FOUNDED BY Napoleon III's chef Auguste Kettner in 1867, Kettner's is one of Soho's oldest but chicest champagne bars and restaurants, now with marble topped bistro tables, dove grey walls and buttery yellow lights. Tucked away in Romilly Street, behind London's Palace Theatre (a secret passage used to lead actresses to tête-à-tête suppers with wealthy Victorian beaux), Kettner's is a great place for pre- or post-theatre dining. Regulars have included Oscar Wilde, Lillie Langtry and, more recently, Agatha Christie and Bing Crosby. Today, Londoners come to eat Duchy of Cornwall Rock oysters washed down with connoisseur's bubbly like Charloque-Taillet in the Champagne Bar. We ate in the Brasserie, thoroughly cossetted by Peter, our smiling waiter.

And it was delicious, from haddock tart and white peach salad, followed by succulent Black Face Cornish lamb and crisp duck confit with roasted beetroot salad, to the mouthwatering chocolate torte. Kettner's is returned to its former glory, from a brief sojourn as a smart pizza parlour. Go early for a quiet dinner and envy those actresses who had Kettner's as their 'local'!

Kettner's, Romilly Street, Soho, London W1; tel: (020) 7734 6112. Report by PAT MOORE