It's an outrage that virtually every restaurant in London charges a whopping 300% mark-up on the store price of wine - a TOTAL RIP OFF! Particularly when it's the same old generic cab/sauve slop.

Which is why we like the sounds of the recently opened Bedford & Strand. Described as a 'wine room and bistro', it aims to serve a more esoteric selection of vino, served by friendly, knowledgeable staff, with good solid bistro food, such as steak tartare and moules marinière.

But it's the wine list that's the real selling point here. With seven housewines, an ex-Oddbins wine buyer, a wine manager fresh from the cellars of Club Gascon, reasonable prices, and a focus on unusual wines (we've been hearing rumours of wine cocktails), this is a good place to taste.

On the same - albeit more casual - tip is Bedales, the groovy 'is-it-a-deli-is-it-a-wine-bar' place in Borough, and Spitalfields Markets, and the long running Wine Gallery in Chelsea where again the wine is the star (and sold at store prices) and the food secondary - but perfectly acceptable - fishcakes, sausage and mash type stuff.