NICE PLACES TO READ BOOKS; THE IVY and SCOOP

The bar at The Ivy

I like eating at the bar in elegant restaurants - it feels less formal and so infinitely chicer, it's always quicker if under time pressure, and if one wants to eat alone, it's the best place in the house to be. I haven't been to The Ivy in eons, not since my sister had her wedding reception there - but it recently had a refurb, and has emerged from its second cocoon as an even more beautiful butterfly than it ever was. The addition of a bar in the centre offers a perfect vantage point for people watching: Go early, or late, and you'll always be able to get a place. I was lunching there with a friend, and my preceding meeting finished early, so I took my place at the bar, ordered a very nice glass of a white burgundy, and finished the last few pages of Scoop. Julia Stitch would have approved.

The Ivy 1-5 West Street, London WC2