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hand picked restaurants

Unobtrusive from the outside, faded traditional on the inside, Bosquet gets to the heart of the matter when it comes to the classical French cooking. A few modern gestures there may be, but in the main it is the well-tried and much-loved dishes that make their appearance and earn Bosquet a reputation which brings people back time and again. In deference to middle-England there is a daily fish special.

With its cultivated take on provincial southern Indian cooking, The Coconut Lagoon is a bright, informal restaurant, which is popular with their easygoing crowd of Kenilworth regulars. Lively jade green walls and soft lighting create a subdued, relaxing atmosphere.

Their cuisine subtly explores diverse colonial influences of the invasions by the Portuguese, Dutch, French and British on provincial cooking. This restaurant recreates aromatic specialities from the South Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Goa. These areas have long coastlines and generously use rice, seafood and coconut. Their feast menus designed for four people has varying degrees of spice - mild, medium and hot to suit different tastes.

Whilst the 42 Loch Fyne restaurants have a shared background there is a welcome degree of individuality encouraged throughout the group, which makes for customer interest. If you like wholesome, fresh and reliable seafood caught and reared under carefully controlled conditions, well presented in unfussy surroundings, and you enjoy being well looked after by pleasant staff, Loch Fyne is for you.

There is an increasing awareness of other food staples with an extended choice of meat dishes, but it is the original fare upon which their success was created that prevails. Loch Fyne kippers, a fine bouillabaisse, braden rost, kiln-roasted salmon fillet, and the toothsome oysters on ice, with a selection of accompaniments, all are to be found throughout the various restaurants, as well as Glen Fyne 21 day aged rib-eye steak and Scottish smoked venison. There is invariably a well-travelled wine list available which is sensible, both in content and prices.

Loch Fyne's greatest achievement has been to prove to a sceptical populace that chains or conglomerates can be made to work in the eating-out public's best interests.

Petit Gourmand is trés chic, a restaurant where substance and style come together with glamorous and distinguished results, and it's the place where the town of Kenilworth's glitterati come to be cosseted and pampered with some of the best French cuisine Warwickshire can offer. Dining rooms bear a continental demeanour, an easy and laidback atmosphere that is enhanced by the elegant décor while the pale mint green exterior is refreshingly different.

The seasonal menus have been created by using the best locally and ethically sourced ingredients and starters could typically include ham hock terrine with rémoulade salad and cornichons followed by a main course of free range breast of chicken pan-fried with mushrooms, shallots, garlic and red wine. End with a delicious glazed lemon tart with raspberry sorbet and choose something to drink from a well-travelled wine list. Petit Gourmand has a sumptuous private dining room which is just perfect for functions, conferences and parties.

The hotel incorporates the former 1430's Castle Tavern, still supported by the oak tree around which it was originally built. The brasserie offers a very wide range of well prepared and attractive dishes from a menu which combs the world for inspiration. The two/three course Sunday lunch is particularly good value and the steaks are renowned for quality and the variety of sauces available. The wine list represents good value and nips around the world.

The bygone colonial elegance of Raffles, with its white latticework and potted palms, lends this Kenilworth restaurant an engaging, civilised air. The Malaysian cuisine is equally cultivated, blending Mandarin Chinese, Malay and Tamil Indian influences in a diverse and imaginative menu. The food is served in their very own regal house style with crystal cut glass and fine bone china in a colonial ballroom setting. Tinkling piano music and Singapore Slings keep the mood refined late into the evening.