Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

The Fox and Hounds is an 18th century stone built pub not far from Northampton, offering all the pleasures of a quintessential English public house, with traditional values set in an attractive modern design. The sandstone and thatch cottages of Harlestone stand testament to the centuries of quarrying that has taken place in the area.

Their attention to detail and quality of service ensures your dining experience has to be one to remember. Relax over beers, continental pilsners, decent clarets and fruity New World Sauvignons in the garden or in the dark wood and bright leather interiors. Food is served all day, from the bar menu, containing lighter bites, through to a full set of options.

The choices are simple but up-to-the-minute, with lots of comfort appeal, homely things like pizza, steaks and pasta as well as contemporary, global touches to keep the palate lively, all delivered by friendly and cheerful staff.

To set the right note of fashionable sociability there are sharing plates, antipasti of Italian meats, dolcelatte, marinated vegetables and warm stone-baked flatbreads, or Mediterranean mezze of hummus, roasted vegetables, fregola, tzatziki, feta, spinach and ricotta pâté with warm flatbreads.

Amongst the appetisers there is freshly made soup; smoked salmon, pomegranate molasses, fennel and micro herb salad, or dolcelatte and pear tart with red onion marmalade. Look, too, for scallops in the specials section.

The salads offer chargrilled chicken, courgette, fennel, apple, asparagus, hazelnut and balsamic dressing, whilst for the seafood enthusiasts some prawn and avocado with pecans, mango, bacon, orange and pomegranate vinaigrette are well received.

These days no self-respecting gastropub can afford to be without its pizza range; expect to find a classic margherita of cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, pomodoro and basil, the rustica with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, goats' cheese and cherry tomatoes and, or the piccante with pepperoni, chorizo, tomato and jalapeños.

Pastas include linguini with tiger prawns, crab, chorizo, chilli, tomato and white wine, or tagliatelle with slow cooked Bolognaise and parmesan. For the big event there is always a spit chicken with lemon, garlic, thyme and frites.

The battered haddock, frites, tartare sauce and minted mushy peas is popular, a sign of the times and improving taste in eating. For hearty eaters there are rib eye and fillet steaks or roast rump of lamb with sauce soubise, asparagus, pancetta, button onions and baby potatoes.

A wide range of supporting dishes includes rosemary frites and mayo, and cabbage, leeks and peas. For desserts choose between an apple, blackcurrant crumble and vanilla custard and, sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream. There is also a selection of cheeses to set the buffs alight.

More information, including full menus, is available on their Website. Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.

Set alongside the River Nene on the outskirts of the public school town of Oundle, the building which used to be the Barnwell Corn Mill has taken on a new lease in its 1,000 years of history as a chic restaurant with rooms. Whatever your purpose in coming to Oundle Mill you can hardly avoid being taken over by the combination of a stunning location, sophisticated yet rustic environment, fine modern European food, smooth service and sense of calm.

However, 2010 will always be remembered by everyone involved with Oundle Mill as not only were they awarded two rosettes by the AA but they were also named Restaurant of the Year in the Northamptonshire Food Awards.

Oundle is a fine example of an ancient, stone market town and is perfectly situated for diners and guests from Peterborough, Kettering, Market Harborough and Corby as well as the Rutland towns of Uppingham, Oakham and Stamford.

Those who stay will find total luxury, with walk-in showers, vast stone double ended baths that will comfortably hold two, fluffy bath sheets and toiletries by Elemis. Italian designed furniture mixes with Bose sound systems and Loewe flat screen TVs, whilst the comfort of 6 foot beds with fully sprung mattresses, goose down duvets and super large pillows and towels will seduce you into slumber.

On matters of gastronomy Oundle Mill is just as uncompromising, and there is a choice of locations dependent upon your mood and purpose. The 'Downstairs' bar offers informality and total relaxation, whilst the 'Upstairs' restaurant extends a change of atmosphere by combining the sophistication of a glamorous dining room with views of the river. But if it is discretion and intimacy that is on the agenda the private dining room extends a welcome.

