Where shall we meet? The Milestone Hotel, W8

Wander in off the street looking vaguely respectable and the exquisite Milestone Hotel will make you very welcome and give you the run of its Park Lounge (try to avoid the Stable Bar, which is a bit like drinking in a button-backed corridor). Beautifully furnished and littered with newspapers and magazines, this glamorous hotel is a refuge from the grottier sights of Gloucester Road. No pricier than other hotels - and a great deal nicer than most - you pay pounds 4.50 for a Pimms or pounds 2.70 for a Beck's and some Japanese rice crackers.

At pounds 9.75 a bottle, the house wine is cheaper than the Royal Albert Hall's.

Undeniably friendly, but the more formally you are dressed,, the more relaxed you will feel.

The Milestone Hotel, 1 Kensington Court, Kensington High St W8 (071-917 1000).

Louise Levene

Monday: Corney & Barrow, Broadgate

Centre EC1.

(Photograph omitted)