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hand picked restaurants

The George and Dragon's pastel-hued façade does little to suggest the delightful pub within, and that is just one part of the discovery. Step inside and you'd notice that this is certainly no spit and sawdust kind of place, the wonderfully restored interior is a smartly done up with cosy, bright coloured sofas, oak beams and a rustic-chic private dining space.

The atmosphere is relaxed, friendly and informal, while the overall impression is of a comfortable, light and open pub. It is their attention to detail and high level of service that ensures your whole dining experience will be one to remember.

The menu is simple but up-to-the-minute, with lots of comfort appeal, and homely items such as pizza, steaks and pasta as well as contemporary, global touches to keep things lively; all delivered by friendly and cheerful staff. Their wine list contains well-known favourites, alongside little numbers from around the world.

To set the right note of fashionable sociability there are sharing plates, garlic pizzette with sun-blushed tomatoes, rocket and parmesan, a box baked Camembert with red onion jam and bread, and Greek mezze with taramasalata, red pepper hummus, tzatziki, feta and flatbreads.

Amongst the starters is freshly made soup, devilled mushrooms with chilli and mint on rustic toast, and Japanese fish cakes, pickled ginger, yuzu and spring onion dipping sauce with radish slaw. Look, too, for scallops of the day.

The salads - sorry that should read 'leaves' - offer crispy duck, mouli, carrots and spring onion with plum sauce, and for the seafood fiends some pastrami cured smoked salmon, Caesar, cos, parmesan, anchovies and croutons is received with enthusiasm.

These days no self-respecting gastropub can afford to be without its pizza range; expect to find margherita, a classic medley of tomato, mozzarella, oregano and basil, Siciliana with Serrano ham, roast artichoke, olives and mozzarella or rustica with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, goats? cheese, cherry tomatoes and rocket.

Pastas include bucatini carbonara with smoked haddock, pancetta and cream, or tagliatelle bolognaise, slow cooked beef, bacon and Chianti.

Scottish salmon with noodles, Asian greens, coriander, pineapple and chilli salsa is popular, a sign of the times and improving taste in eating and the spit honey gammon ham with creamed potato, parsley and truffle sauce is worth trying too. For hearty eaters there are rib-eye and fillet steaks, and lemon sole with prawn and watercress butter and baby potatoes. Other choices encompass Peroni beer battered haddock and lamb rack with spiced dukkah crust, char-grilled stuffed peppers and minted potatoes.

A wide range of supporting dishes include creamed potatoes, Belgian frites and mayo, and cabbage, leeks and peas. Desserts are some of the best you'll encounter with apple and frangipane gallette and Cognac ice cream, and there is also a selection of local cheeses to set the buffs alight.

More information, including full menus, is available on their Website. Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.

The Nags Head can be found on the corner of Brook Street and Nag's Head Lane, Brentwood. Contemporary pubs such as these usually share a number of characteristics. An important feature is space, preferably a restaurant where you are comfortable, not overawed, and not sharing elbow space with the next table, however sociable they may be. Good, too, to have a garden or optional al fresco eating out space, in this case seating eighty, and by no means least a roomy and well stocked bar where you can actually get served without undue delay. After all, drinking should be taken seriously.

If a pub offers all of these, and is in a good location, there is little reason in today's economic climate why it should not flourish. The Nags Head provides ample evidence that this is true. But of course there are other factors, not least of which is the food and drink. The term 'gastropub' covers a multitude of blessings and it is possible to see influences of brasserie, bistro, restaurant and even café at work within the great gastro umbrella. So expect to find no one single cuisine, but a blend designed to provide something for everybody, no matter what their treat may be.

To set the right note of fashionable sociability there are sharing plates, garlic pizzette, caramelised onions and rocket, or Mediterranean mezze of hummus, roasted vegetables, fregola, tzatziki, feta, spinach and ricotta pâté with flatbreads.

Amongst the starters there is always freshly made soup; the like of potted duck and smoked chicken, wholemeal toast with plum and balsamic chutney; gambas with garlic, rocket, aioli and rustic bread, and water melon, prosciutto ham and feta with chilli ice cream are also to be found. The salads - sorry, that should read 'leaves' - offer crispy duck, mouli, carrots, hoisin, spring onions and plum sauce, and for the seafood enthusiasts some prawn, avocado, pecan, mango, watercress, bacon with orange and pomegranate vinaigrette are well received.

