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This classic old pub has been given a gastropub makeover that now combines an excellently stocked bar and an interesting menu. The comfortable surroundings feature bare wooden tables, blackboard style menu boards and a selection of daily newspapers to keep you entertained.

The food is firmly rooted in the gastropub region with a daily changing menu that includes choices like salmon and haddock fishcakes with sautéed spinach, pancetta and fresh tomato sauce; roast pheasant breast with parisienne potatoes, sprouts, parsnips, chestnuts and thyme jus, or pork and leek sausages with herbed mash and onion gravy. Desserts are of the comfort range, think fig, walnut and brandy pudding with toffee ice cream; apple and berry crumble and double cream, or pears poached in red wine with vanilla ice cream.

A short distance from King's Road, Chelsea Ram also poses as a refuel hub for weary shoppers.

Even since they opened their first café over 10 years ago, Baker and Spice has evolved into a place to meet friends, relax and savour their delicious cakes and pastries. With three outlets in Chelsea, Belgravia and Maida Vale, the setting is eclectically elegant but they all share a common desire to consistently serve good food and you can count on the quality of their expertly baked croissants.

Breakfast is served all day with familiar dishes like the classic English that includes a couple of fried organic pullet eggs and sausages, grilled streaky dry cured bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms and baked beans. Assorted breads from the basket are served with Jersey cream butter, homemade seasonal preserves and marmalade, and their extended range of breakfast pastries includes pain au chocolat, almond croissant, blueberry muffins and cinnamon buns.

Cakes are a speciality at Baker and Spice, and so you shouldn't let your gaze fall anywhere else than on their tempting trays of sponge cakes, fruit flans, creamy cheesecakes, brownies and fluffy meringues.

In the eyes of many it has taken too long for this Belgian bakery-patisserie-café concept to reach Britain, but Le Pain Quotidien is here now and drawing the crowds to its thirteen locations in London. The common thread running through all outlets is the communal style seating where diners can enjoy a breakfast platter, say a wide variety of breads, croissants, yogurt and coffee.

For the rest of the day think tartines, soups, salads, baguettes, fruit tarts and a selection of chocolate wickedness. The bakery also serves naturally leavened sourdough breads, patisserie and croissants and all around is the aroma of freshly baked bread blended with the coffee. In the evening the whole place morphs into romantic dinner setting with candle lights and gleaming cutlery, and the menu choices are substantial, from grilled chorizo and lemon and hot Lyonnaise salad of confit duck to granola 'parfait' with yoghurt and fruits.

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.

Formerly known as 'Love India' and 'Tandoori of Chelsea', Indigo was probably the first to introduce Londoners to the delights of the tandoori style. They now serve organic dishes, locally sourced whenever possible, from a recently updated menu that still includes old favourites, which satisfied customers more than five decades ago.

The ambience is peaceful, and the basement location away from the bustle brings a sense of calm. Start your meal with a cocktailm, and choose your wine from an up-to-date list compiled by one of the country's leading sommeliers.

A Malabar crab cake or king prawn puri provides a perfect start followed by a platter of succulent tandoori lamb, chicken and seafood. The curries are helpfully divided into sections based on different styles such as handi, korma, bhuna, dupiaza, Madras and vindaloo. Since many Indians are vegetarians there is an array of delicacies like Bombay potatoes and Gujrati pumpkin.

They provide a takeaway and home delivery service, have special offers at lunchtime, and feature a buffet spread on Sundays.

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.