Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

Slug and Lettuce has a chain of almost a hundred bars spread across the country sharing a common love of serving down to earth, undemanding food and drink.

The group prides itself on offering dishes prepared using quality ingredients, and you should be attended on by attentive staff in a safe, welcoming and cheerful environment. The Slugs have something for anyone - breakfast for a lively start to the day, lunch for busy people, family meals or even a relaxing glass of wine to bring a tiring day to an end - all in a variety of modern and stylish settings.

The menu features old time English favourites such as Gloucestershire Old Spot sausages in buttered mash or fish pie made with Dartmouth smokehouse haddock, in a Devon cream and leek sauce, although dishes look to Europe and further afield to Asia for inspiration. A good way to start the enjoyment is by sharing platters of Southern fried chicken breast pieces, crispy potato wedges, garlic ciabatta strips, half a rack of BBQ pork ribs, wasabi vegetables with onion rings or some Greek mezze

Hearty steak pies, Thai curry with sticky jasmine rice or butternut squash with goats' cheese lasagne are amongst the more popular main dishes. Sandwiches or wraps - warm tortilla with chicken and Parmesan or aromatic duck in plum sauce - provide for those who prefer something lighter. They also serve burgers as well as tempting salads like salmon, asparagus or tomato and mozzarella. For children they have good old British standby sausage and mash, or pepper pasta and ketchup among other choices, all of which never fail to delight, particularly as some of them seem to have come out of a certain celebrity chef's Book of Forbidden Dishes.

Desserts appear in the form of raspberry biscotti, hot chocolate pudding or a creamy strawberry cheesesake. The wine list is well compiled and substantial. There are not less than seven French, three from Italy and some from Spain, Chile, Australia as well as New Zealand. Slug and Lettuce can cater for events including birthday parties, fashion shows, hen nights, wedding parties or just an enjoyable night out with a few friends.

The Courtyard Restaurant is set amidst the bustling independent boutiques, teashops, antique shops, fine eateries and galleries at Montpellier mews. It provides a relaxing venue to enjoy a pleasant time in between a leisurely browse through what is growing to be one of Harrogate's most popular and stylish destinations. The interior features an idyllic cobbled courtyard where guests can order modern British cuisine prepared from freshly sourced local produce.

Salmon and crab fishcakes, served with horseradish and lemon crème fráiche and breast of pigeon on a warm beetroot salad are a good combination to herald the beginning of the meal. The main course could consist of pan fried sea bass on a warm new potato, chorizo, green bean and red pepper salad served with a white wine sauce and rib eye steak served with onion rings, homemade chips and a warm mushroom cream. A rich citrus cheese cake with cream and fruit coulis should fill in any chinks.

Warm welcoming interiors and delicious French provincial food marks out Le Bistrot Pierre. Located in the heart of town, in Cheltenham Parade, this is a place to enjoy a hearty meal with family and friends. Committed to serving their clientele fresh, ethically reared produce they use pasture-fed beef from Scotland, free range eggs and chicken and outdoor reared pork. Children can look forward to smaller portions at 50 per cent less charge. For theatre lovers there's a pre-theatre menu.

Enjoy the delights of French provincial cooking with such dishes as le bourguignon, braised Scottish beef with shallots, red wine, mushrooms and bacon, asperges, steamed asparagus with a poached egg and parmesan, fromage grille, St. Marcelin cheese with spiced pear chutney and sourdough toast, and supreme de poulet, free range chicken supreme with lemon, broad beans, white wine and smoked bacon sauce.

Le Bistrot Pierre's soiree gastronomique, held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month, introduces gourmets to the wonders of French provincial cooking with a six course set dinner. The first and third Wednesdays of every month see a three course set dinner with wine pairings.

Start with a cocktail, say a bourbon cookie, cosmopolitan or a parson green apple before tackling some food that will vary from pub to pub. There are bar meals, try lime and coriander chicken in Didsbury, or a more formal approach in restaurant style, what about 21 day hung, 10 oz British sirloin steak in Mayfair, with homemade chocolate brownie, vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce in Birmingham. In general the menus are very similar, with plenty of choices all round.

There are now over twenty five branches of Pitcher and Piano where you can be assured of the same decent levels of food and drinks, service and quality. Surely that's better than the lucky dip approach?