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The first Browns opened at Brighton in 1973 with one simple guiding belief, that classic food, well delivered in a stylish environment would be a recipe for success. The only thing that has changed since then is the number of Browns, now running at fourteen, of which six are in London, all prospering with the same theme.

The main menu, available throughout the day, starts with appetisers, designed for sharing, with antipasti of Italian meat, vegetarian or seafood. Try the flatbreads with a range of interesting toppings.

In amongst the thirteen starters expect to come across smoked duck, crisp noodle and cashew nut salad with red peppers, tumeric cauliflower, spring onions and a sherry vinaigrette. The fish and salad choices include fish and chips tempura battered cod with minted mushy peas and tartar sauce and pan-fried butterflied tiger prawns tossed with linguine in a tomato, coriander and chorizo sauce.

The same theme of comfortable food, well-cooked and presented, continues throughout the mains course with roast chicken breast in sour dough bread with baby spinach, tomato and mayonnaise, served with seasoned chips, and steak frites 6oz prime sirloin, served with a lemon, parsley and peppercorn butter.

The chalkboard carries a list of the day's specials, but every day except Sunday is Browns's afternoon tea day, served from 2 to 5.30 pm, and on Sundays it offers a choice of three roasts. It would be harder to find a dessert much more English than lemon tartlet with crème fraîche.

Browns at Birmingham are well able to deal with groups, and have special menus to look after their particular interests. Click on their excellent Website for further details and menu changes.

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.

Chic and very contemporary are some of the thoughts that cross your mind as you step on the elegant walnut floors of this trendy Italian restaurant on the first level of the Radisson Hotel. While floor to ceiling windows add dimensions and space, the heavy Sardinian influences are reflected in the menu that focuses largely on procuring quality ingredients that do not go over the top.

Carpaccio of beef with lemon, rocket and shaved Parmigiano Reggiano makes a delectable starter while char grilled rump of lamb with baby spinach, pine nuts & sultanas soaked in Dindarello wine in the mains is a worthy option. A toothsome chocolate fondant with pistachio ice cream or the Filini tiramisu is just one of the ways to indulge in decadence without feeling any the worse for it!

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

The Malmaison group of hotels has established throughout Britain a collection of centres of excellence where nothing but the best will do. As a concept alone this is exciting, but the reality is brilliant, so that at last there is a hotel group where uniformity of standards is of the same high calibre.

Malmaison Birmingham follows the well-established Malmaison trend in establishing their hotels in buildings of interesting styles and location, and is located in The Mail Box, once a Royal Mail sorting office, that has been transformed into a heaven on earth for big style retail therapists, nightlife hedonists and exhibitionists in a class of their own.

The bedrooms are all that one would expect from a hotel that has genuine regard for its guests and is concerned with every aspect of their wellbeing. Decorated in chocolate, ecru and cream colours, the rooms are large, calm and airy exuding a real sense of style.

Amidst elegant surroundings, with spotless gleaming glassware and shining cutlery, an essentially brasserie menu is offered, where lovers of seafood will be delighted to note at once that their particular needs are well heeded, starting with a delightful smoked ham hock, potato and shallot salad.

Head chef Brian Neath and his team offers excellent brasserie dishes, such as warm open faced Italian plum, tomato and anchovy tart and grilled swordfish that are a few popular choices. Other starters include Maldon hot smoked salmon with toasted sourdough and salad of goats' cheese with slow roasted golden beetroot and pickled walnut.

From the 'field to plate in no time flat' philosophy of the organic farmers of Hopwood, to the succulent pheasant and partridge of Willogame on the Welsh border, they have them all and more on their home-grown and local menu. Inspired choices that include beef cheeks bourguignon and pork chops are perfect for those seeking by this time a slightly more carnivorous approach. Which leads us neatly to the, wait for it, Mal burger, a 250 gram burger made from ground beef tucked into a floured bap to join bacon and gruyere, served with homemade relish and some fries.

Over the years the number of outriders surrounding a good honest steak on the plate has grown to unacceptable dimensions. At Malmaison the thought and care is centred on the 35 day aged rump steak frites and that's it - except for the chips. If you want all the rest go for the side dishes, but steak and chips on its own takes some beating. Vegetarians are well looked after - the pumpkin and gorgonzola filled gnocchi sounded appealing.

Heading the puddings is the sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce, a triumph of timing and co-ordination, supported by other choices amongst which expect to find the baked Bramley apple with caramel sauce and a chocolate orange fondant. Their renowned cheese trolley has a selection of British and French farmhouse cheeses served with biscuits.

Their wine list is a symphony of its kind, clearly compiled by an enthusiast who knows his wines well enough not to disappear into a world of hyperbole when describing them.

