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Located within the Marriot Hotel on Queen Square in Liverpool, Olivier's Restaurant and Bar is a warm and welcoming dining space available for the hotel's guests as well as local customers. Close to Lime Street Rail Station and the main shopping district, the recently refurbished and renovated restaurant is sleek and elegant, serving a varied menu of British brasserie style dishes which combines both traditional as well as contemporary fare.

The restaurant is open for breakfast every day, and the a la carte dinner menu makes the best use of local produce and comprises a number of traditional British dishes as well as more international fare. Along with meals of steaks and grills, the restaurant also serves dishes of spiced chicken with vegetables and balsamic dressing, fillet of salmon with lemon and dill veloute and a selection of market vegetables with herb butter and roast potatoes. There are also a number of vegetarian options, while diners looking for a lighter bite can visit the hotel's Viva City Bistro for salads, and sandwiches.

Guests can also indulge in a careful selection of fine wines and champagnes at the bar while enjoying views of the bustling city.

A popular Liverpudlian place to hang out if you like your Chinese authentic in almost every way; with colours of black, green and red it looks like a version of the Chinese flag - certainly it has a vibrant look. Eating takes place on several levels with the result that there's plenty of space when the droves turn up, as they do, particularly on Sundays. For those who like their dim sum the choices are extensive to the point where it is all too easy to forget that there is more to life, by which time it is usually too late. Whilst there are all the usual choices on the menu, sweet & sour, etc, there are also quite a few more esoteric one, which the adventurous should try as they repay the risk, though braised seas slugs might not be to everyone's taste. House wine at £9.80 together with the usual range of Chinese beers and the more local variety.

Occupying one of the most sensational sites on the waterside, Chung Ku is a specially designed brand new building with two restaurant areas on the ground and upper floors. The first floor is reserved for private parties and banquets. Over 400 guests can be accommodated in the whole place. Every part of the interior is ultra modern and the cuisine matches the décor - but is much more tasty. The challenge to the restaurant has in fact been just that and it has certainly been met. Some aspects though are quite traditional, like the large range of dim sum at lunchtime. Banquets start at £19 and the king of them all is the seafood banquet at £35.

The spectacular views alone make this Wirral gem worthy of a visit. But Sheldrakes Restaurant located on the banks of the River Dee in Lower Heswall, doesn't just rely on visual appeal to draw in the crowd, although the Dee estuary against a backcloth of the Welsh mountains does afford some magnificent sights. This warm and cosy retreat is a true find, with its delightful outdoor seating and charming combination of rustic and contemporary chic inside, perfect for an intimate dinner, long lunches with friends or just a simple meal.

Menus display a Mediterranean influence which pleasantly touches upon the atmosphere as well, so expect starters of lightly fried salmon and haddock fillets with king prawns and aioli dip, a main course of roasted loin of pork served with char grilled pineapple, honey roasted peppers and sweet and sour sauce. The dessert of fig tart tatin served with pistachio ice cream strikes the right notes and the wine list at Sheldrakes is from Tanners, the renowned Shrewsbury wine merchants, featuring individually sourced wines from across the globe.