Bars and Clubs

BAR RUMBA

36 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1, next to Trocadero

Tel : (0171) 287 2715

Tube : Piccadilly Circus

Open 5pm-3.30am Mon-Fri; 7pm-6am Sat.

Admission £3-£8 Mon-Fri; £10-£12 Sat.

Monday : Radical jazz and jungle

Tuesday : Latin dance

Thursday : Ace drum 'n' bass

THE BORDERLINE

Orange Yard, Manette Street, W1

Tel : 0171 734 2095

Tube : Tottenham Court Road

Open 8.30pm-3am Mon-Sat.

Admission £6-£10.

Underneath a Tex-Mex restaurant with rock, indie and upfront dance nights.

THE END

16A West Central Street, WC1

Tel : 0171 419 9199

Tube : Tottenham Court Road.

Open 10pm-3am Wed; 10pm-4am Thur; 11pm-5am Fri; 11pm-7am Sat; 8pm-late Sun.

Admission £3-£13.

Owned by Mr C (from The Shamen), this is a new state-of-the-art club with one of the best sound systems in town.

EQUINOX

Leicester Square, WC2

Tel : 0171 437 1446

Tube : Leicester Square

Open 9pm-3am Mon-Thur; 9am-4am Fri, Sat.

Admission £5-£7 Mon-Thur; £8-£10 Fri, Sat.

A mainstream club capable of keeping up to 1,500 dancers happy.

THE GARDENING CLUB

4 The Piazza, WC2

Tel : 0171 497 3153/ 3154

Tube : Covent Garden

Open 9pm-3am Mon; 10pm-2.30am Tue; 10.30pm-3.30am Wed; 10pm-3am Thur; 11pm-5am Fri; 10.30pm-6am Sat; 5pm-3am Sun.

Admission £5 Mon-Wed; £6 Thur; £8-£13 Fri, Sat; £7 Sun.

Popular Covent Garden hangout that hosts packed and pumpin' one-nighters.

HANOVER GRAND

6 Hanover St, W1

Tel : 0171 499 7977

Tube : Oxford Circus

Open 10.30pm-4.30am Wed-Sat.

Admission £5-£15.

Two stylish floors packed every night from Wednesday (funky swing) to Saturday (the first choice for glammy party people).

HEAVEN

Under The Arches, Villiers Street, WC2

Tel : 0171 930 2020

Tube : Embankment / Charing Cross (rail)

Open 10pm-3am Mon; 10.30pm-3am Tue-Sat.

Admission £6-£8.

The capital's major gay club is also one of the best dance venues in town.

THE HIPPODROME

Cranbourn Street, WC2

Tel : 0171 437 4311)

Tube : Leicester Square

Open 9pm-3.30am Mon-Sat.

Admission £4-£6 Mon-Wed; £5-£6 Thur; £8-£12 Fri, Sat.

Superb lighting and sound systems, but dated interior decoration.

ICENI

11 White Horse Street, off Curzon Street, W1

Tel : 0171 495 5333

Tube : Green Park

Open 11pm-3am Fri; 10pm-3.30am Sat.

Admission £7-£10.

On three stylish floors with musical diversity and fun-funky interactive entertainment.

LEGENDS

29 Old Burlington Street, W1

Tel : 0171 494 2271

Tube : Green Park/ Piccadilly Circus

Open 10pm-3am Wed, Thur; 10.30pm-4.30am Fri, Sat.

Admission £5-£15.

Sleek, steel-clad nightclub hosting pumping housey nights at weekends. Thursdays are free for women before 11pm.

THE LEISURE LOUNGE

121 Holborn, EC1

Tel : 0171 242 1345

Tube : Chancery Lane

Open 10pm-3am Thur; 10pm-5am Fri; 10pm-6am Sat.

Admission £5-£10.

Happy house hedonism and an airport-style theme with Metalheadz on Saturday nights and a gay indie session, Popstarz, on Fridays.

