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Situated in the Harvey Nichols store in Exchange Square, with panoramic views of Manchester's skyline, The Second Floor Restaurant, Bar and Brasserie has quickly become one of Manchester's leading destination dining - for its superb modern European food - and drinking venues. The Second Floor Restaurant, Bar and Brasserie provides three very different venues which open independently from the main store: a formal 92 cover restaurant and a more informal 102 cover brasserie, and an adjacent stylish bar.

This top floor space encompasses a number of cutting-edge design features created by award-winning architects Lifschutz Davidson to provide a stylish environment in which to eat and drink. The mood of the Second Floor Restaurant, Bar and Brasserie is dramatically transformed from day to night by an integrated lighting system using illuminated glass tanks and coloured, ceiling lighting. By day, the space takes on a cool white appearance, while at night it is transformed with more theatrical, coloured lighting.

A striking black, white and pink colour scheme with polished, black granite flooring, red 'pin cushion button' detailing on the bar, and clean white walls complements these modern design elements.

Second Floor Restaurant:

An à la carte lunch menu is served in the Second Floor Restaurant from 12.00pm until 3pm. The à la carte dinner menu is available from 6pm until 10.00pm; while afternoon tea is available between 3pm and 6 pm (5 pm on Sunday).

A Modern European menu using the finest local ingredients has been created by Head Chef Stuart Thomson. Each course carries around six choices, with starters of, say, shellfish lasagne, salad of lobster, apple and potato; pig's cheek, black pudding, pickled carrots and truffle dressing, or sweetbreads, Cheshire bacon, mushroom bhaji and onion purée.

Main courses could include Morecambe brill, pea tortellini, clam chowder and bacon foam, whilst the more traditional may feel drawn to the fillet of Cheshire beef, truffle mash and shallot purée. But for something refreshingly, in every sense, different do not lightly dismiss the compression of aubergine and red pepper, saffron risotto and balsamic jelly.

Some legendary names appear amongst the cheese selection, but with a roasted peanut parfait with rice crispy crunch and Guanaja chocolate amongst the options, it's an open field.

One of the great virtues of The Second Floor is the views from the large windows which, whilst not exactly on to open countryside, give the same sort of feeling of wellbeing that comes from riding in a well-off-the-ground 4 x 4. And that's before you even start on the pretty faultless food.

There is a separate entrance on Cateaton Street to access the Second Floor Restaurant, Bar and Brasserie, which is served by two express lifts. This allows customers the convenience of direct entry during the day and after the store has closed.

For more details please visit the Harvey Nichols Website.

Photographs - Copyright Chris Gascoigne.

Heathcotes Brasserie offers a range of British and French classics, sprinkled with the celebrated signature dishes of MBE chef, Paul Heathcote. Guests can relax in an elegant setting filled with glistening silverware and spotless white tablecloths.

Made using fresh local produce, the Heathcotes menu offers starters of roast beef salad with leeks and walnuts, lobster risotto with tarragon and coral butter and hash brown of black pudding with Lancashire cheese, mustard butter and caramelized pear. Sumptuous main courses at Heathcotes restaurant range from slow-cooked lamb with creamed flageolet beans and jus, to grilled halibut with duxelle, champagne sauce and fine beans.

Round off with an indulgent treacle tart with marmalade ice cream, chocolate pots with salted caramel or Paul Heathcote's famous bread and butter pudding. A variety of white and red wines complement the food perfectly, whilst a chic cocktail bar serves refreshing mixes.

Set in pretty Winckley Square, Heathcotes Preston is a short walk from Fishergate Shopping Centre.

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

Based in Preston's town centre in Winckley Square, facing landscaped parkland, the Olive Press is in a location that is truly beautiful throughout the year. Walking through the door, you are at once aware of the warm, relaxed atmosphere that characterises the restaurant scene in Preston.

On arrival you will find the open fire is complimented by exposed brick, distressed plaster, and muted tones of wood, creating a sense of rustic surroundings.

The blend of young, vibrant staff make this a friendly and welcoming experience. It is a great place for that family gathering, when you can let the children make their own pizza whilst you enjoy an appetiser or a starter from their extensive menu.

