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hand picked restaurants

The first La Reuda restaurant opened its doors in Clapham in-mid 1980, way before Clapham became a buzzing area with its fabulous bars and restaurants. La Rueda remains a popular restaurant among locals and visitors with many happy customers returning to enjoy the hospitality as well as excellent food. The King's Road restaurant offers a blend of enjoyable food, Spanish culture and good times to its guests.

Spanish cuisine consists of a great variety of dishes which stem from differences in geography, culture and climate. It is heavily influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround the country, and reflects its deep Mediterranean roots. Chef's recommendations include dishes such as pulpo a la gallega - Galicia styled octopus, and fillet of beef with Dijon mustard caramelized brandy and cream.

The simple and extensive wine list caters to everyone's requirement.

The first Café Rialto opened in 2001 at South Street, Dorking and very soon became popular for its food, drinks and service; it has subsequently opened in Fulham and Battersea. The venue offers freshly prepared dishes using seasonal produce in a chic and delightful setting.

Mushrooms in breadcrumbs filled with garlic and butter, calamari fritti with lemon and tartar sauce, spaghetti alle vongole - with fresh clams, white wine, tomato and garlic sauce, ravioli ai funghi are some of the prized offerings here. If you are a pancake lover then you would not want to miss crespoline fiorentina - rolled pancake with ricotta cheese and spinach with cream and tomato sauce. Rice lovers, too, are in for a treat with dishes such as rice with mushrooms, courgette, spinach, peas, asparagus, and green peppers in cream, garlic and thyme mush, and risotto ai funghi featuring on the menu.

The carefully chosen wine list offers Italian wines, beers and classics.

Oishiii - Japanese for delicious is the newest venture of the local entrepreneur Atique Choudhury who has 25 years of experience in running restaurants. The restaurant offers sushi and authentic Japanese cuisine, served in an informal and relaxed atmosphere. The venue has an open plan sushi kitchen dining area and a private Japanese Karaoke room. It provides the perfect environment for business or leisurely afternoons and evenings with family and friends.

The menu includes classic sushi, sashimi and tempura alongside a selection of signature dishes and a wide choice of delicacies. Chopped raw fish with spices served on a bowl of rice, mussels cooked in a garlic, shallots and sake broth, deep fried spring roll pastry stuffed with eel, cucumber and teriyaki sauce, samurai mixed sashimi, and red bean pan cake with a scoop of green tea ice cream are some of the prized offerings here.

Just a short walk from the Earl's Court Exhibition Centre and Kensington Olympia, Zizzi Earls Court Road delivers authentic Italian cuisine in a cosy setting. The restaurant's exciting interior pays tribute to the area's colourful past including illustrations of Buffalo Bill's legendary performances on Earls Court and Alfred Hitchcock, who lived in the area for a short time.

Nestled among the shops, pubs and bars in this bustling part of West London, and only a minute's walk from Earl's Court Tube Station, Zizzi is the perfect place to relax after a busy shopping trip.

The restaurant's bustling open kitchen turns out a wide range of freshly prepared, tasty fare. The extensive à la carte offers traditional antipasti, pizza, pasta and salads, as well as 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.

If your culinary conception of London is built around expensive restaurants or not-so-expensive-less-quality eateries then think again, as there are still places like Byron that offer some good value food to those on a tight budget. Well, how can anyone go wrong with a burger, you may ask, but this burger chain is not just about a slab of meat slapped between two halves of a bun, here the meat is sourced from small farms, the cattle roam freely in the Scottish Highlands, and the hamburgers are freshly ground every day; surely it can't get more simple than that.

The menu opens up an abundance of inexpensive delights, starting with burgers stuffed with dry cure bacon, mature cheddar, Byron sauce, or corn fed chicken fillet with tomato, mayo and baby spinach. Their salads are a wonderful melange of fresh ingredients such as squash and feta unified by garlic and parsley dressing, and buffalo mozzarella and Portobello mushroom with crispy bacon, almonds and cos lettuce dressed with honey balsamic. Desserts include the indulgent banoffee pie and caramel and honeycomb sundae.