A comfortable setting invites guests to relax and unwind with a traditional British menu at The Lass O' Richmond Hill on Queen's Road. The restaurant's customised picnic hampers to enjoy in nearby Richmond Park are just perfect for that sunny day. 

The regularly changing menu uses the best fresh, seasonal British ingredients and begins with tasty starters of potted pork with apple sauce and cider jelly, Devon crab with tomato salsa and Melba toast and crispy quail with Stilton sauce. Main courses include lamb rump with potato fondant and mint cream, Gressingham duck breast with braised chicory and orange, and Young's beer battered fish and hand cut chips with minty mushy peas follow. There's also choice of fillet or rib-eye steak served with hand cut chips and a creamy peppercorn sauce as well as a barbecue menu in fine weather. After a satisfying main course, dessert of layered chocolate pie with toasted hazelnut custard or warm almond galette with vanilla ice cream is but icing on the cake.

The wine list offers a range of expertly chosen whites and rich reds as well as a selection of fine ales including Young's Bitter, Well's Waggle Dance and Sambrook's Junction.

To gain further information, just visit their extremely comprehensive Website.

High above Piccadilly, The Terrace Restaurant is one of the roomiest venues in London; with its vented natural sunlight captured in the shadows of the stone pillars, it boasts a blend of old and new world within its classical yet contemporary surroundings. Compared to the bustling West End below, the restaurant offers a relaxed and refined dining experience.

Alternatively, if you prefer a chic slice of a Venetian 'al fresco', lunch can be served on the balcony.

They describe their menus as, 'Being modern European with a cool fashionable twist, serving food which is mouth watering and sumptuous - satisfying the ultimate connoisseur'.

Particularly good value - especially for a top hotel restaurant in London - is represented by their fixed price menus at £17.95 for lunch for three courses and £27.95 menu served for pre-theatre.

The menus are seasonal and during a summer visit be prepared to find starters ranging from curried scallops with cauliflower purée and crisp pancetta, ham hock terrine with gooseberry relish, or smoked duck breast with spiced orange marmalade.

This imaginative and diverse approach continues through to the main courses from organic Scottish salmon with sautéed wild mushrooms and celeriac purée, pan fried sea bass with tomato fondue and gremolata dressing to roast fillet of beef, marrow bone, camembert fondant with red wine shallots.

Their pan fried Guinea fowl breast with fricassee of peas, pearl onions and lettuce served with barrel new potatoes and crème fraiche mustard sauce make a luxurious meal for a truly indulgent dining experience.

Diners could, perhaps, enjoy a comfortable aperitif or digestif in the Bar lounge area, before or after dinner, with a wide range of wines and champagnes to choose from.

Their afternoon tea can be similarly meaningful as you enjoy 'Tea on the Terrace', this is an experience that is all too rare in London these days.

For further details, including information about staying at Le Meridien Piccadilly or holding private parties and conferences there, do visit their Website.

Sorrento is a traditional Italian restaurant, offering silver service amidst elegant surroundings. Jackie and Tony de Angelis and their family see to it that their guests, be they business, family or friends enjoy dishes made with the finest ingredients, with friendly service and a great selection of Italian wine.

There is something vaguely whimsical that in the birthplace of one of England's greatest playwrights an Italian restaurant of the quality of Sorrento should be on hand to delight the lives of those who flock to Stratford-upon-Avon to witness the works of Shakespeare, well laced with their cast of highly convincing Italian characters.

In the summer al fresco dining is available on the patio. Naturally, in this theatre-blessed town, pre and after theatre dinners are served, and there is a three course lunch special for tourists and business people.

A quick glance at the menu reveals traditional, well-loved dishes such as mussels gently simmered in white wine, with garlic, chilli and parsley in tomato sauce or garlic bread topped with tomato, oregano and fresh basil, or with mozzarella.

No Italian menu would be complete without a selection of pasta dishes, amongst which are penne in a traditional spicy tomato, garlic, chilli and herb sauce, or the spaghetti alla Bolognese, pasta embraced in the chef's mince meat, tomato and Italian herb sauce. All pasta dishes may be taken as a starter or main course.
 
Main fish dishes include breast of chicken cooked in Marsala wine, mushroom and cream sauce, and squid lightly dusted in flour and deep-fried. Escallops of veal in white wine, shallots and cream sauce come topped with mozzarella cheese and fresh basil.

The Bard, who displays no evidence of having been inclined to vegetarianism as far as is known, might reasonably have been expected to approve of the medaglione peppe verdi, medallions of fillet steak flamed in brandy in a peppercorn and cream sauce. The chef's daily specials are a popular feature of this restaurant, applied with a frequency and enthusiasm that would have had the witches of Cawdor reaching for their broomsticks with cackling alacrity.

