Old Tom's Bar, Square Mile

10-12 Leadenhall Market, EC3V 1LR

Leadenhall Market is a stunning covered market in the heart of the City of London which I'd somehow managed to ignore for five years until my recent first visit. There are a number of decent boozers in and around the market, not least the Lamb Tavern which claims to have origins dating back to 1780.

But underneath the Lamb lies a cosy little secret named Old Tom. Old Tom's Bar to be precise. This secret den is named after a legendary 19th century goose. This entrepreneurial gander managed to escape slaughter and survived until the grand old age of 38 thanks to the goodwill of the market's traders who fed him and let him roam around. That's my kind of goose, and, appropriately, this is very much my kind of establishment.

On our visit we'd only intended to swing by for a quick drink, but the sight of cheese and charcuterie being generously heaped on to platters behind the bar was too tempting to resist, so we settled in our armchairs for a delicious feast, washed down with some lovely wine.

I'm not in this area much, and when I have been I've always struggled to find somewhere up my street. Old Tom's Bar has most certainly filled that gap.

Cosy rating: 9/10 - gorgeous tiled walls reflect the twinkling candlelight and furniture is characterful and mis-matched.
Secret rating: 7/10 - two of us got a seat with no problem on a Thursday night when other nearby pubs were heaving.
Best bits: Fewer suits than many other local establishments, and very friendly service.
Worst bits: Drinks are a little on the pricey side, but you can't deny they have a classy and varied selection of craft beers and wine.

Oliver's Bar, Greenwich

9 Nevada street, Greenwich, SE10 9JL

There's no where else quite like Oliver's, that's a fact. It's 33% wine bar, 33% music venue and 33%....just completely random, and I love it.

The first time I went there (thanks Sian!) I couldn't believe this perfect, quirky place had been literally underneath my feet during all my previous Greenwich jaunts.

An evening at Oliver's usually goes like this: you grab a bottle of wine at the bar at the bottom of the stairs as you arrive, you squeeze round a cute candlelit table in the main room, you drink and you talk the night away...and before you know it you find yourself totally engrossed by some excellent, yet undeniably unique, performers.

Cosy rating: 9/10 - the picture above speaks for itself (and this is with extra lights on).
Secret rating: 9/10 - completely tucked away, down an alleyway and down some stairs. Yes, that's a double down - amazing.
Best bits: Oliver's is truly unique and cannot be categorised.
Worst bits: The candlelit room pictured above is distinctly cosier than the room the other side of the bar.

Karpo bar, King's Cross

23-27 Euston Road, NW1 2SD

Karpo bar is a relative newcomer to the King's Cross area, and if my first visit was anything to go by it has yet to draw in the crowds who will undoubtedly flock here in the future.

This underground bar is divided into two parts - the main bar area is all sleek, candlelit and luxurious, and the other space is down a step and is a separate area filled with little leather booths and cheerful photos of local people covering every inch of the walls, which is a nice touch. You can reserve this separate part of the bar for free during the week for gatherings and dos.

Above the bar on the ground floor is an excellent restaurant by the same name (in fact, both the bar and the restaurant are part of the Megaro hotel located in the same building). The food is a little on the pricey side, but it's a great spot for lunch, and their cakes - available to takeaway - are delicious and extremely reasonably priced. A special shout-out to their carrot cake - officially the best one I've ever tasted.

Cosy rating: 8/10 - not for rustic charm, but if you're looking for a dimly-lit atmospheric bar with a delicious dash of sophisticated opulence, then this is the place for you.
Secret rating: 8/10 - a hidden gem for the time being, but it's right opposite King's Cross Station on Euston Road (you can't miss it - the building with the bright mural façade, next to Barclays), and I can't imagine it will remain undiscovered for much longer.
Best bits: A great range of cocktails at around the £8 mark - not bad at all. They also have an entire menu dedicated to absinthe, if you're that way inclined!
Worst bits: They'll add 10% to your bill for table service, which of course isn't unusual.

The Tiroler Hut, Bayswater

27 Westbourne Grove, Bayswater, London, W2 4UA

Oh my, The Tiroler Hut is SUCH a random place. Located entirely underground, this Austrian-themed restaurant is, well, just a bit bonkers really, with waiters and waitresses decked out in traditional outfits and red and white checked material as far as the eye can see.

It's chirpy and welcoming in here, and you can pop in for a huge beer or a Jägerbomb at the bar, or make a night of it and devour some 'Gulasch' or 'Wienerschitzel' in the restaurant, followed by a yummy pastry. But whatever you do, you'll have a blast.

Cosy rating: 8/10 - Very low beamed ceilings - it is a cellar after all - and the walls are plastered with photos of celebrity visitors.
Secret rating: 5/10 - Tourists love it, so do book if you want to stay and eat. That said, the tourists do appear to be confused by the theme - I overheard a table of New Zealanders trying to decide between American and Russian...
Best bits: Hearty Austrian food and live music most nights - although I have yet to witness this I've heard rumours that it involves a cowbell.
Worst bits: The prices. Be warned, it's a fiver for a Dortmunder beer in here (or at least it was for us), and that wasn't even one of their renowned massive steins. Though, to be fair, it was a delicious pint, served in an ice-cold frosted glass tankard.

Simmons bar, King's Cross

32 Caledonian Road  Islington, London N1 9DT

Simmons is a fun bar on Caledonian Road, which has just undergone a refurbishment. I'm happy to report that this little spruce-up has only added to its fabulously quirky credentials.

