"A restaurant where snails are flambéed in pastis is our kind of restaurant, especially when there’s a crystal chandelier involved as well. L’Escargot is Soho’s oldest French institution and is a classic spot with lots of velvet drapes and lots of butter that makes for a classy but still casual lunch. (Hello, £24 prix fixe options.) The pastis is optional. But, at the same time, it isn’t, if you know what we mean." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna