Jasmin, last orders in Soho

A trace of neroli and something smokier reaches the table a moment before Jasmin does. She stands 160 cm, petite and quick, her chestnut hair long, straight and swinging when she laughs, her brown eyes plainly enjoying what they see. Her style is boutique hotel chic with a wink: a short black dress, gold at the throat, heels she can dance in if the night insists. Small in stature and large in presence, she tends to become the brightest thing in any room without appearing to try.

Bubbly is the easy word for her, but curious is the truer one. Jasmin wants to know where you grew up, what you drank on your first night in London and whether you can tell bergamot from lemon with your eyes closed. She flirts in the old-fashioned, charming way, all teasing questions and delighted laughter, and her English is fluent and quick. Perfume is her private obsession, mixology her party piece and salsa her secret weapon: give her a sprung floor and a trumpet section and she will have you dancing within a song.

Soho is where she lives, and after dark she moves through it like a regular on the night bus home, knowing every shortcut. A typical night with her starts with a drink at Swift on Old Compton Street, where she quizzes the bartender about bitters and then orders something nobody else would have thought of. Supper might be counter seats somewhere lively on Frith Street, then a wander through Soho Square while the city hums around you, and finally a nightcap back at your hotel above the rooftops.

Jasmin is based in Soho, a few minutes from anywhere in the West End. Her fares are on the rates page, and a late message to booking is always welcome.