Sorriso

Walk out of St James's tube station and there's Sorriso, standing proud like a sunny watchdog in front of New Scotland Yard. An intriguing upside-down T-shaped building, it was built in the Seventies as part of the original metropolitan police HQ, or so it is thought. Today it is a simple, affordable, good quality Italian restaurant regularly serving tasty treats to the likes of Charles Clarke and Clare Short, as well as other media players from Channel 4 HQ down the road. Top of the treats comes the buffalo mozzarello and tomato starter, closely followed by the fisherman's pasta and, if you're really hungry, stincotto - a generous braised ham shank with berlotti beans. Check out the daily specials too. Last, but not least, the award-winning house wine is an affordable £10.95 a bottle. Sorriso, incidentally, is Italian for smile.