Their Website is a wealth of information that will, I predict, only serve to increase your resolve to make Malmaison your next stop in Birmingham. It is worth noting that you can also make reservations Online on their Website.

The leafy glades of Edgbaston have long been crying out for a place like The White Swan. A prosperous area full of people who know what they like and have a keen eye for value, The Swan offers exactly what they appreciate. The fact that it is part of a modest group that has already earned an excellent track record also bolsters confidence for the future.

The Swan's interior, has been transformed and contemporary design has worked its magic, with a generous dose of natural materials that provides a restful and friendly backdrop. Whilst clearly the restaurant rules, there is no lack of space and setting for those who want to do what pubs used to do - exclusively - and have a drink or two.

The restaurant itself is full of light wood, with a level of elegance that compliments but does not overpower or distract. A menu based on the experience gained though the other houses within the group offers simplicity and draws heavily on the welcome - to most people if they were honest - concept of comfort food.

The White Swan is a place for jolly groups, maybe out to relax after a day working in the same environment, so what better to set the right note of fashionable sociability than sharing plates, antipasti of cured meats, dolcelatte, roasted vegetables, parmesan, rocket, stuffed peppers, green chillies and baked flat bread, or Greek mezze of taramasalata with red pepper humus, tzatziki, feta and flatbreads.

Amongst the starters, expect to find freshly made soup, sake cured salmon with wasabi crème fraîche and pickled ginger, or fennel with chilli crusted squid, pineapple and coriander salsa. Look, too, for scallops of the day. The salads - sorry, that should read 'leaves' - offer pang pang chicken, Asian greens, satay, cashew nuts and cucumber, and for the seafood enthusiasts some prawn, avocado, spinach, watercress, crispy bacon and garlic dressing receive a rapturous welcome.

These days no self-respecting gastropub can afford to be without its pizza range; expect to find a classic margherita of tomato, mozzarella, oregano and basil, another with roasted vegetables, goats' cheese, tomatoes and rocket or the delicious Siciliana with Serrano ham, roast artichoke, olives and mozzarella.

The grill and rotisserie dishes for hearty eaters are well worth trying and choices include spit chicken with cacciatora sauce and frites, and rib-eye steak with rocket, fresh horseradish sauce and crispy onions. For the big event there is calves' liver with sweet potato, beetroot gratin and watercress. Persian spiced lamb chops with tzatziki, tomato and red onion salad is popular, a sign of the times and improving taste in eating. Scottish salmon with Asian greens, chilli salsa and tempura sweet potato fritters as well veal paillard add further dimensions to a wide choice range.

Well presented supporting dishes include tomato, rocket and mozzarella, and cabbage, leeks and peas. Desserts are some of the best you'll encounter with apple and frangipane gallette and Cognac ice cream, and there is also a selection of local cheeses to set the buffs alight.

A good range of draught and bottled beers that embraces the continent, and a wine list that well complements the products from the brigade of chefs, combined with cheerful service all add up to make The White Swan a thoroughly good place to recommend to your friends - but not before you have confirmed that for yourself.

Their excellent Website will keep you up to date with menu changes and events. Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.

We hear a great deal about recycling these days - du Vin recycles attractive but occasionally un-loved buildings to restore real gems in the best tradition of British understated style.

Complement that with all that is best in the French bistro ethos, bars that reach out to please, and you have a setting that provides an inspirational background for people to meet, do business, get married, provide a base for golf or fishing, somewhere you can call your own for a private celebration, a spa or - most engagingly - a wine school that breaks the mould.

In Birmingham du Vin has taken on the former Birmingham Eye Hospital, a handsome building in the best style of Victorian public buildings, strategically placed in the newly revitalised Jewellery Quarter, but close enough to the city centre to make a liver-livening stroll in the morning a real pleasure.

Equipped with a spa and gym, the hotel has 66 bedrooms and boutique sites round a central courtyard that is blessed with many of the building's striking original features, including the grand sweeping staircase and granite pillars. Every room has handsprung mattresses, fine Egyptian linen, deep baths, power showers and high speed wireless internet access.

In the classy bistro a choice of six starters could include lamb's kidneys and wild mushrooms on toast with mustard crème, Serrano ham and celeriac remoulade, or Uig Lodge smoked salmon and traditional garnish. Tournedos Rossini remains one of the great dishes of all time, served with garlic roast potatoes and red wine jus. Poached smoked haddock is served with bacon and pea risotto, crispy leeks and chive veloute.

Whilst one might argue that the whole point of being in a du Vin is to snuggle up to the wine list, this list is designed to march with the food and can only be described as superb. With a team of four sommeliers, headed here by François Bourde, there is no room for anything but the best. Service is telepathic in the best possible sense.

