Upper Deck WC2

Overlooking the tourist hell of Covent Garden Market, a small but airy first-floor café, offering a good overall experience – particularly by the standards of cultural-centre dining facilities – albeit at prices which are arguably on the high side for an establishment of its type.

Even in the tourist hell of Covent Garden, you can eat reasonably well, but you generally need to look beyond the passing-trade tat if you want to eat half-decently. Rule of thumb: the closer you are to the Market, the worse it’s likely to be. Worth knowing then, about the first floor café of the recently relaunched London Transport museum. Done out in with Underground moquette-covered seats, it’s a stylish and airy – but rather small – space, with quite a nice view of the market.

Searcy’s – much in the news of late as proprietors of the St Pancras champagne bar – are in charge here, and they seem to be doing a pretty creditable job. In fact, a light lunch for one included some of the best fishcakes we had had for some time, with a decently-dressed salad, and puddings seem to be something of a strength too. It is arguable, though, that prices are on the high side for a mass-market museum – a neighbouring table upped and left once they’d looked at the menu.

If you’re not minding the pennies too carefully, though, this is a handy bolt hole it might be well worth knowing about.