Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

Queens Road is home to many stylish shops, cafes, and restaurants, and if you're in the area and in search of a genuine Italian restaurant, visit the friendly Don Leone. Daytime diners who have enjoyed al fresco breakfasts will be glad to know that the smart little place is also open in the evening.

In the daytime feast on homemade burgers, salads, pizza and pasta, jacket potatoes, and a croque monsieur stuffed with farmhouse ham and cheddar, and toasted on bread smothered with wholegrain mustard.

The dinner menu opens with starters of thick focaccia bread and garlic butter, and juicy mussels with tomatoes, fresh herbs, and Napoli sauce. Mains include choices such as steak Diane, and calf liver alla Veneziana, fresh liver pan-fried with garlic, red onion, white wine, and rosemary. The meat dream pizza brings together salami, Parma ham, pepperoni and prosciutto in a sumptuous celebration, while the flavoursome salmon tagliatelle is another of their lovely creations.

Classic desserts of tiramisu and pannacotta help end in true Italian style. A short drinks list complements proceedings.

Carluccio's was started by Antonio and Priscilla Carluccio as a small café and shop stocking Italian food and ingredients in 1991, and grew into a restaurant serving authentic cuisine at sensible prices in 1999. Antonio is an expert on food and has been a wine merchant, restaurant manager and owner, cookery expert on television and author of twelve cookery books. It is therefore not surprising, that today Carluccio's has over fourty-nine outlets across the UK.

Antonio believes Italian cookery involves minimum fuss and maximum flavour. This is exactly what his restaurants try to do by using fresh produce, and working largely with families who make things the traditional way - with care. Their passion also translates into special events like hands-on cookery classes and recipe sharing, Antonio and his team regularly organise for interested guests. They also offer takeaways and a catering service.

The breakfast menu offers croissants and breads served with butter and preserves or honey and free range eggs, either scrambled or fried and served with pancetta or ciabatta. They also have long cured Parma ham and healthier options like muesli and fruits. These are best had with coffee, tea or freshly squeezed juice. Carluccio's offers an impressive list of white, red, rosé and sparkling wines which complement your meal.

The restaurants offer a range of soup and salads which give your meal a nutritious start before moving on to the mains. If you like pasta, enjoy the small filled parcels served in a ham and cream sauce, or sample the Neapolitana spaghetti with whole fresh clams, garlic, herbs and chilli. The branzino con salsa e patate, fillet of pan fried sea bass served with tomato salsa and sautéed potatoes and Somerset rib-eye steak with rosemary potatoes, called bistecca di bue con patate, are good options too. If you are looking for something lighter, you could opt for the numerous sides called contorni and panini.

In the Tuscany region of Italy, meals end simply with almond biscuits dipped in a sweet local wine, Vin Santo and eaten. You can enjoy that experience at Carluccio's, or settle for a more conventional dolci of tiramisu, warm chocolate and kahlua pudding, your choice of Italian cheeses or gelatos in different flavours.

Westfield House Hotel, set in the heart of Blaby village, south of Leicester city centre boasts of a welcoming lounge off set to the Time Out Restaurant offering comfort food, lavish wine, continental beer in a comfortable setting.

Order pea and ham veloute with minted cream, cheese and coriander beignets on a rich tomato fondue and rocket leaves to begin your meal. For main course consider typicallylemon roasted chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto ham, served on spaghetti with a tomato and vegetable sauce, or Cumberland sausage on mash with fried onions, gravy and a Yorkshire pudding, with new potatoes served in butter and rock salt. End the meal with lime cheesecake with a dark chocolate sauce, and brandy snap basket, filled with sweetened strawberries and ice cream, and a selection of English and continental cheeses with fruit chutney and biscuits.

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.

Originally a farmhouse built in 1519 the creeper-covered Crown Inn is a quality village pub run on professional lines and producing original and exciting food. Consider the Crown Feast, a tureen of home made soup, a joint to carve at your table served with freshly cooked vegetables followed by a choice of pudding. And should you have overdosed on the excellent soup and be found wanting when it comes to the joint you can take home what is left. For those to whom a pint or so of English best is paradise, before, after or during your meal the roll call of respected names is music to the palate. There is also a respected wine list. An enterprising range of events contains many that are meal-associated.

