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Strada describes itself as 'a group of stylish, contemporary Italian restaurants, serving good quality, simple and freshly prepared dishes'. The statement sums up what this group of around seventy restaurants offers to people looking for good Italian food. The first outlet opened in Battersea in 1999 and their clientele has been increasing steadily ever since.

Though Strada has grown into a fair sized group, each outlet retains the feel of being a local neighbourhood Italian restaurant. The menu includes pastas, risottos, salads, and fish dishes, but they are best known for their quality pizzas.

They present authentic Italian dishes in contemporary surroundings and aim to use only the freshest and finest ingredients, such as Mantovana sausages, Parma ham and buffalo mozzarella, imported from Italy to provide exactly the kind of rustic, traditional dishes one would expect to find travelling around its regions.

A meal could kick off with insalata Toscana, melted buffalo mozzarella wrapped in speck on a Tuscan salad of plum tomatoes, cucumber, sweet peppers, onion, ciabatta croutons and olives, or the delicious sautéed butterflied king prawns with garlic, white wine, chilli, and lemon butter with ciabatta.

Move on to their creamy risotto verdure, freshly grilled asparagus, broad beans, peas, spring onions, zucchini, green beans, grana padano and mint, finished with baby spinach leaves. Or you could opt for the healthier, spigola al forno, filleted sea bass stuffed with rosemary and lemon, served with rocket and new potatoes. A real treat for the taste buds comes in the form of the bistecca di manzo, a 10oz rosemary-marinated char-grilled, rib-eye steak, roasted new potatoes and onions with rocket.

A range of pizzas, all spun by hand, is an integral feature of each restaurant. They include the rossa, with spicy southern Italian salami, roasted red peppers, chilli, caramelised onion, garlic, fresh oregano, tomato and mozzarella. Nor are vegetarians are overlooked, and can be found tucking into dishes such as fiorentina, made of wilted spinach cooked with garlic, nutmeg and black pepper with mozzarella, parmesan, tomato and an egg.

For those wanting to satisfy their sweet tooth, there is torroncino affogato, an ice nougat semi freddo with a shot of espresso to pour over, or a classic Italian tiramisu and, as you might expect Illy coffee to round off the meal.

A wine list consisting of purely regional Italian wines, beers and liqueurs, all carefully chosen to complement the menu comes as no surprise and in addition, every table receives a complimentary bottle of purified water.

For further details including their latest news, menus and deals, and to find a Strada nearest to you, their Website certainly warrants a visit.

Café Rouge has over one hundred branches throughout Britain all offering a wide range of dishes drawn from the French cuisine. Slightly less than half their branches are in or close to London. Almost inevitably the décor and design of each restaurant differs from the others, but there is a general curtsy towards La France.

Many restaurants do an excellent breakfast, or shall we say petit dejeuner, at which such delights as scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on toasted brioche, croque Madame, croissants and pain au chocolat make welcome appearances, and to their credit the English traditional gets top billing.

An array of small dishes takes in pulled pork pâté with French bread, and spicy beef and lamb sausage with harissa mayonnaise. Salads and pasta feature largely, as do baguettes and croques. Quick dishes, ideal for lunch, include slices of saucisson and cured pork loin with French bread.

Moving on to more serious stuff we find steaks, an 8oz bavette and thin cut rib eye, with a choice of béarnaise or peppercorn sauce. No French menu would be complete without the poulet jaune grille, pan-roasted breast of corn-fed chicken served on a warm taboulé of bulgar wheat and a medley of roasted vegetables with minted crème fraîche, or a steak frites before moving on to the crème brûlée, or the tart tatin. Almost invariably the coffee tastes like coffee should, something that sadly can all too often still not be said of our English restaurants, who depend too much upon technology and too little on the acquisition of a certain flair for this important conclusion to a meal.

By now we all know that the French, despite their distinctive habits when it comes to matters of satisfying the inner man, maintain a miraculous longevity of life. This is generally attributed to a number of causes, of which a measured consumption of decent wine is foremost. Café Rouge, you may be pleased to hear, encourages this with a well-chosen selection of French wines. Their prix fixe lunch and meals for children, both at a very reasonable figure, also offer excellent value.