LIMELIGHT

136 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1

Tel : 0171 434 0572

Tube : Leicester Square

Open 10pm-3am Mon-Sat.

Admission £5-£8 Mon-Thur; £10 Fri; £12 Sat.

MADAME JO JO'S

8-10 Brewer Street, W1

Tel : 0171 734 2473

Tube : Piccadilly Circus

Open 9pm-3am Mon-Sat; 9pm-2am Sun.

Admission £5-£22.50.

This late-night camp cabaret hosts easy-listening Indigo on Tuesdays and from Thursdays to Saturdays it's the haunt of six-foot drag queens.

MARS

12 Sutton Row, down the side of the Astoria, W1

Tel : 0171 439 4655

Tube : Tottenham Court Road

Open 10pm-3am Mon-Thur; 11pm-5am Fri; 10pm-5am Sat.

Admission £3-£10.

Thursday's popular Tempo night attracts a single-minded dance crowd in pursuit of jungle rhythms.

THE OFFICE

3-5 Rathbone Place, W1

Tel : 0171 255 1098

Tube : Tottenham Court Road

Open noon-3am Mon-Fri; 9pm-3am Sat.

Admission £3-£6.

This wine-bar-cum-club has been recently overhauled and now hosts a range of off-beat nights, including madcap board game action on Wednesdays, The Double Six Club.

STRINGFELLOW'S

16 Upper St Martin's Lane, WC2

Tel : 0171 240 5534

Tube : Covent Garden/ Leicester Square

Open 8pm-3.30am Fri, Sat.

Admission £10-£15.

This is where the stars go, allegedly. A perfectly acceptable good-time club for anyone aged 20-70, with a restaurant upstairs and happy house nights midweek.

SW1

191 Victoria Street, SW1

Tel : 0171 630 8980

Tube : Victoria (rail)

Open 10pm-6am Fri, Sat.

Admission £8-£12.

An bizarre Edwardian dance hall with traditional oak panelling on two floors that hosts house or breakbeat jungle.

VELVET UNDERGROUND

143 Charing Cross Road, WC2

Tel : 0171 439 4655

Tube : Tottenham Court Road

Open 10pm-3am Mon-Thur; 10.30pm-4am Fri, Sat.

Admission £4-£10.

A well-designed club with sleek seating areas and a dancefloor playing happy house beats for a twentysomething crowd.

VENOM

13-18 Bear Street, off Leicester Square, WC2

Tel : 0171 839 4188

Tube : Leicester Square

Open 4pm-3am Mon-Sat.

Admission £3-£10.

Only 2 years old with multiple rooms including a VIP room.

THE WAG CLUB

35 Wardour Street, W1

Tel : 0171 437 5534

Tube : Leicester Square/ Piccadilly Circus

Open 10.30pm-3.30am Mon-Thur; 10.30pm-5am Fri, Sat.

Admission £4-£6 Mon-Thur; £8-£10 Fri, Sat.

Two floors playing a range of dance music. Saturday's Blow Up club is recommended.

CLOUD 9

67-68 Albert Embankment, SE1

Tel : 0171 735 5590

Tube : Vauxhall tube/rail.

Open 10pm-6am Sat.

Admission £6-£8.

Two air-conditioned arches are the setting for Saturday's Strawberry Sundae, a friendly and unpretentious set of pumping house beats.

MINISTRY OF SOUND

103 Gaunt Street, SE1

Tel : 0171 378 6528

Tube : Elephant & Castle (tube/rail)

Open 10.30pm-6.30am Fri; midnight-9am Sat.

Admission £10 Fri; £15 Sat.

Garage house classics. It's only open at the weekend, it's expensive and the security is tight, but on a good night it’s all worth it.

THE VENUE

2A Clifton Rise, SE14

Tel : 0181 692 4077

Tube : New Cross Gate (tube/rail)

Open 8pm-3am Fri-Sat.