These days no self-respecting gastropub can afford to be without its pizza range; expect to find a classic margherita of tomato, mozzarella, oregano and basil, or another with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, goats' cheese, cherry tomatoes and rocket. Pastas include linguini with tiger prawns, crab, chorizo, chilli, tomato and white wine, or the tagliatelle with slow cooked Bolognaise and parmesan.
 
For the big event, there is always Indian spiced salmon fillet, wilted spinach and sweet potato with aubergine and mango chutney. The calves liver, tray baked potatoes, red onion and bacon with sage panagrattato is worth trying too. The classic burger, which has risen from the confines of fast food chains, carves a niche for itself on the menu and comes with gherkin, mustard mayo, cheese, bacon, relish and frites. For hearty eaters there is a good rib-eye steak with smoked paprika and tomato butter, watercress and frites.

A wide range of supporting dishes include Belgium frites and mayo, and cabbage, leeks and peas. Desserts are some of the best you'll encounter with apple, blackcurrant crumble and vanilla custard, and sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream, and there is also a selection of cheeses to set the buffs alight.

The Nags Head stocks a wide range of beers, both well-loved draught ales and bottled from further afield. The wine list covers plenty of territory from traditional clarets to Pinot Grigio, and champagne by the glass or bottle is always available. Service is cheerful, brisk and totally in keeping with the friendly nature of a good English gastropub.

A well constructed Website enables you to keep in touch with menu changes or forthcoming events. Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.

On the vibrant High Street in the heart of Brentwood, Zizzi presents delicious Italian cuisine in a cosy setting. Spread over two floors with a mezzanine level, the restaurant's warm, contemporary interior is ideal for business lunches as well as family meals or a quiet dinner for two.

A short walk from Brentwood Theatre and The Hermitage, Zizzi is the perfect spot for a quick Italian meal before or after a show.

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.

With quality food, friendly staff, quick service and excellent value for money, Nando's is a great place to eat. Don't expect identikit, pre-fab restaurant interiors which are usually a staple of the larger chains; each restaurant is tailored to its local surroundings and customers, offering up a unique restaurant experience to go with the equally unique taste of legendary, Portuguese, Peri-Peri chicken.

Your peri-peri chicken, when the chips are down so to speak, is a fresh A grade chicken that has never seen the inside of a freezer, but having made the supreme sacrifice is butterfly-cut, marinated for 24 hours in a secret brew called - you've guessed - peri-peri, and is then cooked to your choice over an open flame.

There are, of course, many variations on this broad theme, numerous plays on words such as Nando's experi-perience, peri-peri good reasons why you should eat at a Nando's' and all one hopes is that for their sake chicken never goes out of fashion. New Nando's are opening all the time, peri-peri quickly in fact, the spicy bastes become hotter and more daring, and the full platter offers a whole chicken, large chips or spicy rice and Nando's salad or coleslaw.

Since chickens are vegetarian it seems logical you can order veggie or bean burgers and patties, and still feel the heat from the peppers. All in all, Nando's is hotly recommended for those occasions when you have a large following of permanently hungry children, or adults even, to keep happy - the only thing taken really seriously is the quality of those peri-peri good chickens.

Nando's is a place for bright people who love to laugh and love to eat, and is guaranteed to spice up your taste buds. Their fun approach to life means that when you visit Nando's you can fully relax without the airs and graces associated with more starchy dining out.

For the location of your nearest Nando's restaurant and a host of details about menus, parties and drinks, a click on their Website will reveal a Pandora's box of information.

Prezzo has been delighting diners for over eight years, and this Italian restaurant chain has since been able to expand throughout large parts of England and Scotland with some 141 outlets.

Interestingly, the company seeks to restore either impressive buildings or ones of local interest. The conversion of the Newbury library and other listed buildings, such as those in Salisbury, Romsey and Mayfair, are all welcome examples of 'new use'. Their trendy and sophisticated décor usually consists of tiled or wooden floors with delicate lights and colourful paintings, along with wooden furniture and sparkling cutlery, creating a setting that is suitable for a relaxed lunch, a family meal or an evening out with friends.

