August Restaurant Roundup: Mon Plaisir would have topped the list but for the service

Carrying on from the last entry ... this busy month featured lots of dining out, but little worth a full review. Here are the highlights.

Dean Street Townhouse: The latest offering from the owners of The Ivy. Homey atmosphere (furnished a bit like a Victorian gentleman's club), good food (v similar to The Ivy), but certainly not value for money. Starters £7 or £8, mains in high teens or low £20s. But Google it and you'll see photos of stars eating there; clearly the vibe is more about seeing and being seen than eating. I'll pass on a return.

Mon Plaisir: If you have five or six hours to linger over a meal, you could go here. You'll need it. Horrific service; despite a profusion of bustling staff we waited more than an hour between starters and mains and could rarely catch anyone's attention for anything we needed. Shame, because the food was absolutely delicious. The bread could have come from Paris. French onion soup, swimming in cheese was as authentic as it gets and the côte de boeuf with bernaise sauce and crisp, thin frites was a meat-eater's dream.

La Brasserie: This French bistro in Brompton Road has a very similar menu, in a lighter, airier setting that could have been plucked from the Left Bank and dropped in this fashionable bit of London. Good food, good service, though perhaps lacking the charm and intimacy of Mon Plaisir. I'd go back to either, however.

Gaucho: Yes, the steak was excellent. However, if I were in the mood for red meat I'd return to either of the French spots above as opposed to this outrageously expensive Argentinian chain. Yes, the interior is dark, funky and cool. Yes, the wine list is fantastic. And yes, the beef is of a quality that merits flying it half way around the world. But this is the kind of place clearly set up to extract every penny it can out of its well heeled clientele. Everything but the steak is a side order, and the sides are highway robbery. £3 for a cup of sauce that holds little more than two heaping tablespoons? Shocking. And, frankly, a testament to how much money there is in London that a place like this has survived the recession.

Lola Rojo: Tapas goes all funky and haute cuisine in Fulham. Delicious and unusual, with chefs reinventing the basics to give you variety and modernity. A world away from the chain food fare at La Tasca. Double the price, of course ... but much better value for money than the similar quality Fino (see 12.20.09)

Del Aziz: Lebanese/Middle Eastern food in a modern, cheerful place in the Blue Fin building on South Bank. Not worth going out of your way for, but if in the area, a good choice in a curiously restaurant-starved part of London. Particularly good for pre-theatre dining if you're heading to The Globe.