A daily selection of sweets at which the Italians are so adept, brings the meal to a graceful ending, and those who love their cheese will rejoice to see a good selection from Italy, with Formaggio, their answer to England's Stilton, well to the fore. Gelato is Italian for ice cream, and the selection at Sorrento is agreeably bewildering.

There is particularly good value to be had at lunchtime when the set menu is on offer at £13.90 for two courses, three for £17.90. At such prices the rascally and un-lovely Shylock would be counting his beans all the way to Venice.

For more details, including other menus, and special arrangements for party and corporate reservations, do click on their excellent and user-friendly Website.

glo's restaurant at Walton on Thames has introduced a much welcomed brand of pleasurable eating to this pleasant and prosperous western suburb of London. Whatever the purpose of your call at glo, winding down with colleagues after a brusque day or just enjoying the company of friends, here you will find an upbeat and romantic environment to set your evening in motion before dining in the chic restaurant.

The signature cocktails are the perfect way to go, perhaps starting with one of the six listed martinis, before going on to classic longs, sparklers or shooters. Driving? Then select from one of their four non-alcoholic varieties.

An international menu offers many interesting choices, and they recommend sharing food for maximum pleasure, although many do not wish to do this. Dim sum is a speciality so look out for pork and prawn siu mai, hoi sin duck, and scallop and shiitake mushroom dumplings amongst the steamed.

That old favourite duck spring roll leads off the crispy dim sum, cashew and prawn dumplings represent the new wave and vegetarian spring rolls are pure melt in the mouth. Starters include mushrooms with gorgonzola and coriander, Thai crab cakes and hoisin duck pancakes.

They also have an interesting selection of noodles, and pesto and coriander, Thai green and kung po are amongst them. Nowadays you seem to be never less than ten metres from a pizza, and glo is on the mark once again giving a new dimension to this much loved Italian invention, all served with a unique house tomato base and lightly sprinkled with Asian spices, the hoi sin duck or Thai spicy pepperoni are highly recommended.

The grills are equally spectacular with Thai BBQ ribs and whole poussin chicken, manuka rump steak, and pesto lemongrass chicken skewers. Whilst exploring your way through the dessert menu you might encounter a chocolate box, or ice cream money bags, hot and crisp on the outside with creamy Asian ice cream on the inside, topped with warm manuka honey.

The taste in wines is eclectic and not so large as to be thoroughly confusing. Several are by the glass and all under £20. glo stays open until 2am and as a refuge for the restless night hawks it could hardly be bettered. Their smart Website will tell you more. Only one thing left to say - enjoy! It is even open for breakfast from 9 am every day.

At the very heart of the vibrant Covent Garden quarter, Tuttons has for over 30 years occupied its enviable position, offering high quality Modern European cuisine to an enthusiastic and cosmopolitan clientèle. Now refurbished and re-opened looking across to the sublimely beautiful front to the Royal London Opera House, Tuttons again takes its place in the scheme of things.

Large sliding, folding windows enable diners to enjoy some of the best views across Covent Garden's market, much enhanced by the dining terrace where alfresco rules.

In keeping with the tradition of freshness that the name of Covent Garden recalls, the menu calls upon the best of seasonal produce in the daily specials. As one might expect from a former market area the tradition of an early breakfast is maintained and at 8am daily the doors are opened and the delights of a major breakfast menu revealed. Two delightful private dining rooms are available from 8am for business breakfast meetings. What a civilised start to the day!

An à la carte menu eventually takes over with around twelve choices, of which I am happy to say four originate from the sea, with Dorset potted crab, mace butter and sour dough leading the way. Warm smoked ham hock with an Umbrian lentil vinaigrette carries warmth and recollection in its flavours, and a roulade of goat's cheese, with roasted baby beetroot, red chard, pine nuts and beetroot vinaigrette can be served as a main or starter. An attractive charcuterie board for sharing makes a pleasant change and ice breaker if needed.

The menu has been well designed by Executive Chef Darren Lock (lately of Tom's Kitchen) so that it provides lighter dishes more suitable for lunchtime to some of the more traditional brasserie style favourites such as chicken liver and Madeira parfait and confit duck leg. Children are able to enjoy their own menu with five main dishes of the sort beloved by the young (and some young at heart adults).

