The Crabtree, Fulham

We feel that there's no greater acclaim from us here at The Daterbase than to say a venue fits into your afternoon or evening's plans at absolutely any stage. The Crabtree, by the river in Fulham, is one such place. Go here as a meet-point for your date in Fulham, Hammersmith, Putney or beyond or end your night here after an afternoon of lazing in Bishop's Park. Hell, even spend your whole date here! It really is that good. A classic date venue given how relatively unknown it is and how great the food and drinks on offer are. OK, it's a little off the beaten track (and a little hard to find, if we're honest) but don't let minor details like that put you off!

If you've ever been to The Coat & Badge in Putney, you'll know how popular the semi-smart, spruced up gastropub is in these parts. Well, meet The Coat & Badge's friendlier and prettier younger sister. No pushing past a gauntlet of baby buggies in the garden here, and no red-socked, Gant-pullovered Hugos talking too loudly about next month' trip to Courchevel (OK, there's one or two: you are still in Fulham, after all).

But you needn't fret. The beer garden here is big enough to hide yourself away from the real world for a while. Go here in the summer months and there's a good chance you'll find the chefs behind the BBQ in the middle if the garden. If they are, you're in luck. The Greek salad here is one of the best we've tasted (admittedly, we've not tasted that many) and will make the perfect accompaniment to the excellent burger and chips also on offer (we have tasted a few of those).

The food on the "proper" menu isn't bad, either. So, they might not be reinventing the wheel with the gastropub classics on offer, but you'll be surprised at how great simple food can be given the right setting (and the right company, of course).

If wine's your thing, the wine list here is another weapon in its armoury. Knowledgeable staff will help you make the perfect decision, so need to panic and blurt out the only pronounceable name. Your date will think they are here with the next Oz Clarke, but better still you will have a nice tasting drink to suit your mood.

But, for us, the jewel in the crown is the array of beers and ciders on offer - isn't it always? - and the perfect excuse to spend longer in here than you may have originally planned. As with many of London's real ale pubs, The Crabtree have tried to keep their guest ales on a strict rotation policy, and increasingly popular IPAs and craft beers are becoming a regular feature. What better excuse to come here, then?

At The Daterbase we think that this place is perhaps best enjoyed as the perfect pit-stop on a lazy stroll along the river from Hammersmith or Putney bridges, but don't let us be the judge and jury here. This is one place you simply have to try for yourself!

Oh, and try to avoid during the football season whenever Fulham are at home. It gets busy...

The Swift, Putney

Offering an edgier vibe than the Fuller's pub that once stood on its site, The Swift captures the pub/bar atmosphere that Putney High Street was once missing. Admittedly a "pubbier" feel than its contemporaries Lost & Co and The Toy Shop, The Swift nonetheless offers a more appealing alternative to a Putney night out than ending oh so predictably in the basement of the Foxtons branch that we at The Daterbase loathe so. 

Yes, The Swift has the exposed brick walls and the cobbled-together furniture that seems to be a pre-requisite for new London pubs and bars; but perhaps its location in the more relaxed and easy-paced South West means that The Swift isn't taking itself too seriously. It's more your effortlessly cool older brother than your try-hard Shoreditch cousin - all nose rings and Oliver Peoples frames.

Like any newish opening worth its salt, The Swift does craft beers well. Very well. Take your date here and you won't need to pretend you're an expert, or that you've "been a CAMRA enthusiast for years, honest". Knowledgeable (another pre-requisite) but appropriately friendly (more important yet often overlooked) bar staff will make your decision the easiest you'll make all night. Moreover, this is the type of place that will even let you try their beers before you buy. You'd be surprised how much difference this seemingly obvious gesture makes!

Whisk your date off to one of the booths adjacent to the bar - or better still to the booth hidden around the back - and avoid the big room at the top, whose large, shared table gives it a slightly out of place German bier hall vibe, and order another beer!

The clipboard menu and the food's presentation (think grease proof paper and your Nan's ancient enamel bowls) do give off a slightly predictable and "understated but over-the-top" feel, but don't let this take away from the beauty of this basic diner-style food. Not much to choose from other than pizzas, burgers and hotdogs, but these really do rival Franco Manca, Honest Burger and Bubbledogs respectively for their taste, if not quite for their value for money. That said, there's more than enough choice in bottled and cask beers that you might find you skip dinner completely anyway!

Yes, it gets busy on Friday and Saturday evenings like anywhere, but fight your way through the throngs at the door (the layout of this place makes it feel slightly like pushing through the Oxford St crowds at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon) and you'll find some relative peace and quiet in a bar that is doing "cool" almost effortlessly. Just don't ask for a cocktail, as unfathomably, this element of its charm has now been removed.

