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hand picked restaurants

Part of the Whitbread family, Table Table restaurants aim to bring great value tasty pub food to an ever increasing eating-out public who like well prepared and genuine food served by friendly staff in relaxing surroundings. If that sounds too much like a dream come true be assured that at Table Table they also walk the talk, and are pleased to have the chance to prove it.

Their well located restaurants are spread across a wide range of decors and styles, and all of them share a determination to provide comfort, warmth and relaxation. Their buffet menus for special occasions are remarkable value.

In keeping with modern trends they provide dishes to nibble or share as guests consider the spread of options on a menu that could be described as British with welcome incursions. So as you share long Italian flatbread, and dough balls and dips, or a sharing platter with an imaginative range of finger food starting with garlic and breaded mushrooms, it's time to think about the relative merits of aromatic duck parcels, a prawn cocktail, breaded Camembert or sticky chicken goujons to name but a few.

Many an innocent dish from the past has been hi-jacked in the best possible sense into becoming what is now called a 'pub classic'. Wiltshire cure ham with eggs is served with chunky chips and beef, mushroom and ale pie, or chicken and chips are all familiar with British tables, be they in the dining room or the kitchen. Now they have been added to by chicken fajitas, a sweet red pepper, crème fraiche and fennel tart, a leg of duck slowly cooked and served with a Bramley apple and cider sauce, or chilli con carne with basmati rice, sour cream and guacamole and nachos. So is the humble burger with six enticing toppings.

The point is they, and others, are all here at Table Table, well prepared with quality ingredients, and presented in a way that makes you hungry even if you thought you weren't.

Getting down to the more serious side of the table keep an eye open for the seafood pie, a delightful assembly of things fishy including crayfish, red snapper, prawns and clams. Many of their steaks are 28 days matured, including a 7oz fillet. All steaks are served with watercress, roasted cherry tomatoes, a flat mushroom and chunky chips. A choice from 4 sauces adds the final touch of enjoyment.

Pastas and salads embrace some well known and loved names, but for sheer enjoyment the hot smoked salmon salad takes some beating - flakes of hot smoked salmon mixed with a house salad and soy and ginger sauce. A real winner.

Snacks aplenty cover hot baguettes with the like of grilled pork loin and Bramley apple sauce, sandwiches filled with Cheddar cheese, or prawns and Marie Rose sauce, and jacket potatoes with such temptations as chilli con carne. Add a bowl of chips for only a little extra.

A well travelled wine list offers helpful advice for the uninitiated and there's an impressive choice of draught and bottled beers and lagers. All in all it would appear that Table Table are more than achieving their aims, providing the opportunity for people to eat out enjoyably, with excellent value for money. Long may they continue to do so.

For completely up to date information on menu changes and special offers do make a regular check on their lively Website.

The Beefeater Grill range of restaurants, owned by the well established firm of Whitbread has transformed over time into what is now predominantly a cooking platform for chargrill. The restaurants are warm, modern and stylish, with low lighting and contemporary artwork. A comfortable, cosy, mainly booth layout offers guests their own space with no feeling of being hurried at any point. Staff are friendly and helpful if need be - what a difference that can make to a good evening out.

Be it the wide open spaces of Argentina, the intimate setting of a French restaurant, or a busy grill in London's West End, there's no denying the popularity of chargrill. As the production of quality beef, chicken, fish and lamb has grown, prices have come down by comparison, and the simple and traditional art of minimally cooking dishes by chargrill, sealing in the flavours and tastes by intense heat has caught the public imagination.

All the steaks at Beefeater Grill are matured for a minimum of 28 days before being seasoned. Whether it be juicy rib eye, the classic sirloin, that emblem of the Sunday lunch, a tender fillet, or a delicious 7oz rump, all grilled to your own specification, you're never far away from perfection. Even beefburgers have shaken off their dubious image and the highly popular Beefeater burgers are made from 100% beef.

The popular sirloin with giant prawns offers a treat to those for whom an alliance between sea and pasture is a natural attraction, whilst a 16oz steak platter links rump, fillet, sirloin and rib eye into one mouth-watering dish served with chips, battered onion rings, grilled tomato, a flat mushroom and peppercorn and brandy sauce.

Many of us love rib meat, and the rack of ribs at a Beefeater Grill has a meaty rack smoky flavour; maple ribs of pork with a choice of three sauces, mojito, smoked caramel and apple glaze, or Bourbon and black BBQ. And if all else fails and you are totally baffled by the wealth of choices, ask to have a word with the Steakmaster who will help find what is right for you, together with the best cooking method. These guys leave nothing to chance.

