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Indulge in some authentic Thai cuisine at Nakhon Thai, a smart and upscale restaurant featuring delicious Oriental fare prepared from the freshest of ingredients. At any of their three locations, you will find a friendly atmosphere and a sense of anticipation that you're about to enjoy a good meal. The lively restaurants feature Buddha statues in their decor, with elegant dining rooms and cheerful wait staff.

From their menu, the appetiser of char grilled king scallops with a red chilli and lime sauce is appealing while the crispy soft shell crab in a pepper sauce, sprinkled with flaked garlic is another interesting choice. Move on to stir fried chicken with cashew nuts and dried chillies or a southern Thailand speciality of slowly braised lamb in a mild spicy potato curry. Dessert includes a tropical dish of deep fried sliced banana served with vanilla ice cream and honey. The drinks list at Nakhon Thai offers an excellent selection, with a balance of New and Old World wines as well as some interesting cocktails.

Frankie and Benny's combine classic American and Italian in both style and cuisine. They specialise in home style cooking 'just like Mamma used to make it'. This is a great place to take the entire family and represents excellent value for money. The restaurant and bar is suitable for any occasion, whether it's a leisurely lunch, a family meal or a fantastic evening with friends - they make sure you have a wonderful time.

Walking into the restaurant is like stepping back into 1950s New York, from the clatter and chatter of the open kitchen to the bottle lined bar. Walls with black and white family photographs showing life in Brooklyn's 'Little Italy' surround cosy booth seating and tables. Combined with the classic music of the fifties, a mix of American swing and beat, they definitely provide a fun and friendly atmosphere for all to enjoy.

Frankie and Benny's offers starters, main courses and delicious desserts, and favourites include char-grilled burgers, pizzas, pastas, steaks and house specialities such as chicken parmigiana, BBQ ribs, lamb shank and much more. The bar serves a wide range of beers, wines, spirits, cocktails and soft drinks.

Start with sticky wings, crispy coated chicken strips, tiger prawn skewer or Frankie's fried calamari and if you are dining in a group choose the giant sampler platter. The pastas, calzone and pizzas are all made freshly on order. An interesting dish on the menu is a the Boston 7 speciality pizza fully loaded with slices of pork meatballs, spicy pepperoni, ham, crispy bacon, chicken, peppers and red onion, served on a BBQ sauce base. They also serve a variety of sandwiches and burgers throughout the day.

A good value lunch menu is available on weekdays from 11am until 5pm offering a range of popular dishes from the main carte with one course at £5.95, two courses at £7.95 and three courses at £8.95.

For children up to the age of eleven, an all-inclusive menu features a selection of main courses, desserts and drinks starting at £3.95. As an added treat, they'll also receive an activity pack to entertain them whilst you eat.

Enjoy an American Italian meal at Frankie and Benny's with freshly prepared food and warm hospitality that makes you feel right at home.

Floor to ceiling windows at the Docklands Bar and Grill promise wonderful views over Royal Victoria Dock and Canary Wharf. Located at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Western Gateway, it serves traditional British and European fare, and innovations as well. The restaurant is fully accessible and offers an all-day takeaway counter and a children's menu.

The seasonal main menu, with daily changing specials, uses fresh locally sourced ingredients. House signature dishes include Billingsgate fish pie and traditional prawn cocktail. A full English buffet breakfast with over 80 items is also served. For lunch, you could consider dishes like tomato, roast pepper and pesto tart or salmon, artichoke and herb salad. A dinner selection could include Serrano ham and roast figs or sautéed chicken livers on toast followed by rich braised beef casserole with tagliatelle or duck with raised lentils and black grape chutney. Tempting puddings include black forest gateaux, orange cake and autumn raspberries, and apple and blackberry crumble. The bright open bar serves Prosecco from tap, 18 different beers, cocktails, spirits and liqueurs.

The eye-catching bright red exterior of this tapas bar is every bit as warm and welcoming as its staff. Laxeiro is family run and thrives thanks to much custom from the local flower market also situated on Columbia Road. The menu has all the classic tapas dishes and a few more interesting additions besides such as cheese stuffed artichokes, vegetable crepes and a wonderful garlic packed chicken. There's also some fantastic fish dishes and the paella is well worth waiting for.

Reviewed by Linda Buttle

Albion is located in Shoreditch and is a throwback to those good old days when you could enter a cafe, eat something light and tasty and take home some everyday items such as jams and preserves. This Boundary Street restaurant is more of an informal eatery and is located on the ground floor with pavement seating on good weather days. The shop provides serious cooks with essentials such as stocks and goose fat along with seasonal fruits and vegetables, while their bakery brings an extensive selection of breads, baguettes, rolls, pastries and cakes.

The food in the cafe is simple and unfussy, typically British and very delicious, and you could step inside for fish and chips, puddings, sandwiches and fruit pies or crumbles and satisfy your urge for comfort food of the best kind. Straightforward snacks feature in the late night menu, with kedgeree and Welsh rabbit or hot chocolate and shortbread. Coffees, teas, juices and English ales comprise the drinks list.