Il Mascalzone, Putney

Putney has been forever popular with young families, the thirty-something set and our Antipodean cousins; indeed most mid-twenties Londoners will have paid at least one visit to the dark and dingy Fez Club in the basement of a brightly lit Foxtons branch.

But cometh the sunshine, cometh the hordes to Putney and its vast array of riverside bars and restaurants. The Boathouse and the Star & Garter are the two most popular, but honourable mention must go to the less frequented, yet pleasing Bricklayer's Arms, located at the end of a quiet residential street off Lower Richmond Rd.

Indeed, spend a sunny Sunday or bank holiday Monday at one of these Putney watering holes and end your day in Il Mascalzone, soaking in the somewhat cheesy Italian decor and even cheesier authentic Italian pizzas.

On the face of it, Il Mascalzone looks like it would be more suited to a Brit-inhabited waterfront on the Costa del Hell; but we at the daterbase are of the opinion that books (and indeed Italian pizzerias) should not be judged by their covers or tacky sign and shop-front. Step inside and the friendly staff will instantly make you feel at home.

The previously-mentioned decor is eclectic, although the Mario Ballotelli-themed pop art adorning the back wall is certainly a talking point. Quirky Italian art aside, the menu is a beast. Thirty pizzas to choose from, and twenty more pasta dishes and other main courses mean you will definitely be spoilt for choice. 

Despite this, the restaurant is very reasonably priced, and the boisterous atmosphere will mean that you will be hard-pushed to find a more suitable venue for a quick eat on the High Street. The wine list and choice of beers is somewhat limited in comparison to the food menu, but the real reason you came here is the pizzas!

Walk off your full stomachs with a romantic stroll across Putney Bridge as you stagger your way to the tube, sunburt, and a peculiar image of Mario Ballotelli etched into your memory.

The Print Room at 21, Covent Garden

Sipping away on ice cold refreshments whilst overlooking the frenzy of Covent Garden is a London must; be it watching the street performers during the day or rickshaws weaving through the crowds in the evening. For most tourists, this experience is undertaken at the overpriced and overcrowded Punch and Judy pub. The cooler and less mainstream option is literally a stone's throw away, The Print Room at 21.

Entering through a ground floor kitchen (bear with us), which finding is an achievement in itself, up the narrow staircase is a small, yet lively cocktail bar. Although a DJ plays monotonous and meaningless funky house music more akin to a Euro nightclub during the evenings, and finding your way to the bar is much like navigating the maze at Hampton Court Palace, the narrow balcony overlooking the South West corner of the market more than makes up for it.

Head straight to the bar and order your cocktail of choice (doubles are standard at this bar, although location considered the prices are not heart attack-inducing) before climbing out onto the balcony and perching on a high stool. Chat away whilst the night passes by before descending back to earth and disappearing into the London night, date in tow!

Take note too, that there is a restaurant at 21 for the less price-cautious; with the option of eating top-class Italian food on the terrace. We at the daterbase, however, think this is far too cliché for a Covent Garden date. And anyway, we hate pigeons loitering around for our leftovers.

Bedford & Strand, Covent Garden

It's hard to hide anything in Covent Garden. Bedford & Strand, however, is not immediately visible to the untrained eye. Its location, atmosphere and classic French bistro decor make it ideal for an after-work date with a difference in the West End.

Taking its naming convention from across the Atlantic, Bedford & Strand is situated (not quite) on the corner of Bedford St and the Strand. It's easy to miss it. Only a black doorway and a relatively inconspicuous sign give away the location of this quasi-wine bar. Head down the narrow stairwell and there's a faint feeling of being transported to the a cobbled back street in the heart of Paris. 

The decor is simple yet effective. If you book ahead, your table will be situated away from the busy bar, but the size if this place means you are never too far away from the hustle and bustle. Although not overly expensive, the menu has enough to offer for both the adventurous and the reserved, but the real winner here is the wine list. 

As any good Parisian bistro should, Bedford & Strand have made wine their focal point. The list recommends each white and red according to price, and guides the novice (and the more experienced wine bore, too) as to where your choice is reliable, honest, decent or good. What's more, every wine on the list is available by the glass, carafe (500ml) or bottle - meaning neither you nor your date will have to make sacrifices if your tipples of choice don't agree.

Despite successfully avoiding the tourists and theatre-goers that restaurants in this area attract (well, almost), Bedford & Strand is particularly popular with the after-work crowd. If you've booked ahead, the hordes shouldn't be a problem, but the bar does sometimes become overcrowded. In fact, it would be hard to spend an entire evening in here before the waiters politely ask you to move from your table. Don't let this put you off, though, Bedford & Strand makes a great date location even greater. If you do find it a bit too relaxed, or the wait at the bar begins to grind, then luckily only five minutes down the road is the perfect Covent Garden cocktail bar to end your evening in. And the chances are you didn't even know it was there - The Print Room at 21.

