Giaconda Dining Room

The menu changes little at this pocket-sized room: 30 covers in an inauspicious location off Charing Cross Road. And it shouldn't, because everything is just right. The understated decor reminds you of someone's cosy dining room; people at the next table may be only a foot away. No one minds.

The food is enjoyable and reasonably priced. It's old-fashioned stuff, largely French in orientation, and substantial. Meat, including offal and extremities, is the most prominent feature (this is no place for vegetarians). A disc of boned pig's trotter, braised, then fried to crispness, conveys the essence of Giaconda cooking. Ditto for a deeply satisfying 'crumble' of creamed shallots and mushrooms, meltingly soft and rich underneath its crisp brown crumble. Ditto again ham hock hash: a hockey puck of meat topped with a fried egg and served with a well-dressed salad.

There's also a changing roster of blanquettes, those creamy stews beloved of French grand-mères, and fish and grills of the day. To finish, eton mess and crème brûlée were perfectly executed. The all-European wine list, chosen with love, starts at under £20. Two people can eat three courses of accomplished cooking with wine for under £100: rare indeed in central London.