“Sorry, no children under 10.” That was the response I got from Bob Bob Ricard when I tweeted about planning to take four year old Jack there for lunch.

My husband and I had been for dinner the evening before. There isn’t anywhere in London like Bob Bob Ricard. It manages to combine the feel of a louche New York diner with European glamour. The booth style tables (with cubby holes for coats and bags) the teal walls and eglomisé mirror tiles all ensure an intimate, cosy atmosphere. The food is straight forward comfort food. Not any old comfort food: luxury comfort food

Birthdays in our house, you’ll not be surprised to learn, are opportunities for eating out. Last weekend was my husband’s 40-something birthday and we celebrated by having lunch at the Dean Street Townhouse. As Nick Jones’ (he of Soho House and Babington House fame) latest offering, The Dean Street Townhouse has been getting quite a bit of attention so it was our way of pretending we are entering that fourth decade still as hip and on trend as ever.