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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.

Behind Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, Zizzi Inverness serves authentic Italian cuisine in a vibrant modern setting. Boasting stunning views over the River Ness, the restaurant's interior reflects the local area with decorative touches inspired by the town's nautical and distilling history, complete with lighting in the style of buoys and visible copper piping throughout. The Eden Court Theatre and the Eastgate Shopping Centre are within an 8-minute walk of the restaurant while the historic Victorian Market is just a little further.

The bustling open kitchen at Zizzi turns out freshly prepared, tasty fare. The extensive à la carte offers distinct sections of antipasti, salads, pizza and calzone, pasta, risottos and mains of seasonally changing meat and fish dishes with a variety of tempting desserts to finish.
 
Zizzi's special antipasti platter has mixed Italian meats with buffalo milk mozzarella, marinated sun-dried tomatoes, mixed olives and red onion focaccia bread. There?s also choice of arancini, crispy risotto balls stuffed with mozzarella and peas and served with a tomato chilli sauce as well as gnocchi gorgonzola, potato dumplings in a creamy gorgonzola and spinach sauce seasoned with nutmeg and black pepper, setting the tone for a hearty meal.

For a delicious pasta or risotto choose between penne vodka, king prawns, chilli, peas and Grana Padano in a creamy tomato and vodka sauce; ravioli di capra, goat's cheese and spinach ravioli served with tomato sauce and topped with pesto and pine nuts; zucca e pancetta, pumpkin, pancetta, spinach, sage and Grana Padano topped with mascarpone and rigatoni con pollo e funghi, chicken in a tomato, onion, rosemary and mushroom sauce. Gluten-free pasta is also available on request.

If you prefer a pizza, then you could try Zizzi's speciality pizza rustica, which couples extra thin and crispy bases with a range of toppings such as bufala, buffalo mozzarella with sunblush tomatoes, basil, rocket and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or mare e monti, one half topped with tiger prawn, courgette and mozzarella and the other with spicy sausage, tomato sauce and chilli, all finished off with a rocket and crème fraîche. The carne piccante calzone has marinated chicken, meatballs, Bolognese sauce, mushrooms, chillies, tomato and mozzarella while the clarissa version, has aubergine, and red pepper caponata, olives, goats' cheese, rocket, pine nuts, tomato and mozzarella. Zizzi?s calzon?pizzas, half calzone and half pizza, add an interesting twist to the meal.

Sumptuous mains include agnello con peperonata, roasted lamb shank served with basil, roasted vegetables and a little pot of potatoes with tomato, red onion and Grana Padano; duck arrosto, slow roasted whole duck leg in a balsamic, olive and pancetta reduction served with Tuscan potatoes and green beans; and sea bass al vino, sea bass pan fried with wine, garlic and baby plum tomatoes and served with herby potatoes.

The scrumptious dessert list offers torta cioccolata with its thick hazelnut chocolate base topped with rich chocolate torte and served with vanilla mascarpone; homemade tiramisu; creamy vanilla pannacotta with fruit compote and torta Zizzi, an almond-based plum and fig tart topped with pistachios and icing sugar and served with gelato.

The wine list is dominated by a range of Italian wines from regions such as Veneto, Lazio, Sicily, Tuscany and Lombardy. Also on offer is an assortment of beers, and spirits as well as a range of soft and hot drinks.

More information can be found on their Website.

Opened in 2001 and situated on the banks of the River Ness, The Mustard Seed is a relaxed and informal, modern style family restaurant. Located in a former church, The Mustard Seed retains the feel of its former existence with its high, vaulted ceilings and mezzanine floor. The arched windows provide natural lighting that combines with the vibrant mustard yellow interior and restored architecture of old to highlight the ornaments and paintings that adorn the walls.

Their menus change on a weekly basis and are accompanied by daily-changing specials that reflect the region, the country and the time of year. Vegetarian options are always available, whilst menus catering for the younger customer are also available.

Using only the freshest Highland produce, The Mustard Seed offers a menu that combines traditional French and Scottish cuisine with elements of the New World, producing a interesting and different choice, with daily specials on offer.

Dishes could include: grilled Mediterranean vegetable risotto with red pesto or duck liver and foie gras parfait with candied orange to begin, followed by crispy salmon with angel hair pasta and chorizo sauce or marinated pork fillet with Sicilian sausage risotto.

Culloden is a handsome, typical Scots country house which has the dubious distinction of having been Bonnie Prince Charlie's quarters at the time of the Battle of Culloden. It was to this house that many of the wounded Jacobites were brought after the conflict only to fall victims to "Butcher" Cumberland, who carried out his orders with awful precision. Nowadays a happier atmosphere prevails and those who prize a taste of the better things in life beat a path to the door of this peaceful house. Scottish dishes are in great evidence and many of the ingredients have known no other environment than the surrounding lochs, hills and sea.

