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If fancy French cuisine is the mood of the hour, Le Gros Franck in Mills Road, Cambridge is as French as it gets. The ambience is lively and relaxed, as opposed to popular belief tagged to French restaurants - sophisticated and imposing. The service is friendly and welcoming, but the food here is determined not to share the spotlight with anything else. Award-winning Chef Franck Parnin is the whiz behind the outstanding quality of food you get to sample here. Having trained in his home region of Alsace, Franck brings authentic recipes to the table and adds his own intuitive twist to the flavours, making the experience unique and unequalled in this part of the world.

Begin with duck and venison pate, followed by best of spring lamb pan-fried with cumin and herbs on a bed of chickpeas casserole honey sauce. For dessert, go for caramelised orange tart with grand marnier mousse on crème anglaise. Le Gros Franck is a French patisserie by day, offering fresh pastries, pastas and sandwiched. Specialities include genuine French-style steak frites, fish pies and stews - a gastronomical extravagance indeed. Bon appétit!

Sitting unobtrusively in the midst of several solicitors' offices on Regent Street, De Luca Cucina and Bar's décor may certainly elicit a 'wowed' response. Each area is done up in a remarkable manner, from the dimly-lit cocktail bar at the entrance and the restaurant with a beautiful sky-lit area at the rear, to the Regency Room for those special occasions, and the stylish, second-floor Regency Club overlooking Parkers Piece.

What better way to begin a meal than with a mixed platter of cured meats, fresh Buffalo mozzarella, provolone cheese, pepperoni agrodolce, artichokes, sun-blushed tomatoes and mixed olives, all meant to be shared between two. Main courses arrive in a simple, straightforward manner and include a grilled 8 oz sirloin served with hand cut chips and a green peppercorn sauce, and a spinach and coppa-stuffed chicken breast wrapped in Parma ham.

Live entertainment featuring an opera duo from London generates a buzz at the bar at De Luca every other Friday evening.

Should you need a break from the academic purlieus of Cambridge head down the M11 a short distance to this haven of relative normality where Churchill, Bader and Crosby sometimes took refuge during WW2. Surrounded by mature grounds, Le Paradis is the hub of the place.

The menu is a clever blending of English and French cuisines with quality and freshness of ingredients as its base. Starters usually run to about seven and could include home cured salmon in saffron and champagne with beetroot dressing and baby spinach salad, or pan fried quail and sweetbreads with pink grapefruit, infused chanterelles and sesame oil.

Funny how the starters almost invariably give the clue to the main courses and Le Paradis is no exception, headed by roasted loin of Limousin veal in rosemary, with white pudding sausage, apple rosti potato and roasted garlic sauce in the lead. The sauté turbot is served with squid tempura, shimeji, creamed potatoes and pancetta beignets, a really luxurious dish with great flavours.

The baked chocolate and cherry fondant with fig ice cream is yet another infusion of flavours that hits the mark for most, whilst others may be intrigued by a honey and mixed bell pepper mousse with thyme syrup.

Offering beautiful views over Parker's Piece, Zizzi Cambridge brings casual Italian dining to the heart of this university town. With a comfortable, spacious setting, featuring contemporary artwork and a traditional wood-burning oven, Zizzi is the perfect place to relax after a busy shopping trip at the nearby Grand Arcade Shopping Centre.

The restaurant is within a short walk of numerous University colleges as well as popular landmarks like the Arts Picturehouse and Cambridge Arts Theatre.

The bustling open kitchen at Zizzi turns out freshly prepared, tasty fare. The extensive à la carte offers distinct sections of antipasti, salads, pizza and calzone, pasta, risottos and mains of seasonally changing meat and fish dishes with a variety of tempting desserts to finish.

Zizzi's special antipasti platter has mixed Italian meats with buffalo milk mozzarella, marinated sun-dried tomatoes, mixed olives and red onion focaccia bread. There's also choice of arancini, crispy risotto balls stuffed with mozzarella and peas and served with a tomato chilli sauce as well as gnocchi gorgonzola, potato dumplings in a creamy gorgonzola and spinach sauce seasoned with nutmeg and black pepper, setting the tone for a hearty meal.

For a delicious pasta or risotto choose between penne vodka, king prawns, chilli, peas and Grana Padano in a creamy tomato and vodka sauce; ravioli di capra, goat's cheese and spinach ravioli served with tomato sauce and topped with pesto and pine nuts; zucca e pancetta, pumpkin, pancetta, spinach, sage and Grana Padano topped with mascarpone and rigatoni con pollo e funghi, chicken in a tomato, onion, rosemary and mushroom sauce. Gluten-free pasta is also available on request.

