Where to take a single friend

You wouldn't meet your mother in the same place as a lover - so each week Edward Sullivan rounds up the right places for the right person. This week he picks the best places for the singletons.

The Mandarin Bar

Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 66 Knightsbridge, SW1 (020-7235 2000). Expensive, upmarket, gorgeous.

Remember the days when Harvey Nicks was considered the best place for single folk to hang out? It would now seem that the Sloanes and the parvenus who frequented the Fifth Floor have learnt how to cross the road and are having a right old knees-up in the plush surroundings of the dropdead fabulous Mandarin Bar. The downside is that it tends to be frequented by wannabe It girls and overseas businessmen who won't suffer from a hernia of the wallet when forking out £93 for a bottle of Dom Perignon 1993. Martinis start at a more economical £9 per glass.

Pitcher & Piano

871-873 Fulham Road, SW6 (020-7736 3910). Easy Sunday afternoons. Very easy Sunday evenings.

The direct approach often works best when it comes to meeting someone new and, although this branch of the midmarket chain-bar operation has developed a reputation for entertaining young-atheart folk in the evenings, it is Sundays that are a huge draw for single folk. The queue can be several hundred people long from as early as 6pm, so you need to get there early to take part in this - now, how do I put this? - snogfest. The indigenous population of these far-flung reaches of Fulham is, by and large, antipodean. It would seem they know exactly what they want on a Sunday evening - and, from the looks of things, they get it.

The Balham Tup

21 Chestnut Grove, SW12 (020-8772 0546)

Text flirting for singletons. Good burgers. Lagers galore. If flirting in the fruit-andveg aisle at Sainsbury's on the Cromwell Road isn't quite your thing (Tuesdays at 10pm are particularly good, mind), then take matters in hand and head south to this pub with your mobile phone in your pocket. Leaflets at the bar explain exactly what you have to do to join in the 'text flirting' facility operational in this smart Balham boozer. Once you have registered your mobile phone with the service, you can broadcast your availability to anyone else in the pub who is also registered. And it's safe enough in that anyone you get chatting to will only be able to see your chosen user name, and not your real name or telephone number. The first five messages you receive are free, those thereafter are 25p each. Sending messages costs no more than usual cost of text messages charged by your service provider.

The Roadhouse

The Piazza, Covent Garden, WC2 (020-7240 6001).

Wild nights with a school-disco atmosphere. American beers. There must be few Londoners who haven't succumbed to the pleasures of The Roadhouse at one time or another. It's everybody's favourite party venue with a wild, frenetic atmosphere orchestrated by exuberant young bartenders every night of the week. The American Fifties theme prevails in the furnishings, with a Harley Davidson being the focal centrepiece. Burgers and bottled beers are the main fodder on offer, but there's a reasonable enough cocktail list for the discerning punter. They have live bands every night - cover bands and some original artists - and house DJs to keep the dance music swinging until the wee small hours. If you're in the right mood, it's inevitable you'll meet someone new at The Roadhouse.

Tate Modern

Bankside, SE1 (020-7887 8000).

Artistic and opportunistic. Nonsmoking areas. A surprising number of people visit galleries on their own. And why not? You can see everything you want, uninhibited by the demands of others. And galleries are great places to start up idle chatter. Tate Modern has Cafe 2 on the second floor, serving soft drinks, snacks and a full lunch menu. Cafe 7 is at the top of the building and offers brilliant views across London. This is a more formal restaurant with table service and a good selection of wines. But, for a more relaxed tipple, The Espresso Bar on the fourth floor with balconies overlooking the river is the place to head for.