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hand picked restaurants

Pizza Express remains a hugely popular bedrock of casual eating. Its popularity is testimony to the fact that across the country, they have restaurants where you will always be guaranteed a good nosh, with children's tastes being well catered for.

Pizza Express has gone even more Roman, and following the success of that particular example of listening to their public have introduced Romana pizzas, including the scorching Etna and the hearty Siciliana.

These pizzas are now thinner, bigger and crispier, and if that sounds like a marketing line, it is. However, unlike many such lines, this one is true, and their quality is always consistent, though cleverly they have still managed to retain a homemade feel to their pizzas.

As an alternative to pizza, try their pollo pesto - cavatappi pasta with torn chicken breast, mushrooms, red onions and mozzarella in a creamy gruyere, parmesan and pesto sauce and finished with grana padano - or the niçoise salad with mixed leaves, yellowfin tuna, free range egg, green beans, potatoes and tomatoes with olives, anchovies, capers and house dressing.

Many of the big chains have come a long way, and Pizza Express is certainly amongst them. One of the first to be quoted on the Stock Exchange - in 1993 - Pizza Express is not a franchise operation and retains tight control through its own staff.

Their wine list - though short - contains some surprisingly good offerings, especially their intense Australian Chardonnay, and a big, full-bodied Merlot from Cusumano, Sicilia.

Konrad Liu is the chef and owner of Ascot Oriental, a lovely restaurant that lays great emphasis on making the experience of dining complete, with tasty food, good wine, warm service and beautiful surroundings. This has helped the haven to become one of the best dining destinations of its kind in Berkshire. The 100-year-old building in which Ascot Oriental is located went through an extensive refurbishment to turn into an appealing little place locals love to call their own.

Spend time over a pre-dinner drink in the garden patio and head to the main dining area to enjoy an exciting oriental meal. The focus is on cooking fresh ingredients in a hot pan with an infusion of spices that make dishes such as seared teriyaki marinated tuna fillet with crushed peppercorns burst with flavour. Look out for barbecued pork ribs, fried fillet of lemon sole in pine kernel and orange sauce; and tofu with pork, prawns, shitake mushrooms and preserved cabbage.

The conservatory room is regularly used for private and business functions.

Chances are that if you visit any of the three venues of Mission Mexican Grill in Oxford and Reading, you will come across some of the best burritos outside San Francisco. The Californian interpretation of this remarkable Mexican dish has become renowned and it's easy to see why, particularly at this group of restaurants. Cheerful and friendly staff and a host of expert burrito makers who entertain as they roll up your meal deftly help create an easy and informal atmosphere.

With a mission to simply serve food that has not seen the face of a microwave, a freezer or a tin opener, the restaurant concentrates on serving burritos of large flour tortillas, rice, black beans, grilled meat, salsa, romaine lettuce and cheese or sour cream; fajita burritos with sautéed peppers and onion; tacos and bowls of salad. Mexican beer and soft drinks take the edge off the spicy food while still making you reach out for one more bite.

Pitcher and Piano first started in Fulham in 1986, since when it has evolved into one of the UK's favourite bar groups, offering premium drinks, mingled with food that carries its own distinction against a background of different themes, many deriving from the locality, and from what is the whole being of contemporary life in modern bars.

Start with a cocktail, say a bourbon cookie, cosmopolitan or a parson green apple before tackling some food that will vary from pub to pub. There are bar meals, try lime and coriander chicken in Didsbury, or a more formal approach in restaurant style, what about 21 day hung, 10 oz British sirloin steak in Mayfair, with homemade chocolate brownie, vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce in Birmingham. In general the menus are very similar, with plenty of choices all round.

There are now over twenty five branches of Pitcher and Piano where you can be assured of the same decent levels of food and drinks, service and quality. Surely that's better than the lucky dip approach?