Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

The Village Bar and Grill in Hornchurch seems to be the perfect place to congregate with friends, family or even colleagues for a delicious meal and fun atmosphere. With a spacious terrace and a recently refurbished interior, the warm and relaxing ambience and the Mediterranean feel of the décor helps in building a holiday mood out of a simple dining experience.

Starters from their regular a la carte, include pan fried tiger prawns and then move on to the risottos, noodles and pasta dishes on offer, while burgers and steaks are other delicious options. For dessert, the chocolate fudge cake with vanilla ice cream ought to pander to your sweet tooth and a children's menu is just right for the little ones. The concise drinks list offers wines by the glass or bottle, while champagnes, sparkling wines, beers and cocktails complete the picture.

The terrace is one of the best outside seating areas in the town. It is covered with large heated umbrellas for chillier nights or you could sit on the sunny side to catch the rays.

Pizza Express remains a hugely popular bedrock of casual eating. Its popularity is testimony to the fact that across the country, they have restaurants where you will always be guaranteed a good nosh, with children's tastes being well catered for.

Pizza Express has gone even more Roman, and following the success of that particular example of listening to their public have introduced Romana pizzas, including the scorching Etna and the hearty Siciliana.

These pizzas are now thinner, bigger and crispier, and if that sounds like a marketing line, it is. However, unlike many such lines, this one is true, and their quality is always consistent, though cleverly they have still managed to retain a homemade feel to their pizzas.

As an alternative to pizza, try their pollo pesto - cavatappi pasta with torn chicken breast, mushrooms, red onions and mozzarella in a creamy gruyere, parmesan and pesto sauce and finished with grana padano - or the niçoise salad with mixed leaves, yellowfin tuna, free range egg, green beans, potatoes and tomatoes with olives, anchovies, capers and house dressing.

Many of the big chains have come a long way, and Pizza Express is certainly amongst them. One of the first to be quoted on the Stock Exchange - in 1993 - Pizza Express is not a franchise operation and retains tight control through its own staff.

Their wine list - though short - contains some surprisingly good offerings, especially their intense Australian Chardonnay, and a big, full-bodied Merlot from Cusumano, Sicilia.

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.

Housed in The Coach House Hotel, a Victorian building built in 1881, I Paparazzi is spread over two areas - a light and airy conservatory and the formal dining room. There's additional garden seating for those who wish to dine al fresco.

Traditional Italian fare seems to be the order of the day with starters such as an antipasto Harris of avocado, prawns, smoked salmon and Parma ham, or chef's minestrone soup. Main courses bring pan-fried calves liver with butter and sage, and grilled lamb cutlets with garlic and rosemary. If you are a lover of pasta, I Paparazzi offers a good choice with lasagne al forno, spaghetti with meatballs, and penne with pancetta, onion, tomato and chilli.

The ivy-covered Coach House Hotel with gardens and conservatory has all that could make your wedding day one to remember too.