You can go into the Olive Press and have a great sandwich for lunch or a simple pizza or pasta as a meal - or you could really let rip and enjoy a three course dinner, including their 21 day old matured rump steak with garlic butter or pepper sauce, with wine in the evening.

So talking of starters, what's on offer? San Daniele Italian cured ham and melon makes a bracing introduction, but then so do spicy lamb and bacon meatballs. Chicken liver pâté with macerated grapes, red wine and charred ciabatta, and for those who can't wait to latch on to that fishy flavour there's deep-fried squid, king prawn and whitebait with celery leaf and Romaine salad.

An Olive Press lasagne never fails to please - a simple dish but a satisfying one. Spaghetti Napoli, or carbonara with poached egg, crispy pancetta, peas and Parmesan all ring the bells too. From the oven or char grill there's a delightful whole grilled sea bream with gremolata, or hand pressed Curwen Hill rump steak burger, fries, sweetcorn and red pepper relish.

The stone baked pizzas have delicacy - none of your superannuated roofing tiles here - the base is an accompaniment rather than a conversation stopper, with the customary well-loved toppings, none more so than the buffalo mozzarella with plum tomatoes and basil.

Olive Press takes the requirements of children very seriously, and their own menu, designed with pleasure in mind, comes complete with some little puzzles to solve whilst waiting for their order to arrive. As well as making up their own pizza, Little Olives, as they tend to become for the duration, can choose from a pasta selection, sandwiches and garlic bread, burgers, or chicken, before moving in on the knickerbocker glory or banana split. Meanwhile parents and favourite uncles can contemplate a vanilla yoghurt with fresh blackberries, honey and crushed amaretti biscuits.

A well balanced wine list rarely strays far from Italy and includes Thesauram Corvina, Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 from Veneto that is big and spicy with rich dark chocolate and blackberry flavours.

For further details, including latest deals, menus and images, their Website should prove invaluable. The menu changes twice a year - for Autumn/Winter in September and in March for Spring/Summer.

The Monro, arguably Liverpool's most notable gastropub, flies in the face of fashion to produce surroundings which have more than a flavour of home about them, unless of course you happen to inhabit a stately home in which case you'll feel entirely at ease. The question is asked "are you really comfortable eating or drinking under the glare of halogen spotlights?" Which when you come to think about it not infrequently evinces the answer "no".

So at The Monro there is subdued lighting, no beech or laminates and a replacement of chic with comfortable and reassuring décor that does not shout for attention. Lunch is served from 12 until 3pm, with the evening meal starting at 5 until 10pm.

Unlike some gastropubs - and others - where reliance is placed upon pre-packed ingredients, The Monro depends very much upon fresh supplies, some of them organic in origin, and their names read like a roll-call of honour with smoked salmon with asparagus and poached duck egg and hollandaise sauce, caramelized pear and celery tartlet with creamed goats? cheese, served with fresh salad leaves and balsamic dressing, crisp belly pork with Lyonnaise potatoes, red snapper with jersey royals, and butterflied lemon sole stuffed with prawn.

The net, truly, is widely cast. The result of all this is that people have an implicit faith in what is presented on the table, chefs take increased pride in their work and everybody is happy.

For the evening meal starters will include a fresh soup, changed every day, and creamed leek and artichoke tartlet with watercress salad and tomato dressing. Mushroom madness represents a new angle on the humble fungus, with a unique combination of it with pan-fried duck livers in bacon, and cooked in a red wine jus.

10oz rib-eye steak comes with wild mushrooms and peppercorn sauce and homemade chunky chips whilst Cajun spiced monkfish tail comes with beetroot salsa, braised rice and a rocket and parmesan salad. The fish range from red snapper to halibut, again dependent upon the market, and include what is breezily listed as "posh fish and chips" which is essentially cod and chips in beer batter, or, if you really insist, they will batter and deep-fry whatever other fish is on the menu. The tartare sauce is, of course, home made, the chips are chunky.

