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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.

San Carlo in Liverpool demonstrates exemplary commitment to fine Italian food, good service, luxurious and comfortable surroundings, and value for money.

San Carlo Liverpool is appropriately enough located in Castle Street, a sophisticated setting in the heart of the city's business district, where the unique experience offered is appreciated to the full. A wide, open and airy dining room provides the hub, with all-white space and red and black furnishings, whilst the impressive bar and lounge area is open plan with stools strategically scattered.

A menu that follows the traditional Italian format exhibits some of the best in Italian cooking. Whoever it was said that San Carlo was the best restaurant Liverpool had ever seen made a good point which few would contradict. The deeply satisfying antipasti, that wonderful prelude to an Italian meal, contributes hugely to setting the scene for what is to come.

Mixed Italian salami and Parma ham served with artichoke and fried pecorino cheese establishes some traditional flavours of the country. For simplicity the smoked salmon with thinly chopped white shallots and capers is devastatingly effective, and by contrast the avocado diverso, avocado served with crabmeat, Marie Rose sauce, smoked trout, horseradish and sunblushed tomatoes provides a more complicated alternative.

Whatever the origin of pasta, Italy seems to have the contemporary ownership of this attractive food form and its appearance of any self-respecting Italian menu marks the transition from introduction to getting down to business. From a menu of seven options pay serious heed to the pasta alla Norma which involves aubergines, tomatoes, basil, garlic and the ever present pecorino cheese.

It's arguable whether Italian cuisine favours meat or fish; those who prefer the former point to such wonderful dishes as vitello Signor Sassi, escalopes of veal cooked in mustard seeds, cream, brandy and mushrooms, closely followed by fillet of beef medallions wrapped in Parma ham in a creamy truffle sauce, or lamb cutlets in Madeira sauce with rosemary and sun dried potatoes, all of course on the menu at San Carlo.

With a coastline of 4,712 miles, and that doesn't include Sicily it's hardly surprising that Italy also has a love affair with seafood and fish. Try the mixed shellfish Royale for sheer indulgence, or the mixed grill of fish formed from 5 different fish and shellfish. A tagliolini lobster is a special pasta dish with lobster, brandy, tomato, cream and peas and it is superb.

When you consider that we English reckon on 3 courses to a meal it is refreshing to find a cuisine where you can get away with 6 without being considered over indulgent, which brings us to the pizza, an Italian achievement which some people go through life thinking is about the only food Italians eat. It would be more accurate to say that this is probably more true of the English. A choice of 7 at San Carlo leaves plenty of room for experiment.

With a truly Italian flourish of desserts this is the setting for a memorable meal that surprisingly will not leave deep dents in your wallet. Do click on their Website for further information on this admirable pathway to authentic Italian food.

Blue Cobra lays claim to reflecting the opulence of the gastronomic heritage of South East Asia, and closer examination of their operation lends credibility to that statement, starting with the colourful front of house and the spacious, airy restaurant and lounge bar areas.

Cuisine covers a wide range of Thai and Bengali dishes, both enjoying increasing popularity in UK as those who really care about interesting eating become more exploratory and discerning.

Lovers of seafood will rejoice to know that this is taken seriously at Blue Cobra, with appetisers of skewered tiger fish soaked in a Bengali marinade, skewered with cayenne peppers and grilled over charcoal. No menu of this kind would be complete without Tom Yam, which can also serve as a main course. Amongst the shellfish look for langoustines grilled in the shell before being covered with hot, spicy Thai sauce of aromatic herbs and coconut milk.

Moving on to seafood main courses the soft shell crab dish is served with oyster mushrooms. The potak is a riot of seafood in their Thai chef's green spicy sauce, with lemongrass, lime leaves and coconut milk

Bengali seafood features a number of special seafood creations, of which the seafood bhuna, an infusion of King scollops, squid, cuttle fish and tiger fish is prepared in a an exceptional stock with a medium blend of bhuna spices and herbs.

Bengali and Thai banquets speak for themselves, with King prawn grill massala and beef nam-man hoi included as special treats; then both cuisines combine to offer a splendid Eastern Safari, a gourmet feast across the Bay of Bengal with an Eastern version of the mixed grill containing King prawns, duck breast, venison and escalopes of chicken sizzling away with herbed sweet peppers and red onion. Side dishes include special noodles, Thai egg rice, lemon rise and stuffed naan breads.

