HOT: Duke of Sussex, 75 South Parade, Chiswick W4 5LF

It's a shame that it was only two days before the end of my job that we discovered the nearby gastropub, the Duke of Sussex. It would be a perfect summer venue, as the front faces Acton Green, and the back contains a greenery filled beer garden. In winter it's still lovely, as the dining room has been beautifully refurbished with crystal chandeliers hanging from the high carved ceiling.

The menu is reasonably priced and unexpectedly veers between traditional English pub grub and Spanish dishes. My seafood paella (12 pounds), individually served in its own small paella pan, was full of lively flavours, and the vanilla cheesecake with pomegranate and blood orange (5 pounds) was a deceptively light cake which felled me about an hour later. With our Chiswick Park One Card we got an extra 20% off the total bill, leaving everyone a happy camper.

HOT: The Warrington, 93 Warrington Crescent, Maida Vale W9 1EH

You'd better hope that the Warrington was a HOT, given that I was going to be eating there three times in the next week.

The stunning Gordon Ramsay gastropub has been beautifully restored, with gleaming carved pillars, brightly coloured mosaic-tiled entrance and a dark wooden interior. The sedate cream and beige dining room upstairs was more Modern British, like its menu. We had the 2 course special for £15 from the Times, and my thick pumpkin soup and enormous chicken pie with mash were very good. Everyone agreed that all the dishes were well executed and to cap it off, served with friendliness. It was a perfect venue for a cosy Monday night dinner with friends.

HOT: The Oak, 137 Westbourne Park Road, Notting Hill, W2 5QL

It was an intriguing idea - a joint 29.5 and 30.5 birthday party (cos summer birthdays are so underwhelming), but really just an excuse to dress up, eat out and meet people. The Oak is a decadently boudoir gastropub/bar dressed in high ceilings, vermillion feathered wallpaper, sleek low slung black lamps and frosted oval mirrors. Jutting off from the upstairs bar is a gorgeous private dining room featuring a long wooden table and long, low benches, perfect for our party of fifteen. Our well-executed set menu featured a course of extensive antipasto and charcuterie (I loooove cured meat), a choice of three mains (roast chicken breast with herbs and mushrooms) and a choice of three desserts (a dense thyme infused creme-brulee). There's no charge for booking the room, and it's only 35 pounds for 3 courses - so highly recommended for a private dining experience.

HOT: The Union, Chiswick Park, 566 Chiswick High Road W4 5YB

Under normal circumstances I wouldn't be touching The Union with a barge pole - a pub with gastro pretensions inside a business park? However, while it is one minute from my work, on its own merits I think the food still rates well. I've been there for a steak sandwich (using tender cuts of meat, not whole slabs of minute steak), pork belly with sweet potato mash and apple, great chips and a very more-ish chocolate brownie. Service is friendly and mostly efficient and the prices are reasonable. Coincidentally, their sister pub is about one minute from my house!

HOT: Fire Station, 150 Waterloo Road, SE1 8SB

The old LCC fire station has been converted into an airy pub which serves standard pub fare, reasonably priced and well-made. After the recommendation from the waiter, most of us chowed down on a large burger with chips, which consisted of good quality toasted bread, juicy mince and accompanied by a tasty spicy tomato/barbecue sauce.

HOT: Prince Bonaparte, 80 Chepstow Road W2 5BE

After stalking away from Westbourne House, we moved onto the cosy, welcoming and not-crowded Prince Bonaparte pub. The wood and velvety-lamped interior was the perfect venue for a catchup with long-lost Kelly (until they kicked us out at midnight), and I hear they also do a really good Sunday roast.

NOT: Princess Louise, 208-209 High Holborn WC1V 6BW

I don't know what Time Out were thinking when they recommended this pub. The downstairs was quite lovely, with wooden booths and decorative frosted glass, but the upstairs dining area was soulless and the food, while cheap, was mediocre. I swear the mashed potato was powdered and the peas, corn and carrots mixture was definitely from a frozen packet. Gives gastropubs a bad name.

HOT: Duke on the Green, 235 New Kings Road, Fulham SW6 4XG

An above-average corner boozer in the Sloaney enclaves of Parsons Green. Their burger was one of the better ones I've had, with a properly medium-rare patty, fresh tomato relish and good potato wedges (you could also choose to substitute the mozzarella for foie gras). If you're in the area it's worth a try as it's pleasant and looks out over the Green, and it's a surprisingly easy trip from Paddington as the District Line doesn't require a transfer at Earl's Court for Wimbeldon-bound trains.