Click on their Website for full information and rates. Hotel du Vin, with fourteen options throughout Britain, awaits your call.

It is a welcome surprise to find a pub that has firmly grasped the gastro nettle in and around the Midlands, with pretty sensational results that include demonstrably freshly cooked food and a high zing factor, all sited in an imposing Tudor building of great character and true heritage. It also benefits from outside seating both in the front and the rear with delightfully tended gardens, seating up to a hundred and twenty, and dining 'al fresco' for sixty-four people.

Amongst the attractions are a 100-cover area for dining, an inviting drinking area, with staff who are friendly and professional. Equally people are drawn to the Barnt Green Inn by the interior which is stylish, very much open plan, and a return to such homely features as open log fires, stone-fired ovens, open kitchens and for that al fresco evening, some well landscaped decking.

The Inn is truly a place for all seasons, and the menu reflects this as it embraces not only the seasons but also the atmosphere within, ranging from cool chic in summer to the cosy warmth of a winter's day with the hatches well battened down.

To set the right note of fashionable sociability there are sharing plates, antipasti of cured meats, dolcelatte, roasted vegetables, parmesan, rocket, stuffed peppers, green chillies and baked flat bread, or Greek mezze of taramasalata with red pepper humus, tzatziki, feta and flatbreads.

Amongst the starters, expect to find freshly made soup, sake cured salmon with wasabi crème fraîche and pickled ginger, or fennel with chilli crusted squid, pineapple and coriander salsa. The salads offer pang pang chicken, Asian greens, satay, cashew nuts and cucumber, and for the seafood enthusiasts some prawn, avocado, spinach, watercress, crispy bacon and garlic dressing tends to please.

These days no self-respecting gastropub can afford to be without its pizza range; look for a classic margherita of tomato, mozzarella, oregano and basil, the rustica with roasted vegetables, goats' cheese, tomatoes and rocket, or a Siciliana with Serrano ham, roast artichoke, olives and mozzarella. Pastas include bucatini carbonara with smoked haddock, pancetta and cream or tagliatelle bolognaise with slow cooked beef, bacon and Chianti.

For the big event there are choices such as calves' liver with sweet potato, beetroot gratin and watercress or sea bass fillets with stuffed Romano peppers, caponata, pesto and baby new potatoes. The Persian spiced lamb chops with tzatziki, tomato and red onion salad is popular, a sign of the times and improving taste in eating. For hearty eaters there are good fillet and rib-eye steaks, and lemon sole with prawn and scallop butter, watercress and baby potatoes.

A wide range of supporting dishes include tomato, rocket and mozzarella, and cabbage, leeks and peas. Desserts are some of the best you'll encounter with apple and frangipane gallette and Cognac ice cream, and there is also a selection of local cheeses to set the buffs alight.

A well-travelled wine list and service that is cheerful and efficient completes the recipe for success. Check their Website for further information on this attractive eating out haven. Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.

The café is currently closed for refurbishment until the end of February 2013.

Fresh and relaxing is the only way to describe this lovely Spanish restaurant set on Birmingham's Brindley Place within an art gallery overlooking the canal areas and open bar where you can enjoy sherry and olives or a full tapas dinner. Inside it's clean and bright with an airy feel and it continues to please the lunchtime crowd or just about anyone who'd like to try some good, robust Spanish cooking.

An inventive menu makes sure it helps in infusing sociability amongst diners with a medley of tapas dishes such as courgette frito with cheese sauce, fried calamari rings with red pepper aioli sauce, and Serrano ham with quince paste and manchego cheese. Main courses demonstrate an interesting blend of flavours; lamb and pea tagine with lemon couscous, and chicken and
chorizo pasta bake. Well presented desserts include crème Catalana, lemon tart and chocolate praline.

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

Miller and Carter Steakhouses showcase a passion for tender and flavoursome steaks as well as an eclectic selection of wines from around the world. Lovingly restored buildings, former coaching inns, historic barns, trendy shopping centres and boats play host to the steakhouses and the design concept follows a minimalist yet elegant route.

Steak features prominently on the Miller and Carter menu and a well-reared 28-day aged West Country beef is cooked to perfection. Choose from various cuts such as rib-eye, fillet, sirloin, rump, T-bone, Porterhouse or chateaubriand served with a choice of sauces like béarnaise, hickory maple barbecue, five mushroom chasseur and chimichurri among others.

There are plenty of chicken and fish dishes as well as burgers, freshly prepared salads, pasta and risotto. Miller and Carter's younger guests have a dedicated carte and there is a nibbles menu for light eaters too.

The Miller and Carter steak school is a great way to hone your grilling skills.

To gain further information, just visit their extremely comprehensive 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.