What do I mean by quirky? Amongst other things, a skull disco ball, a large collection of beer cans, zoo-themed wallpaper and dozens of vintage table lamps squeezed into every corner. Simmons is small but they've made better use of the space now, with the addition of vintage school desks and lots of places to sit down and natter.

Though I prefer to go here for a drink or two after work, night owls will be pleased to know that Simmons has a late license, with DJ sets and a cosy function room downstairs for gatherings that can happily continue into the early hours (3am Thursday - Saturday).

Cosy rating: 7/10 - those little lamps do a great job.
Secret rating: 7/10 - the Drink Shop & Do throngs across the road don't know what they're missing! (DSD is great, but it does get very busy).
Best bits: FIVE HOUR HAPPY HOUR? Yes please! From 4pm - 9pm Monday-Friday lots of their drinks are just £2.50. On my most recent visit on a Friday evening at 7pm we polished off a bottle of white for a mere tenner.
Worst bits: The music gets louder throughout the evening, so while it's fine for a catch-up early evening, if you want somewhere quiet where you can stay all night, go elsewhere.

Swan & Edgar, Marylebone

43 Linhope Street, Marylebone, NW1 6HL

Is it a pub? Is it a restaurant? Is it a library? Who knows, but Swan & Edgar is an absolute gem and fellow book lovers will salivate over this little place before you've even stepped through the door - just look at the frontage above!

I discovered S&E one sunny afternoon while my friend and I had some time to kill before catching a train from Marylebone. Determined to take her somewhere fabulous I whipped out the Qype app (they're not paying me, honest!) and up it popped in the middle of a residential road. Perfect.

Now I didn't sample the food on my visit, and it seems to have not gone down especially well with the critics, but I had a marvellous time sat outside on a sunny afternoon with a big glass of rose wine, gossiping with my friend. Inside is so small, but with books piled high all around you, pretty candles and friendly staff, it felt like I was inside a good novel that I didn't want to put down.

Cosy rating: 8/10 - candlelit at night with books piled high in the little room upstairs, which also has a fireplace for keeping the cold at bay.
Secret rating: 7/10 - I can't imagine you'd walk down this street, unless you were lucky enough to live there.
Best bits: Check out the scrabble tiled floor in the loos.
Worst bits: Ever so small, so do call ahead if you're making a special trip here.

The Thomas Guy Club, London Bridge

Plenty more spots like these around every corner

My brother had been going on for ages about how great the Thomas Guy Club bar was on the Kings College campus, just round the corner from London Bridge, but I hadn't been there until tonight. Well, I can honestly say that I am now well and truly enamoured with this place.

Located in a vaulted basement, the bar has tons of seats, and also has a pool table, a telly room, a 'library' and a separate dining area (with loads of really cheap food options - £6.50 for a homemade burger for example).

Now, my brother works for the NHS, which is how he found out about it, but as far as I can make out anyone is allowed in here - you don't have to show any NHS / student ID to get in and it's accessible from Borough High St, but if anyone knows otherwise do feel free to correct me.

Cosy rating: 7/10 - loads of armchairs, sofas, beanbags, corners and bare bricks. Lower lighting would up the rating.

Secret rating: 11/10 - is this actually London's most undiscovered bar? No web presence whatsoever (other than the link above), it was 95% empty on a Thursday night.

Best bits: It's truly labyrinthine in here with loads of bare-bricked rooms, and you really have to make an effort to seek out where to buy a drink.

Worst bits: Very hard to find, so here are some directions: Upon leaving London Bridge station turn left onto Borough High Street. Go down the first alleyway on the left (it's the alleyway where the Old Kings Head pub is). Walk past the pub and directly in front of you is a doorway, which should have a sandwich board outside. Go down the stairs and you've arrived!

VOC bar, King's Cross

Potions and punch at VOC

I've worked in King's Cross for a few years now, and I've known this tiny bar in the Regents Quarter 'zone' to have undergone at least a couple of makeovers in that time. Its previous incarnation was as 'Cellar N1', a nice enough little cocktail bar, which sadly never really found its feet.

The latest occupant - and let's hope it's here to stay - is VOC bar, which describes itself as a modern day interpretation of a 17th Century Punch House, inspired by the Dutch East India Company - or Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie - hence VOC. Crikey, that's a niche and a half.

But actually, niches work quite well in this tucked away part of King's Cross, with Bar Pepito a couple of doors down, specialising in sherry, doing very well indeed. VOC similarly seems to be establishing itself quite nicely since it opened last summer, and my apothecary-style bottle filled with a 'raspberry shrub' cocktail (apparently 'bottle matured' for at least 7 days) went down very nicely (and easily) indeed.

There's seating outside, but bag yourself the sofa, tucked away corner or the mezzanine snug and swig your grog like it's 1606.

Cosy rating: 6/10 - really quite tiny with a couple of sofas and secluded corners. We were there before 7.30pm so I'm sure cosiness would increase as it got darker outside.
Secret rating: 7/10 - Regents Quarter is like a mini-maze, and despite some great reviews it was easy to get a table.
Best bits: Really unique booze, pretty candles (this is the 17th century, after all...!) and service with a smile.
Worst bits: Definitely not 17th Century prices (around £8 on average - if you paid that in the 1600s that would equate to about £4,000 in today's money...!). Music was *just about* quiet enough for a decent natter.