Finding a restaurant in St James's that's good value – and still actually good – is no simple task, but The Balcon has managed it. It's posh enough to impressive your client/parents/spouse/lover [delete as appropriate] but hearty enough to fill you up without emptying your pockets. A former banking hall of Cox & Kings, the high ceilings and grand chandeliers let you know that you've arrived, but it's the beef and foie gras cottage pie which will ensure you never want to leave. If you're after something lighter, than there's a charcuterie bar where you can nibble on anything from air-dried lomo pork loin to cured Barbary duck breast. If only every visit to the bank was like this. – Mark Hedley
8 Pall Mall, SW1Y 5NG; thebalconlondon.com