NOT: Old Pack Horse, 434 Chiswick High Road, W4 5TF

Regular HOT OR NOT readers will know that I'm not a huge fan of Thai food in pubs. The food at the Old Pack Horse still wasn't the greatest Thai I've ever had, and my duck curry came out with pieces of slices processed duck - but at least I had the foresight to ask for it extra hot meant so that it wasn't the watery, insipid concotion that's normally dished out at these kind of places. On the plus side, the restaurant had a sunny atrium area and the service came with a smile.

HOT: Duke of Cambridge, 228 Battersea Bridge Road SW11 3AA

A cosy library-themed gastro-pub serving your standard pub fare, but done really well. My chicken pie was unusually presented, as it came with mash on top, and then capped with a crispy pastry top. Huy also really enjoyed his burger. Not somewhere I'd travel to eat, but great if you're in the area.

HOT: The Waterway, 54 Formosa Street, Little Venice W9 2JU

A recipe for relaxation for a sunny Saturday: sip Pimms on The Waterway's outdoor terrace watching the narrowboats putt their way down the leafy canal, enjoy a light lunch of the felafel with pitta bread, avocado and yoghurt sauce, then stroll to Rembrandt Gardens for a snooze on a stripey red deck chair.

HOT: Pilot, 56 Wellesley Rd, Chiswick, W4 4BZ

A nice local pub with a friendly Australian barman, right near my work. They have a courtyard where you can eat your lunch (highly recommend their dips and bread) and take advantage of the Spring sun.

HOT: Ye Grapes, 16 Shepherd Market, Mayfair

Shepherd Market is little bit of hidden London in Mayfair, an area I always associate with big flash hotels and designer shops. Ye Grapes is about as traditional as an English pub can get with stuffed birds, fish and moose heads as eccentric decorations. I didn't try the Thai food upstairs but I think it's unlikely to be good (note below).

NOT: Dang @ Ben's Thai at The Robert Browning, 15 Clifton Rd, Maida Vale

I have my doubts about Thai food being served in pubs (see Walmer Castle) and this restaurant confirmed those doubts. An almost empty dining room on pub quiz night should have been a warning. It's not that the food was awful, it was just boring and mediocre - food that could have come out of a jar ("chop chicken, add vegetables and pour over sauce") and 'hot' was at best 'mild'.

HOT: The Green, 2 Clerkenwell Green, Clerkenwell

The dodgy haphazard service didn't detract too much from the great Sunday roast on offer at this cosy gastropub. There's a selection of sirloin beef, corn-fed roast chicken, ham and everything comes with a mound of roast veges and a Yorkshire pudding. Perfect lunch for a 4 degree Celcius London winter.

HOT: The Victoria Pub, 10a Strathearn Place, Paddington

This is the location for my monthly book club meeting and I thought it would be the perfect English pub experience for my German guests, Sasha and Isabelle. They were absolutely delighted with the roaring fire, the beautiful wood panelling and glass, the deep leather couches and the good pub grub (I recommend my fish pie and a glass of mulled wine). They liked it so much they returned again the next night!

HOT: Anchor & Hope, 36 The Cut, Southwark

A thwarted attempt to be in the TV audience for Parkinson's chat show (another story) led us to a consolation dinner at one of the best gastropubs in London. Its reputation was well deserved - smiling efficient service, fantastic comfort food (braised lamb's neck and potato gratin, bramley apple and prune steamed pudding) and decent prices in lovely warm surroundings.

HOT: Windmill on the Common, Guy Fawkes Fireworks at Clapham Common

Clapham is a pain in the ass to get too, but everytime I go I find things I like about it. The Windmill is a lovely indoors/outdoors pub right on the Common, and it was hugely busy because of the nearby fireworks in celebration of Guy Fawkes, some Catholic bloke who tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament. It was a nice change to see a massive fireworks display without having to jostle for position with a million other people hours beforehand - just a casual wander from the pub and then retiring back there afterwards.

HOT: First Floor, 186 Portobello Road, Notting Hill

Beautifully decorated upstairs pub dining room serving reasonably priced comfort food. My pork belly was lovely, as was the apple crumble (with interesting shortcrust-like pastry instead of the usual crumble) but given there were only two tables, why it took so long to get our meals?

HOT: Bountiful Cow, Eagle Street, Holborn

This is what a nice suburban pub should be - cheap, good burgers, quiet cosy leather booths, attentive service. It had a touch of French about it and they were playing jazz downstairs. A nice find.