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.

Located on The Strand, the Brasserie at Charing Cross Hotel offers guests an elegant dining experience in a Grade II listed building, with original period features, in the heart of London's theatreland. A delicious menu  combines classic British favourites with modern international flavours . 

The 2 AA Rosette awarded restaurant features a range of freshly prepared seasonal specialties. The meal could begin with starters of Ticklemore goat's cheese tart with beetroot relish, Devon Brown crab sliders served with gribiche or potted Morecambe Bay shrimp on brown toast. Sumptuous main courses include classics such as calf's liver and smoked bacon with creamy mash and onion gravy, or creamy leek and free-range chicken top crust pie with glazed roots. From the grill there?s Casterbridge grain finished 12oz rib fillet on the bone and wild boar and Braeburn sausages. Fish dishes include pan-fried halibut fillet with prawn dumplings and crisp skin sea trout fillet with mushroom bonne femme and smoked bacon. Round off with dessert of honey nougat parfait with pistachio, toasted almonds and raspberry and mango coulis or season rhubarb tart with brown sugar crumble. The carefully compiled wine list offers a fine selection of whites and reds.

The popularity of patisseries in London and elsewhere is a longstanding tribute to human indulgence. When spirits are low there are few better kick-starts than a visit to the nearest purveyor of wonderful cakes, sticky, creamy confections that melt in the mouth, leaving a comfortable feeling of having scored one up on whatever malaise is afflicting you.

Madam Valerie, a lady of Belgian extraction, knew all about this when she established her first patisserie in Firth Street in 1926. Some years later the Luftwaffe, with typical insensitivity, obliterated the place, but not Madam who moved round the corner to the present site in Compton Street, now much patronised by media people, celebrities and art students, who adore its Parisian informality.

There are now 31 Valeries in the UK. In addition to the most gorgeous confections, some of them also do breakfast, which in its own way is another propper-up of human frailty, however transient. Evening meals are also served at Patisserie Valerie.

Nestled in the heart of London in the bottom end of Shaftesbury Avenue where the road curves into New Oxford Street, is a true blue British bar and dining that goes by its street name, Shaftesbury. The place instantly comes across as friendly and personal attention is a given, while the culinary accents tend more towards traditional English flavours rather than modern. Tucked within convenient distance from London's shopping hub and The Shaftesbury Theatre, the restaurant attracts shoppers and show-goers with its authentic dishes, comfortable ambience and a pre-theatre menu.

Come here for smoked haddock fishcakes with tartar sauce, Kent lamb hot pot, pan fried pork chop with braised red cabbage and apple, mussels cooked in English cider and cream, the Shaftesbury pasty and the very berry sherry trifle. Pick a wine or champagne to go with the meal if time permits, and get a good deal between the show and shopping.

For an atmosphere that's more Madrid than Marbella, head for late night bar impresario, Eric Yu's bar y tapas y fiesta - Salvador and Amanda on Great Newport Street. Inspired by 'real' Spain's new wave of stylish bars which combine tapas with cocktails and music, they capture the vibrancy, but are relaxed and informal, where a cosmopolitan café crowd can linger over a long drink or eat as little or as much as they like until the small hours.

The menu focuses on traditional tapas and with over 30 dishes there's something to suit every taste. Interesting fare such as octopus with olive oil and sweet paprika dressing sit comfortably alongside traditional favourites like gambas al ajillo, tortilla Espanola and the ubiquitous patatas bravas.

With a passionate and highly creative bar team, the drinks list will appeal equally to cocktail connoisseurs and lovers of Spanish wine. Sangria, the perennially popular and vital ingredient of any Spanish holiday has been given a modern twist here. Choose from four equally delicious and potent varieties including the sangria deluxe and the diablo sangria.

The lively La Tasca chain caters for parties, children's events and family gatherings in addition to anytime dining. These restaurants capture well the warm and vibrant spirit of Spain, and are best known for their tapas and traditional paellas.

Their star player is tapas, which can be had solo or in tandem with a meal. The calamares andaluza, deep-fried squid rings, served with roasted garlic mayonnaise and lemon, is great for sharing, while the chorizo frito al vino, spicy Spanish sausage flavoured with paprika, garlic and herbs, sautéed in red wine, offers a real treat. Chicken lovers order alitas de pollo, marinated chicken wings, or have skewers of chicken breast and pepper, marinated in paprika.

Valenciana is an interesting paella that combines seafood with chicken, and if you have a taste for trivia, you may be surprised to learn that 'la paella' actually refers to the utensil in which the dish is cooked.

Other than liqueurs and beer, there are wines from Spanish vineyards and sparkling cava. All of these, especially the dry rosé wines combine well with tapas. And you would be really getting into the spirit of things if you rounded off with the crema Catalana, traditional Spanish-style vanilla custard, topped with caramelised sugar.

La Tasca Spanish Tapas Restaurants and Bars today have over sixty outlets across the UK, so it is odds on there is a branch fairly close to your home.

A comfortable unpretentious Italian restaurant in Orange Street, Val Taro has a candle lit bar with booth seating. Italian music playing in the background adds to its homely charm. In the heart of Theatreland, within shouting distance of Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square, it's convenient for a pre theatre dinner or romantic rendezvous.

Val Taro offers a range of classic Italian dishes including pastas, meat, fish and seafood, some with an interesting twist. Enjoy complimentary nibbles of olives, crisps and nuts to begin the meal. Then, sample such dishes as bruschetta with tomatoes, olive oil and mint, rigatoni valtaro, pasta tubes cooked al dente and served with a wild mushroom sauce and pan-fried Dover sole with homemade paté. Round off an elegant repast with tempting tiramisu. A glass of Italian wine from Tuscany or Veneto adds the final touch to the evening.