Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

Since El Greco literally translates as 'The Greek', this is a piece of information that will easily help you to decide what the menu is going to be about but wait here's some more trivia for the arty types. It's also the name of the renowned painter from the Renaissance era whose paintings are believed to contain some of the best known depictions of the sky in Western art.

At a more immediate level, equally exemplary work is displayed by the kitchen as evident in starters of sautéed mushrooms in cream sauce on toasted bread and prawn saganaki. Pay heed to delicious pasta and risotto courses like tagliatelle alle langoustine and alla cacciatore, while those with meaty fixations could try the pork escalope in white wine and fillet steak with cream and pepper sauce. Overall El Greco emphasises on comfort food and even the desserts follow suit with choices like tiramisu and freshly made cheesecake of the day with a variety of sauces.

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.

For some time I made the mistake of thinking that no group of restaurants in the region of 200 locations could hope to maintain the quality for which I was looking.

Then one day I decided to put my prejudices to the test, walked into Oxford Ask! and discovered that I could not have been more mistaken. Their claim to serve freshly prepared quality food in stylish and comfortable surroundings with friendly and efficient service proved to be absolutely spot on.

Since then I have also discovered that a degree of consistency seems to operate throughout their restaurants, and that certainly does take some achieving, implying a degree of management that is enviable. They are perfect places for an impromptu snack, a bit of culinary grazing, or the full works, and families are catered for particularly well.

Their trendy décor usually comprises tiled floors and black furniture with well set tables that sparkle with glass, silver and spotless linen. Ten starters include crostini and bruschetta, followed by a range of salads, pasta and al forno, oven baked pasta, some with chicken.

The pizzas are stone baked in the oven, creating a crisp, authentic and delicious flavour, and they all come topped with mozzarella and tomato. Calzone introduce a touch of opulence with a folded pizza baked in the oven and topped with garlic butter and melted grana padano, whilst inside expect to find chicken or a vegetarian mix.

Amongst the specials may I warmly, in every sense, recommend the polpette al forno, a popular Milanese dish of beef meatballs sautéed in garlic with fire roasted peppers, caramelised onions, chilli and pomodoro sauce, with penne pasta, topped with cheese and oven baked.

An enticing selection of desserts list banoffee pie and tiramisu amongst them, and the coffee tastes like coffee, which may sound banal, but I guess you know what I mean.

Thanks to a well selected wine list speculative drinking can offer handsome dividends, even with prices rarely crossing the £20 barrier.

The Hide chain of cafés, bars, and grills pleases customers very effectively in the north east, and west Yorkshire. Their delicious, varied cuisine, contemporary interiors, informal yet attentive service, and relaxing atmospheres appeal to most people visiting a Hide.

The Durham outlet can be found on the road to what is sometimes referred to as the most magnificent cathedral in the world. Stop by for a meal, or coffee and a light snack while you experience the city's many fabulous attractions.

The café offers such delights as char-grilled 6oz rib eye sandwiches, pizza, pasta, burgers, and mezze platters, while the grill menu caters for those wanting something more substantial.

Precede a main course of seared leg of lamb, puy lentil, slow roast tomatoes and jús, with aromatic duck pancakes with hoi sin, or Thai beef salad. Other choices comprise a 10oz sirloin hand-cut local steak, Anglesey sea bass fillets, free-range chicken breast, gnocchi pasta, pancetta and sage sauce, and tarragon and chive crêpes stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese.

The chocolate brownie with pouring cream delights those with a sweet tooth.

Up and coming young chef Ashley Paynton is on a mission to wow the taste buds of North East England and has chosen the idyllic cathedral city of Durham from which to do it. I think it takes a bit of nerve to call your restaurant Gourmet Spot, but nerve or not, here is something new and interesting in Durham, that jewel of the north, once described as "one of the finest architectural experiences in Europe" and voted Best British City by readers of posh lifestyle magazine Condé Nast Traveller.

If one detects a certain El Bulli influence here you would be completely on track. Well, how's this for starters? Mustard ice cream and roasted pork belly with apple caviar; a touch of the Heston's perhaps? And how about roasted loin of venison, stilton royale, red wine salsify and smoked chocolate oil or even braised ox cheek with fillet of beef, smoked mash, Bourguignon garnish and purple mustard.

Don't misunderstand me. These are dishes that have been coated with a more verbal approach to presentation, are very edible indeed and have less mystery about them than you might at first think. They are fun, made mainly with quality local produce and are great conversation creators. Let me leave you with a dessert of butterscotch bavarois, pistachio and olive oil sponge with blood orange sorbet. Now if you think about that with an open mind a certain logic emerges - well I think so.

Within the restaurant a chic style is apparent, with plenty of red glitter walls combining quite well with dark wood and metal. It has a relaxed and modern feel and with just 24 covers will always be somewhere to get away from the crowds. It's perfect for special occasions and treats and has the added bonus that it is attached to a hotel so diners can easily retire to bed after enjoying a meal of the finest quality.

Every now and again a change from more sober establishments is in order, and this is just what's on offer at King's Lodge. The lighting is rigged to gently shift the mood, there is live jazz piano, the décor is cool and the fine art demands a second, or even third glance. The zing factor is high and matches the food which is audacious and up-to-the-minute. It takes confidence to pair up black pudding with smoked trout. Many take the view that there's nowt wrong with chips as long as they are good ones, and here is ample evidence to support that view. And if you have never combined bread and butter pudding with honey ice cream, well, there's always a first time. An OK wine list with house wine at £9.25.