For those who like their prawn crackers - and who can resist them - the traditional Thai version are available, with prawns on toast, spicy chicken niblets, a fish parcel, baked vegetables and baby calamari acting as other attractive appetisers.

Some dishes will forever be associated with particular cuisines and when we think of Thai, roasted duck comes to mind, beef jungle curry, a hearty rustic dish with slices of marinated beef cooked in mixed spices, with a red hot chilli bite to it, lightly tinged with fresh lemon and hot basil. Stir-fried Thai vegetables make an excellent vegetarian dish, also the green bamboo shoots cooked with bean sprouts and other vegetables.

Bengali highlights offer the Blue Cobra supreme breast of chicken, aromatic duckling and rainforest venison marinated in tamarind and rare spices and extra virgin oil. Cinnamon chicken is a mild succulent dish that speaks for itself and is, so they say, guaranteed to melt in the mouth.

Service is friendly and efficient and for nearby companies with people in a hurry at lunchtime a luncheon club is available, with 10% discount on the food on presentation of a company ID card. They do a great business in take-aways as well as parties and special occasions.

Check out their Website for details of corporate dining, conferences and on-line ordering.

The Plough and Harrow served as an old coaching inn in the past and has been restored to become a spacious country pub and eating house, with large open areas and numerous alcoves. It retains its old world charm with stone floors, exposed beams, leaded windows and roaring log fires. With two large patios in the front and rear, it allows al fresco dining almost throughout the year. The restaurant seats a hundred and can cover an additional eighty.

The dining area is decorated with copper, suede, raw wood and leather, creating a pleasant environment made even more attractive by interesting artefacts. The wine 'prison' with captivating barrels and bottles ready for release, is another area that deserves special attention.

The menu offers an eclectic array of pizzas, pastas, salads and steaks. There are also light bites which combine to become a meal. To set the right note of fashionable sociability there are sharing plates, antipasti of Italian meats, dolcelatte, marinated vegetables and warm stone-baked flatbreads, or Mediterranean mezze of hummus, roasted vegetables, fregola, tzatziki, feta, spinach and ricotta pâté with flatbreads.

Amongst the appetisers look for freshly made soup; lamb koftas with mint yoghurt, kohlrabi, cumin and carrot salad, or gambas with rocket, garlic aioli and rustic bread. Look, too, for scallops in the specials section.

The salads offer chargrilled chicken with courgette, fennel, apple, asparagus, hazelnut and balsamic dressing, and the seafood fiends find pleasure in some prawn and avocado with pecans, mango, bacon, orange and pomegranate vinaigrette.

These days no self-respecting gastropub can afford to be without its pizza range; expect to find a classic margherita of cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, pomodoro and basil, the rustica with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, goats' cheese and cherry tomatoes, or the piccante with pepperoni, chorizo, tomato and jalapeños.

Pastas include linguini with tiger prawns, crab, chorizo, chilli, tomato and white wine; strozzapreti of tomato, goats cheese, spinach, pine nuts and raisins, or tagliatelle with slow cooked Bolognaise and parmesan. For the big event there is always roast rump of lamb with sauce soubise, asparagus, pancetta, button onions and baby potatoes.

The battered haddock with frites, tartare sauce and minted mushy peas is popular, a sign of the times and improving taste in eating. Spit chicken with lemon, garlic, thyme and frites is worth trying too. For hearty eaters there are rib eye and fillet steaks or blackened cod fillet with egg noodles, pak choi, mango and chilli salsa.

More information, including full menus, is available on their Website. Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.

No 4 Wood Street is situated in a very special building, two hundred years old and listed, formerly in operation as a maltings. It was converted to a restaurant by the previous owners who, whilst keeping as many original features as possible, concentrated on converting it to a more contemporary use, making sure everything was done in a sympathetic fashion.

It is surrounded by its own car park for eight, a solicitors, doctors and the art college, enabling customers to combine several calls with a calming lunch in between. The result mixes the modern with the traditional and more unusual, which includes a magnificent stained glass window, designed by a Forest Town student, creating an eclectic frisson of appeal.

The restaurant is now owned by chef, Michael Sindall, who has been there from the outset, a local lad who was keen to come home and make a name for himself after training in such excellent London kitchens as those inhabited by the Roux Brothers and Marco Pierre White. Since returning to Mansfield he has won awards for his cooking, and has firmly hoisted Mansfield on to the gastronomic map by being included in the Michelin Guide 2006 to 2011. 

