Bag the best tables in town

Jude and Sienna chose J Sheekey as the backdrop for one of their many reconciliations, CEOs close deals at Le Gavroche and the media crowd adore The Wolseley. William Sitwell reveals what to eat, where to sit and whose name to drop to get the most coveted restaurant reservations in London...

RACINE
239 Brompton Road, SW3 (020 7584 4477)
Date of birth: June 2002.
USP: Ultra-civilised French bistro in Knightsbridge serving better French food than you'll get in France. Expect perfect service - the restaurant won Best Front of House in the Restaurateurs' Restaurant of the Year Awards last year - plus the co-owner, Henry Harris, is one of the nicest guys in the business.
Head chef: Henry Harris.
Who goes there: The South Kensington French set, more dukes and earls than you can count plus the likes of Sir Terence Conran, Stephen Bayley and Robin Birley.
Who to know: Eric Garnier - co-owner and maitre d'.
Best table: Either of the two window tables just inside the front door (19 and 38).
What to order: Tête de veau, lapin à la moutarde.
The bill: £45 a head with wine.
Stuff people nick: They say: "People steal our savoir faire."

KENSINGTON PLACE
201 Kensington Church Street, W8 (020 7727 3184)
Date of birth: November 1987.
USP: Everyone seems to know everyone else. Classic modern British cooking from the occasionally furious but usually charming Rowley Leigh.
Head chef: Rowley Leigh.
Who goes there: Journalists, local posh types and the likes of Scarlett Johansson and Tom Parker-Bowles.
Who to know: Simon Slater director/maitre d', Chris Bodker, chief executive of Image Restaurants, or Rowley Leigh.
Best table: The banquette which seats 10 people (table nine), the terrace for two (number 50) or the private dining room.
What to order: Griddled scallops with pea purée and mint vinaigrette, foie gras on a bed of sweetcorn.
The bill: £40 a head including wine.
Stuff people nick: "People buy ready-meals from our Fish Shop next door and then pretend they made them themselves," says a member of staff.

LE GAVROCHE
43 Upper Brook Street, W1 (020 7408 0881)
Date of birth: 1967 in Lower Sloane Street, moved to Upper Brook Street in 1981.
USP: So many restaurants come and go but Le Gavroche's French haute cuisine and service still leads the world. Has the capital's greatest wine list and is the ultimate special occasion restaurant.
Head chef: Michel Roux Jr.
Who goes there: Business men, chefs, food writers and couples celebrating their wedding anniversary, plus old newscasters such as David Frost.
Who to know: Silvano Giraldin, maitre 'd
Best table: Table one or two - both have a view of the whole restaurant.
What to order: Le Menu Exceptionnel, which offers a different wine for each of its seven courses.
The bill: Save with a £46 set lunch or go mad and order wine at £15,000 a bottle.
Stuff people nick: Ashtrays, which are now confined to the bar area, and the embroidered handtowels in the ladies.

J SHEEKEY
28-32 St Martin's Court, WC2 (020 7240 2565)
Date of birth: 1886 but reborn in 1997.
USP: The best and most original fish restaurant in London, with a classic long bar, an accessible menu and a touch of glitz. Sister restaurant to The Ivy and Le Caprice, its mirrored windows add to the air of exclusivity.
Head chef: Martin Dickinson.
Who goes there: Anyone acting in local theatres: Sienna Miller and Jude Law, David Schwimmer.
Who to know: Managers Tower Isho and John Andrews.
Best table: A seat at the bar.
What to order: Razor clams with chorizo or think of anything you feel like and go off menu, they'll probably have it.
The bill: £55 a head with wine.
Stuff people nick: Ashtrays and silver lobster picks.

AMAYA
Halkin Arcade, 19 Motcomb Street, SW1 (020 7823 1166)
Date of birth: September 2004.
USP: London's funkiest, sexiest Indian restaurant from the owners of Veeraswamy and Chutney Mary. Sleek decor, dishes to share and the food is light as the menu relies on the grill. If you're bored of conversing you can watch the dazzling talents of the team of chefs as they slice, dice and sear in the open kitchen.
Head chef: Karunesh Khanna.
Who goes there: Who doesn't? Hugh Grant, Jemima Khan, Chris Martin, Gwyneth Paltrow, Gordon Ramsay.
Who to know: Preman Mohan, the manager. Best table: A seat beside the grill - tables 11 and 12.
What to order: The seafood platter, broccoli and raita, lamb biryani.
The bill: £55 a head with wine.
Stuff people nick: The Irish linen napkins.

LOCANDA LOCATELLI
8 Seymour Street, W1 (020 7935 9088)
Date of birth: February 2002.
USP: Giorgio Locatelli, a man who looks so dishevelled you know he really cooks. Filled with couples and business types during the week and smart families on Sundays. They have the best truffles, when in season.
Head chef: Giorgio Locatelli
Who goes there: Italian foodies, Gwen Stefani, Madonna, Woody Allen, Liz Hurley and arty types such as Sam Taylor-Wood and Jay Jopling.
Who to know: Plaxy Locatelli (Giorgio Locatelli's wife), Roberto Veneruzzo.
Best table: Table 11, Giorgio's family table, or table 100, a round one at the centre of everything.
What to order: Any home-made pasta, truffles with polenta and taleggio cheese or the new dairy-free, 70 per cent chocolate sorbet.
The bill: £60 including wine.
Stuff people nick: Frosted glass candle holders (they lost 30 in the first two months of opening).

THE WOLSELEY
160 Piccadilly, W1 (020 7499 6996)
Date of birth: November 2003.
USP: Originally modelled on the grand coffee houses of Prague, it has a buzz morning, noon and night. It's a vast continental-style eaterie run by Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, once of the Ivy and Le Caprice, who scuttle around shaking the hands of the great and good.
Head chef: Cyrus Cato.
Who goes there: Loyd Grossman for breakfast, Lucian Freud for lunch and David Furnish for dinner.
Who to know: Chris Corbin or Jeremy King.
Best table: No one can agree, but the big question is, do you want to be in or out of the bullring?
What to order: Bacon sandwich for breakfast, any dish of the day - such as fish pie or boiled beef with dumplings - for lunch, and oysters and Krug at night.
The bill: £45 with wine.
Stuff people nick: Any of the table furniture: salt and pepper shakers, napkins, toast racks.