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.

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.

A delightful neighbourhood restaurant in the West London suburb of Chiswick, Le Vacherin on South Parade serves traditional Parisian bistro food. The brainchild of head chef and owner Malcolm John, formerly of Brasserie St Quentin in Knightsbridge and a product of the Café Royal training with Herbert Berger, a chic setting supplemented by a convivial atmosphere sets the tone for an enjoyable meal, whether it's a business lunch or a romantic dinner.

A regularly changing menu uses the freshest and finest of seasonal ingredients and a prix fixe lunch or dinner could begin with starters of smoked duck served with apple and celeriac rémoulade; chicken liver and foie gras parfait with brioche, radishes and gherkins or roast bone marrow, parsley and garlic crust with heirloom beetroot and horseradish. The lunch menu also includes the house speciality, and namesake, baked Vacherin with a truffle and almond crust for two.

The excellent gastronomic experience continues with delicious mains of aged Hereford rib eye with pommes frites, sauce béarnaise or poivre; confit of wild rabbit with Dijon mustard, sprouting broccoli and frites; breast of pheasant with fondant potatoes, chestnuts and chorizo or sea bass with brown shrimps butter, cockles and pommes purée. If you want to share, try the 28-day aged Châteaubriand with green beans and frites or the roasted crown and confit leg of Barbary duck with caramelised endives, pommes mousseline and orange sauce. 

Vegetarians are well-catered for with starters of poached pear with Roquefort, endives and walnuts, pumpkin velouté with sage and pine nuts or twice baked cheese soufflé, endives and walnuts. This can be followed by mains such as gratin of parsley gnocchi and trompette mushrooms with ricotta beignets or pappardelle with wild mushrooms and black truffle.

Sunday lunch at Le Vacherin could begin with starters of beignet of frog legs with aioli, Burgundy snails in garlic butter or a delicious pumpkin soup with sage and pine nuts. This could be followed by succulent roast rib of beef with duck fat potatoes and Yorkshire pudding; duck confit with green beans and creamed chanterelles; middle white pork cutlet with kale and flageolet beans or beetroot and roasted squash risotto with mascarpone.

The dessert menu is no less indulgent with offerings of Venezuela chocolate fondant with mascarpone ice cream, cinnamon doughnuts paired with apple and calvados sorbet, bread and butter pudding with aged prunes topped with prune and Armagnac ice cream and profiteroles with coffee ice cream and caramel sauce. A range of French farmhouse cheeses offers a delectable alternative.

Le Vacherin's carefully compiled, French dominated wine list complements the food perfectly and includes tempting examples of white and red wines such as Sauvignon Elégance Côtes du Tarn, Pinot Blanc Réserve Particulière, Bourgogne Pinot Noir and Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne. There's also a selection of aperitifs, cocktails and spirits.

While the main restaurant can cater for up to 80 diners for a special occasion, there is a well-appointed semi-private room can accommodate up to 30 guests.

More information can be found on their Website.

Housed in an elegant Grade II listed building, The DaScalzo is a charming brasserie and art gallery all rolled into one, and is the perfect place to put your feet up after a busy day of shopping at the nearby Victoria Place Shopping Centre. Drawing inspiration from the traditional Parisian cafes, where Bohemian artists enjoyed food and drink in exchange for their artwork, DaScalzo skilfully combines good Italian food and contemporary art in a warm setting. Spread over two floors, the dining area exudes a Parisian feel with arched ceilings, wooden furniture and subtle lighting.

The menu features well-presented Italian dishes and there is a good choice of starters like the antipasto Italiana, a selection of cured Italian meats with olives and anchovies, sautéed scallops and prawns with lemon and chilli sauce, and calamari and zucchini fritti with garlic mayonnaise. The pasta selection is equally impressive with a tagliatelle carbonara, pancetta, parmesan and cream sauce, and spaghetti alle vongole with clams and fresh tomato in white wine, garlic and chilli.

Fish lovers might appreciate the organic grilled salmon with salsa verde, boiled new potatoes and baby spinach, or sea bass and salmon fishcakes served with a lobster sauce, sour cream, rocket salad and chips. Moving onto the restaurant?s main courses, diners can expect to find classic dishes such as scaloppa Milanese, a traditional dish of breaded veal with parsley and garlic, pan-fried and served with spaghetti Bolognese, or grilled sirloin steak with a green peppercorn or brandy sauce, chips and garlic mushrooms.

DaScalzo's breakfast is highly recommended and the full English makes for a hearty start to the day and other choices include Scottish oak smoked salmon, eggs Florentine, Benedict or royal, and a selection of coffee, tea, and fresh juices. The carefully selected drinks list features wines from across the globe alongside a selection of beers, ciders, whiskies, cognacs, liqueurs and digestifs.

There is a fantastic selection of artwork on display and DaScalzo also plays host to exhibitions and private viewings regularly.

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

The Fish and Grill in Putney follows its namesake in Croydon with chef owner Malcolm John continuing to do what he does best. Freshly prepared seafood with a choice of grilled steaks is served in a laid back cozy ambience with dark wood furniture and leather upholstery, perfect for an enjoyable evening with family and friends. Al fresco dining on the terrace can accommodate up to 30 guests. The Fish and Grill is a 7-minute walk from Putney Rail Station.

