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Sitting pretty in Pepper Street in Nottingham just off trendy Bridlesmith Gate, Thai restaurant the Pretty Orchid is as good a place as any in Nottingham in which to enjoy the piquant flavours of a Thai meal. Its unpretentious exterior, cozy interiors and a fair selection of well-known Thai dishes offers patrons an unremarkable yet enjoyable evening.

Get started with sarong king prawns, wrapped in pastry and basil leaf and served with a plum sauce dip, or aromatic duck, served with warm pancakes and special hoi sin sauce, and move on to red sea bass curry or chicken green curry or weeping tiger, medium cooked sirloin steak in tamarind sauce. Alternately, try chef's special, salmon miso, salmon spread with miso paste and cooked with seven spices, or floating market, spices, herbs and vegetables combined with a medley of seafood. The Pretty Orchid offers set meals, a vegetarian platter, a seafood platter and a gourmet platter, individually tailored courses for a minimum of six people.

Located between Bridlesmith Gate and the restaurants, pubs and clubs of Lace Market is Nottingham's traditional delicatessen called Delilah. People devoted to refined sensuous enjoyment, especially of good food and drink, rejoice on visiting the store. Opened with a goal to 'reclaim the word 'delicatessen' from the sandwich bars and take-aways that so abused it', the place is today known as a leading fine food destination.

Coming to the finer details, Delilah is a delicatessen and a tapas style food bar all rolled into one delightful little enterprise that rarely fails to please. The shop offers delicacies that range from cheeses, salamis and meats, and exclusive wines, to over a thousand treats such as honey, chutneys, and oils sourced from small artisan producers, both locally and further afield. The food bar serves such simple yet enjoyable creations as goats' cheese wrapped in prosciutto, char-grill specials such as Bison-burger, or a chorizo, piquillo pepper, allioli and rocket ciabatta.

Gift and picnic hampers can be ordered online and Delilah caters for buffets, dinner parties and office lunches.

The Hemlock Stone and Dragon is a popular Nottinghamshire attraction where good food, wine and beer go hand in hand.

There is great emphasis on contemporary quality food, much of it fresh seasonal produce from Sherwood Forest Farm Park. The beef in particular gives cause for pride, reared by John Quicksall on the banks of the River Trent, the same location as the one uses for growing his own feed. All the beef is dry aged for 21 days to ensure the most tender and flavoursome cuts, and fresh fish is delivered daily.

Sunday Roast at the Hemlock Stone is a major event of the week with generally a choice of roast sirloin of Trent side beef with homemade Yorkshire puddings, roll stuffed belly pork from Sherwood Forest with fresh apple sauce, roast leg of lamb with fresh pickled mint sauce, and pan fried supreme of fresh salmon with herb sauce.

The Thaymar ice cream, made from natural ingredients and local fruits, offers unusual, and award winning, flavours such as elderflower and gooseberry. A list of beers, ciders and lagers reads rather like a litany of relaxed enjoyment.

This is a place to take the family and enjoy a thoroughly pleasant meal with complete lack of any tiresome formalities.

Modern and conveniently located, The Nottingham Gateway is an AA three-star hotel three miles from the city centre and just one from the M1 motorway. The refuge's strongest points lie in its conference facilities that can make up to 250 guests feel at ease, and in its top-notch Strings Bar and Bows Gallery Restaurant.

With crisp white walls and colourful canvases, splashes of red with beige and black leather seating, the refurbished restaurant offers a sleek and luxurious ambience. Enjoy beautiful views through floor to ceiling windows, and feast on dishes from a new European menu.

Starters encompass a chicken liver and smoked bacon parfait served with a plum and vanilla chutney and toasted focaccia, while a selection of freshly roasted meats, fish and homemade pies make up the main course list.

The bar offers a bistro style menu of hand-cut sandwiches, light snacks, and homemade pizza. You could relax over a glass of wine, browse the internet, or sit back and enjoy live sporting events there.