Our Head Chef Gavin's cooking style can be described as: simple things done really well using locally sourced, great quality ingredients. The menus are designed so that there is something for every occasion and mood, from the more adventurous to the tried and trusted favourites.

To start expect to find North Atlantic prawns with cocktail sauce or Brancaster mussels with cider and parsley-fried bread. Tempura black pudding, hen's egg, crisp shallots, bacon and devilled sauce, or soused and grilled mackerel with apple, ginger and micro coriander make wonderful starters, teasing the palate for whatever is to follow.

On the menu for the main course is Denham Estate venison, turnip purée, confit root vegetables with Cabernet Sauvignon sauce, or perhaps for something more earthy try Seven Wells rib eye steak and fish and chips with mushy peas, lemon and tartar sauce. The Mill believes in its desserts, starting with glazed lemon tart and kiwi sorbet, through warm treacle tart with orange custard to peppered strawberries, balsamic and mascarpone pannacotta.

Less formal eating commands a 'mains for two' menu with free range roast chicken, sage and onion stuffing, roast duck fat potatoes, black cabbage, bread sauce and roasting juices, and rib of beef, wild mushrooms, truffle polenta, Chantenay carrots and mulled shallots.

With its wonderful location and facilities it is hardly surprising to find that the Mill is increasingly popular for those seeking something rather different from the average.

For further information click on their elegant Website.

The Red Hot World Buffet at Sixfields Leisure Park in Northampton gives diners an opportunity to embark on a fascinating culinary journey to six of the world's most popular countries. Just like its name, the décor brings together design elements from across the world, resulting in an atmosphere that blends the traditional and the modern. Ambient lighting and projected artwork complete the picture.

Talking about the food; the Red Hot lunch menu offers over sixty dishes from Japan, China, Thailand, India, Mexico, and Italy, from live cooking stations. Diners spend time visiting the open kitchens, enjoying all they can eat for a fixed price. In the evening, over a hundred and ten dishes are available at any one time.

Choices range from Japanese udon noodles, Chinese jasmine rice with sweet and sour pork, and Thai fish cakes, to Indian seekh kebab, Italian homemade pizzas and pastas, and Mexican chilli con carne and fajita wraps.

The bar is open late into the evening, and is a great place to sip on cocktails, beers, spirits, and world wines.

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

This delightfully antique Northamptonshire pub changed hands a little while back, though there is little evidence of much change in the popular and well-tried menu that has put this pub back on the fashionable circuit in recent years. Because of the construction of the building it would not be possible for anybody so-minded to take out the inner walls, so three quite small and cosy rooms serve as mini dining rooms.

The bar is one of those that looks as though it has been there for ever, and they serve attractive and well-kept names, such as Shepherd Neame Spitfire or Nethergate.

For starters the white onion and red pepper soup with courgette beignet brings together a range of delicate flavours to make a vegetarian dish with a surprising amount of body. The ragout of seafood with cherry tomatoes and chives works well, particularly given the difficulty of bringing the various materials involved together, but for your average hungry man the chicken with wild mushroom and asparagus Ballotine, served with an apple and grape compote takes some matching.

The surrounding richly verdant Northamptonshire acres help support a diversity of wild and reared life, amongst which venison, roaming through what is left of the once-vast Rockingham Forest, make regular après appearances on the Queen's Head menu, usually served roasted with mash, glazed baby carrots and a juniper berry jus.

Rack of English lamb with dauphinoise potatoes, onion marmalade and a rosemary pan gravy is a staunch favourite, closely pursued by the grilled rib eye steak, served with fondant potatoes and a brandy and peppercorn sauce. A fish course of smoked salmon fishcakes, with spinach, a soft poached egg and hollandaise sauce benefits from the judicious addition of a little ginger.

Every day a choice of attractive puddings is displayed on the blackboard. These could include the much-travelled sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream, a pistachio nut brulee with orange sorbet, or a fresh caramelised apple with toffee sauce and ice cream. Service is friendly and workmanlike.

