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The Pad Thai restaurant and karaoke bar in Holloway Head incorporates the décor of a traditional Thai home for a unique ambience that speaks of traditional hospitality. Five private karaoke rooms are an added attraction for guests looking to have a blast.

An extensive à la carte menu offers such delicacies as deep fried prawn wrapped in filo dough, crispy duck roll, classic wok braised fresh lobster, steamed spicy lemon sea bass, and crispy vegetable 'bird's nest' with chicken and king prawn. House specialities include king prawn hot pot with glass noodles flavoured with ginger, garlic and pepper; red curry roasted duck in coconut milk with aubergines, bamboo shoots and sweet basil; and thin slices of tangy beef with red wine fruit sauce on a sizzling platter. Choice of braised supreme shark's fin soup with crab meat or squid salad with herbs in a spicy lime dressing could make for a refreshing start to the meal. Soothe the palate with desserts like pandanus leaf cake or mango with sticky rice, or just Irish coffee.

Pizza Express remains a hugely popular bedrock of casual eating. Its popularity is testimony to the fact that across the country, they have restaurants where you will always be guaranteed a good nosh, with children's tastes being well catered for.

Pizza Express has gone even more Roman, and following the success of that particular example of listening to their public have introduced Romana pizzas, including the scorching Etna and the hearty Siciliana.

These pizzas are now thinner, bigger and crispier, and if that sounds like a marketing line, it is. However, unlike many such lines, this one is true, and their quality is always consistent, though cleverly they have still managed to retain a homemade feel to their pizzas.

As an alternative to pizza, try their pollo pesto - cavatappi pasta with torn chicken breast, mushrooms, red onions and mozzarella in a creamy gruyere, parmesan and pesto sauce and finished with grana padano - or the niçoise salad with mixed leaves, yellowfin tuna, free range egg, green beans, potatoes and tomatoes with olives, anchovies, capers and house dressing.

Many of the big chains have come a long way, and Pizza Express is certainly amongst them. One of the first to be quoted on the Stock Exchange - in 1993 - Pizza Express is not a franchise operation and retains tight control through its own staff.

Their wine list - though short - contains some surprisingly good offerings, especially their intense Australian Chardonnay, and a big, full-bodied Merlot from Cusumano, Sicilia.