Where Esther Freud books

Novelist Esther Freud, great grandaughter of Sigmund, seeks inspiration in London's great restaurants. She tells

Parliament Hill Cafè Parliament Hill Fields, Highgate Road NW5. Tel: 020 7485 6606. Rail: Gospel Oak

This is the local cafè: it looks like it's going to be a basic cafeteria when you queue up with your tray, but it serves the most delicious Italian food.

Locanda Locatelli 8 Seymour Street W1. Tel: 020 7935 9088. Tube: Marble Arch

The food is always very light and delicious and Giorgio Locatelli sometimes comes out and talks to us. He's fantastic: he's so passionate and dramatic it's a real treat.

Asakusa 265 Eversholt Street NW1. Tel: 020 7388 8399. Tube: Mornington Crescent

I've just discovered this Japanese restaurant and it's incredibly cheap. It's quite hard to get the waitresses' attention, but eventually the food comes and you're so pleased to get it that you forgive all.

Clarke's 124 Kensington Church Street W8. Tel: 020 7221 9225. Tube: Notting Hill Gate

A rather grown-up English restaurant which has really good food, like lamb cutlets and spring vegetables. Everything tastes as if it's just been picked straight from the garden.

The Engineer 65 Gloucester Avenue NW1. Tel: 020 7722 0950. Tube: Camden/Chalk Farm

It's a really nice pub with a lovely restaurant upstairs. The food is a real mixture, they have sausage-and-mash-type pub meals, but the menu is quite varied.

Esther Freud's new novel, The Sea House, is out now, published by Penguin.