The grill makes a major contribution to the Tuttons scene, with steaks and Middle White pork cutlet, caramelised apple and red wine jus. Good to see Mid Shires rose veal schnitzel with lemon and caper butter sauce back on menus, including Tuttons, and also the pan fried line-caught pollock with turlu turlu, a Turkish vegetable and chickpea stew, an unusual and delightful combination; even the side dishes have received careful attention, notably the broccoli transformed by the addition of Pecorino cheese and olive oil.

Tuttons does a brisk business in Hen and Birthday packages where everything is thought about, even to disposable cameras at the table. These are frequently held in the vaults, offering a comfortable and sociable setting to a minimum of 12 guests.

For a central London venue within easy distance of main line stations and tubes, theatres and entertainment Tuttons is hard to beat and looks set to enjoy a further 30 years giving good food in pleasant surroundings to an admiring following. Do click on their Website for offers, menu changes and images.

Located in Maiden Lane, Fire And Stone Covent Garden, this is the original and it remains the flagship restaurant of their extending portfolio bringing "deliciously different pizzas" into the heart of the West End. For regular Fire & Stone habitués many feel this is the place to be. Visitors to London weaving their way through one of its most attractive areas are delighted to find this 250 seater restaurant, spread over two floors, with a cool and contemporary interior that attracts without deflecting attention from the fine range of fresh and appealing food.

Some years ago I lunched at the Covent Garden Fire & Stone with a colleague and quickly realised that here was a restaurant that meant business. Their subsequent expansion suggests this was a deserved assessment. A simple but highly efficient service ensures that bookings can be made with ease wherever you are. They also specialise here with their party menus for groups both large and small.

Give yourself a break at lunchtime and take a close look at the lunch meal deal. Book in advance and choose any pizza, pasta or salad from the set menu, currently for £4.95. Choose from amongst such delights as the Marrakech with cumin spiced ground lamb, mozzarella, mint yoghurt sauce, green olives, raisins and sliced onion drizzle with chilli oil, or the Acapulco with slow cooked ground chilli beef, Fire & Stone's tomato sauce, jalapenos, mozzarella, sliced red onions, topped with sour cream and guacamole.

For a modest extra indulgence there's the Peking, with Chinese Hoi Sin sauce, shredded aromatic duck, mozzarella and spring onions topped with cucumber ribbons, or you can go green with barrel aged feta, sliced red and green peppers, cucumber, jumbo green olives, red onion, oregano, vine tomatoes and red wine vinaigrette. From which you will note that Fire & Stone spare neither imagination nor scope.

With not a spot of grappa in sight the way is free to indulge in other liquid excitements from cocktail jugs to a range of uplifting house spirits, and wines displaying a good spread of country and style. Sensibly, many of the wines can be bought by the glass.

On the main menu consider the myriad choice of flavours drawn from five continents preceded by starters that take in a range of dips, sharing boards, calamari, crispy wonton king prawns to name but a few. Their new thin bases still have the same great flavours, homemade sauces and chutneys that top the Original base, but are bigger and crisper. Salads of each and every sort abound. A range of toppings helps in adding individuality to your pizza or you may prefer to head for the pasta choices that include their renowned spicy sausage Rigatoni.

In these difficult times the number of special offers increases and Fire & Stone have that one taped too. Amongst them are the Pizza Passport, so that you collect a stamp each time you buy a pizza up to six, and the seventh pizza is free. The best way to keep abreast of these and other offers is to sign up for their Newsletter, or check up on their Website where offers like Friends Eat Free, 2 pizzas for £10, Kids Eat Free, and a Sunday Special are to be found. One of the reasons they are able to keep their prices so incredibly reasonable is their efficient booking system that enables them to make best use of space and facilities.

You want to eat; Fire & Stone want to help you do that as economically and enjoyably as possible.  It's really that simple. Buon appetito!

Every so often there is an occasion in your life when only the best will do, and without doubt Babylon at The Roof Gardens falls well inside that category, combining as it does all that is best in a restaurant that is able to offer that elusive quality - complete reliability.

Much of the attraction of this sleek, modern restaurant atop the Kensington Roof Gardens used to lie in its spectacular views, but now Head Chef, Ian Howard, with years of experience under his belt, has created menus with a focus on fresher produce from local suppliers to increase the quality of dishes served to Babylon's guests.

Ian's stints at The Savoy, The Belvedere Restaurant under Marco Pierre White, and The Cumberland Hotel under Gary Rhodes, have more than just given him an impressive CV, they have also fuelled his passion for modern British cuisine adding a personalised twist to old favourites.

