Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

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.

The Bombay Palace on Station Road welcomes guests with ornate interiors of plush carpets and intricate carved wooden screens along with good food and attentive service. The well-chosen à la carte features a range of traditional curry favourites together with an array of regional specialities.
 
The a la carte menu is constantly reviewed and updated and recently introduced dishes include starters of pakora, tangy Goan soup with fish, spicy tuna fishcakes and crunchy tiger prawn wontons. The restaurant also offers a range of dishes cooked in a traditional clay oven including green chicken tikka, tandoori lamb chops and grilled whole trout marinated in a delicate blend of spices. There are also a number of chef's specials such as pudina gosth, a dish of lamb cooked in honey and fresh mint, and a signature biryani with chicken, lamb and prawns. Duck lovers can try whole breast of duck cooked in special medium hot sauce or duck cooked in coconut milk with curry leaves, mustard seeds and herbs. Vegetarians are catered for with a number of innovative quorn dishes including a hot and spicy jalfrezi topped green chillies and coriander.

So you fancy a touch of authenticity? It doesn't come much more authentic than The Company Shed, particularly on a chilly day in winter, with the tides running fast and the wind in the landlocked rigging. Having established that the weatherworn edifice before you is your destination, clutch your bottles, cans and French rolls - well I did warn you - and enter into the world of really fresh seafood, evidence of which in various forms is all around you.

So also is Heather Haward who, with her husband Richard runs this wonderful place. Richard farms the oysters and looks after other vital supply lines. Service is very much DIY in keeping with the ambience and philosophy of the place. The seafood is simple and just undeniably wonderful, with the crabs well at the top of the list. Forget about the fripperies, no puddings, bring a flask of coffee if you must and salads are not welcome.

Oh, and on your way out bag some of the clams to take home at a mere £1 a pound.

Surely this has to be seafood heaven?

A warm welcome awaits everyone who visits the Windmill Motor Inn in Little Waltham. The traditional Essex village inn has been carefully restored and offers a unique opportunity to meet and relax over drinks and quality home-cooked food.

The appealing converted mill house hasn't lost its charm since it was turned into a pub in the 1930s, and owners Peter and Elaine Rollings ensure each customer has a memorable time there. For those who wish to make a night of it, they have seven ensuite bedrooms.

If you thought the food is taken lightly think again, because the British menu offers a choice of some very tasty fish, meat, and vegetarian dishes.

Expect to find à la carte starters of whitebait with brown bread, and filo prawns with a sweet chilli dip and salad garnish. Main courses encompass homemade steak and ale pies, or an 8oz fillet for meat lovers to rejoice; and fresh beer battered cod, and hand-carved ham, egg and chips rarely fail to please.

Ales, lagers, spirits, and wines leave little to be desired.

Whilst the 42 Loch Fyne restaurants have a shared background there is a welcome degree of individuality encouraged throughout the group, which makes for customer interest. If you like wholesome, fresh and reliable seafood caught and reared under carefully controlled conditions, well presented in unfussy surroundings, and you enjoy being well looked after by pleasant staff, Loch Fyne is for you.

There is an increasing awareness of other food staples with an extended choice of meat dishes, but it is the original fare upon which their success was created that prevails. Loch Fyne kippers, a fine bouillabaisse, braden rost, kiln-roasted salmon fillet, and the toothsome oysters on ice, with a selection of accompaniments, all are to be found throughout the various restaurants, as well as Glen Fyne 21 day aged rib-eye steak and Scottish smoked venison. There is invariably a well-travelled wine list available which is sensible, both in content and prices.

Loch Fyne's greatest achievement has been to prove to a sceptical populace that chains or conglomerates can be made to work in the eating-out public's best interests.

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.

If big restaurant chains have their loyalists, so do the little ones, seldom failing to please the palates of hungry diners. Clocktower is a lively town centre restaurant, under ten minutes, on foot, from the underground station and picturesque Epping Forest.

Their dedication to providing delicious food shines through simple dishes such as chicken liver terrine with red onion marmalade and toast, grilled fishcakes, lemon grass infused baked sea bass, or penne pasta tossed with vine tomatoes, basil and garlic. A traditional Sunday roast is served from 12 noon, and if you have any dietary requirements, they are always happy to help.

Dine or just relax and cool down with a few drinks in the heated garden terrace situated to the rear of the restaurant. A lively wine list should meet most tastes.

Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.