Diners are greeted by a fresh fish bar showcasing a wide ranging selection sourced from the South Coast and Cornwall. Rare-bred meats and the free-range poultry offer delicious alternatives for lunch or dinner. The meal could open with starters of salt cod fritters served with crushed pea aioli, Dorset crab with mayonnaise, whitebait with aioli or Carlingford oysters. The potted fish selection offers smoked mackerel with toast and breakfast radish, curried shrimps with gem lettuce and Cornish gurnard with citrus, toast and Waldorf salad.

Alternatives to fish and seafood starters include a Natoora Italian charcuterie board and English asparagus with soft boiled duck egg and hollandaise as well as salads beetroot with goat?s curd, pickled walnut and wild mushrooms and endive with honey and grain mustard.

After the appetizing beginning to the meal you could follow up with mains of grilled Cornish lobster, pan roast skate with capers and samphire, whole grilled crab with garlic chilli and ginger butter, beer battered haddock with pea purée and pea ravioli with mint butter and aged parmesan. The grilled selection includes a succulent Aberdeen Angus fillet steak on the bone, veal chop with lemon and marjoram, Southdown lamb cutlets and Chateaubriand for two with roasted bone marrow, all served with triple cooked chips and béarnaise or pepper sauce.

If you feel like going with the set menu then you could dine on starters of squid tempura with tartar sauce, leek and potato soup with smoked fish or salad of watercress, with endives, brae-burn apple, beetroot and grain mustard. For mains try aged rump steak with dripping chips, whole grilled Cornish plaice with clams and monks beard or house burger made with hand diced Angus beef, blue cheese or cheddar and bacon or jerk seasoning.

A children's menu offers the little ones dishes such as grilled maize fed chicken with mash potato and cooking juices, fish fingers with tartar sauce and green beans or broccoli and tomato, basil and mozzarella fettuccine.

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

Café Rouge has over one hundred branches throughout Britain all offering a wide range of dishes drawn from the French cuisine. Slightly less than half their branches are in or close to London. Almost inevitably the décor and design of each restaurant differs from the others, but there is a general curtsy towards La France.

Many restaurants do an excellent breakfast, or shall we say petit dejeuner, at which such delights as scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on toasted brioche, croque Madame, croissants and pain au chocolat make welcome appearances, and to their credit the English traditional gets top billing.

An array of small dishes takes in pulled pork pâté with French bread, and spicy beef and lamb sausage with harissa mayonnaise. Salads and pasta feature largely, as do baguettes and croques. Quick dishes, ideal for lunch, include slices of saucisson and cured pork loin with French bread.

Moving on to more serious stuff we find steaks, an 8oz bavette and thin cut rib eye, with a choice of béarnaise or peppercorn sauce. No French menu would be complete without the poulet jaune grille, pan-roasted breast of corn-fed chicken served on a warm taboulé of bulgar wheat and a medley of roasted vegetables with minted crème fraîche, or a steak frites before moving on to the crème brûlée, or the tart tatin. Almost invariably the coffee tastes like coffee should, something that sadly can all too often still not be said of our English restaurants, who depend too much upon technology and too little on the acquisition of a certain flair for this important conclusion to a meal.

By now we all know that the French, despite their distinctive habits when it comes to matters of satisfying the inner man, maintain a miraculous longevity of life. This is generally attributed to a number of causes, of which a measured consumption of decent wine is foremost. Café Rouge, you may be pleased to hear, encourages this with a well-chosen selection of French wines. Their prix fixe lunch and meals for children, both at a very reasonable figure, also offer excellent value.

Their Website will keep you updated on menu changes, news and other competitions and offers from the Café Society.

Using only the freshest ingredients, the restaurant serves a variety of seasonal dishes such as cassoulet duck and pork; Dorset crab mayonnaise with avocado and avruga caviar; and hare ravioli with celeriac purée, grelotte onions and Chanterney carrots, which can be enjoyed by a couple or the whole family in a warm and intimate setting.

The desserts offer a choice of plum clafoutis, with crème fraîche and Kerala vanilla crème brûlée, which is definitely worth giving a try.Sampling from an extensive drinks list of vintage champagnes and a good selection of white, red and rosé wines by the bottle, caraffe or glass, makes for a delightful ending to the entire dining experience.

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

The much-loved Rib Room at Jumeirah Carlton Tower in London's Knightsbridge, originally launched in 1961, has always been a bastion of beef and all that is traditional in British dining. Situated on the Knightsbridge and Belgravia border within Jumeirah Carlton Tower hotel, this restaurant is the perfect stop off point after a tough day of retail therapy at nearby Harrods and Harvey Nichols.

The glamorous dining room mixes sophistication with tradition, with remarkably personal service, providing a wonderful setting for lunch and dinner. It really is unabashed luxury with lots of room allowed for every table, no fear of being overheard when you are holding your power lunch there. Start off the day with one of the best English breakfasts London has to offer or step in for a relaxed meal at lunchtime or in the evening.

