After Hours: Lucas

I've eaten Chinese from New York to LA and all over London, and I think The Dragon, 8 Park Rd, Crouch End, London N8 (081-348 6904) is as good as anything. It's got an upscale feel - pure black outside, bright lighting inside, but cosy too. They've made it intimate even though it's pretty big. I go there with my girlfriend. Have the spare ribs with egg fried rice.

Other times I go to this great soul food restaurant in Camden Town called Cotton's, 55 Chalk Farm Rd, London NW1 (071-482 1096). It has the usual ethnic decor, West Indian pictures and wooden chairs, and a really cosy atmosphere. You get people on business in there, and lots of Camden people - half-way trendy types. I always have the fried chicken and rice.

I'm not really one for pubs, I'm from New York, y'know what I'm sayin? I prefer the clubs here. The Soul Kitchen, at Maximus, 14 Leicester Sq, WC2 (071-734 4111). On a Thursday night it's kicking. It's black music - soul, hip hop, funk. They play cool tracks like Nas, 'The World is Yours'. It's a mixed crowd, with an acid-jazzy vibe.

If you're in New York you've got to go to the Coffee Shop in Union Square (W 16th St). They serve all sorts of incredible food, including Cuban and Brazilian, and great drinks. The decor's sparse: you sit in booths, they play dance music, and the waitresses and waiters are very beautiful. And it's open 23 hours a day. It's surprisingly cheap, considering how pretentious it is. The Groove Academy is a happening club, very funky. It moves around though: you have to check the Village Voice for where it is now. It was last spotted at 13th St and Broadway. It's a New York photocopy of the London acid jazz scene. A good copy. A colour copy.

Lucas's single 'Wau Wau Wau' is available now on the WEA label.