Their Website will keep you updated on menu changes, news and other competitions and offers from the Café Society.

A short walk from the Gate Theatre, Zizzi Notting Hill Gate offers authentic Italian dining in a spacious setting featuring contemporary artwork and an open plan kitchen. Close to Odeon and Coronet Cinemas, Zizzi is perfect for a pre or post-film meal.

Zizzi also provides a welcome haven for busy shoppers at the nearby Kensington Church Street and Portobello Road market.

The bustling open kitchen at Zizzi turns out freshly prepared, tasty fare. The extensive à la carte offers distinct sections of antipasti, salads, pizza and calzone, pasta, risottos and mains of 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.

Prezzo has been delighting diners for over eight years, and this Italian restaurant chain has since been able to expand throughout large parts of England and Scotland with some 141 outlets.

Interestingly, the company seeks to restore either impressive buildings or ones of local interest. The conversion of the Newbury library and other listed buildings, such as those in Salisbury, Romsey and Mayfair, are all welcome examples of 'new use'. Their trendy and sophisticated décor usually consists of tiled or wooden floors with delicate lights and colourful paintings, along with wooden furniture and sparkling cutlery, creating a setting that is suitable for a relaxed lunch, a family meal or an evening out with friends.

The restaurants are of particular appeal to those who like genuine Italian cuisine, and they use only the best seasonal products, many of which are imported directly from Italy. The menu includes pizza, pasta, risotto, grilled meats, fresh salads and frequently changing specials.

The freshly baked breads, like the garlic bread with mozzarella cheese, are perfect for sharing and give you adequate breathing space to order starters to follow. Crab cakes served with garlic mayonnaise or grilled goat's cheese with plum tomatoes and caramelised onions on foccacia bread with a balsamic glaze set the tone for a hearty meal. Best fun is to order an antipasto platter to share made up from seven well loved Italian nibbles.

Find pastas such as the unusual penne con salmone, with oak-roasted salmon, broccoli and fresh chillies in a red pesto and cream sauce, or firm favourites like spaghetti with meatballs, spaghetti Bolognese, and fusilli al pesto, asparagus spears with field mushrooms and roasted peppers in a basil pesto sauce.

Amongst the special pastas, the pollo mariano, seasoned chicken, pepperoni sausage, roasted peppers and fusilli in tomato sauce, is interesting and different. Italian menus would be incomplete without risotto, like tiger prawns with petits pois in a creamy saffron sauce.

Classic pizzas embrace, among a wide selection, the popular napoletana, topped with yellowfin tuna, tomato, white anchovies, capers, red onion, mozzarella and marinated olives, and the much loved quattro stagioni - pepperoni sausage, prosciutto ham, artichoke, field mushrooms, capers, marinated olives, mozzarella and tomato.

Specials could include the pollo Siciliana, char-grilled chicken breast, prosciutto ham and plum tomato slices, baked with their blend of cheese, only one example from the many tempting offerings that come out from the Prezzo kitchens.

You can accompany the food with a variety of tipples, though for many, Italian food requires Italian wines to be enjoyed to the full, ranging from house wine through Morellino di Scansano and Prosecco to liqueurs and beer, and there is espresso or fresh ground coffee to wind up an enjoyable meal, in company with a glass of grappa or sambuca.

This is Italian food at its attractive best, convincing and bringing together the traditional with the modern twist or two against a background of excellent value.

Prezzo is a lively group and opportunities to improve and update are never left on the table for long. Keep up to date with a quick click on their Website.

Nestled away in the middle of leafy Holland Park, Cowshed Clarendon Cross is a standalone spa. This rural retreat in the city is a perfect place to meet friends, eat, drink and shop as well as indulge in sociable grooming. Upstairs the spa has a cosy farmhouse kitchen atmosphere, where you can catch up on news with your mates whilst relaxing in big recliner chairs and enjoying a manicure or a pedicure.

The kitchen serves anything from detoxing green tea, freshly squeezed juices, and hot chocolate to soups, salads, and sandwiches and offers plenty of distraction while waiting for your appointment, providing an incentive to turn up early and spoil yourself. Some of the offerings on the simple menu include spice crusted lamb, herb couscous salad with yogurt and mint, rare beef sandwich with horseradish cream, rocket, avocado and chilli jam, vanilla cupcake and triple chocolate brownie.

