Restaurants: Is big beautiful?

Titanic

88 Brewer St, London W1 (0171-437 1912)

Described by Marco Pierre White as "Mirabelle's funky big sister", will have a 220-seat restaurant plus a bar with a DJ station (open to all Sun-Tue; members only after 11pm rest of the week). The 2,000 members will be invited to join by Meg Matthews, aka Mrs Noel Gallagher. fans will have no problem remembering the phone number - 1912 is the year the ship sank.

Tiger Tiger

29 Haymarket, London SW1 (0171-930 1885)

This 18,000-square-foot venue, which cost a cool pounds 3 million, has a staff of more than 100 (open Mon-Sat 8am-3am, Sun till 10pm). Its Una Fonda Restaurant features a fusion of Latino and Mediterranean food, and is open for lunch and dinner.

Shoeless Joe's

Temple Place, London WC2 (0870 840401)

This huge bar and restaurant is playing down the sports theme of Victor Obogu's last venture in the King's Road; only major sporting events will be shown on the video walls. Other attractions include live music, comedy and club nights.

Mezzo

100 Wardour St, London W1 (0171-314 4000); Quaglino's

16 Bury St, London SW1 (0171-930 6767)

According to David Loewi, running large restaurants like the two above is a bit like running a hotel without the bedrooms. It's no longer just about catering and waiting staff; receptionists, telephonists, and even computer operators have to be considered.

NS