Everything he serves is freshly prepared, whenever possibly using local ingredients, to such an extent that all desserts, bread, sauces, ices, biscuits and pasta are homemade. The menus change everyday, but always remain interesting. At lunchtime a lighter theme prevails, ranging from goats cheese and beetroot terrine; soups to pasta, like linguini with tomato fondue, artichokes, garlic and spinach. The selection changes frequently, and the value at lunchtime is quite remarkable.

The à la carte is the flagship menu, with starters of ham hock and chicken terrine with piccalilli or perhaps a salad of poached duck breast with croutons, parmesan crisp, cherry tomatoes and pine nut dressing. Their steamed beef suet pudding with potato wedges, peas, root vegetables and rosemary sauce is the stuff of which dreams are made, though the confit shoulder with roasted squash, dauphinoise potatoes, mint and green peppercorn sauce is a very close contender.

A tendency to appeal to the very heart of a basically indulgent clientele manifests itself in such desserts as Pavlova, Chantilly cream with red fruit or a glazed vanilla rice pudding with tangy lemon ice cream.

They also have an exceptional wine list with many wines being imported directly. Danny, former owner of No 4, is the enthusiast in that field and has diligently sought out some special offerings, visiting the small cellars in France where many of them have their origin, or using wine merchants that specialise in the unusual.

No 4 has taken much loving care to bring it thus far, but the owners must surely feel it has been worth while. They are extremely flexible and will happily cater for every occasion, from a special meal for two, through to a large family party or celebration.

Further details are available on their Website, including the special events held there. Be amongst the first to know.

The Montagu offers tranquil views over one of London's most picturesque gardens, yet provides a vibrant setting to relax and indulge in a wide range of modern British, seasonal dishes, all of which are prepared in a striking open kitchen. Located at the Hyatt Regency London - The Churchill - in Portman Square the restaurant prides itself on being a neighbourhood restaurant, which serves up a wide selection of wonderful, fresh dishes, with a mission to provide relaxed eating for all those whose lives bring them into contact with the hotel and its neighbourhood.

Awarded the prestigious Tea Guild's Award of Excellence 2010, The Montagu offers a full afternoon tea service from 3:00pm to 6:00pm which is the perfect antidote to the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street. The Montagu Afternoon Tea offers elegant tiered stands bearing a selection of traditionally British, thinly sliced finger sandwiches and warm fruit and plain scones with strawberry jam and Cornish clotted cream. The Patissier's selection includes pretty French pastries and fruit tartlets and mini desserts. Also served is a fine selection of exquisite teas.

In homage to Sir Winston Churchill, The Montagu has just launched The Churchillian High Tea, the perfect Winter treat. Start with smoked salmon, potted shrimps served on toast with a drizzle of lemon juice, cheese on toast, and toasted crumpets with butter. Follow with hot favourites such as a warming vegetable consommé, a mini shepherd's pie and Sir Winston's beloved traditional tender roast beef with a Yorkshire pudding and horseradish sauce.

Puddings include treats such as treacle tart, fruit cake and sherry trifle. Sir Winston's love of French food is highlighted with delicious chocolate éclairs. This is served with a fine selection of exquisite teas, all of which reflect the unique and fine qualities of Sir Winston Churchill.

The Montagu's Chef's Table is a foodie experience with a 5-course menu, prepared and delivered by the chefs, right before your eyes. An extensive wine list offers 70 labels covering mix of New and Old World wines, with numerous selections available by the glass. Until December, enjoy the Chef's Table in collaboration with the iconic winery Cloudy Bay, pairing food and wine together for an unforgettable culinary experience.

For those with time to linger at lunch or having dinner, the choice is wide and focuses on ingredients that are in season. Try the court bouillon poached prawns with cocktail sauce and avocado, or the Dover sole with roasted potatoes and drizzled with lemon butter. Or for those who prefer something meatier, choose from a stunning beef tenderloin with bone marrow crust and braised shallots, or a herbed lamb rump with celeriac mash and glazed carrots.

And for pudding, it is difficult to resist The Montagu's tempting selection. Indulge in a plum crumble with red wine ice-cream and vanilla pod sauce, a spiced hot chocolate with caramelised homemade marshmallows, or a scrumptious sticky toffee and date pudding with toffee sauce and vanilla ice-cream.

The Montagu in some ways echoes the grand style of a gentleman's club but one that is shorn of its pomposity and sepulchral silence, instead they are replaced with jollity and laughter, a real fun place to be not least because of the quality of the food and surroundings, and providing a real lift to the area.