Increasingly people are taking to wine when they eat out, which even if only for the gaiety of nations is an encouraging trend. There are two snags, those who overcharge for wine and those who serve house wine that is, frankly, disgusting. Happily they do neither at the Queen's Head, recognising perhaps that this is an area which can make or break the meal for many and deserves the same care and attention as everything else.

As you bowl along the A43 between Stamford and Corby, about three miles from Corby watch out for signs directing you down the short road that takes you into Bulwick.

Though they do not have a Website yet, you can reach them by E-Mail.

Should you feel an American moment coming on, get straight into the mood at a TGI Friday's. First thought of in New York in 1965, introduced to Birmingham, UK in 1986, they now, like so many other American concepts, are to be found on a global basis and have 48 outlets in the UK alone. According to Newsweek and The Saturday Evening Post, the opening of the first Friday's restaurant heralded the dawn of the singles age.

In many ways, TGIs are more representative of the American approach to eating out than some of their imitators. Their food is fresh, the portions generous and the cocktail list exhaustive. They also tend to represent the all-American classlessness that can produce a meal at any time, for any social group, for any reason, under the same roof, without a problem.

So what's on offer? The quick answer is, it depends rather on where you are, as menus do vary from one restaurant to another, but the essential message stays the same - American grub, fella! Appetizers - no starters please - could include Jack Daniel's wings, chicken wings coated in Jack Daniel's sweet 'n' smoky glaze, or spinach and artichoke hearts coated in a rich and creamy cheese sauce, served with crisp corn tortillas.

For a group assault try the Times Square big share, more of Jack Daniel's wings, cheese and bacon skins to the very brim, with crispy breaded mozzarella dippers and served with a battery of accoutrements.

The steaks are awesome, topping out with a 12oz rib eye. A range of burgers, ribs, chicken, fish, sandwiches, fajitas, salads and pasta embraces virtually every known twist in the repertoire of American cuisine. Chocolate fudge fixation perhaps sums up best, but by no means exclusively, the TGI approach to desserts.

From a list of over 500 cocktails, all mixed with exuberant charm, let's take just one. You thought Long Island Iced Tea was something polite Americans sipped after some gentle sailing? Think again. Vodka, gin, rum and orange liqueur, topped up with Coke, spin and pour. The popular drink was in fact, invented by TGIF. As with all cocktails you can choose between regular or ultimate, no questions asked. Beer, wine and soft drinks cover enormous range and they also offer good coffee.

It is not important which outlet of TGIF you visit, for if you enjoy the American style of eating, just look out for red and white stripes and you are likely to be happy.

To locate a Friday's nearest to you and get the world famous Friday feeling on any day of the week click on their Website.

With quality food, friendly staff, quick service and excellent value for money, Nando's is a great place to eat. Don't expect identikit, pre-fab restaurant interiors which are usually a staple of the larger chains; each restaurant is tailored to its local surroundings and customers, offering up a unique restaurant experience to go with the equally unique taste of legendary, Portuguese, Peri-Peri chicken.

Your peri-peri chicken, when the chips are down so to speak, is a fresh A grade chicken that has never seen the inside of a freezer, but having made the supreme sacrifice is butterfly-cut, marinated for 24 hours in a secret brew called - you've guessed - peri-peri, and is then cooked to your choice over an open flame.

There are, of course, many variations on this broad theme, numerous plays on words such as Nando's experi-perience, peri-peri good reasons why you should eat at a Nando's' and all one hopes is that for their sake chicken never goes out of fashion. New Nando's are opening all the time, peri-peri quickly in fact, the spicy bastes become hotter and more daring, and the full platter offers a whole chicken, large chips or spicy rice and Nando's salad or coleslaw.