From all of which you will deduce that there is no possibility of perishing from gastronomic boredom at The Monro. The wine list is short and punchy and designed for honest drinking. Do not look for the great clarets here, but do be prepared for house champagne at less than £23 a cork and a range of very drinkable wines under the £20 mark. It is places like The Monro that give gastropubs a good name. However, their Website would give you an even better idea of the place, so do visit that.

Radisson Hotels can be found the world over, and whilst the degree of universal quality that they offer is reassuring, there is always that frisson of pleasure that comes with discovering their diversity in ways both great and small. As with any quality hotel, the happiness of the inner man is a prime concern, and the award winning Filini restaurant at the Radisson Blu Liverpool offers Italian cuisine of a high order, blending together both Italian and local produce to create a greatly enjoyed and respected dining experience.

The Radisson Blu Liverpool enjoys the advantage of its location in an established maritime city of great charm and distinction in its people, its very individual culture, and its structure. The River Mersey has lent its name to a great deal more than just The Beatles.

The restaurant has undergone a complete refit, with red vintage leather seating comfortably alongside draping red curtains and chandeliers that reflect the sparkle of the conversation beneath.

The hotel is ultra modern, the décor hosting colours that though assertive are not strident, and has 194 bedrooms including Business Class, Junior Suites and the sensational River suite. Guestrooms, which are individually designed in two unique styles, Ocean and Urban, provide more than enough choices to keep everybody happy. Free Broadband, including wireless Internet access is available in all guestrooms and public areas.

The menu opens with a convivium collection of sharing platters, amongst which the cured meats and cheese antipasti is invariably popular. More individual antipasti dishes include prosciutto di Parma with Tuscan garlic bread, or shrimp salad with baby gem, rocket, lemon and oregano dressing.

Risotto can be ordered as a starter or main dish, and many a good night here has revolved round the wonderful blend of flavours that are drummed up by tagliatelle with pesto. Roast chicken breast is served with mushrooms and basil, whilst the grilled sea bass with spinach and pine kernels is another classic that seafood lovers will applaud.

No Italian menu would be complete without a range of pizzas. As befits a restaurant of quality these are the thin crust variety, and include tomato, mozzarella, pecorino, prosciutto and rocket. Italians are so adept at making the best out of vegetables, and here we have garlic mashed potatoes with Parmesan cheese, green vegetables with lemon, as well as the traditional tomato and red onion salad.

Desserts of toasted almond semifreddo compete alongside chocolate fondant with pistachio ice cream, the inevitably wonderful gelato selection of any good Italian restaurant, and a selection of ripe Neapolitan cheese.

It is not until one sees an exclusively Italian wine list that the full splendour of Italian wine really manifests itself. In possibly more than any other country, careful selection through their, shall we say, simpler wines produces real gems, with a notable example being the Vin Santo del Chianti Serelle dessert wine from Tuscany. Their well set out Website will tell you more about the menus and other events that constantly grace the Radisson Blu.

Bella Italia is a restaurant that pulsates with Italian style and fashion, where the day starts with breakfast, not least the Inglese, the familiar bacon, sausage, mushroom, tomato and fried or scrambled eggs and sauté potatoes with ciabatta toast so beloved of hearty eaters seeking a good start to the day, particularly when they don't have to prepare it. A vegetarian option is available, along with the bambini of sausages, tomato and scrambled egg, or a strapazzata, scrambled eggs on ciabatta toast. A cappuccino or hot chocolate offers a more gentle awakening and croissant or pastries are welcome at almost any time.

It is always worth remembering that eating Italian is a great opportunity to work away through something rather more liberating than the conventional 3 course English meal. Little and often seems to be the motto but move on to the antipasti and it's immediately obvious this is no easy task, confronted with well over a dozen dishes, not one of which you really have the heart to turn down. The selezione classica assembles a few of the favourite starters; oven baked lemon and rosemary chicken wings, spiced meatballs, calamari, mini garlic butter-filled calzoni and lightly battered courgettes served with flamed pepper and lemon herb dips.

A speck e rucola pizza, added to a traditional margherita brings together two traditions with Italian speck ham providing the second, but it is within the pasta and risotto dishes that you can adapt almost any main ingredient, as well enjoy some of Italy's most traditional treats. Who can deny a well formed spaghetti Bolognese or penne Marco Polo? And not for nothing is a nicely prepared spaghetti carbonara the preferred dish of many.