A comfortably plush ?library? ambience distinguishes the Park Lounge at The Milestone Hotel. It offers guests the pleasures of an open fireplace and ?sink and stay? armchairs and sofas. With large windows affording views of Kensington Gardens, patrons can briefly escape to other realms while enjoying the quintessential English tradition of afternoon tea with family and friends.

Guests are served a selection of finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones with Devonshire clotted cream, preserves, French pastries and a pot of tea, and if they wish, an additional glass of chilled champagne. The Park Lounge also offers a cream tea, and additions of fruit cake and strawberries with cream for more sumptuous refreshment. The range of teas on offer include Darjeeling, Earl Grey, Assam and green tea, along with herbal and fruit infusions of chamomile, peppermint, spices and white chocolate. Children under 12 can enjoy their own selection with chocolate truffles and hot chocolate.

Every so often you come across a quaint and unusual place that turns out to be a restaurant. What I mean by that is that more often than not they turn out to be something else completely. Mohsen qualifies on both scores. From the outside, an apparent cross between a run-down village hall and a closing down outpost of a particularly impoverished charity, go inside and all is changed. Pass expeditiously through the outer room in to the garden and enter the outer sanctum as it were, an ailing garden shelter-like affair, richly decorated with exotic rugs, hanging and greenery, with some pretty dodgy furniture mainly of the garden variety. Background musak is provided by some hardworking canaries who as yet have a long way to go before they achieve anything like harmony. But there's nothing even mildly disturbing or sinister about it all, in fact if you take a firm grip it's pretty good fun.

We are not talking haut cuisine here, not by a long chalk, but it is homely, well-prepared and authentic feeling cuisine of the country. It was suggested recently that this was the haunt of formerly well-to-do Iranians who had fled their country, possibly never to return, and come regularly to Mohsen for some familiar company and the food of their country. Prices are unbelievably good value, strengthening the view that this is a quasi-charitable outfit, but nonetheless one of integrity and simple quality. Go there, just for the experience.

Situated on Allen Street, barely meters away from the busy High Street, Britannia makes for an ideal place to relax and unwind with friends and family in a comfortable yet elegant ambiance. Split across a bar, dining area and a courtyard, the spacious interior is done up in soft pastel shades with prominent whites highlighting the décor and panelling the skylight roof.

Based on pure British gastronomy and driven by the best home reared produce, the menu is a successful blend of traditional and contemporary cooking. Enjoy classics such as smoked salmon with rösti potatoes, crème fraîche and dill and open fish pie served with seasonal greens, topped with mature cheddar. To set the cheese buffs alight a chef's assorted cheese board with chutney is to hand.

To close, consider a warm, soft centred chocolate pudding with Bailey's ice cream or the Bramley apple and plum crumble with Devonshire custard.

Fish sadly is an expensive commodity these days, but at this exceedingly French seafooder - they handle it well at Chez Patrick (formerly called Stratford's for many years, but basically unchanged apart from the name) and it is always fresh.

You should introduce yourself to the manager/owner Patrick, and then follow his recommendations over what is the best of the good selection of fish on offer.

Many of its patrons seem to feel that it should be even more popular than it is, but possibly the fact that it is in a little backwater in Stratford Village, between Cromwell Road and Kensington High Street has something to do with this. However, it certainly has a devoted following of long-time fans.

They have a very simple system, you choose the fish and then how you want it cooked, accompanied with a straightforward selection of sauces. The monkfish roasted with garlic is absolutely wonderful.

Naturally their wine list is mainly French with good examples in white from teh Loire, and do enjoy a great glass of Muscat de Rivesaltes with your dessert. There is only a rather short list of puddings, but do note that the chocolate mousse and crème brûlée are to die for, whilst they also have excellent sorbets.

Beware of one thing though, they do levy a fairly hefty 15 per cent service charge.

BARGAIN: At lunchtime they offer one of the best value menus in London, three courses for £12.50 of sublime food, superb value, but plus that 15 per cent service charge.