Like the World Cup, it's not over yet . . .

Monday night ‘after work drinks’ found us in the Pillars of Hercules (Greek Street E). At £17, the Sauvignon Blanc was more expensive than the other pubs we’ve explored, but it was well chilled and good quality. The interior is spacious and there’s a quirky array of comfy tables and chairs which are not from the same family tree. However, what gave it a huge thumbs up, is that it was very clean and the two bar maids never stopped mopping and wiping (even the tomato sauce bottles where it gets cloggy round the top). Again, the food menu wasn’t as cheap as some (pies and burgers £7 to £8, and sandwiches at £5), but I was tempted by the evening sharing platters (Moroccan £7.95 and Nachos at £5.95). If I wanted somewhere to take a beer drinker, this would definitely be at the top of my list.

Piccadilly Line problems on 6 June meant a different route to work and so I got my morning coffee from Costa (Dean Street E). Why cannot the coalition Government introduce legislation to standardise coffee sizes into small, medium and large? I asked for a large skinny latte and received a gallon which got cold before the bottom was reached and at £2.60, it was more expensive than Café Nero.

 Lunch on the same day was from 34b (Frith Street E). It’s a relatively small café but with lots of small outdoor tables in the sun and a few indoor seats sat up at a bar running around the outer edges: both are ideal for sitting and watching the world go by. Whilst waiting for my goats cheese, ham and wild rocket Panini to be toasted, I spotted a friend scurrying along but sporting a rather dashing cap. Unfortunately he was too far away for me to harangue him about being in the area but failing to invite me out for lunch. He later explained that he was hurrying to meet a friend of ours to look at the new moquette for the seats of the Central Line trains. Some of you reading this must recognise who he was going to meet. He has been asked to be described obliquely as ‘the ever troublesome GB’ and I and PR can heartily agree with this. Anyway, I digress: although the service wasn’t particularly friendly, there was a tempting choice of fillings served in a variety of breads. The fillings were all chalked on a blackboard which is a huge improvement on the Subway printed boards. My Panini at £4.25 was good value and it was large, with very strong goats cheese and more importantly, it was easy to eat.

The final entries for the working week: a drink at a Soho institution, the Coach and Horses (www.coachandhorsessoho.co.uk/index7.html). Although the outdoor seating comprises of very basic wooden tables and benches (the sort of thing that an amateur woodworker would knock up in an hour with a few unwanted planks) covered in red and white plastic gingham, at least there is somewhere to sit. The Granfort French Sauvignon Blanc was beautifully served in a large oval shaped plastic ice bucket and was therefore well chilled and good value at £15.95. Although there is a restaurant menu upstairs which looked interesting, the bar menu wouldn’t have been out of place in a Northern working man’s club (pork pie with piccalilli £6, pork scratchings £2.50, pickled and scotch eggs at £1 and £3 respectively.

As I with RM, we decided to have dinner out and chose a restaurant I wouldn’t dare invite anyone to and where I'd be embarrassed to be seen: Angus Steak House (Dean Street W) – didn’t they used to be known as Aberdeen Angus Steak House or are my farming roots coming to the fore? I always thought that the only people who went were American’s who didn’t know any better, but early on a Wednesday evening they were surprisingly busy with an eclectic bunch of customers. The burgundy décor and floral, swirly carpet looked outdated but the booths around the outer edge of the restaurant provided a perfect place for people watching. I was amazed at the prices for the steaks and so decided to cut out the starter and head straight for the main attraction. RM chose a 10oz medium sirloin (£18.95) with chips at £2.50 extra and I plumped for the austerity option of steak and ale pie at £13.95 with veg at £3.00. We chose the cheapest wine from the ‘crisp and dry’ category which went up to just over £40. The food was surprisingly good, particularly the green beans and broccoli which were well cooked. However, two things amazed me: people had actually reserved tables and were prepared to pay up to £40 for a bottle of wine. However the service was excellent (well done to the training manager) and Augustus was divine: young, tall, good looking and he looked you in the eye when he spoke to you. So not too bad an experience but the prices definitely put me off when there are so many cheaper alternatives around the corner.

So, although my working week is nearly over, a Saturday night in Soho with my Suffolk follower will, I hope be very promising! This could be my best week to date.