SAS McNab breaks cover

SAS sergeant-turned-author Andy McNab picks his favourite restaurants...

Mango Room, 10 Kentish Town Road NW1. Tel: 020 7482 5065. Tube: Camden Town

Don't be put off by the fact that you have to book either the first or second sitting, or even the rudest staff in London as they bang on about getting out after your allotted two hours. This place has the best West Indian food in London and the atmosphere is buzzing. If you like goat curry, fried plantain or yam mash, this is the place.

Bleeding Heart, 4 Bleeding Heart Yard EC1. Tel: 020 7242 2056. Tube: Farringdon

The Bleeding Heart has a bar, a bistro and a gastro restaurant in the basement - and they are all great, especially in the evening. The food is French and the wine list is excellent. The staff here are either all French or great fakers and they don't hassle you to pay up and leave once you have finished your meal.

Six 13, 19 Wigmore Street W1. Tel: 020 7629 6133. Tube: Bond Street/Oxford Circus

I first went here with a friend and pointed out one of the waiters wearing a skull cap with the Nike swoosh - I hadn't even realised we were in a kosher restaurant. In addition to all the Jewish staples such as chicken soup and chopped liver there is a fantastic range of dishes on offer here, including an amazing coconut rice pudding.

Manze Pie And Mash Shop, 87 Tower Bridge Road SE1. Tel: 020 7407 2985. Tube: Tower Hill

I've been coming here since I was a kid and still can't resist stopping off whenever I cross Tower Bridge. The food is always the same and I have still never tasted pies as good as these. And, as much as it disgusts my wife, don't forget to pour the liquor over your pie and mash when you go.

The Ivy, 1 West Street WC2. Tel: 020 7836 4751. Tube: Covent Garden/Leicester Square

It's sad but true: this is my favourite place. It lives up to the hype and is far better than the one in LA. The food is simple and unfussy - you can even get beef burgers - and the atmosphere is very laid back. The service is excellent, and they do an even better shepherd's pie than my mother.

Andy McNab's latest thriller, Liberation Day, is in shops now published by Bantam, £17.99.