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A cosy neighbourhood restaurant in Edinburgh's old town, La Garrigue on Jeffrey Street is a lucky find for those who stumble across it. Its relaxed French bistro ambience and stylish decor makes it the perfect place for a leisurely meal. A sister establishment in the New Town offers an alternative dining venue. They were also awarded the Good Food Guide Scottish Restaurant of the Year in 2010.

Owner chef Jean Michel Gauffre's culinary skills give the restaurant an authentic Gallic stamp. Dishes from the Languedoc region of France are the restaurant's speciality and guests can expect to enjoy traditional rustic fare albeit with a modern touch. The dinner menu includes starters of crisp parcel of red mullet, potted meat of rabbit with chicory and pomegranate salad or twice baked blue cheese soufflé. Follow it up with delicious mains of slow cooked shin of beef in red wine sauce with tomatoes, traditional beans casserole with confit duck or French roast rabbit with black pudding, cabbage and juniper berry sauce. Puddings of lavender crème brûlée, rich chocolate fondant or tangy lemon tart bring the meal to a pleasant end.

La Garrigue also has a lunch menu that changes on a daily basis as well as a fine selection of aperitifs and digestifs. The carefully selected wine list similarly focuses on the Languedoc region, enjoying a particularly close relationship with the Daumas Gaussac vineyard.

Khushi's Diner in Edinburgh brings traditional Indian food in a contemporary atmosphere, where the hearty well loved Punjabi cuisine tempts you into trying something of everything. Head out there for a boisterous lunch with friends or an evening of fun with your family and enjoy their delicious fare and the friendly easy going ambience. Whether you're there for a quick snack or a proper meal, you'll find Khushi's meets your needs ably and most importantly, with a smile.

Amongst starters, there's the kurkura chilli fish, crunchy deep fried marinated white fish and move on to a main course of chicken tikka lahsuni, garlic tinged succulent pieces grilled in a charcoal oven. Curries where fish is cooked with mustard seeds and curry leaves; prawns with tomatoes, almonds and fresh cream or lamb curry on the bone are popular. Don't miss the special biryanis and round off with the kheer, fragrant rice pudding, for dessert. As they are BYOB, expect to find soft drinks, milk shakes and lassis on their drinks list.

Tex Mex is famous for its flaming fajitas and fabulous frozen margaritas. It is run by its chef/proprietor, who takes great pride in the fact that everything is made fresh from scratch. The interior is bright and funky with a use of strong Latino colours.

Anna Purna, which means The Food Provider, is a part of Edinburgh which must somehow always be maintained. As a Gujerati Indian it gives vegetarianism a good name and hardened carnivores are said to have eaten here without ever being conscious of the lack of meat. This is no cosy little nook - well-lit, non-smoking and no-nonsense it produces quality dishes from a quite small menu such as mild kumbi masala, saag paneer and matar reigna. A two course meal will cost you around £10/£11, with house wine at £8.95 and plenty of beers and lagers from which to select the customary liquid refreshment.

Howies doesn't fit into the category of a chain because each of its restaurants has an individualistic style, décor and menu. But the underlying commitment to offering remarkable dishes in a relaxed and casual environment is consistently present in all of them. Howies in Waterloo Place is situated at the East End of Princes Street within a listed 200 year old Georgian building. Light and airy, the spacious interiors are a wonderful place to hold big parties and events and a special element of interest to the proceedings.

The menu changes monthly and focuses on using local suppliers for all their ingredients. From amongst the starters you could choose smoked west coast mackerel fillet on home baked lemon and tarragon loaf with creamed horseradish dressing followed by seared breast of free range chicken on towered haggis and clapshot glazed with Scotch whisky and cracked pepper cream. End with the delightful dark chocolate torte with red berry compote or something from the selection of Scottish cheeses with fruit chutney and oatcakes.

Whilst The Terrace Brasserie and Santini's offer excellent food and wines, the undoubted place to be for the more formally inclined is The Grill Room. When the Sheraton was built in 1985 the full brunt of designeritis had not hit and there was still plenty of room for the traditional. The Grill Room is lined in wood panelling, the plaster ceiling is dignified and the proportions of the room really satisfying.

One instinctively feels that great feats of culinary skill belong here, nor will you be disappointed, though the tendency is to err on the side of the well-loved and safe, with occasional flirtations into the more exotic.

The quail and foie gras terrine makes an agreeable starter followed by the roast rack of lamb with a Provencal crust and black olive sauce. Desserts tend to be works of art the destruction of which hints at acts of vandalism, nonetheless as a determined gourmet you should have no problem in suppressing your finer thoughts.

The excellent staff moved noiselessly over the patterned Usher carpet and a splendid choice of wines from across the globe matches a style of décor which would not look out of place almost anywhere in the world.

Situated in the heart of Edinburgh city centre, Manna Mahal offers customers a unique opportunity to sample traditional South Indian and Pakistani specialities under one roof. Manna is the Hebrew word for heavenly food and a mahal is a palace. Therefore the restaurant's very name suggests diners will receive quality and authenticity.

Trust Travancore beef cutlets, Hydrabai tangidi kebab or lamb chop tikka to provide you with a flying start. The haggis fritters are an unusual blend of Scottish vegetarian haggis and Indian spices in gram flour batter.

Mains rest on the able shoulders of the masala dosa pancake; steamed idli, and palappam or coconut milk pancakes with stew. Amongst meat and poultry a very hot mutton vindaloo and home-style cettenadu lamb with black pepper, curry leaves, and mustard seeds vie for attention with murgh 65, and flavoursome butter chicken. Seafood is represented by Quilon king prawn masala and Kerala's meen mulaku curry. Bhoona, karahi, sizzlers and vegetarian sides complement the food.

To conclude expect Indian desserts like gulab jamun and ada pradaman. Well chosen wines are always available.

It's not often that I use the word salubrious, for what I hope are fairly obvious reasons. But I must say that when circumstances take me to Edinburgh there are few places I would rather be, with the possible exception of the Arts Club, than The George which, as a result of quite recent upheavals, now has Tempus added to it. Since tempus means time all I can add is that Tempus is one of the best possible places to spend it. Salubrious in fact, with most of the trappings that go with formality but totally lacking in any demands upon its clientele other than modern casual.

Described as "one of George Street's coolest bar and restaurant adventures", it has a distinguished cast of management with Marc Robertson, formerly of the Oxford Pear Tree, leading in the kitchen.

The menu is branded, so we start with Tempus Begins, that includes Loch Fyne oysters, and melon with Parma ham, or Loch Fyne smoked salmon. Tempus Continues with such well presented delights as ground fillet beef burger, breast of duck, Buccleuch beef Wellington, a seafood platter (for two) and grilled calves liver.

I did think all this might be followed by Tempus Fugit, but no it's Tempus Finale with such glorious indiscretions as knickerbocker glory, chocolate muffin trifle served with shortbread, churned ice cream with shortbread fingers by Luca of Musselburgh, or the ubiquitous and ever welcome lemon tart.

For a country that gave us the amber nectar, Scotland knows what it's about when it comes to wine too. The cellar here - Tempus Bacchus perhaps? - will most certainly not disappoint.