Admission £3-£6.

One of South-east London's most popular club so arrive early for the bands and alternative/indie rock sessions.

Cinemas in London

ABC Piccadilly

215-217 Piccadilly, W1V 9LD

020 7287 4322

ABC Shaftesbury Avenue

135 Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 8AH

020 8795 6403

ABC Swiss Centre

10 Wardour Street, W1V 3HG

020 8795 6402

ABC Tottenham Court Road

Central Cross, 30 Tottenham Court Road, W1P 9RB

020 8795 6400

Acton Park Royal Warner Village

Western Avenue,Acton, W3 0PA

020 8896 0099

Barbican Screen

Silk Street,Barbican, EC2Y 8DS

020 7382 7000

Barnet Odeon

Great North Road,Barnet, EN5 1AB

08705 050007

Beckenham ABC

High Street, Beckenham,Beckenham, BR3 1DY

020 8795 6440

Bexleyheath Cineworld

28-70 The Broadway,Bexleyheath, DA6 7LL

020 8303 1550

BFI London IMAX Cinema

1 Charlie Chaplin Walk, South Bank, SE1 8XR

020 7902 1234

Catford ABC

1 Bromley Road, SE6 2TS

020 8698 3306

Chelsea Cinema

206 Kings Road, SW3 5XP

020 7351 3742

Cine Lumiere

17 Queensberry Place, SW7 2DT

020 7838 2144/2146

Cinemax, Edgware

67 Station Road,Edgware, HA8 7HU

020 8381 2556

Clapham Picture House

76 Venn Street,Clapham, SW4 0AT

020 7498 2242

Croydon Clocktower

Katharine Street,Croydon,Surrey, CR9 1ET

020 8253 1030

Croydon Fairfield Halls

Park Lane, Croydon, CR9 1DG

020 8688 9291

Croydon Safari

193-195 London Road,Croydon, CR9 2TR

020 8688 3433

Croydon Warner Village

21 Hesterman Way,Croydon, CR0 4YA

020 8680 8090

Curzon Mayfair

38 Curzon Street, W1Y 7AF

020 7369 1720

Curzon Minema

45 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7NL

020 7369 1723

Curzon Soho

93-107 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1V 7AE

020 7439 4805

Dagenham Warner Village

Cook Road off Ripple Rd, Dagenham, RM9 6UQ

020 8592 2211

Ealing UGC Uxbridge Road

59-61 Uxbridge Road,Ealing, W5 5AH

0870 9070719

Edmonton Lee Valley UCI 12

Picketts Lock Lane,Edmonton, N9 0AS

0870 0102030

Empire Leicester Square

5-6 Leicester Square, WC2H 7NA

0870 010 2030

The Everyman Hampstead

Holly Bush Vale,Hampstead, NW3 6TX

020 7431 1777

Feltham Cineworld The Movies

Leisure West/Browells Lane,Feltham, TW13 7EQ

020 8867 0555

Gate Notting Hill

87 Notting Hill Gate, W11 3JZ

020 7727 4043

Greenwich Cinema

180 Greenwich High Road, SE10 8NN

01426 919020

Hammersmith UGC

207 King Street, W6 9JT

0870 9070718

Hampstead ABC

Pond Street,Hampstead, NW3 2PS

020 8795 6406

Harrow Safari Cinema

Station Road,Harrow, HA1 2TU

020 8426 0606

Harrow Warner Village

St Georges Centre, St Ann's Road,Harrow, HA1 1HS

020 8427 9944

Hayes Beck Theatre

Grange Road, Hayes,Hayes, UB3 2UE

020 8561 8371

Holloway Odeon

419-427 Holloway Road,Holloway, N7 6LJ

08705 050007

ICA Cinema

The Mall, SW1Y 5AH

020 7930 3647

Ilford Odeon

Gants Hill,Ilford, IG2 6DD

08705 050007

ABC Options

154 Clarence Street,Kingston-Upon-Thames, KT1 1QP

