TeaSmith

London

Spitalfields' new tea house brings together some of the world's finest teas and modern design in a surprisingly unpretentious way. Part shop, part tea bar, the venue is headed by tea anorak John Kennedy and his wife Tomoko Kawase. Prized varieties are sourced from small producers and tea masters, with the aim of showcasing a wide range of flavours, affected variously by climate, oxidation and ageing. Highlights from a menu of flower, oolong, green and black teas are numerous. Silver needle, a white tea with needle-shaped buds, is gently refreshing, while Tenguanyin Supreme is an extraordinary premium oolong tea combining a sharp floral fragrance with the taste of lychees. The more complex flavours of red, black and aged teas must be tried. Malty golden Assam is surpassed only by Extra Old Tippy Puer, an outstanding tea, aged for 10 years, that smells of rain. Each tea is brewed differently, and it's all too easy to while away hours working through the menu to taste why.

Karina Mantavia

· 6 Lamb Street, E1 (Tel: 020-7247 1333)

Gallucci

Crawley

A rarity indeed, this is a hotel restaurant which, after its opening last year, has attracted guests and locals alike. But then chef Omero Gallucci, who trained with the Dorchester and Savoy hotel group, offers sheer pleasure with finely honed modern Italian cooking. Divertingly flavoured breads like garlic and raisin pave the way for rustic starters such as a hot and cold salmon pate, or the rich blend of asparagus and sunblushed tomato tart with poached egg and sweet basil hollandaise. Ingredients lean on the seasonal, exemplified by a wintery and well-textured main of chargrilled chicken breast atop cannellini beans enveloped in a reassuring tomato sauce. The wild mushroom risotto with Tuscan truffle oil and side of oven roasted plum tomatoes with balsamic vinegar also impress, while the panettone bread and butter pudding offers the only duff note.

Humayun Hussain

· Arora International Hotel, Southgate Ave (Tel: 01293-515111) price per head £30

Odder Bar

Manchester

All clashing decor and chummy staff, the Northern Quarter's Odd bar has blossomed into a Mancunian mainstay over the last 18 months. Rather than blowing her profits on bubbly, owner Cleo Farman has been busy building bar number two. Using the design team behind London's K West hotel, she's come up with an old-fashioned, good-time joint, where giant lizards, tables and mock Ming vases spin away from the bar like skittles. The drinks policy quite simple and lone cocktail, The Oily Moiley, is an all too quaffable rum and ginger. Draught beers include Hoegaarden and Leffe, there's a rotating wine list and classic spirits like Plymouth gin and Wyborowa vodka are served as standard.

Ruth Allan

· 14 Oxford Road (Tel: 0161-238 9131)