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This child-friendly vegetarian restaurant has been around a long time but it has not lost its flair for the fraternity. Located next door to a quite active pool room, if that's not a contradiction in terms, it has a cosy candlelit ambience which greatly assists those who are here as much for the atmosphere as the grub.

Which is not to cast doubts on the cleverly transformed dishes prepared by chef Albert Smith from only the best produce and to recipes which turn even carnivores into doubters - well, for a while anyway. There is a nifty little wine list which includes two organic reds and two whites and house wine at £10.95.

Small family run hotel in the picturesque village of Strathpeffer. Relatively simple and straightforward French and Scottish cuisine, relying more on the quality of the local ingredients than doing anything very complicated to it, from their French chef Jean-Christophe Guichot.

There is a cosy open fire in the bar or you can relax in the sumptuous surroundings of their 40 seater restaurant. They have an extensive wine list and over 70 various malt whiskies to choose from.

Set in lush parkland, yet only five minutes by taxi from the Royal Mile, Prestonfield is home to Edinburgh's latest destination restaurant - Rhubarb. Recently lavishly restyled by James Thomson and his Witchery team following an extensive restoration, the charming seventeenth century Prestonfield is now regarded as Edinburgh's most indulgent retreat and is the only AA 5 Red Star Hotel in the city.

Rhubarb Edinburgh could well lay claim to the title of Edinburgh's ultimate restaurant, occupying two linked grand oval-shaped Regency rooms that overlook Prestonfield's eighteen acres of parkland that, added to Prestonfield in 1816 by Architect James Gillespie Graham.

Still home to a collection of ancestral portraits that have hung in the house since they were commissioned, the walls are now indulgently upholstered in striking specially-woven fabrics in burnt rhubarb crumble colours of reds, black and bronze, whist two over scaled carved and gilded tassel chandeliers hang from the domes ceilings. Striking armchairs, grand banquettes and chairs modelled on those at Brighton Pavilion ensure diners are seated in comfort as well as elegance.

Named as a memorial to the introduction from China of rhubarb here in the 18th century, Rhubarb continues the tradition by promoting the excellent produce available from small artisan suppliers with delights such as Lindisfarne Oysters, Skye scallops, Black Gold beef and Borders hare and lamb leaning heavily on an inventive and imaginative menu. Puddings are likely to include an assiette of rhubarb desserts of jam doughnuts, rhubarb and custard parfait, and ginger and white chocolate.

Rhubarb is reintroducing leisured grand-luxe dining as an antidote to those uncomfortable blonde-wood canteens. A black-kilted porter greets you at the door and leads you across the marble floor to the Yellow Room, which with its golden walls and black crocodile banquettes is the perfect place for a fireside aperitif, whilst the Whisky is ideal for sampling one of 100 Malts in its warm and clubbable atmosphere surrounded by equine portraits.

After dinner or lunch you can retreat to the Tapestry Room - still hung with its series of seventeenth century Mortlake tapestries, and marvel at the baroque excesses of the cupids and fantastical characters romping on the plaster ceiling commissioned in 1687. Coffee and drinks could hardly be anywhere more dramatic, unless you choose the adjacent Leather Room - still panelled with the stamped and gilded leather original to the house, where a log fire roars daily.

Private dining is a Prestonfield speciality, with an exceptional range of private rooms to welcome any size of party. The panelled Italian Room with its painted classical scenes or the dramatic red and black Stewart Rooms are perfect for smaller dinners in the most dramatic of settings, whilst the light and chinoiserie Garden Room opens onto its own terrace and seats fifty.

For larger numbers the nearby circular Georgian stables are a sumptuous red velvet lined space, frequently hosting gala dinners or weddings for up to five hundred guests. The twenty-eight decadent rooms and lavish suites at Prestonfield are not for the faint-hearted - the décor is full-on opulence in every shade of red imaginable! The stated intention was to be "an antidote to the bland uniformity of hotels".

All rooms feature red Venetian glass mosaic and marble bathrooms, sumptuous soft furnishings, Frette linens and antiques alongside the more contemporary pleasures of air-conditioning, high speed internet access, 30" plasma TV, Bose CD player, DVD, direct dial telephones and a well-stocked mini bar.

More information is available on their Website.

Some comments: "A Baroque extravaganza where more is most definitely more!" Gillian Glover, The Scotsman; ".....fabulous!" Joan Collins; "A Beau Brummell kaleidoscope of gilt, ormolu and scarlet pinstripe" Allan Brown The Sunday Times.

Experts at the super-exclusive 'Mr & Mrs Smith' guide for 2005 to Europe's sexiest locations named Edinburgh's 5-star Prestonfield as the only destination for lovers in Scotland and the only UK destination outside of London.

The Left Bank offers their own user friendly version of delicious home cooking from breakfast until supper in a comfortable, inviting bar and kitchen, they use seasonal and local produce wherever possible. Their a la carte covers a wide range from sticky pork with star anise and soy to monkfish on a crab and mussel velouté, as well as Gillespies burgers, fish and chips and their famous Goan masala fish curry.

The choice includes bar snacks, smoothies, cocktails, coffees, brunch, lunch, all day mains and an evening menu as well as a prix fixe menu at lunchtime and early evening, Monday to Friday, and an extensive range of wines available by the glass.

The list of awards grows ever longer, among them "Best Newcomer, Glasgow" The List 2007, inclusion in "Best Cheap Eats" The Observer Food Monthly 2007, "Best Breakfast" in The Scotsman 2007 and finally gaining 9/10 from Joanna Blythman in the The Sunday Herald.