020 8795 6430

The Lux Cinema

2-4 Hoxton Square, N1 6NU

020 7684 0201

Metro

11 Rupert Street, W1V 7FS

020 7437 0757

Mile End Genesis Cinema

93-95 Mile End Road,Stepney Green, E1 4US

020 7780 2000

Muswell Hill Odeon

Fortis Green Road,Muswell Hill, N10 3HP

08705 050007

National Film Theatre

South Bank,Belvedere Road, SE1 8XT

020 7633 0274

New Stratford Picture House

Gerry Raffles Square, Salway Road,Stratford, E15 1BN

020 8555 3366

Odeon Camden Town

14 Parkway,Camden Town, NW1 7AA

0870 505 0007

Odeon Kensington

263 Kensington High Street,Kensington, W8 6NA

0870 505 0007

Odeon Leicester Square

Leicester Square, WC2H 7LQ

0870 505 0007

Odeon Mezzanine

22-24 Leicester Square, WC2H 7LQ

0870 505 0007

Odeon Swiss Cottage

96 Finchley Road, NW3 5EL

Odeon West End

40 Leicester Square, WC2H 7LP

0870 505 0007

Peckham Premier

95A Rye Lane, SE15 4ST

020 7732 1010

Phoenix Cinema

High Road,East Finchley, N2

020 8444 6789

Plaza

17-25 Lower Regent Street, SW1Y 4XB

0870 010 2030

Prince Charles

7-10 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BP

020 7734 9127

Putney ABC

25 Putney High Street,Putney, SW15 1SN

020 8795 6444

Renoir

Brunswick Shopping Centre, WC1N 1AW

020 7837 8402

Richmond Filmhouse

3 Water Lane, TW9 1TJ

0181 332 0030

Richmond Odeon

72 Hill Street,Richmond, TW9 1TW

08705 050007

Richmond Odeon Studio

6 Red Lion Street,Richmond, TW9 6RN

08705 050007

Rio

107 Kingsland High Street, E8 2PB

020 7241 9410

Dalston Kingsland

Ritzy Cinema

Coldharbour Lane, SW2 1JG

020 7737 2121

Riverside Studios Cinema

Crisp Road,Hammersmith, W6 9RL

020 8237 1111

Screen on Baker Street

96-98 Baker Street, W1 1LA

020 7486 0036

Screen on the Green

83 Upper Street,Angel, N1 0NP

020 7226 3520

Angel/Highbury & Islington

Streatham ABC

5 High Road,Streatham, SW16 1EF

020 8795 6409

Streatham Odeon

High Road,Streatham, SW16 1PW

08705 050007

UCI Surrey Quays

Redriff Road,Surrey Quays Leisure Park, SE16 1LL

0870 010 2030

Surrey Quays

UCI Whiteleys

Queensway, W2 4YL

0870 010 2030

UGC Chelsea

279 Kings Road, SW3 5EW

0870 9070710

UGC Fulham Road

142 Fulham Road, SW10 6SD

0870 907 0711

UGC Haymarket

63-65 Haymarket, SW1Y 4RQ

0870 9070712

UGC Trocadero

13 Coventry Street, W1V 7FE

0870 9070716

 Places To Eat

Bargain

Cafe Espana, 63 Old Compton Street, W1 (0171-494 1271). Rock-bottom prices, simple but delicious Spanish dishes right in the heart of Soho. Dive in and don't stand on ceremony.

Lee Ho Fook, 4 Macclesfield Street, W1 (0171-734 0782). There's no booking, no frills, and only the smallest of bills at this barbecue house. The short menu delivers duck rice, pork rice, crispy pork rice, mixed meat rice. This is food as fuel.

Shirrefs, 15 Great Castle Street, W1 (0171-580 2125). This is a real find. Good, home-style, South Indian and Keralan dishes at absurdly low prices in a wine bar within a hundred metres of Oxford Circus!