Originally a farmhouse built in 1519 the creeper-covered Crown Inn is a quality village pub run on professional lines and producing original and exciting food. Consider the Crown Feast, a tureen of home made soup, a joint to carve at your table served with freshly cooked vegetables followed by a choice of pudding. And should you have overdosed on the excellent soup and be found wanting when it comes to the joint you can take home what is left. For those to whom a pint or so of English best is paradise, before, after or during your meal the roll call of respected names is music to the palate. There is also a respected wine list. An enterprising range of events contains many that are meal-associated.

Those seeking a little respite from queuing up in a pub, waiting endlessly for a drink will be happy to note that Taps Bar displays a fondness to stray from the norm. This is a kind of place where you can plonk down and pour yourself some premium continental Amstel lager, as each table is fitted with a beer tap, while the counter in the cellar keeps ticking away as you drown the troubles of the work week over mugs of beer.

Then, when it's time to start thinking about food, tapas comes to the rescue. One look at the menu and picture world on the plate with garlic mushrooms, goats' cheese salad with a drizzle of truffle oil, tempura fried mixed seafood, and Lincolnshire sausages and homemade red cabbage sauerkraut, all this, followed by a cheese selection, make for a memorable time out.

Taps Bar also offers a wide collection of continental beers, lagers, wines, champagnes and cocktail, which the staff are happy to bring to the table.

If you're looking to catch a glimpse of Latin life and cuisine this side of the Atlantic, hop right in to any Las Iguanas outlet across the UK. Each eatery is designed differently and brings out diverse flavours and colours - from the stillness of the Argentinean Pampas to the energy of Rio at Carnival time - some outlets are bathed in colour while others are more sober. Don't be surprised if you come across a few life-sized Latinos too.

All the action is centred on the food, a fusion of native Latin American, Indian, Spanish, Portuguese and African influences. Their signature dish called xinxim, Brazilian lime chicken in a creamy crayfish and peanut sauce with rice, fine beans and sweet plantain happens to be football legend Pele's favourite.

The tapas menu served throughout the day offers braised chorizo in Rioja wine with country bread; peri-peri, crisp cassava coated chicken with Brazilian style hot garlic; crayfish marinated with fresh mango, and quesadilla, a chargrilled tortilla filled with portobello mushroom, melted brie dressed with homemade tomato, garlic and coriander salsa.

Argentinean steaks are simply seasoned, flame grilled and served with potato, salad or cassava fries. Traditional fajitas - hot sizzling platters with onions and bell peppers, served with homemade salsa, pickled jalapeños, sour cream, guacamole and warm tortillas can be enjoyed with chicken fillet strips, steak, mushrooms or artichoke and squash.

Latin rhythm in the background and an extensive choice of wine, cocktails, champagne, beer and caipirinha, made from their very own cachaca, Brazil's national drink produced in their own sugarcane plantations  complete the picture.

Desserts such as Ipanema mess, made of creamy mascarpone, natural yoghurt, raspberries, guava preserve and crushed meringue lend the meal a befitting end.

Cedars is a charming restaurant that stays true to the Lebanese tradition of warm hospitality and good food. Well furnished and spacious, the interior offers guests a pleasant spot to relax, unwind and enjoy a good meal and drinks. If you are looking for a place where you can gather your friends and sample authentic mezze then the outdoor dining area could well be your choice.

Start with falafel, broad beans, chickpeas, coriander, red pepper and mixed spices and jawaneh, grilled or fried chicken wings, sautéed in a Provencal sauce. If you prefer cold starters, then order labneh, condensed yoghurt, served with olive oil and dried mint. For main course try grilled tender cubes of lamb, served with a choice of French fries or flavoured rice and salad and marinated chicken and tomato sauce cooked with mixed vegetables and served with couscous. Live belly dancing during select evenings is an added attraction.

The children's menu comprises of main course dishes at half the price.