central london pub with decent food

All the obvious one are round me here in Holborn/Clerkenwell. The Eagle, The Duke (of York), The Perseverance. I can't think of any around marble arch but there is The Cow on Westbourne grove, great for Guinness and oysters. There's loads of good cheap middle eastern places up the edgeware rd and a Burmese place called Mandalay which is fabulous and BYOB, but no pubs that I can think of round there with good food.

The Endurance, Soho - (what used to be the King Of Corsica and scene of much badness) has had some good write ups. Samepeople who run the Perseverance. Its on Berwick Street.

There might be something half decent down Shepherd's Market way.

thanks pete - that sounds like just the job.

while we're at it, is there anywhere better than the glasshouse stores for soho boozing after lunch? i don't think i've been to any other soho pubs apart from the intrepid fox...

If it's after lunchtime, i.e. quiet, I might be tempted to head for the Dog & Duck on the corner of Bateman St / Frith St. It's tiny but when it's quiet it's grebt. Easy access to the generally reliable Frith St Gallery too, of course.

For cheapo all afternoon boozing the Smiths glory of the Glasshouse Stores is matched precisely by the John Snow on Broadwick St., which has the added attraction of an upstairs rather than a cellar.