From a selection of five choices amongst the secondi many will head unerringly for controfiletto ai ferri, a 7oz sirloin steak char-grilled to preference and served with garlic butter, roast field mushrooms, fries and rocket, or the fritto misto, lightly battered prawns, cod fillet, calamari and courgette with fries and a herb lemon and caper dip.

Could anything be more appropriate than The Godfather, for 1 or 2 naturally, with nutty chocolate fudge brownies, vanilla and toffee ice cream with chocolate sauce, fresh cream and wafer curls, and rest assured the coffee will do justice to the meal.

With a wine list that makes few concessions to other countries - and why should it - good Italian food can receive an equally national baptism by wine. For further enlightenment, news about their on-line shop and special deals, a click on their lively Website will reveal all.

Brewer's Fayre restaurants offer a warm welcome to those who want a reliably tasty meal in pleasant surroundings, with plenty of choice, minimal fuss and friendly service. With a reputation going back 25 years they should have a fair chance of doing that, but don't take our word for it. Give them a try and see if you agree that this is how good quality pub food should be served.

Whether it's snacks, grills, pub classics, fish, Sunday roasts or side dishes they think their way through the options, talk to their guests, and then come up with the goods. Not everybody wants a full meal so they've considered the needs of those who want to keep the gap filled and the children contented, perhaps on a journey or a day out.

Hot filled baguettes are always popular be it sausage and red onion or a classic chicken club sandwich. Jacket potatoes are good on their own but filled with mature cheddar cheese and beans they take on a new dimension.

More paced occasions demand a wide menu, perhaps with starters of breaded butterfly prawns, chicken goujons or breaded camembert bites. Grills are there for the hungry and whole rack of meaty BBQ pork ribs served with extra sauce, chips and coleslaw can be very welcome. The days of the mixed grill are back - or did they ever go away - a 4oz rump steak, two pork sausages, and a gammon steak topped with a fried egg served with all the trimmings will remind you if they did.

Salmon and prawn fishcakes are served with buttered new potatoes, tartare sauce and a lightly dressed salad. A combination of sea and land comes with a rump steak, whole grilled chicken breast and breaded breaded butterfly prawns, served with chips and a side salad or garden peas.

The rise of eating out in pubs has brought into our daily lives a whole legion of what might be termed 'pub classics'. Many of them have their roots in what used to be called 'good home cooking' and include such dishes as sausage, egg and chips, beef and ale pie, chicken and mushroom pie and for the very daring a beef lasagne. Well, all of them and many more are on the menu at Brewer's Fayre, supplemented by such new regulars as vegetable Goan chicken curry, pork chop, chilli con carne and grilled chicken and bacon salad.

It has often been said that chicken tikka masala is now the most popular dish in Britain. Some may not really want to believe that, much as they love curry, but travel, population movement and other factors have widened our scope and they are probably pretty keen on fish and chips in Timbuktu.

What is certain is that the great British Sunday roast is exclusive to these islands, though copied maybe elsewhere or in ex-pat outposts. No surprise therefore that it's on the Brewer's Fayre menu. A trade of three roasts with an opportunity to trade up to a mega roast for a modest sum. With it come two Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, fresh seasonal vegetables and that important element - gravy.

A fine list of immensely tempting desserts may well bring the most ardent weight-watcher to their knees. A short but well thought out wine list offers all choices, except champagne, by the glass. Staying the night - check to see if there's a Premier Inn next door - chances are you'll be lucky.

A quick click on their Website is always worth while. The only thing that stays still permanently is the quality which is helped by a changing menu, and some very special offers.

Brewer's Fayre restaurants offer a warm welcome to those who want a reliably tasty meal in pleasant surroundings, with plenty of choice, minimal fuss and friendly service. With a reputation going back 25 years they should have a fair chance of doing that, but don't take our word for it. Give them a try and see if you agree that this is how good quality pub food should be served.

