I read a review of Sugar Reef in a magazine quite a while ago but I never got around to trying the venue. Recently, my friends and I were looking for a trendy place to eat and drink in London and after thinking back at places I had heard to be hip I remembered Sugar Reef.

We booked a table for a Thursday evening which was a great time to do dinner, as it wasn’t overly crowded, but busy enough with a complimenting jazz band. The décor is sleek and stylish, the service was lovely and the set menu was perfect. I recommend the fresh soup of the day with rustic bread followed by the sirloin steak which was delectable.

For more information about Sugar Reef visit www.sugarreef.co.uk or call 020 7851 0800 to make a reservation. The Sugar Reef bar and restaurant is situated at 42-44 Great Windmill Street, London, W1 and the nearest tube in Picadilly.

This week London has been celebrating Spanish wine, music, food and culture. Events have been held in London’s top restaurants, bars and markets and appearances made by the best Spanish cuisine chefs and musicians in the city.

Tomorrow is the last day of the Taste of Spain event and new restaurant Camino are hosting the “Camino Tapathon”. This event promises to be a tappas extravaganza with wine expert, author and broadcaster John Radford. Learn about tappas from the master and taste as much wine and tappas as you can eat for only £20! An amazing price when you consider how much a meal at a tapas restuarant in london can add up to!

The ticket also includes a 10% discount on John Radfords new book “Cook Espana, Drink Espana” You must book for this event and it takes place tomorrow between 12pm and 6pm, so don’t delay! Bar Camino is at 3 Vanishers Yard, the Regent Quarter, Kings Cross. Call 020 7841 7331 or visit Taste of Spain or Bar Camino for more info and to book.

After hearing many good reviews about the dining experience in The Rainforest Café, London, I decided to check it out myself.

The largest restaurant in London was decorated top to toe in tropical plants and vines. Mechanical gorillas and elephants moved and made noise throughout the evening while tropical fish swam in a fish tank all setting relaxing surroundings. Water falls are spread around the restaurant to emphasise the rain forest theme and during your meal you’ll hear thunder and see lightning.

The food was good, the savage minute steak and major mojo bones were extremely tasty and well recommended. Perhaps a little over priced but the experience made up for this. The drink selection was good with a wide variety of many wines, champagnes, cocktails, juices and sodas and the deserts were as good as they looked.

A restaurant well worth a visit! The Rainforest Café is located at 20-24 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 7EU. The nearest tube station is Piccadilly and for more information call 0207 434 3111 or visit www.therainforestcafe.co.uk.

Embassy bar and restaurant is one of the hottest night spots in London, a place to see and be seen. Perfectly located in the centre of Mayfair, Embassy is spread out over three floors. The top floor is the restaurant which is all you expect a posh place to be, seating well spread out and waiters eager to meet your every need, the floor to ceiling windows give it a more exclusive feel and you are welcome to dine alfresco in the summer months. On the lower level of this floor there is a pre bar where you could also eat in a more relaxed atmosphere, perfect for those pre-club drinks or a small bite to eat.

The members bar is downstairs along with the VIP room which is situated between the top and bottom floors. The bar and club area is stylish, modern, opulent but a little bit cosy. The food and drinks are pricey and be prepared to order your main meat and vegetables or chips separately, the steak is absolutely worth it and the cocktails are refreshing.

Overall it’s a lovely bar and restaurant and worth a trip to see for yourself. The Embassy is located at 29 Old Burlington Street, London, W1S 3AP. Call 0207 437 9933 to book or visit www.embassylondon.com for more information.

To celebrate London Fashion Week, the vibrant and fashionable Donovan Bar in Mayfair’s luxury Browns Hotel will be serving up limited edition fashion cocktails. The bar, named after British photographer Terence Donovan is a chic, fashion savvy hang out with black leather decor and photographs taken by Terence Donovan.

Enjoy live jazz on Monday through to Saturday from 9pm each week and during London Fashion week the place to be seen will serve up the delicious cocktails from the New York cocktail; a mix of Bourbon, lemon juice and grenadine syrup with amarena cherries, to the Milan cocktail; a mix of Milano de Bere, Prosecco with raspberry liqueur and fresh raspberry puree. These cocktails are only available from the 8th September through to the 8th October 2007 so be quick.