Since chickens are vegetarian it seems logical you can order veggie or bean burgers and patties, and still feel the heat from the peppers. All in all, Nando's is hotly recommended for those occasions when you have a large following of permanently hungry children, or adults even, to keep happy - the only thing taken really seriously is the quality of those peri-peri good chickens.

Nando's is a place for bright people who love to laugh and love to eat, and is guaranteed to spice up your taste buds. Their fun approach to life means that when you visit Nando's you can fully relax without the airs and graces associated with more starchy dining out.

For the location of your nearest Nando's restaurant and a host of details about menus, parties and drinks, a click on their Website will reveal a Pandora's box of information.

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.

With quality food, friendly staff, quick service and excellent value for money, Nando's is a great place to eat. Don't expect identikit, pre-fab restaurant interiors which are usually a staple of the larger chains; each restaurant is tailored to its local surroundings and customers, offering up a unique restaurant experience to go with the equally unique taste of legendary, Portuguese, Peri-Peri chicken.

Your peri-peri chicken, when the chips are down so to speak, is a fresh A grade chicken that has never seen the inside of a freezer, but having made the supreme sacrifice is butterfly-cut, marinated for 24 hours in a secret brew called - you've guessed - peri-peri, and is then cooked to your choice over an open flame.

There are, of course, many variations on this broad theme, numerous plays on words such as Nando's experi-perience, peri-peri good reasons why you should eat at a Nando's, and all one hopes is that for their sake chicken never goes out of fashion. New Nando's are opening all the time, peri-peri quickly in fact, the spicy bastes become hotter and more daring, and the full platter offers a whole chicken, large chips or spicy rice and Nando's salad or coleslaw.

Since chickens are vegetarian it seems logical you can order veggie or bean burgers and patties, and still feel the heat from the peppers. All in all, Nando's is hotly recommended for those occasions when you have a large following of permanently hungry children, or adults even, to keep happy - the only thing taken really seriously is the quality of those peri-peri good chickens.

Nando's is a place for bright people who love to laugh and love to eat, and is guaranteed to spice up your taste buds. Their fun approach to life means that when you visit Nando's you can fully relax without the airs and graces associated with more starchy dining out.

For the location of your nearest Nando's restaurant and a host of details about menus, parties and drinks, a click on their Website will reveal a Pandora's box of information.

The Beefeater Grill range of restaurants, owned by the well established firm of Whitbread has transformed over time into what is now predominantly a cooking platform for chargrill. The restaurants are warm, modern and stylish, with low lighting and contemporary artwork. A comfortable, cosy, mainly booth layout offers guests their own space with no feeling of being hurried at any point. Staff are friendly and helpful if need be - what a difference that can make to a good evening out.

Be it the wide open spaces of Argentina, the intimate setting of a French restaurant, or a busy grill in London's West End, there's no denying the popularity of chargrill. As the production of quality beef, chicken, fish and lamb has grown, prices have come down by comparison, and the simple and traditional art of minimally cooking dishes by chargrill, sealing in the flavours and tastes by intense heat has caught the public imagination.

All the steaks at Beefeater Grill are matured for a minimum of 28 days before being seasoned. Whether it be juicy rib eye, the classic sirloin, that emblem of the Sunday lunch, a tender fillet, or a delicious 7oz rump, all grilled to your own specification, you're never far away from perfection. Even beefburgers have shaken off their dubious image and the highly popular Beefeater burgers are made from 100% beef.

The popular sirloin with giant prawns offers a treat to those for whom an alliance between sea and pasture is a natural attraction, whilst a 16oz steak platter links rump, fillet, sirloin and rib eye into one mouth-watering dish served with chips, battered onion rings, grilled tomato, a flat mushroom and peppercorn and brandy sauce.

Many of us love rib meat, and the rack of ribs at a Beefeater Grill has a meaty rack smoky flavour; maple ribs of pork with a choice of three sauces, mojito, smoked caramel and apple glaze, or Bourbon and black BBQ. And if all else fails and you are totally baffled by the wealth of choices, ask to have a word with the Steakmaster who will help find what is right for you, together with the best cooking method. These guys leave nothing to chance.