Wagamama, 4 Streatham Street, W1 (0171-323 9223). This is where the noodle craze got going. Queues, refectory tables, big bowls of good cheap food and philosophy as well.

Andrew Edmunds, 46 Lexington Street, W1 (0171-437 5708). Laid-back and comfortable wine bar turned restaurant, much beloved by Soho regulars. Good-value, well-cooked dishes.

Aroma II, 118 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 (0171-437 0377). Although sounding like a dodgy Hollywood sequel, this restaurant is run by Ken and Kitty Lee (formerly at Harbour City), and the food is good.

Bank, 1 Kingsway, WC2 (0171-379 9797). Bustling brasserie with a particularly busy bar. The food is Modern British with a good sprinkling of brasserie classics. Somewhere to see and be seen.

Belgo Centraal, 50 Earlham Street, WC2 (0171-813 2233). Mussel mania in Covent Garden. A splendid range of Belgian beers. This restaurant is very keen on special offers which can mean bargain prices.

Le Caprice, Arlington House, Arlington Street, SW1 (0171-629 2239). Definitive St James's restaurant. The kind of well-cooked, familiar dishes that act like a magnet on the good and the great. If you can't get a reservation, sit at the bar.

Chez Gerard, 8 Charlotte Street, W1 (0171-636 4975). 'Allo, Allo', resolutely French in a middle-class, English sort of way, but still the best steak frites this side of Paris. Go for the 'onglet' - skirt steak to Brits.

Chor Bizarre, 16 Albemarle Street, W1 (0171-629 9802). Bizarre by name, and bazaar by décor - this restaurant serves authentic Indian food in a room crowded with Indian antiques.

The Criterion, 224 Piccadilly, W1 (0171-930 0488). Perhaps London's most beautiful dining-room. Sound, modern food and insistent service.

The Fifth Floor, Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge, SW1 (0171-235 5250). Chef Henry Harris cooks very good, genuine food that's dependent on fresh seasonal ingredients. Service is very smooth.

The French House Dining Room, 49 Dean Street, W1 (0171-437 2477). Perched over one of Soho's most famous pubs, the Dining Room serves unpretentious Modern British food at good-value prices.

Ikkyu, 67A Tottenham Court Road, W1 (0171-636 9280). Small Japanese restaurant hidden away down some stairs off Tottenham Court Road. Good Nigiri sushi, and grilled dishes. Some of the best-value Japanese food in London.

India Club, 143 Strand, WC2 (0171-836 0650). Over a hotel, dogged by obscure drinks-licence arrangements, the India Club is an old-established restaurant where low prices, amazing ambience and vintage attitudes more than make up for old-fashioned Indian food.

The Ivy, 1 West Street, WC2 (0171-836 4751). This is Showbiz Central. Decorous, discrete and packed-out. The food manages the trick of being both good and familiar at the same time.

J Sheekey, 28-32 St Martin's Court, WC2 (0171-240 2565). Modern re-incarnation of old-time fish restaurant. Good fresh fish, well-cooked. High quality explained by shared heritage with The Ivy and Le Caprice.

Livebait, 21 Wellington Street, WC2 (0171-836 7161). Restaurant serving ultra-fresh fish. Notable fruits de mer and crustacea. Dishes are well-judged and the atmosphere is lively.

Malabar Junction, 107 Great Russell Street, WC1 (0171-580 5230). Two restaurants in one! Two separate kitchens, one does good South Indian food, including fish, shellfish and meat, and the other turns out excellent totally vegetarian dishes.

Mirabelle, 56 Curzon Street, W1 (0171-499 4636). At the moment the Mirabelle is the jewel in Marco Pierre White's crown. Very busy, very good food, very much in vogue.

Momo, 25 Heddon Street, W1 (0171-434 4040). Homage to all things Moorish in this backwater off Regent Street. The restaurant is ferociously trendy, and the bar is trendier still.

