I don't know about you, but the words 'pre' and 'theatre', if applied to a menu, fill me with a sort of foreboding, like something really bad is going to happen. It hints at sub-standard and overpriced, only adding to the suspicion that your night on the tiles - £45 a theatre ticket for goodness sake! - is actually a wallet-accosting stress, rather than a toe-tapping pleasure.

So, select the right eaterie, and half the battle is won: in Covent Garden, a must is the under-rated Le Deuxieme, under the helm of new chef Simon Conboy, whose spectacular pre-theatre menu is only £11.95, and boasts delights such as pasta with aubergine and pesto, or chicken breast with spiced potato and red wine jus.

And if you're still central but off to the Aldwych or the New London, try pan-Asian Tamarai for crispy red snapper or a good Thai curry. Elsewhere across town, the Arcola Theatre in Dalston means ace kebab shop Mangal, where you can bring your own bottle, and if you're dahn Sarf at the Young Vic, fight your way into adored gastropub Anchor and Hope.

However, one more secret lies up North: if you've booked the Hampstead Theatre, head first to local Michelin-rated Anglo-French brasserie Bradleys, whose excellent set menu is a real bargain at £10.95.