The restaurants are of particular appeal to those who like genuine Italian cuisine, and they use only the best seasonal products, many of which are imported directly from Italy. The menu includes pizza, pasta, risotto, grilled meats, fresh salads and frequently changing specials.

The freshly baked breads, like the garlic bread with mozzarella cheese, are perfect for sharing and give you adequate breathing space to order starters to follow. Crab cakes served with garlic mayonnaise or grilled goat's cheese with plum tomatoes and caramelised onions on foccacia bread with a balsamic glaze set the tone for a hearty meal. Best fun is to order an antipasto platter to share made up from seven well loved Italian nibbles.

Find pastas such as the unusual penne con salmone, with oak-roasted salmon, broccoli and fresh chillies in a red pesto and cream sauce, or firm favourites like spaghetti with meatballs, spaghetti Bolognese, and fusilli al pesto, asparagus spears with field mushrooms and roasted peppers in a basil pesto sauce.

Amongst the special pastas, the pollo mariano, seasoned chicken, pepperoni sausage, roasted peppers and fusilli in tomato sauce, is interesting and different. Italian menus would be incomplete without risotto, like tiger prawns with petits pois in a creamy saffron sauce.

Classic pizzas embrace, among a wide selection, the popular napoletana, topped with yellowfin tuna, tomato, white anchovies, capers, red onion, mozzarella and marinated olives, and the much loved quattro stagioni - pepperoni sausage, prosciutto ham, artichoke, field mushrooms, capers, marinated olives, mozzarella and tomato.

Specials could include the pollo Siciliana, char-grilled chicken breast, prosciutto ham and plum tomato slices, baked with their blend of cheese, only one example from the many tempting offerings that come out from the Prezzo kitchens.

You can accompany the food with a variety of tipples, though for many, Italian food requires Italian wines to be enjoyed to the full, ranging from house wine through Morellino di Scansano and Prosecco to liqueurs and beer, and there is espresso or fresh ground coffee to wind up an enjoyable meal, in company with a glass of grappa or sambuca.

This is Italian food at its attractive best, convincing and bringing together the traditional with the modern twist or two against a background of excellent value.

Prezzo is a lively group and opportunities to improve and update are never left on the table for long. Keep up to date with a quick click on their Website.

Located on the bustling High Street of this well-heeled town in the heart of Essex, Caffe Uno Brentwood offers diners a cosy laid back setting complete with wood panelling and comfortable booth seating. A tempting Mediterranean menu offers a wide range of specialities making it ideal for a meal after a shopping trip or before a show at the Brentwood Theatre.

Easily accessible from the M25, on the outskirts of London, and close to Billericay, Romford and Hornchurch, Caffe Uno also sells its own products, many of which are used in the dishes served in the restaurant, including extra virgin olive oil, Modena balsamic vinegar, Italian rocket and almond pesto and Cuneesi chocolates.

Serving food all day, Caffe Uno offers a sumptuous main menu with a variety of dishes. You could begin with starters of chilli tiger prawns with garlic, parsley, lemon and mixed leaves, grilled chorizo and halloumi with salad garnish and lemon dressing or a quesadilla with chicken, salsa and served with garlic mayonnaise. Alternatively, try the tempting traditional antipasto platter with prosciutto ham, salami Milano, bresaola beef, marinated olives, fresh rocket and ciabatta bread.
 
Seafood lovers can relish such dishes as fillet of sea bass with green beans, capers and new potatoes in a white wine and butter sauce, tiger prawn risotto with baby spinach in a saffron sauce or crab cakes in a creamy saffron sauce with a touch of garlic, fresh rocket and cherry tomatoes. Meat dishes on the menu include a succulent rib eye steak with béarnaise or green peppercorn sauce, a classic burger with 100% prime beef burger, ementhal cheese and garlic mayo in a sesame seed sour dough bun with your choice of side order and char grilled chicken and field mushrooms with baby spinach in a Marsala wine.
 
For a quick lunch, customers can choose between starters of goat's cheese tart with caramelised onions, garlic bread with mozzarella or a traditional bruschetta with sliced cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, red onion and garlic and follow with a meatball ciabatta, a Greek salad, tagliatelle carbonara with pancetta bacon in a creamy grana padano cheese sauce or a diavola pizza topped with double pepperoni sausage, red chilli, mozzarella and tomato. A children's menu is also available.

