WHERE TO STAY AND EAT

The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel is a part of British railway history. With its magnificent frontage from the 1870s, it reopened in 2011 under the Marriott umbrella and among the many period features is the famous grand staircase, where the Spice Girls filmed their first music video (yes, I didn’t much care either…).

A bigger wow for me was its impressive dining experience in the bistro-style Booking Office restaurant, which is a cool place for the after-work crowd to hang out with a varied cocktail menu and enjoy live music.

It’s handy if you take the LNER rail service from Scotland as it is two minutes from King’s Cross. A truly beautiful hotel. (See www.stpancrashotel.com)

The Royal Garden, Kensington, is also a comfortable, well located hotel, right next to Kensington Palace. The rooms are spacious and comfortable and you’re surrounded by excellent shops and restaurants. I’ve used this hotel for decades and never been disappointed. Great breakfasts, and the thing about this place is that everything works – which is not always the case in five-star hotels. (www.royalgardenhotel.co.uk)

One Aldwych is another gem. Well located for West End theatres and Soho restaurants, it’s a classy act, and the Basque restaurant Eneco is truly exceptional. Delicious sharing platters and superb meat from the Josper Grill. And don’t miss the braised pork cheeks. Remarkably well priced for the quality.

A culinary highlight for any trip to

London has got to be The Frog by Adam Handling. Located in Southampton Street, Covent Garden, this mega-cool restaurant is populated by some hunky waiters and the food is divine.

Handling started out at Gleneagles and is one of the UK’s most talented young chefs. Scottish Young Chef of the Year in 2011, he now has several London restaurants and creates a wonderful touch of Asian with British modern cuisine. The finest ingredients are worked into the menu, from truffle to lobster and caviar.

He is a modest Scot with undoubtedly a superb career ahead of him. It’s fun to watch the action in the open kitchen and – for once – it all looks incredibly calm. Gordon Ramsay, eat your heart out.

Downstairs is a speakeasy, just to add to the cool vibe.

Another must-visit restaurant is the Michelin-starred Galvin La Chapelle in Spital Square, E1.

Its opulent setting is a grand, ornate chapel with a vaulted ceiling. In addition to divine French food it offers live music during many sittings. Try the signature dish of a lasagne of Dorset crab with beurre Nantais (beurre blanc with added cream) and pea shoots. It is the stuff of dreams – lots of crab flavour but elegant and smooth.

My last recommendation is The Helix by Searcy’s at The Gherkin (for me, just as cool as The Shard). On level 39 is one of the best places to enjoy Sunday brunch where simple British modern is the culinary tone. Steak and eggs with a glass of champagne – what’s not to like? Well priced, too, at £45 for three courses. The cityscape spans out in front of you and the three-course menus are innovative and seasonal.

So, my advice? Remind yourself about our heritage, get down to London and enjoy some marvellous hotels and restaurants. Not the cheapest city in the world, but it’s still a class act.