Le Beaujolais wine bar, Covent Garden

25 Litchfield Street, WC2H 9NJ

I was recommended Le Beaujolais by the proprietor of my beloved Val Taro wine bar, before Val Taro closed down. Luciano reckoned that, out of everywhere he knew in central London, Le Beaujolais was probably the closest we would come to recapturing the vibe of his establishment.

I recently ventured to this tiny wine bar for the first time, and although in my heart I knew it would never be able to match Val Taro in terms of cosiness, value and genuine warmth, I would still recommend it as a quirky and individual place to go in the West End for a glass or two of wine after work.

Situated just a few doors down from The Ivy, Le Beaujolais is kooky, quaint and unpretentious, with a small selection of good food and plenty of French characters propping up the bar, which make this place genuinely feel like a slice of Paris in the heart of London. They were also showing the Andy Murray semi final Wimbledon match on a big screen (he was playing a Frenchman, after all), which was an unexpected bonus.

Cosy rating: 7/10 - Emits a moody glow, just like some of my favourite places in the French capital.
Secret rating: 7/10 - I've never stumbled across it, despite the fact that I used to work down the road. You might have to share a table with others, but even if you do you'll probably bag your own before long, as did we.
Best bits: You get the impression this wine bar hasn't changed at all for 40 years or so, as confirmed by the amazingly retro hand dryer in the loo (I'm a bit of a hand dryer nerd...)
Worst bits: £18.50 for a bottle of house plonk? Ooh la la!

The Cork & Bottle, Leicester Square

The Cork & Bottle (image courtesy of HoosierSands)

I miss working in the West End, and The Cork & Bottle is one reason why. It's not unlike Gordon's wine bar on Villiers Street, but the trouble with Gordon's is that, despite its undeniable snugness, it gets so ridiculously busy and it's really hard to get a seat. So instead of highlighting Gordon's, for now I want to share the Cork & Bottle.

It's easy to miss this lovely wine bar, with the side streets of Leicester Square teeming with pizza joints and throbbing bars. But the C&B is a world away from these establishments, and is a great option if you're looking for a welcoming place for a relaxed drink or a nice spot for casual dining.

This is the kind of venue that you can keep up your sleeve for any occasion: dates, a pre/post-theatre bite to eat, after work drinks or lunch with the folks. Grab a table, treat yourself to a glass of bubbly and indulge in a plate loaded with delicious cheese. Lovely.

Cosy rating: 8/10 - It's underground, so plenty of bare bricks and lots of cave-like cubbyholes.
Secret rating: 7/10 - You can normally get a table, or a seat at the friendly bar, but they accept reservations most of the time so never does any harm to book.
Best bits: THE RAISED HAM AND CHEESE PIE. It's honestly one of the best, most mouth-watering slabs of honest food I've ever had the pleasure of eating.
Worst bits: West End prices, but don't let that put you off, it's worth every penny.