Franco Manca, Northcote Rd | Brixton | Chiswick | Others

Brixtonites will be all too familiar with the name Franco Manca. Unofficially voted by foodies as London's best pizza year-on-year, this Brixton Market fixture was London's worst-kept secret for a long time. Indeed, the owners were surely missing a trick by maintaining just one branch and only opening at lunchtimes during the week. Supply was falling well short of the demand this place was attracting.

But fear not, branches soon popped up in Chiswick, Clapham Junction and Westfield Stratford and the doors stayed open into the evening. OK, so yes this is another quasi-"chain" restaurant that we have steadfastly steered clear of in the past, but this place is too good to leave out.

We could go on and on about how the sourdough base is left to rise for twenty hours before baking, or how the tomatoes are all sourced directly from Italy's Amalfi Coast and picked only during the months of July and August; but we would be doing the taste of these pizzas an injustice. You simply have to try these for yourself. 

The owners have managed to keep the Brixton Market atmosphere alive in all of its branches. Long, church pew-style seating and a strict no booking policy mean that yes, there are sometimes queues to get through the door; but once the smell from the great wood ovens has wafted through you will be salivating too much to notice the waiting time.

You won't want to spend all evening in here, and nor will the waiting staff allow you to as they rush to get customers through the door, but your short stay will be surprisingly calming and enjoyable despite the relative mayhem of the busy restaurant - making this the perfect place to begin a first date or meet for a quick after-work bite. We recommend wolfing down your pizza and cold glass of wine as fast as you can and heading onto The Draft House or The Goat to rest your full stomachs and revel in the beauty of this ideal relaxed date venue. You'll be pleasantly surprised with the price, too!

The Draft House, Northcote Rd | Battersea | Others

We're not usually ones to recommend or review chain restaurants and bars here at the daterbase. We feel we'd lose some credibility (oh, what little we have) if we were to tell you about a "cute little Starbucks on the Strand", or "Putney's secret beauty, Pizza Express". That said, we don't feel like we're breaking our own rules by telling you about this small group or independent, American-style pubs. OK, so we're not reinventing the wheel or revealing a cure for the common cold by recommending the Draft House. They have, after all, been in existence since 2006, with this Northcote Rd version opening its doors in 2009); but this place is a first date gem.

Let's get the negatives out of the way first. It does appear that the Draft House is suffering from a minor identity crisis. Not quite sure whether to pitch itself as a classy pub serving decent food, or a restaurant with a strong and healthy drinks menu, you do get the impression that it is somewhat hogging the middle ground. But we're not trying to be AA Gill here. And yes, it gets busy; Sunday afternoons attract young parents and their children and large groups of branching twenty-somethings, meaning finding a table or popping in for a bite to eat are almost impossible without booking ahead. But the evenings are when this place really comes into its own.

The Draft House specialises in beer (the clue's in the name) and it boasts a vast array of eclectic and adventurous bottled and cask ales from micro breweries you might have heard of, and some you definitely won't. What's more, they sell draft beers by the third of a pint (perfect for sampling) meaning you won't be forced to nurse your way through a pint of the liquid equivalent of school dinner semolina whilst your date sips away on their much better choice. But don't be put off by the onslaught of beers as you walk through the door. The bar staff are friendly and knowledgeable and will help you make the right choice. If, however, beer is just not for you (perhaps you shouldn't be in a pub called the Draft House in the first place), but the small yet solid wine list is a more than satisfactory substitute. 

The food is better than standard pub fare, too. Burgers, steaks and hotdogs dominate the menu, reminding you of the Draft House's American influence, but there is more than enough choice to keep you and your date happy. If you do decide to eat here, the side orders are a real winner - the mac 'n' cheese really hit the spot for us (we obviously felt we were lacking in carbohydrates from our monster burger in a bun and chips). The Northcote Rd venue also has a nice secluded dining area at the back and if you can bag a table on one of the Draft House's quieter evenings, it would make a perfect haven in which to impress your date; but pulling a chair up to the bar will feel nearly as private and will provide a more informal atmosphere to your evening. 

However, better still, eat in one of Nothcote Rd's other restaurants (The Thai, Franco Manca and KaoSarn are our current favourites) and call in here to nurse your full stomachs with a pint or two of real ale.

Of course, it is a beer lovers pub, and you will enjoy this place much more if you dig your craft beers, but the atmosphere here means it is a must for any Northcote Rd date. Oh, and go here soon. The owner has revealed his plans to have fifteen Draft Houses in the capital by 2015; and you know our thoughts on chain bars!