staff are cheerful, pleasant and helpful with menu choices, and cater very well to the kids.

Hard Rock Cafe undoubtedly houses some of the most fascinating and important pieces of rock and pop history. The Vault, in the basement of the Hard Rock Store over the road, is a must. They seemingly offer tours every 20 minutes or so. It is housed in an old Coutts bank vault (the vault doors and some of the safes are still in place). Whilst the kids hadn’t heard of some of the artists whose memorabilia is housed here, they were very interested to learn more. There are some fascinating original lyrics by John Lennon, one of Madonna’s bank cards, and a guitar used by Slash from Guns N’ Roses. Take your camera.

It is a fun venue, which is more than just a restaurant. If you haven’t yet visited, add it to your list – either book before or get there early, as the queues can be long.

Ginza Onodera, 15 Bury Street, London SW1Y 6AL - Telephone: 020 7839 1101

Despite having been around London for more years than I care to remember, the true testament to what a wonderful place it is, is that it still has  the ability to surprise and delight me. I have always thought of the St James’ area as the place to be if you were visiting your London Club or the perfect place to pick up that bespoke suit or a selection of fine wines, as this is where many tailors and fine wine merchants are to be found, along with some very exclusive art dealers. But found amongst these high end shops, is an equally high end restaurant nestling in the back streets, going by the name of Ginza Onodera.

From the outside it doesn’t look that special, but that changes the moment you leave the cold London air and are confronted by a large granite sake bar separating a shiny black and white striped marble floor, resembling the most expensive zebra crossing in town!

The bar was stocked with a wonderful selection of sakes, but we resisted the temptation to stay upstairs sampling the wide range of sakes and cocktails, choosing instead to go down the stairs to the main restaurant.

This was like entering Dr Who’s Tardis, as the feeling of spaciousness was unexpected from a St James’ basement, as the clever use of mirrors and the lighting gives a lovely sense of space, along with a warm and welcoming feeling. The décor is high class and just what I suspect all the top restaurants in Japan look like, with the mirrors broken up by rich wood and a wall of Japanese family crests perfectly complementing the subtle light and dark grey furnishings contrasting the light oak tables. A large granite bar flanks the shiny metal of a state of the art teppanyaki station, dominating one end of the restaurant, alongside the Robata grill and the sushi station where the wondrously fresh sushi is prepared.

I am a true foodie and love all types of food, but I must confess that over the last couple of years I have started to love Japanese food more and more. This is because the food is light and wonderfully fresh and bursting with flavour. The offerings at Ginza Onodera are no different as they highlight all that is special about Japanese food with the occasional surprise.

Our evening started with Black Kanpachi Carpaccio (£15) and some Japanese Wagyu Dumplings (£18). The Black Kanpachi was not only a treat to the taste buds, it was also a true visual treat, as the wonderfully textured slices of Cobia arrived in a vibrantly coloured light truffle and citrus sauce offset by slices of truffle topped by small droplets of pomegranate. Cobia is a flavoursome fish, and the offset of the citrus with the sweetness of the pomegranate worked perfectly. The wagyu dumplings were rich and meaty, surrounded by a dumpling which was soft on the top and crispy on the bottom, merging taste and textures to stimulate a number of your senses at the same time. For our next course we chose one of our favourites, and I was not disappointed with the Prawn and Vegetable Tempura (£18). Large succulent prawns and seasonal vegetables were perfectly cooked and were all encased in a light and wonderfully crisp batter.

Before our main we opted for what is rapidly becoming another of my favourite dishes - sushi. The sushi chefs expertly prepare the sushi in an open station, and when you see the dishes you know you are in for a treat, as they are visually stunning. We chose the Spicy Tuna Roll (£9), Crunchy Spicy Prawn Roll (£10) and the Spider Roll (£11). The tuna was fresh and meaty and lightly spiced, and the Crunchy Spicy Prawn Rolls were packed with avocado and panka buttered prawns, all spiced with a touch of Worcestershire sauce and topped with a luxurious spicy mayonnaise. My favourite, however, were the Spider Rolls, where the crunchy deep fried softshell crab offset the sticky rice perfectly, all flavoured by the slightly sharp pickled baby carrots. This mix of flavours and textures in one mouthful is what I love the most about sushi.

Our final course before dessert was the Robata main course. Robata is actually a shortened version of robatayaki which literally means “fireside cooking”, and is style of cooking similar to barbecuing where food is cooked over hot coals in a flat open fireplace. The choice on the Robata is beef or seafood. The beef selection is wide ranging, including Kobe Beef (£130), which is one of ‘the big three beefs’, so valued because of its tenderness and fatty well marbled texture. I however, chose the Black Angus beef (£39) which, because of the way it was cooked, was lovely strips of crisp on the outside, succulent on the inside, melt in your mouth beef. My wife loves Blackened Cod, and so the choice of Canadian Black Cod Saikyo-Yaki (£38) was an obvious choice. Fish can easily be overcooked, especially on hot coals, and lose its flavour and moisture, but the fish here was cooked to perfection and the strong white flesh was matched by the sweetness and slight charcoal outer layer.

Despite such a feast we were still able to squeeze in a dessert, and we were grateful we did, as the Chocolate Gateau (£8) I had was nice and moist, and was served with a fresh raspberry ice cream. My wife had less room, and so chose a gooey and rich Chocolate Ice Cream and a crisp and fresh scoop of Lychee Sorbet (£6).

Ginza Onodera is a wonderful addition to the culinary offerings London has to offer, and provides high class food in high class surroundings and is well worth a visit.