Opening hours are Monday to Saturday from 11am until 1am and Sundays 12 noon until Midnight. Find the Donovan bar at The Brown’s Hotel, Albemarle Street, Mayfair, London, W1S 4BP or call 0207 493 6020 for more information.

Absolut Ice Bar is the UK’s only fabulously cool bar made of ice. It is based in Mayfair, London and is kept at minus 5 degrees all year round; everything in the bar including the walls, bar, chairs, tables and even a telephone box is made of crystal clear ice.

The vodka bar serves all the different flavour vodkas you can imagine and with entry you are handed a glass made of ice to receive a free vodka cocktail. The Absolut Ice Bar has a £12 entrace fee apart from Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings when it is raised to £15 and with that you are provided a hooded thermal cape to keep you warm along with gloves. One thing I would advise is to wear trousers and boots, shoes or trainers with socks that will keep you warm as the cape doesn’t cover your legs and my friends in their skirts were extremely cold! After your 40 minute time slot in the Ice Bar warm up next door at Below Zero; a two floor lounge bar and restaurant. It’s one of those ‘must sees’ in life.

Visit www.belowzerolondon.com for more information.

This month some of the best restaurants in the London area are offering 50% off the total food bill in conjunction with the London Paper and Top Table.

There is a wide range of styles to choose from - from Thai in Madienhead at the Aroy Thai (the place to go for traditional cuisine), to exclusive Mayfair restaurants such as Artisan (an elegant restaurant close to bond street) and 104 park lane in the Marriott hotel (which serves fresh contemporary cuisine).

In my opinion the trendiest option is the First Floor restaurant on Portobello road. Elegant Victoriana décor and British and ethnic cuisine make it an excellent place to visit after a long day haggling at the markets. You can book online by following this link.

London Bar Week has just kicked off (at 7pm) and I can only imagine the herds of people traipsing round Kingly Court to see what the fuss is about. If you haven’t heard of London Bar Week, it is basically a chance for bars and restaurants to offer a variety of promotions and entertainment to the public to show off what they can do.

The official launch is taking place tonight just off Carnaby Street and there will be flaring displays and cocktail mixing by top barmen to get the crowd going. Venues taking part include Red, Zebrano, The Diner, The Kingly Club, Canela, 24 London and La Trouvaille amongst others. All venues provide a unique experience from Portuguese cuisine to exotic cocktails to high-tech music and shooters.

The Kingly Club will be offering a cocktail called ‘Raise a Smile’ and 50% of the profits will go to Capital 95.8’s Help a London Child campaign. At La Trouville you can grab a champagne cocktail for £4, The Carnaby Cocktail will be available at Red, Canela are offering 2 for 1 on selected cocktails and 24 are offering free entry - normally £15. Loads more will be going on throughout the week as well so go take a look from Monday 4th to Thursay 9th June to see if there’s anything that takes your fancy.

Read more at Carnaby.co.uk for more information.

Apparently Time Out has joined up with tastelondon to offer some great savings for members eating out in London. Purchase an annual membership with tastelondon diners club for £49.95 and you’ll be able to show your card at any of the top London restaurants listed in their directory and receive 50% off the total food bill.

The tastelondon card lasts for 12 months and can be used for lunch or dinner, and anything can be ordered from the menu – what a bargain! If you choose to join up you’ll also receive Time Out’s Eating and Drinking Guide (2007) free, which features more than 1500 of London’s best places to eat.

Find out more or join tastelondon now.

A great new restaurant in London is offering a 50% off voucher of your total bill. 140 Park Lane Restaurant and Bar sits in the centre of the West End just a short walk from Park Lane and Oxford Street (ideal if you’ve been out shopping all day). Chef Gopinath Chandran attempts to provide something for everyone and describes the a la carte menu for both Lunch and Dinner as “Modern British Food with imagination, created from the finest English ingredients seasonally available”.

There are two private dining rooms for larger groups called the Hyde Park and Oxford suites – great for a company get together or business meal. You can purchase a voucher from All in London or visit the 140 Park Lane Website for more information about the restaurant.