Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

This contemporary Indian restaurant, ideally situated in the heart of Winchester, provides a stylish and modern dining experience. It is an ideal spot for an evening out for those heading to the Theatre Royal around the corner. The interior is minimalist, arty with a deep twinkly eating area towards the back and very pleasant rooms at the front, including a bar area with gleaming bottles of every drink under the sun on display. Asian pop music on the sound system and friendly service, add to the ambience.

From the spicy Indo - European romance of the sub-continent with its blend of different influences from around the world, to its famous spices and spicy food Rimjhim offers a range of delicious dishes famous for their nutritional value and tempting taste. You can expect to find traditional favourites such as wood fire tandoori, seafood specialities, biryani and pathia dishes all presented in an appealing fashion.

An honest pub where the business of eating is not allowed to get in the way of a pub's primary function. That said the home cooking is much valued by locals and visitors alike who flock in appreciable numbers for what they clearly regard as a good deal. If the roast pork in smoked bacon with apricot and ginger sauce is anything to go they certainly have a point. Good beers and an adequate range of wines.

One of the greatest pleasures in life for celebrity chef Raymond Blanc is sharing a good meal with family and friends. He achieves this through Brasserie Blanc, where his team take great joy in serving authentic French cuisine in a modern, brasserie atmosphere. All their dishes use the finest ingredients, sustainable freedom foods, free range and natural or wild produce.

With eight outlets, the brasserie retains the individuality of each of the locations, while maintaining a uniform standard of food and service. The menu has several signature dishes like Maman Blanc's miscellany of salads, Loch Fyne mussels and Burgundy snails in garlic herb butter.

Some interesting mains are Cumberland sausages with bubble and squeak, Aberdeenshire rump steak and chips, Dutch calf's liver served with bacon, sage and smooth mash, and of course, Raymond's smoked haddock, leek and gruyère fish cake. There is a healthy selection of children's options also.

The wine list is French in concept, but includes New World wines, and offers over forty-five varieties, ensuring there is something for everyone. In addition to a range of French cheeses, selected by the Premier Cheese Company, you could settle for their favourite dessert, baked Alaska with flaming Grand Marnier, to end the meal on a sweet note.

Scene Restaurant and Bar is the culinary centrepiece of the AA 4 star Norton Park Hotel, which enjoys an idyllic setting in 54 acres of Hampshire Parkland, just a short distance from Winchester.

You could enjoy a relaxing coffee, drinks or lunch in the informal setting of Scene Bar with its lounge and courtyard menu; hot food is served there until 10pm with sandwiches and light bites available 24 hours, or alternatively dine in the contemporary and stylish Scene Restaurant, open from 7pm daily, with its creative menu, extensive wine list, pleasant service, relaxed atmosphere and luxurious surroundings.

The menu presents an enjoyable selection process -  begin your dinner experience with local 'Blackmore' game terrine, merlot shallots and raisin soda bread, white bean and Alresford watercress broth or cardamom spiced potted shrimp. Follow with duo of duck, roasted breast and confit leg of duck, celeriac rosti and prune and Armagnac jus; corn-fed chicken supreme, sage and onion risotto and roast chicken jus or pan fried halibut, with clams, broad beans and cider broth.

For a perfect finish, be tempted by iced nougat parfait and rum soused pineapple or 'milk and cookies', butter milk pannacotta and chocolate chip cookies.

The Black Rat joins the list of Winchester's restaurants with aplomb, serving modern British fare in a pleasant and friendly space. They have retained the old world charm of a pub while infusing fine dining principles with equal ease. The ground floor has a warm and cosy interior, suited for an intimate evening, whereas the first floor with its cheerful bar is more likely to be the place where you would hang out with friends over drinks and a nibble or two.

Start off with grilled Cornish sardines with gremolata crust before proceeding to the middle white pork loin, cheek and shoulder with English peas and baby gems. The enticing range of desserts includes chocolate fondant and rhubarb ice cream or the gooseberry Alaska with elderflower syrup. You could choose from any of the eighty wines in their list, that features a favourable mix of old and New World wines.

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?