Notting Hill pub specialising in seafood

Popular plate: The atmosphere is what makes this place a joy to wine and dine in, but if you want something more formal the upstairs restaurant has just as an accomplished menu.

Noteworthy for: In summer the patio tables are the hot seat, but come winter the armchair by the coal stove is a winner.

One of Tom Conran's trio of venues along Westbourne Park Road The Cow is his most grown-up and most British. A cute and kitsch cubby hole of a pub, there is a muddle of tables and chairs around the bar. It always seems to be jolly in here and packed full of pink in the face, tweed-wearing drinkers.

They're famous for their seafood however, and great platters of oysters, pints of prawns, bowls of whelks and whole Dorset crabs appear from behind the bar. Wash them down with a classic tankard of black velvet, the very British blend of champagne and Guinness.