To round off select from a tempting dessert menu that includes classic tiramisu; pannatone pannacotta with chunks of fruity pannetone; blood orange tart with cream or mini desserts of hazelnut Marsala semi fredo, coffee cream latte semi fredo or Belgian milk chocolate semi fredo, all served with your choice of coffee.

To gain further information, just visit their extremely comprehensive Website.

Located on the bustling High Street of this well-heeled town in the heart of Essex, Caffe Uno Brentwood offers diners a cosy laid back setting complete with wood panelling and comfortable booth seating. A tempting Mediterranean menu offers a wide range of specialities making it ideal for a meal after a shopping trip or before a show at the Brentwood Theatre.

Easily accessible from the M25, on the outskirts of London, and close to Billericay, Romford and Hornchurch, Caffe Uno also sells its own products, many of which are used in the dishes served in the restaurant, including extra virgin olive oil, Modena balsamic vinegar, Italian rocket and almond pesto and Cuneesi chocolates.

Serving food all day, Caffe Uno offers a sumptuous main menu with a variety of dishes. You could begin with starters of chilli tiger prawns with garlic, parsley, lemon and mixed leaves, grilled chorizo and halloumi with salad garnish and lemon dressing or a quesadilla with chicken, salsa and served with garlic mayonnaise. Alternatively, try the tempting traditional antipasto platter with prosciutto ham, salami Milano, bresaola beef, marinated olives, fresh rocket and ciabatta bread.
 
Seafood lovers can relish such dishes as fillet of sea bass with green beans, capers and new potatoes in a white wine and butter sauce, tiger prawn risotto with baby spinach in a saffron sauce or crab cakes in a creamy saffron sauce with a touch of garlic, fresh rocket and cherry tomatoes. Meat dishes on the menu include a succulent rib eye steak with béarnaise or green peppercorn sauce, a classic burger with 100% prime beef burger, ementhal cheese and garlic mayo in a sesame seed sour dough bun with your choice of side order and char grilled chicken and field mushrooms with baby spinach in a Marsala wine.
 
For a quick lunch, customers can choose between starters of goat's cheese tart with caramelised onions, garlic bread with mozzarella or a traditional bruschetta with sliced cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, red onion and garlic and follow with a meatball ciabatta, a Greek salad, tagliatelle carbonara with pancetta bacon in a creamy grana padano cheese sauce or a diavola pizza topped with double pepperoni sausage, red chilli, mozzarella and tomato. A children's menu is also available.

To round off select from a tempting dessert menu that includes classic tiramisu; pannatone pannacotta with chunks of fruity pannetone; blood orange tart with cream or mini desserts of hazelnut Marsala semi fredo, coffee cream latte semi fredo or Belgian milk chocolate semi fredo, all served with your choice of coffee.

To gain further information, just visit their extremely comprehensive Website.

Rajmoni, situated in Warley Hill, Brentwood, is a popular spot to enjoy the enduring delights of authentic and traditional Indian food. Stylish modern furniture and ambient lighting create a relaxed atmosphere, while the kitchen treats ingredients with utmost care to ensure that flavours are pronounced.

Feast on old favourites such as chicken tikka masala, or try something new from a range of Rajmoni's specialities, such as flavoursome Hyderabadi lamb or nawabi chicken. Duck and prawns are given the masala, vindaloo, korma, dopiaza and bhuna treatment while the chef's culinary skills come to the fore with dishes such as chicken makhani, Malibu chicken, khori shashlik curry and the classic rezala lamb curry from Bangladesh.

Located on Crown Street, just off Brentwood High Street, Tarantino offers casual Italian dining in a real Italian atmosphere. The décor is vibrant and traditional with delightful murals depicting famous places in Italy. The venue is spread over two floors, with the upper floor being available for private parties and functions and offers live music on Friday evenings.

The specials board changes daily allowing chefs to be creative and to use the day's freshest produce and serve traditional authentic Italian dishes. Some of the options on the extensive menu are fresh king scallops - lightly pan fried in honey and orange on a bed of chopped rocket and cucumber, or closed cup mushrooms filled with Dolcelatte cheese and oven baked for starters.

Main courses might be strips of Scottish beef, peas, garlic, and chillies in a creamed tomato herb sauce, or calzone classico - a folded pizza with tomato, mozzarella, ham and mushrooms with a rocket and shaved parmesan salad.