I spent a good part of my formative years in the Bloomsbury - Holborn - Covent Garden triangle (with Soho in the middle), wining and dining female dates and friends as far as my limited student budget allowed.

From those days and latter, more free spending visits, I'd recommend Chinatown and the smaller Cantonese restaurants there.

I didn't understand what jewels they were in presenting Cantonese and Chinese cooking in the UK and Europe until much later when actually moving to China to work. Fabulous food compared to European standards and a short walk from or to Theatreland.

My second rec based on past London days would be to head to Bloomsbury or Holborn (gastro)pubs popular with University staff and students.

Beautiful people of the multicultural London brand, food is mostly ok to rather tasty but the atmosphere cannot be found anywhere else. Those pubs make London unique and help to understand its soul through their spirit.

And I'd love to head to Simpsons-in-the-Strand with male friends or business partners to have an extended lunch or dinner. But for a romantic meal?

Rather any corner joint outside the major tourist areas, i.e Bloomsbury or Holborn. maybe even King's Cross these days, where at least students counterbalance the travellers.

So, stick to basics: gastropubs, Cantonese/Chinese, Indian, Italian(-British), Lebanese, Jewish, chippies and pie shops...

Personally I have enough former London classmates from college slaving away as investment bankers and in similar sad destinies not to consider establishment dining spots like the Simpsons especially romantic.