Guanabara, London
Fancy a bit of late-night bossa nova? With some samba, caipirinha and feijoada thrown in? Confused? Don't be. Just bring along your dancing shoes and revel in the raw
energy of an authentic Brazilian party. Forget the glitz of Copacabana Beach or Ronaldo and his chums, the decor here aims to capture "the real Brazil". Pieces of timber have been used to build the ticket office and cloakroom in a shanty-town style.
Opened: 9 September
Head chef: Tony de Matos
General manager: Neila Buth
Tropical treats: Bring your Portuguese dictionary. The caipa de frutas (£5.50) is a cocktail made using fruit flown in from the Amazon, cachaca (sugar-cane rum), fresh limes and crushed ice. For food, start with bolinhos de bacalhau (salt cod fish cakes, £5) and move on to a main course of feijoada carioca (Brazilian pork and black bean stew with rice, spring greens and farofa, £12).
Average spend: £25-£30 for food and drinks
Capacity: 500
Designer: Gisela Domschke
Address: Parker Street, Corner of Drury Lane, London WC2B 5PW
Tel: 020 7242 8600
Purple Ocean, Dublin
A purple haze spreads from the main dining room through to the heated balcony, where guests can eat under ambient blue lighting. Cobalt blue water glasses, purple napkins, royal blue upholstery and an amethyst crystal light in the middle of each table add to the mood. And, if that isn't enough blue for you, there's a 360¡ glass dining turret where customers can contemplate panoramic views of Dublin Bay.
Opens: 25 October
Owner: David Ellis
Head chef: Paul Lewis
Food: Starters include Thai spiced crab cake (£6.10) and warm goats' cheese tart (£5.40). Follow this with roast barbary duck (£13.60), scallops and black pudding served with a Pommery mustard sauce (£16.70) or wild mushroom and whisky fillet steak (£16.55).
Average spend: £40
Seats: 80 inside, 50 on the balcony, 14 in the tower
Address: PO Box 6930, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, Ireland
Tel: 00 353 1 284 5590
The Roxy, London
Hip watering hole for London's music, media and fashion set. Cherry-coloured walls offset a chocolate-brown slate floor, and the lighting mixes chandeliers and designer fittings, giving a self-consciously eclectic feel. Chesterfields clash with modern single-seaters, pouffe stools and vintage recliners. Up-and-coming artists have illustrated
the walls.
Opened: 7 September
Owner: Nick O'Dwyer
Pick-me-ups: Red and white wines range from £3.60 to £4.75 a glass. Cocktails (£6) include Lemongrass Mojito, Apple Cosmo and Apricot Mimosa. Nibble on a £12 Spanish platter, including Parma ham, chorizo, Manchego cheese and quince jelly.
Capacity: 250
Designer: Design LSM and Kahli Gaskin
Address: 3-5 Rathbone Place, London W1T 1HJ
Tel: 020 7255 1098
E Bar, London
A taste of Spain in the heart of Little Venice. This swanky basement bar has alfresco dining upstairs, where customers can sample Spanish tapas that have been hand-picked from the homeland. The open-plan interior is all low-slung leather seating and earthy Iberian chic; not a castanet or bullfighting poster in sight.
Opened: 17 September
Head chef: Barry Tonks
General manager/designer: Nick Tyrie (son of Eton Group managing director Peter Tyrie)
Owner: Eton Group
Tapas: Serrano ham from Soincar, Aragon (£5.50), chorizo from Leon (£4.50), roasted whole piquillos de Lodosa peppers from Navarra (£4.50) and salted Marcona almonds from Catalunya (£2.50).
Capacity: 150 inside, 50 on the terrace
Address: 2 Warrington Crescent, Little Venice, London W9 1ER
Tel: 020 7432 8455