On a menu that is a delight to read, let alone choose a meal from, expect to find smaller dishes such as traditional prawn cocktail, whitebait, chicken liver pâté and baked Camembert, or juicy lamb koftas served with yoghurt and mint dip. There's something about a good steak meal that always leaves a gap for a little temptation to sweeten up the scene and from amongst twelve options look for Belgian chocolate cheesecake, treacle sponge pudding or a caramel apple crumble pie.

Throughout the day a wide range of more general dishes are yours for the ordering, sandwiches, jackets, classic favourites like fish and chips, pasta, salads, and sharing dishes of nachos, potato shells and a Beefeater Grill combo. Next door to many of the restaurants are Premier Inns, so staying the night whatever the circumstances need not be a problem.

And what about wine? Endorsed by Matthew Jukes, wine writer in the Daily Mail and bon viveur in his own right, a wine list that marches with the menu completes an impressive and compelling invitation to enjoy whatever takes your fancy at the nearest Beefeater Grill.

Click on their Website for menu updates and special offers.

The Beefeater Grill range of restaurants, owned by the well established firm of Whitbread has transformed over time into what is now predominantly a cooking platform for chargrill. The restaurants are warm, modern and stylish, with low lighting and contemporary artwork. A comfortable, cosy, mainly booth layout offers guests their own space with no feeling of being hurried at any point. Staff are friendly and helpful if need be - what a difference that can make to a good evening out.

Be it the wide open spaces of Argentina, the intimate setting of a French restaurant, or a busy grill in London's West End, there's no denying the popularity of chargrill. As the production of quality beef, chicken, fish and lamb has grown, prices have come down by comparison, and the simple and traditional art of minimally cooking dishes by chargrill, sealing in the flavours and tastes by intense heat has caught the public imagination.

All the steaks at Beefeater Grill are matured for a minimum of 28 days before being seasoned. Whether it be juicy rib eye, the classic sirloin, that emblem of the Sunday lunch, a tender fillet, or a delicious 7oz rump, all grilled to your own specification, you're never far away from perfection. Even beefburgers have shaken off their dubious image and the highly popular Beefeater burgers are made from 100% beef.

The popular sirloin with giant prawns offers a treat to those for whom an alliance between sea and pasture is a natural attraction, whilst a 16oz steak platter links rump, fillet, sirloin and rib eye into one mouth-watering dish served with chips, battered onion rings, grilled tomato, a flat mushroom and peppercorn and brandy sauce.

Many of us love rib meat, and the rack of ribs at a Beefeater Grill has a meaty rack smoky flavour; maple ribs of pork with a choice of three sauces, mojito, smoked caramel and apple glaze, or Bourbon and black BBQ. And if all else fails and you are totally baffled by the wealth of choices, ask to have a word with the Steakmaster who will help find what is right for you, together with the best cooking method. These guys leave nothing to chance.

On a menu that is a delight to read, let alone choose a meal from, expect to find smaller dishes such as traditional prawn cocktail, whitebait, chicken liver pâté and baked Camembert, or juicy lamb koftas served with yoghurt and mint dip. There's something about a good steak meal that always leaves a gap for a little temptation to sweeten up the scene and from amongst twelve options look for Belgian chocolate cheesecake, treacle sponge pudding or a caramel apple crumble pie.

Throughout the day a wide range of more general dishes are yours for the ordering, sandwiches, jackets, classic favourites like fish and chips, pasta, salads, and sharing dishes of nachos, potato shells and a Beefeater Grill combo. Next door to many of the restaurants are Premier Inns, so staying the night whatever the circumstances need not be a problem.

And what about wine? Endorsed by Matthew Jukes, wine writer in the Daily Mail and bon viveur in his own right, a wine list that marches with the menu completes an impressive and compelling invitation to enjoy whatever takes your fancy at the nearest Beefeater Grill.

Click on their Website for menu updates and special offers.