Book'n' Cooks

Alastair Little

49 Frith St, W1 (0171-734 5183)

Famously soothing diner with famously interesting combinations of taste and texture. : Keep it Simple (Conran Octopus) shows you how.

River Cafe

Thames Wharf, Rainville Rd, W6 (0171-381 8824)

The bestselling River Cafe Cookbooks 1 and 2 (Rose Gray & Ruth Rogers) help you eat this light and subtle Italian cuisine without paying the heavyweight prices.

Livebait

43 The Cut, SE1 8LF (0171-928 7211)

The new Livebait Cookbook (Theodore Kyriakou and Charles Campion, Hodder & Stoughton) is pure porn: don't read it at night as breakfast fantasies will keep you awake.

The Ivy

1 West St, WC2 (above) (0171-836 4751)

You'd do well to read The Ivy: the Restaurant and its Food (A A Gill, Hodder & Stoughton), as chances of getting a table without a famous name remain slim.