The Rib Room helps you pull off your private dining event faultlessly with their dedicated menus featuring baked Stilton pudding with a salad of poached pears, crispy walnuts and watercress; roast corn-fed chicken, boulangere of the leg, French beans in Alsace bacon, tarragon and mustard jus, and Valrhona chocolate mousse with a soft peanut centre and raspberry sorbet.

Head Chef, Ian Rudge's seasonal menu showcases the best of modern and traditional British cuisine including the world-renowned roast rib of beef; there is also an emphasis on fresh seafood and fish. Starters include caramelised scallops with slow cooked belly of pork, orange and ginger dressing and caramelised apple tart with pan fried foie gras port and balsamic caramel.

Typical dishes on the restaurant menu includes oak smoked Lch Fyne salmon, Buccleuch roast rib of Aberdeen Angus beef served with Yorkshire pudding and deluxe seafood platter, alongside other favourites such as the classic Rib Room Caesar salad with anchovies and bacon, roast Gressingham duck with spiced cherries and calves liver with sweet cured Suffolk bacon.

The drinks list includes a list of over 500 wines and champagnes expertly crafted by Head Sommelier Louise Gordon, presented to guests on an interactive iPad list, with recommendations to enhance the flavours of every dish or just for a relaxing glass of quality wine. There's also an exciting array of cocktails, premium gins and bespoke bitters, alongside light bites, ideal for a quick lunch or light dinner.

Numerous paintings by Feliks Topolski adorn the walls of The Rib Room, while an imposing carved bronze bull is positioned by the bar, and a triptych fossil sculpture by Renn Thacker Visual Artists in Partnership can be viewed as guests enter through the Sloane Street entrance.

For further information do have a look at their Website.

HIX at The Albemarle offers guests a truly outstanding British experience. It's more than just about fine British classic cuisine, prepared using local seasonal ingredients, now diners can also admire some of the best British contemporary artwork on display within its elegant interior. It is based inside Mayfair's Brown's Hotel, but feels anything unlike the standard hotel restaurant.

This legendary hotel was not only the first hotel to open in London in 1837, but it was also the first to have a restaurant within it - before then guests dined within the privacy of their rooms or suites. Following a £24 million renovation overseen by Sir Rocco's sister, Olga Polizzi, it now seamlessly blends historical details with contemporary elements.

The beautifully restored wood panelling continues to offer the feeling of old England, and outstanding artwork by leading British artists such as Tracey Emin, Bridget Riley and Rankin bring a welcome contemporary note to the décor. To the delight of many, the banquettes and moss green seating of original days have been recreated by Philip Hurel.

Executive Chef Marcus Verberne, guided by Director of Food Mark Hix, formerly of Le Caprice and The Ivy, has created an outstanding menu of great British classics. The menu is a delight, traditional through and through and only using the finest of British seasonal ingredients; for instance you may not be surprised to find half a dozen West Mersea native oysters, potted Morecambe Bay shrimps with mace and lemon or dressed Dorset crab with bittercress among the starters. There might also be the thoroughly up to date choice of salted ox tongue with piccalilli, or treacle-cured salmon with pickled fennel and cucumber.

Mains are in a similar vein, with an excellent selection, ranging from Old English sausage with mashed potato and onion gravy, Glen Fyne rib steak naturally, through to fish such as Dover sole. Herb-baked scallops with garlic butter, roast wild duck with a gamekeeper's pie and purple kale, pan-fried Burford Brown egg with baby squid and black pudding, or Lancashire hot-pot with pickled red cabbage broaden the scope to delight all tastes.

To afford security for those who like to look at their lunch plate and know which day of the week it is, a formidable plats du jour regime, served directly from the daily lunch time carving trolley, has been introduced, so if you thought it was Thursday and found yourself being served with roast saddle of lamb, you would have to accept it was in fact Friday. And you would have missed the roast Middle White pork on Thursday.

The wine list has emerged as a real triumph. Further details about this stunning return to the London scene of Brown's Hotel, and in particular the HIX at The Albemarle restaurant, can be obtained from the Website. It should not come as a surprise to learn that they received the Award of 3 Rosettes from the AA in 2009.

In upmarket Mayfair, Cocochan offers contemporary pan Asian cuisine and glamorous cocktails, accompanied by a funky lounge bar and terrace. Bond Street Tube Station is just 4 minutes' walk away from Cocochan.

Cocochan restaurant offers a wide range of dishes from China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and India in a stylish, contemporary setting. You could begin the meal with starters of chicken and water chestnut gyoza, crispy aromatic duck rolls, Vietnamese seared beef salad with nyoc cham or crab cakes with jalapeno mayo and Thai salad. Follow with mains of chargrilled lamb cutlets with moromi miso, pickled acar salad, oven baked miso black cod with edamame, stir fried tiger prawns with sambal or crispy noodles with chicken.

Delicacies on the Cocochan menu include lobster specialities, tempura, sushi and sashimi. To finish, consider salted caramel mousse, pistachio crème brûlée or chocolate fondant. Separate bar and set menus are also available. The wine list at Cocochan London offers a selection of whites and reds from all around the world.

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