The à la carte menu carries the main presentation with a list of stunning first courses that leave customers in no doubt they have come to the right place. The perfect touch applied to the butternut squash soup topped with whipped crème fraîche and chives is a hint of things to come. Cornish crab mayonnaise has that little extra, presented with celeriac and apple remoulade with wafer thin caraway croutons.

Main courses of Cotswold White roasted chicken breast is served with date puree, baby leeks, café au lait jus with chopped dates and mash potato, or there is celeriac risotto with crème fraîche, parmesan and shredded ham hock and sauerkraut, garnished with red chicory and cornichons.

Portion sizes have increased, too, but make sure you save space for pudding. The menu is designed to suit all tastes, and could include mango and white chocolate mousse with black sesame seed tuille, papaya and rum sorbet, caramelized exotic fruits; crème brûlée, and vanilla and honey madeleines with framboise.

At many restaurants great attention is quite rightly paid to the traditional Sunday lunch. At Babylon Saturday lunch also comes in for special treatment, with prices that are a positive incentive to those taking advantage of the quality shopping that is so conveniently close to Babylon.

Service provided by the slick and very friendly staff, who are attentive without being obtrusive, must be given top marks.

On Friday and Saturday evenings, guests of Babylon can continue their night in The Roof Gardens Club, open from 10pm-3am. So, you can enjoy a quiet cocktail in the gardens or dance the night away until the early hours of the morning - the choice is yours.

Their Website is well worth visiting as a prelude to the real thing.

The Betjeman Arms at St Pancras Station is part of a small group of friendly, but individualistic pubs, which if you pressed me I would concede are probably gastropubs - reluctantly, because I am never quite sure what the term means.

The fight to preserve St Pancras Station is well catalogued, and it is very much to the credit of Sir John Betjeman that it stands today restored, reinvigorated and ready for the 21st century with a series of dining rooms, terraces and drinking spots to accommodate a range of customers, moods, events and offers.

The station terrace allows views of the arriving trains and a full length view of the truly spectacular Barlow shed. The Euston Road terrace makes the most of our limited English sunshine, under the façade of the gothic station and hotel.

Inside the high bar helps identify the weary traveller or local over a sea of faces, seeking a pint of ale in a handled glass. Through the bar are two dining rooms as well as a boardroom. The Kitchen dining room is reminiscent of the country kitchens of old and is ideal for a glass of wine and a quick bite to eat before heading under the Channel to foreign fields, whilst the main dining room is wonderfully grand without being imposing.

Betjeman Arms opens at 7.30am and serves breakfast until 11am. Naturally this includes the Full English, traditional fare for those away from home, the hungry, and some would say the wise. Scottish smoked salmon and scrambled eggs or a bacon sandwich with tomato chutney are also available, and for those who prefer the healthy option there is Greek yoghurt with granola and honey, or a fresh salad of seasonal fruit. Croissants, pain au chocolat and toasted buttered crumpets all help to revitalise the spirit, as well as the body. Sir John would have approved.

The all day menu kicks in at 11am with a good selection of gastro dishes, and seven starters could include a Welsh rabbit (or rarebit depending on your opinion), bubble and squeak with soft poached egg and smoked bacon or chicken liver and wild mushroom pate with rye toast. Some of these dishes make good light meals.

Main courses of beer battered fish and chips is served with crushed peas, 28 day aged Hereford rib eye steak has chips and béarnaise sauce for company, or head for the tuna steak with white beans and chorizo. More light meals of a ploughman's made with Cornish Yarg, pickles, bread and salad, or a salt beef sandwich with pickle and English mustard are available, before a look at the short but versatile puddings list where rhubarb crumble is served with fresh cream, or enjoy a deliciously moist treacle tart with crème fraiche.

The Betjeman and its siblings have not been slow to appeal to a discerning public, and their list of Awards from 1996 onwards demonstrates beyond doubt that here is a small group of pubs, wise enough to retain the Britishness of its houses to the obvious delight of its customers.

The picturesque and awe inspiring landscape of the town of Perth is home to the smart New County Hotel where the award winning Opus One restaurant continues to gather laurels and awards for their impeccable modern British gourmet cuisine. The hotel is located on County Place in the heart of Perth City Centre and is an ideal retreat whether you're there for business or pleasure. The marvellous adventure sports scene in Perth draws many an enthusiast, and at the end of the day the respite offered by the hotel is enough to rejuvenate even the most exhausted participant.

The light and airy bedrooms are furnished splendidly in stylish monochromatic colours, where white teams up with black for a classic look, and with beige for a more understated but elegant feel. The en-suite bedrooms are equipped with every conceivable comfort including flat screen TV, direct dial telephone, hair dryer and a well stocked hospitality tray.

