For a little Left Bank charm, take a table at La Bouchee in London’s French Quarter. Intimately elegant, La Bouchee has enough rickety wooden furniture to deem it ‘rustic,’ and enough candlelight for it to fulfill its romantic Parisian credentials.

No-nonsense, authentic French fare is what you can expect from this bona fide bistro. The menu offers traditional dishes such as hearty boeuf bourguignon alongside more refined options like grilled veal cutlet served with winter vegetables cooked in snails’ butter and tarragon jus. The hot chocolate fondant with praline ice cream and caramelised hazelnut powder provides an outrageously indulgent ending to the meal, or you can always sample one of their fine French cheeses and over 350 fine wines, champagnes and brandies. Salut!