On a menu that is a delight to read, let alone choose a meal from, expect to find smaller dishes such as traditional prawn cocktail, whitebait, chicken liver pâté and baked Camembert, or juicy lamb koftas served with yoghurt and mint dip. There's something about a good steak meal that always leaves a gap for a little temptation to sweeten up the scene and from amongst twelve options look for Belgian chocolate cheesecake, treacle sponge pudding or a caramel apple crumble pie.

Throughout the day a wide range of more general dishes are yours for the ordering, sandwiches, jackets, classic favourites like fish and chips, pasta, salads, and sharing dishes of nachos, potato shells and a Beefeater Grill combo. Next door to many of the restaurants are Premier Inns, so staying the night whatever the circumstances need not be a problem.

And what about wine? Endorsed by Matthew Jukes, wine writer in the Daily Mail and bon viveur in his own right, a wine list that marches with the menu completes an impressive and compelling invitation to enjoy whatever takes your fancy at the nearest Beefeater Grill.

Click on their Website for menu updates and 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.

Willow's Coffee Shop is a spacious and intimate cafe located on Whitehall Street that displays a relaxed ambience, allowing people to lounge around and meet up with old friends or take their time enjoying a relaxing meal. The ambience is very chic and intimate, with comfortable seating, plenty of natural light and beautiful wall photographs. The restaurant welcomes large groups of friends and families as well as small and intimate groups of couples.

The very English menu, serves up food that is light and goes well with beverages. It includes hot rolls filled with freshly grilled bacon, cheese and pudding, poached eggs and beef link sausages. There are also breakfast platters of fresh bacon with sausages, vegetables and fried egg served with a soft morning roti or toast. The lunch menu includes soups, toasted rump steak ciabatta, topped with caramelised onion and served with salad and homemade coleslaw, and Aberdeen Angus burger served with fries and salads of chicken and bacon.

Traditional apple pie and vanilla cheese cakes are the desserts which can be had with a varied choice of beverages of coffee, tea and other soft drinks.

Conveniently located in Dundee's city centre and related to the Perth based Café Tabou, Le Gourmet is a classic French restaurant with a modern continental style décor of comfortable wooden furniture, relaxed surroundings and rich furnishings. The Mediterranean inspired menu has a variety suitable for every discerning palate and is made from fresh natural and organic ingredients. The food is affordable and served by a friendly and experienced staff.

Dishes of bruschetta; antipasto misto della casa, a selection of cured meats with olives and cheese, vie with grilled lamb chops and Greek salad for the diner’s attention. Specials include dishes of cataplana de marisco, a Portugese seafood dish flavoured with herbs and spices; tarte al oignon, traditional onion tarts with goat cheese and osso buco Milanese, an Italian dish consisting of a stew of veal shin pieces braised in white wine with assorted veggies.

The extensive wine list has been handpicked to include a wide selection of grape varieties from around Europe - primarily France, as well as a selection of organic and biodynamic wines.

The recent upsurge in game dishes on restaurant menus is hardly surprising; their exquisite flavour is enough to warrant attention, but what about game fish? The Atlantic blue marlins are one such species with a spear-like snout ready to knife through a school of prey. Thankfully, its namesake restaurant has shifted to the heart of Dundee on the waterfront which is a restrained place where diners are seen enjoying the best of what the coastal waters of Fife and Angus have on offer.

So here's a chance to get your feet wet, sorry taste buds whetted, possibly with a warm calamari salad with red onion, pimento, chilli and olive dressing, or Scottish mussels steamed in white wine, onion, garlic, herbs served with French bread. Grilled chicken breast served on champ with mushroom, garlic and chorizo butter or lobster and prawn tails set on turmeric flavoured rice in a creamy South African style curry sauce are particularly attractive main course options. In addition to the usual sticky toffee pudding, the dessert list at Blue Marlin has something else interesting; keep an eye open for the dark and white chocolate cheesecake set on biscuit base with raspberry compoté.

Ashoka Shak in Dayton Drive offers guests relaxed dining in a family friendly setting. They can expect to find an extensive and varied Indian cuisine menu that is usually found in all Ashoka group restaurants. Feel at ease in anticipation of enjoying your favourite curry.

The tandoori selection includes lamb chops, grilled Pacific king prawns, Lahore style chicken kebab, tandoori salmon and 'kick ass' chicken kebab, which is chicken marinated in a Creole style sauce and skewered with onions, mushrooms and bell peppers. After whetting their appetites sufficiently, diners can then proceed to sample the curry selection, choosing from the creamy chasni, coconut flavoured Ceylonese korma, sweet and sour patia and spicy Jaipuri. House specialities include butter chicken, garlic chilli chicken, lamb biryani and Goanese fish curry. Items of choice for vegetarians range from masala dosa to okra sautéed with onions in a medium sauce. A range of spirits, bottled beers, white and red wines gives more comfort at Ashoka Shak.