Whether it's snacks, grills, pub classics, fish, Sunday roasts or side dishes they think their way through the options, talk to their guests, and then come up with the goods. Not everybody wants a full meal so they've considered the needs of those who want to keep the gap filled and the children contented, perhaps on a journey or a day out.

Hot filled baguettes are always popular be it sausage and red onion or a classic chicken club sandwich. Jacket potatoes are good on their own but filled with mature cheddar cheese and beans they take on a new dimension.

More paced occasions demand a wide menu, perhaps with starters of breaded butterfly prawns, chicken goujons or breaded camembert bites. Grills are there for the hungry and whole rack of meaty BBQ pork ribs served with extra sauce, chips and coleslaw can be very welcome. The days of the mixed grill are back - or did they ever go away - a 4oz rump steak, two pork sausages, and a gammon steak topped with a fried egg served with all the trimmings will remind you if they did.

Salmon and prawn fishcakes are served with buttered new potatoes, tartare sauce and a lightly dressed salad. A combination of sea and land comes with a rump steak, whole grilled chicken breast and breaded breaded butterfly prawns, served with chips and a side salad or garden peas.

The rise of eating out in pubs has brought into our daily lives a whole legion of what might be termed 'pub classics'. Many of them have their roots in what used to be called 'good home cooking' and include such dishes as sausage, egg and chips, beef and ale pie, chicken and mushroom pie and for the very daring a beef lasagne. Well, all of them and many more are on the menu at Brewer's Fayre, supplemented by such new regulars as vegetable Goan chicken curry, pork chop, chilli con carne and grilled chicken and bacon salad.

It has often been said that chicken tikka masala is now the most popular dish in Britain. Some may not really want to believe that, much as they love curry, but travel, population movement and other factors have widened our scope and they are probably pretty keen on fish and chips in Timbuktu.

What is certain is that the great British Sunday roast is exclusive to these islands, though copied maybe elsewhere or in ex-pat outposts. No surprise therefore that it's on the Brewer's Fayre menu. A trade of three roasts with an opportunity to trade up to a mega roast for a modest sum. With it come two Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, fresh seasonal vegetables and that important element - gravy.

A fine list of immensely tempting desserts may well bring the most ardent weight-watcher to their knees. A short but well thought out wine list offers all choices, except champagne, by the glass. Staying the night - check to see if there's a Premier Inn next door - chances are you'll be lucky.

A quick click on their Website is always worth while. The only thing that stays still permanently is the quality which is helped by a changing menu, and some very special offers.

With quality food, friendly staff, quick service and excellent value for money, Nando's is a great place to eat. Don't expect identikit, pre-fab restaurant interiors which are usually a staple of the larger chains; each restaurant is tailored to its local surroundings and customers, offering up a unique restaurant experience to go with the equally unique taste of legendary, Portuguese, Peri-Peri chicken.

Your peri-peri chicken, when the chips are down so to speak, is a fresh A grade chicken that has never seen the inside of a freezer, but having made the supreme sacrifice is butterfly-cut, marinated for 24 hours in a secret brew called - you've guessed - peri-peri, and is then cooked to your choice over an open flame.

There are, of course, many variations on this broad theme, numerous plays on words such as Nando's experi-perience, peri-peri good reasons why you should eat at a Nando's' and all one hopes is that for their sake chicken never goes out of fashion. New Nando's are opening all the time, peri-peri quickly in fact, the spicy bastes become hotter and more daring, and the full platter offers a whole chicken, large chips or spicy rice and Nando's salad or coleslaw.

Since chickens are vegetarian it seems logical you can order veggie or bean burgers and patties, and still feel the heat from the peppers. All in all, Nando's is hotly recommended for those occasions when you have a large following of permanently hungry children, or adults even, to keep happy - the only thing taken really seriously is the quality of those peri-peri good chickens.

Nando's is a place for bright people who love to laugh and love to eat, and is guaranteed to spice up your taste buds. Their fun approach to life means that when you visit Nando's you can fully relax without the airs and graces associated with more starchy dining out.

For the location of your nearest Nando's restaurant and a host of details about menus, parties and drinks, a click on their Website will reveal a Pandora's box of information.