Mr Kong, 21 Lisle Street, WC2 (0171-437 7341). This place may have the world's longest menu. It's certainly got brilliant, unpretentious, authentic Chinese cooking. Not expensive but the service is not tailored to the shy or unconfident.

Quaglino's, 16 Bury Street, SW1 (0171-930 6767). There's no better place than the staircase at Quag's to make a grand entrance. The food is sound, the room is spectacular.

RK Stanleys, 6 Little Portland Street, W1 (0171-462 0099). An innovative restaurant concept is on offer here - beer and sausages. The sausages are very good. So is the beer. And - joy of joys - the prices are reasonable.

The Red Fort, 77 Dean Street, W1 (0171-437 2115). This is Soho's serious curry house. Authentic Indian food with a succession of regional festivals and a good-value lunch buffet.

Richard Corrigan at Lindsay House, 21 Romilly Street, W1 (0171-439 0450). Amazing stuff from Irish ace Richard Corrigan. Eccentric dishes, rich dishes, obscure dishes, award-winning dishes.

Stephen Bull, 5-7 Blandford Street, W1 (0171-486 9696). Stephen Bull was one of the first exponents of Modern British food - you'll find sound and simple dishes with an admirable emphasis on cooking what is in season.

The Sugar Club, 21 Warwick Street, W1 (0171-437 7776). Peter Gordon brings a dash of Kiwi iconoclasm to Pacific fusion cooking. Often brilliant, but never straightforward, good combinations of tastes and textures.

Vasco & Piero's Pavilion, 15 Poland Street, W1 (0171-437 8774). This has been something of a Soho institution for over 20 years. Very genuine Italian food, which favours dishes from Umbria. Glorious, comfortable, old-style atmosphere.

Veeraswamy, Victory House, 101 Regent Street, W1 (0171-734 1401). London's oldest surviving Indian restaurant in full cry after a complete and painstaking makeover. Authentic Indian food in smart surroundings.

Zafferano, 15 Lowndes Street, SW1 (0171-235 5800). Very good Italian food. Sophisticated dishes but with a genuine feel to them. Grand risotti. Very busy.

Aubergine, 11 Park Walk, SW10 (0171-352 3449). William Drabble took over as chef at his famous site and foodies waited to see what would happen next. Good, classical food that's what. One to watch (and enjoy).

Chez Nico At Ninety Park Lane, 90 Park Lane, W1 (0171-409 1290). One of London's classiest class acts. Fine food, beautifully presented. Your chance to eat a work of art on a plate.

Defune, 61 Blandford Street, W1 (0171-935 8311). An amazing place to eat sushi, but do not visit if your wallet isn't on peak form. You will seldom see such ultra-fresh fish or consummate artistry.

Fung Shing, 15 Lisle Street, WC2 (0171-437 1539). For more than 20 years, the Fung Shing has been turning out consistently good, well-cooked and authentic dishes. This is one place where you should try the unfamiliar dishes, they can be a revelation - crispy spicy eel, fried milk, cold herb boiled chicken with jelly fish. Outstanding.

Roussillon, 16 St Barnabas Street, SW1 (0171-730 5550). Alexis Gauthier brings his own sophisticated and complicated take on Modern French food to Pimlico. Some very good and innovative dishes.

Sartoria, 20 Savile Row, W1 (0171-534 7000). Elegantly designed restaurant with interesting Italian food cooked by an alumni of the River Cafe. Some fine traditional specialities teamed with serious prices.

The Square, 6-10 Bruton Street, W1 (0171-839 8787). Philip Howard's cooking goes from strength to strength: strong, well-matched flavours and a stellar wine list. Seriously good.

La Tante Claire, Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, SW1 (0171-823 2003). Now getting to grips with his new establishment, Pierre Koffman's genuinely French disheshave an intensity that is to be relished.