However, the best way to find out all about The Montagu and the Hyatt Regency Hotel - The Churchill, one of the most elegant in London, is to visit their Website.

The first Browns opened at Brighton in 1973 with one simple guiding belief, that classic food, well delivered in a stylish environment would be a recipe for success. The only thing that has changed since then is the number of Browns, now running at fourteen, of which six are in London, all prospering with the same theme.

Some of their buildings are particularly legendary in style, sometimes listed and always interesting. The premises at Bristol formerly served as the City's museum, art gallery and the University Dining Rooms, and are modelled on the Doge's Palace in Venice.

The main menu, available throughout the day, starts with appetisers, designed for sharing, with antipasti of Italian meat, vegetarian or seafood. Try the flatbreads with a range of interesting toppings.

In amongst the thirteen starters expect to come across smoked duck, crisp noodle and cashew nut salad with red peppers, tumeric cauliflower, spring onions and a sherry vinaigrette. The fish and salad choices include fish and chips tempura battered cod with minted mushy peas and tartar sauce and pan-fried butterflied tiger prawns tossed with linguine in a tomato, coriander and chorizo sauce.

The same theme of comfortable food, well-cooked and presented, continues throughout the mains course with roast chicken breast in sour dough bread with baby spinach, tomato and mayonnaise, served with seasoned chips, and steak frites 6oz prime sirloin, served with a lemon, parsley and peppercorn butter.

The chalkboard carries a list of the day's specials, but every day except Sunday is Browns's afternoon tea day, served from 2 to 5.30 pm, and on Sundays it offers a choice of three roasts. It would be harder to find a dessert much more English than lemon tartlet with crème fraîche.

By the way their breakfast and brunch menu is just one of the best, and they do a very nifty prix fixe menu from 4:00 - 6.30 pm.

The wine list is masterful and not over long, sometimes a great relief to those who find it tiresome to navigate their way through even an interesting list such as this. Many bottles are available by the glass and each group of wines is helpfully classified under headings such as white, red and rose with a reserve selection, house recommendations, New and Old World under them.

Browns at Bristol are well able to deal with groups, and have special menus to look after their particular interests. Click on their excellent Website for further details and menu changes.

Ever wondered why pubs are named after a person of nobility? Whilst pondering on that question one may feel there is a valiant individual who truly deserves to have a pub named after him, Henry Paget, The Marquess of Anglesey. But perhaps his exploits may not evoke much interest in the minds of diners who have plenty of catching up to do with theatre news, since the Royal Opera House is located just opposite, or rugby matches playing on the stretched screen.

The restaurant upstairs serves a medley of classic British dishes that include specials like the famous chicken pie, Wiltshire ham, poached eggs and chips, or pan-fried liver and bacon. Sandwiches seem to be more of a default dish while at a pub, and here's every reason to do so with fillings like hand carved British ham salad or sausage with caramelised onions.

Mr Young's products are much in evidence, so expect to find an exciting selection of wines, beers and cocktails.

The Marquess of Anglesey is a comfortable, welcoming pub and enjoys an enviable location, providing an ideal pit-stop for shoppers, theatregoers and those out working or sightseeing who can stop and enjoy a quick drink or a leisurely meal.

The upstairs restaurant is warm and airy, with an express lunch menu and an easygoing à la carte of classics such as macaroni cheese, gourmet burgers, rib-eye steaks and homemade pies.

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

Overlooking Cefn Onn Park on Cherry Orchard Lane, the Old Cottage is an idyllic country pub in the picturesque and well-heeled Cardiff suburb of Lisvane. A picture of cosy comfort, as its name suggests, guests can expect warm hospitality, evocative interiors and a number of favourites on the modern British menu. Just a stone's throw from the Lisvane and Thornhill Rail Station, and easily accessible from the M4 motorway, the Old Cottage is just a short drive from Caerphilly and Newport with plenty of on-site parking space.

The whitewashed walls and slate tiled roof of Old Cottage are the perfect antidote to the hustle and bustle of Cardiff city centre, while the pub's pretty garden is perfect for al fresco dining in the warm summer months. Split level interiors are decorated in warm tones, and the clever blend of contemporary comfort with pleasing rustic touches are only a forerunner to the impeccable quality of service and attention to detail at this premium country pub.