A meal might start with tartar of sea trout and smoked salmon with marinated cucumber, lemon and pepper oil. A timbale of haggis, neeps and tatties takes a nod to more Lowland tendencies, though in truth the Highlands have been happy to adopt them. Medallions of beef fillet coated with a creamed grain mustard sauce topped with whole shallots, chestnuts and bacon lardoons arrive with a wonderful selection of vegetables which you know instinctively are fresh. If you have never tasted Atholl brose, now's the time, a wonderful blend of honey, cream and whisky, with a coating of toasted caramel to provide a very Scottish finale to the meal.

A restaurant with rooms on the beautiful Black Isle, just 10 miles from Inverness; it is owned and operated by Jim and Anne Anderson, originally from America, who offer a truly international menu that changes daily in order to take advantage of the vast range of local produce and wildlife at their peak of flavour.

The locals should be extremely grateful that they decided to land up there, as they have created exactly the sort of real, neighbourhood restaurant/gastropub that everywhere needs, and their combination of really interesting food combined with extremely reasonable prices should be a winning one.

You could certainly have a very full meal for £26, amazing enough value for nowadays, but a dish like their everyday beef and ale stew - a rich, traditional stew of Scotch sirloin simmered with Belgian-brewed Scotch ale and served over tender barley is only £9; Cajun Blackened Venison Steak for £12; or a beef, chicken or veggie burger, described by them as 'Our beef burgers are 6oz American-style burgers made with ground steak, no fillers and are grilled to order to medium doneness unless you tell us otherwise; our chicken burgers are boneless breast fillets and the veggie burgers are suitable for vegan diets, yet curiously meat-like; toppings may be added to any of our burgers at no extra charge', and only £6.

Their hospitality can be enjoyed in casual candlelight all year around. The Lounge features 220 single-malt whiskies and well-tended real ales, as well as 101 gourmet Belgian beers, Scotland's largest selection. There are nine guest rooms upstairs and an outdoor beer garden during the warm months.

Named after the famous coffee growing island in Indonesia, Java World Bistro in the heart of the historic town of Inverness offers international cuisine created by using the finest Scottish produce.

For the Andersons, this conventional Bistro is the culmination of a long career in the catering and food industry, much of which was spent in Africa and the Middle and Far East.

The menu with its global touches likes to keep things lively, so bruschetta al pomodoro joins hands with prawn tempura in a bonito flavoured dipping sauce for starters. These could be followed by the Ethiopian lamb watt casserole cooked with red onions, spices and vegetables, or the Chinese style pork escalope served with star anise and ginger coulis.
 
Desserts include banoffee pie with cream and toffee sauce, and double French crêpes with a filling of your choice. Take a gastronomic tour around  the world in the relaxed and trendy ambience at Java.

Inverness, taken from the Scots Gaelic meaning 'mouth of the river Ness' owes its origin to a settlement established in the 6th century, with the first royal charter being granted by King David I in the 12th century. Situated in the heart of the historic city is this stylish restaurant, Indian Ocean, offering traditional food from the sub-continent in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

The extensive menu offers something that aims to please every guest and even the most discerning palates. Start with spicy mushroom and potato served with fried Indian bread, or boneless pieces of chicken/lamb marinated in exotic spices and then cooked in a traditional tandoori oven, along with lentil soup. The braised golden brown lamb in sliced onion, ginger and ground garam masala, prepared in a medium thick sauce, or king prawn shashlik are but two of the oriental delights that await you There is a variety of Indian breads to help you along this gastronomic journey.

One of the newest entrants to the Scottish dining scene, The Ash restaurant within the Royal Highland Hotel, is a contemporary cocktail and lounge bar, which is a true reflection of the country's cultural history and heritage. Elegantly styled and incorporating Gregorian influences, the restaurant boasts of a menu that is freshly prepared featuring dishes inspired by traditional Scottish cuisine.

In this tastefully done ambience, guests can savour dishes of scotch beef curry; haddock goujons, battered strips of haddock served with chunky chips and peas and the chef's specialties', that include medallions of beef fillet and, glenmorangie chicken, served with creamy malt whisky and onion sauce with rice. Included in this fare, are the variety of salads, sandwiches and the special Highland cuisines.

The wine list is extensive and varied, and contains a good selection of both old and new world boutique and mainstream wines including chablis le manoir and rioja tempranillo.