Lounge Bar, High Holborn, central London

Low-key bar with a mock-slate floor, plain walls and Ikea-style fittings, the Lounge Bar attracts a steady flow of office workers at lunchtimes and after work. The uninspiring lunch menu is mostly limited to staples, such as fish and chips, burgers, salads and wraps. The "home made" fish cakes (£7.95) look suspiciously neat, but are well fleshed out with tasty pink chunks of salmon. They are accompanied by a large salad with plenty of dressing, but no carbohydrate. The hungry would be better choosing two long sausages resting on a large bed of white mashed potato (£7.75). The filter coffee (£2.25) is strong enough to ensure you will get through the afternoon. The service is friendly and the food arrives promptly, but you might be better skipping the lackluster food and having at beer at one of the pavement tables or on a sofa in the upstairs chill-out zone. 6/10