This article was first published in November 1996

Difficult as it is to imagine quality existing among the wall-to-wall fast-food emporia of Leicester Square, a trip down the stairs of the Cork & Bottle Wine Bar produces a rare gem and a welcome refuge from the ripe perfumes of the street above. The bar fills up rapidly, however, so grabbing a table is paramount. Food divides into hot dishes of the day (for example, open toasted baguettes filled with steak, mustard and herbes de Provence; or warm salads with grilled sausages or giant Mediterranean prawns); a fish of the day (such as pan-fried monkfish with pineapple salsa and stir-fried vegetables); and a dish of the day (perhaps braised lamb shanks with a zinfandel sauce). The buffet supplies shellfish, p?t?s, salads and terrines. The house speciality, a raised ham-and-cheese pie, harks back to the period when characters from Dickens novels in taverns despatched huge pasties at a glance and sighed "that was wery mellering to the organs".

WINE: Don Hewitson writes the sort of chatty tasting notes that brook no argument. His list is more of a short tome (not surprising, as he has written several books on wine), beginning with seasonal recommendations and enthusiastically promoting bargains culled from around the world. Good producers in France include Willm from Alsace, and Fran?ois Pacquet's Gamay glut of Cru Beaujolais. It is the New-World wines of Australia, California and New Zealand that dominate, from the commercial styles of Mondavi's Woodbridge, Wolf Blass and Montana to a host of small boutique wineries. By purchasing direct, particularly from France, Hewitson is able to offer fine wines at remarkably low prices. Ch?teau Talbot 1988 is a mere £29.50; the fabulous Lynch-Bages 1993 red wine is £45. Buying champagne should put you in a bubbly mood: Perrier Jouet Belle ?poque is £37.50 cheaper here than at Quaglino's.