Where to be seen in the ... Eighties

The Russian Tea Room
150 West 57, New York.

History: Launched in 1927 by members of the Russian Imperial Ballet, the Tea Room began life as a refuge for expat Russians. By the 1970s, it had evolved into a high octane It-lunching venue, and by 1983, was enjoying a fully fledged celeb-luring moment, on account of its then-fashionable uptown location. Closed in 2002 on account of no-longer fashionable uptown location.

Frequented by: Jackie O, Rudolph Nureyev, Dustin Hoffman (who showed up in drag on a break from filming Tootsie)

Signature dish: Caviar; borscht.

Le Cirque
East 65th Street, New York

History: Charismatic Italian restaurateur Sirio Maccioni opened Le Cirque in the 1970s and it instantly became a focus for all kinds of glamour, decadence and Eighties style excess.

Frequented by: Everyone from Frank Sinatra and Nancy Reagan to Frank Zappa, via Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger.

Signature dish: Pasta Primavera

Cool rating now: Moved location twice, but hasn't taken its status with it.

The Odeon
145 West Broadway, Manhattan

History: Launched in 1980 by Keith McNally, and credited as kick-starting Manhattan's downtown scene. The Odeon was a white hot hang-out for writers, artists and rock stars.

Frequented by: Tom Wolfe, Basquiat and Warhol. Jay McInerney immortalised it in a scene from his novel Bright Lights, Big City

Signature dish: The food was secondary to the clientele.

Cool rating: Vanity Fair recently did a six-page retrospective of it. So, it could be time for a revival.

Early Nineties

Davé
12 Rue de Richlieu, Paris

History: Davé Cheung's Chinese restaurant is both outrageously expensive and unapologetically mediocre. It opened in 1982, and became a lure for the international fashion crowd.

Frequented by: Allen Ginsberg, David Bowie, and endless fashion people. During a recent fashion week, Davé was so over-subscribed that Leo di Caprio had to stand outside for 20 minutes, while he waited for a table.

Signature dish: Whatever Dave feels like giving you.

Cool rating now: Ageing fashionistas still come to reminisce during the catwalk shows.

44 Restaurant
The Royalton Hotel, 44 West 44th Street, New York

History: The Royalton was the first of Ian Schrager and Phillipe Starck's collaborations on a series of ineffably hip hotels. When it opened in 1998, le tout New York went bonkers over it, and the restaurant was co-opted by the chic employees of nearby Condé Nast. It promptly became known as 'the Condé Nast canteen.'

Frequented by: The stars of American Vogue; Anna Wintour, Karl Lagerfeld, Kate Moss.

Signature dish: Eat? Are you kidding?

Cool rating now: Superceded by the real Condé Nast canteen (see below).

Late Nineties

Nobu
The Metropolitan Hotel, London

History: Nobu, co-owned by Robert de Niro, opened in 1997.

Frequented by: Everyone from Gwyneth Paltrow to Boris Becker (whose daughter was conceived during a tryst in a Nobu broom cupboard.)

Signature dish: Black cod

Cool rating: Still serves great food, but a bit too flash to be cool.

Early 2000s

Balthazar
80 Spring Street, New York

History: Another McNally production. This Parisienne bistro-theme joint opened at the end of the Nineties, and instantly drew both a major celebrity quotient, and normal punters (a killer combination that guarantees both fashionability and profit) all of whom were required to book well in advance to get a table.

Frequented by: Any New York hipster you care to mention...

Signature dish: Oysters.

Cool rating now: Tepid with hot undercurrents (you don't need the owner's private line to get a table these days).

The Condé Nast Cafeteria
4 Times Square, New York

History: Unlike 44, this Conde Nast canteen really is the Condé Nast canteen. Designed by Frank Gehry, costing $30 million, it opened in 2000. It features a central aisle which is known as 'the catwalk.'

Frequented by: The luminaries of the glossy magazine world.

Signature dish: Salad.

Cool rating now: We don't know because we've never been (only staff and their guests are allowed).

Pastis
9 Ninth Avenue, New York

History: Another Keith McNally bistro-style affair in the Meatpacking district - its opening in 1999 sealed the area's cool status.

Frequented by: Woody Allen, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Robert de Niro and Graydon Carter.

Signature dish: Croque Madame.

Cool rating now: Still warm - it's a low-key brunch venue, and brunch is the new dinner. OK, that's a joke ...