The 2 AA Rosette awarded Opus One restaurant has garnered other prestigious awards too, such as a Silver Award from EatScotland at the end of 2008 and a Platinum Plate for their outstanding food with Hotel Review Scotland. And to add to that they were named the 'Rising Star Restaurant for 2009' and also achieved a runner-up place for Scottish National Hotel Restaurant of the Year in the Scottish Hotel of The Year Awards; while in 2010 they were 'Urban Restaurant of the Year' in the Scottish Restaurant Awards. Little wonder that the restaurant's popularity has been increasing from strength to strength and their Head Chef, Romuald Denesle from Normandy, who has worked in many excellent restaurants, most recently as Senior Sous Chef at The Ardeonaig Hotel on Loch Tay, is busy as ever trying to raise the bar even higher.

Opus One, we are told, could mean several things, such as the first masterpiece of an artist or composer or the famous wine from Napa Valley. The restaurant, which can be perceived as a magnum opus on its own, has been furnished with a contemporary taste where elegance combines graciously with modern style. The seasonal menu draws on the best of local produce and for lunch starters might include chicken liver parfait with red onion jam and oatcakes, or wholemeal blinis with thick cut smoked salmon with salad leaves and a grain mustards crème fraîche.

Main courses could involve delights such as slow roasted belly of pork with braised red cabbage, truffled potatoes and a sultana and thyme jus, or breast of corn fed chicken with celeriac and potato rösti, Savoy cabbage and Madeira jus. Dishes tend to become more elaborate in the evening, where meals could typically begin with goats' cheese pannacotta with caramelised beetroot and rocket salad, or carpaccio of monkfish cured in lime oil and a caviar dressing. Follow this with fresh market fish of the day or pan-fried fillet of beef.

Luscious and decadent, the desserts at Opus One could easily meet your calorific fantasies more than half way, for who can resist the pineapple and star anise mousse with roasted pineapple and green apple sorbet, or sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream and butterscotch sauce? To ably accompany such excellent food be sure not to miss the selection of fine wines and spirits. Their signature wine is understandably the Opus One, a Napa Valley number that is produced meticulously as a result of the inspired collaboration between Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Robert Mondavi.

There's much more information about opening times, menus and drinks lists on their elegantly designed Website and a few clicks will bring you closer to this wonderful dining destination. Do note that they do not accept children under the age of ten.

Burton on Trent has a classy looking brasserie that it should be proud of, a place where you can visit with friends or family and have some well prepared modern British food, all in a most relaxed setting. It's quite easy to tick off all your objectives for dining out at 99 Station Street, as they concentrate on using only fresh, local and seasonal produce, their cooking is simply superb.

A warm welcome from the friendly front of house team sets the ball rolling and you could soon be seated in the comfortable restaurant, perusing the concise menu that is not overburdened with items, so choosing your meal becomes a pleasurable and simple activity. Lunch time rumblings can easily be assuaged by starters of homemade pâté with dill pickled cucumber, followed by fillet of salmon with soft herb crust and wild garlic oil and orange, lemon and lime cheesecake.

Evenings warrant a more elaborate service and starters such as thin slices of home oak maple smoked venison saddle with sweet and sharp hedgerow fruits and port caviar, or warm Cornish crab in Chapel Down Flint cream sauce on a toasted spring onion, cream cheese and chive pancake drizzled with herbed Staffordshire rapeseed oil are right on the mark. This could be followed by main courses along the lines of baked loin of halibut topped by a soft herb crust with poached mussels in a white wine and roasted garlic velouté finished with double cream, or roast rack of Stockley park lamb on a spring onion and Staffordshire cheese potato cake with a sharp mint puree and red wine sauce.

Those not on a calorie counting spree will enjoy a glance at their dessert menu listing delicious confections ranging from a rather unique bread and butter pudding, layered with single malt soaked raisins on creamy custard, to warm apple crumble tart with homemade cinnamon ice-cream. Chocoholics will love the blissful combination of coconut Cambridge cream topped with a chocolate crust and served with short bread biscuit whilst those who prefer savoury endings can opt for the cheese board.

99 Station Street has a few local wines, some classics as well as some New World creations including cava and champagne, which are eminently suitable for different courses of the meal. They also have private dining options and cater for special occasions with specifically prepared menus and they positively welcome add-ons such as hand made place settings and cakes to infuse that distinctive touch to your party.

They have garnered some prestigious accolades already, and judging by their popularity some more are surely bound their way. For information about menus, wine list and upcoming events, do check their Website.