If you prefer a pizza, then you could try Zizzi's speciality pizza rustica, which couples extra thin and crispy bases with a range of toppings such as bufala, buffalo mozzarella with sunblush tomatoes, basil, rocket and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or mare e monti, one half topped with tiger prawn, courgette and mozzarella and the other with spicy sausage, tomato sauce and chilli, all finished off with a rocket and crème fraîche. The carne piccante calzone has marinated chicken, meatballs, Bolognese sauce, mushrooms, chillies, tomato and mozzarella while the clarissa version, has aubergine, and red pepper caponata, olives, goats' cheese, rocket, pine nuts, tomato and mozzarella. Zizzi's calzon'pizzas, half calzone and half pizza, add an interesting twist to the meal.
 
Sumptuous mains include agnello con peperonata, roasted lamb shank served with basil, roasted vegetables and a little pot of potatoes with tomato, red onion and Grana Padano; duck arrosto, slow roasted whole duck leg in a balsamic, olive and pancetta reduction served with Tuscan potatoes and green beans; and sea bass al vino, sea bass pan fried with wine, garlic and baby plum tomatoes and served with herby potatoes.

The scrumptious dessert list offers torta cioccolata with its thick hazelnut chocolate base topped with rich chocolate torte and served with vanilla mascarpone; homemade tiramisu' creamy vanilla pannacotta with fruit compote and torta Zizzi, an almond-based plum and fig tart topped with pistachios and icing sugar and served with gelato.

The wine list is dominated by a range of Italian wines from regions such as Veneto, Lazio, Sicily, Tuscany and Lombardy. Also on offer is an assortment of beers, and spirits as well as a range of soft and hot drinks.

More information can be found on their Website.

A 400-year old former coaching inn with accommodation that has stacks of charm and fine food served in style, the antiquity of the Crown and Punchbowl is there for all to see, very East of England and giving that air of permanence that seems to grow out of the ground. Old though the pub may be the opportunity has not been lost to combine age with contemporary décor and the overall effect is effective and undemanding.

The à la carte lists chicken and pepper terrine with red onion marmalade amongst the starters, followed by a main course of duck breast with potato and orange rösti, braised red cabbage and Rioja jus. A blackboard lists the seasonal fish and range of sausages, whilst puddings seem to be a speciality of the house with peach and mascarpone charlotte with roasted peach.

A set lunch menu of two or three courses draws the midday business crowd into its pleasantly rural surroundings.

Cotto is a restaurant/cafe/bakery that uses mostly Soil Association certified organic ingredients sourced from local suppliers. They cook everything freshly to order and the menu changes according to what is in season. Their pizzas and breads are baked in a wood-fired oven and the breads are available to take away, you can choose from sourdough, walnut, organic white, pain d'epice and brioche.

Head Chef Jack van Praag uses only the best quality ingredients to produce an interesting menu with an array of British and European influences. The choice might include a spiced plum tomato, organic lamb and almond soup; wood roasted whole Cornish line caught mackerel with lentil and lime dahl and carrot and spring onion fritters, and a sublime vanilla pannacotta with English raspberries and almond biscotti.

The Cambridge Evening news gave them a 5 star review and described Cotto as "a simple and tranquil treat in a world of mutton dressed as lamb... excitement rather than hunger led us to our third course".

For some time I made the mistake of thinking that no group of restaurants in the region of 200 locations could hope to maintain the quality for which I was looking.

Then one day I decided to put my prejudices to the test, walked into Oxford Ask! and discovered that I could not have been more mistaken. Their claim to serve freshly prepared quality food in stylish and comfortable surroundings with friendly and efficient service proved to be absolutely spot on.

Since then I have also discovered that a degree of consistency seems to operate throughout their restaurants, and that certainly does take some achieving, implying a degree of management that is enviable. They are perfect places for an impromptu snack, a bit of culinary grazing, or the full works, and families are catered for particularly well.

Their trendy décor usually comprises tiled floors and black furniture with well set tables that sparkle with glass, silver and spotless linen. Ten starters include crostini and bruschetta, followed by a range of salads, pasta and al forno, oven baked pasta, some with chicken.

The pizzas are stone baked in the oven, creating a crisp, authentic and delicious flavour, and they all come topped with mozzarella and tomato. Calzone introduce a touch of opulence with a folded pizza baked in the oven and topped with garlic butter and melted grana padano, whilst inside expect to find chicken or a vegetarian mix.

Amongst the specials may I warmly, in every sense, recommend the polpette al forno, a popular Milanese dish of beef meatballs sautéed in garlic with fire roasted peppers, caramelised onions, chilli and pomodoro sauce, with penne pasta, topped with cheese and oven baked.

An enticing selection of desserts list banoffee pie and tiramisu amongst them, and the coffee tastes like coffee, which may sound banal, but I guess you know what I mean.

Thanks to a well selected wine list speculative drinking can offer handsome dividends, even with prices rarely crossing the £20 barrier.