The a la carte menu opens with sharing plates of mezze with hummus, roasted vegetables, fregola, tzatziki, taramasalata and warm flat breads or antipasti of dolcelatte, Italian meats, marinated vegetables and warm stone-baked flatbreads. The Mediterranean influences continue with individual starters of chermoula and fennel crusted squid with rocket, pineapple and spring onion salsa; and red onion tart with gorgonzola, roasted apple and mustard seed dressing display.

There's a plethora of traditional pub favourites too, and seafood lovers will relish the freshly battered fish and chips with minted mushy peas; salmon and caper fishcakes served with poached egg, chive hollandaise and spinach and sea bass fillets with sweet potato and spinach curry and tzatziki. On Fabulous Fish Fridays it's all of that and more with a bottle of white wine at half the price.

Other hearty main course dishes include spit roast maple gammon with a brussel sprout and parmesan gratin; braised short rib of beef with Lea & Perrins glaze, bubble and squeak and crispy fried onions as well as spit chicken with lemon, roast garlic, thyme and frites. Steak and Wine Supper Wednesdays offer a range of the best quality steaks along with a bottle of red wine at a generous 50% discount.

Lazy weekends acquire a flavour of their own at the Old Cottage with a variety of delectable roasts with all the trimmings for Sunday lunch. For a regular weekday, a two-course pre fixe menu offers a quick and affordable lunch and early dinner. For that special occasion, the Supper Club menu offers a more lavish two-course gourmet menu for two along with a bottle of the prestigious Rothschild champagne for just £40.

Tempting desserts are some of the best to be found anywhere and include apple and blackcurrant crumble with vanilla custard, sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream and choux bun with fresh cream, espresso and chocolate sauce.

A selection of aperitifs, digestifs, unique cask ales, soft drinks and hot drinks quenches the thirst. The wine list offers a variety of Mediterranean whites and reds including an Airen from Spain, a Pinot Grigio from Italy, a Shiraz from Sicily and a Claret from Bordeaux.

Looking for a sister pub to the Old Cottage? Try The Bathampton Mill in Bath or The Botanist in Bristol.

More information can be found on their Website.

Blackpool is enjoying something of a renaissance more recently, and whilst the reputation for bright and breezy is never too far away - and why should it not be - there is now a wider spread of expectations from those who come to enjoy this icon of British seaside entertainment.

ToasT Cafe Bar and Grill Restaurant sets out to meet these head on, offering something for everybody, with a Taste Lancashire Quality Assured award to demonstrate their success in so doing. Located in Corporation Street Toast is not far from the Grand Theatre, Blackpool's famous Tower and the Winter Gardens, and close enough to the city centre nightlife if it's the clubs and bars you are after later in the evening.

As with most things in Blackpool, there's nothing particularly formal about ToasT. Most people are there to enjoy and relax, and escaping from formality is high on the list. So too is the freshly cooked food, the ingredients for which are sourced locally wherever possible.

One of the delights of being away from home on holiday is the relaxed breakfast prepared for you by somebody else and at ToasT it's on offer all day, so no risk of feeling deprived if you're a late riser. A Lancashire rarebit to start the day is made from Bowland Cheddar cheese and bacon, and baked beans are the product of Mr Heinz, so have that extra zing factor.

Later in the day the speciality sandwiches such as chicken Club triple decker do more than just fill a gap, and different types of more conventional sandwich keep all tastes happy. Toast is a place where imagination is positively encouraged amongst both customers and staff. More substantial dishes might include the highly popular beer battered haddock and chips, with fresh fish from nearby Fleetwood, chilli con carne and a delightful steak and ale pie, the meat slow-cooked for full flavour and tenderness.

Amongst the burgers look out for the Blue and Black version, a 6oz steak seasoned with Cajun spices and topped with blue cheese. Plenty of pasta dishes have salmon and prawn, tomato and basil or tuna and sweetcorn amongst their constituents, and light bites of loaded potato skins, prawn cocktail and lamb koftas are also popular.

Every day from 5pm ToasT shifts mode, with the emphasis on an à la carte menu that offers more elaborate dishes such as blackened salmon, apricot pork, Bowland lamb shoulder and a nice range of tapas, fast becoming one of Britain's established must-haves.

A well annotated wine list offers a good range by the glass and a French house selection that gives full value for money. The net is well cast with Argentina, South Africa, Italy and California all included. Service is of the sort given by staff who are clearly valued and trained, and as a result enjoy their work, hence well-pleased customers.

Do check on their Website for special events, menu changes and other details.