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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.

Bella Italia is a restaurant that pulsates with Italian style and fashion, where the day starts with breakfast, not least the Inglese, the familiar bacon, sausage, mushroom, tomato and fried or scrambled eggs and sauté potatoes with ciabatta toast so beloved of hearty eaters seeking a good start to the day, particularly when they don't have to prepare it. A vegetarian option is available, along with the bambini of sausages, tomato and scrambled egg, or a strapazzata, scrambled eggs on ciabatta toast. A cappuccino or hot chocolate offers a more gentle awakening and croissant or pastries are welcome at almost any time.

It is always worth remembering that eating Italian is a great opportunity to work away through something rather more liberating than the conventional 3 course English meal. Little and often seems to be the motto but move on to the antipasti and it's immediately obvious this is no easy task, confronted with well over a dozen dishes, not one of which you really have the heart to turn down. The selezione classica assembles a few of the favourite starters; oven baked lemon and rosemary chicken wings, spiced meatballs, calamari, mini garlic butter-filled calzoni and lightly battered courgettes served with flamed pepper and lemon herb dips.

A speck e rucola pizza, added to a traditional margherita brings together two traditions with Italian speck ham providing the second, but it is within the pasta and risotto dishes that you can adapt almost any main ingredient, as well enjoy some of Italy's most traditional treats. Who can deny a well formed spaghetti Bolognese or penne Marco Polo? And not for nothing is a nicely prepared spaghetti carbonara the preferred dish of many.

From a selection of five choices amongst the secondi many will head unerringly for controfiletto ai ferri, a 7oz sirloin steak char-grilled to preference and served with garlic butter, roast field mushrooms, fries and rocket, or the fritto misto, lightly battered prawns, cod fillet, calamari and courgette with fries and a herb lemon and caper dip.

Could anything be more appropriate than The Godfather, for 1 or 2 naturally, with nutty chocolate fudge brownies, vanilla and toffee ice cream with chocolate sauce, fresh cream and wafer curls, and rest assured the coffee will do justice to the meal.

With a wine list that makes few concessions to other countries - and why should it - good Italian food can receive an equally national baptism by wine. For further enlightenment, news about their on-line shop and special deals, a click on their lively Website will reveal all.

With quality food, friendly staff, quick service and excellent value for money, Nando's is a great place to eat. Don't expect identikit, pre-fab restaurant interiors which are usually a staple of the larger chains; each restaurant is tailored to its local surroundings and customers, offering up a unique restaurant experience to go with the equally unique taste of legendary, Portuguese, Peri-Peri chicken.

Your peri-peri chicken, when the chips are down so to speak, is a fresh A grade chicken that has never seen the inside of a freezer, but having made the supreme sacrifice is butterfly-cut, marinated for 24 hours in a secret brew called - you've guessed - peri-peri, and is then cooked to your choice over an open flame.

There are, of course, many variations on this broad theme, numerous plays on words such as Nando's experi-perience, peri-peri good reasons why you should eat at a Nando's, and all one hopes is that for their sake chicken never goes out of fashion. New Nando's are opening all the time, peri-peri quickly in fact, the spicy bastes become hotter and more daring, and the full platter offers a whole chicken, large chips or spicy rice and Nando's salad or coleslaw.

Since chickens are vegetarian it seems logical you can order veggie or bean burgers and patties, and still feel the heat from the peppers. All in all, Nando's is hotly recommended for those occasions when you have a large following of permanently hungry children, or adults even, to keep happy - the only thing taken really seriously is the quality of those peri-peri good chickens.

Nando's is a place for bright people who love to laugh and love to eat, and is guaranteed to spice up your taste buds. Their fun approach to life means that when you visit Nando's you can fully relax without the airs and graces associated with more starchy dining out.

For the location of your nearest Nando's restaurant and a host of details about menus, parties and drinks, a click on their Website will reveal a Pandora's box of information.

The art deco setting at Arts Brasserie echoes the architecture that abounds at Ramada Hatfield. Walls adorned with photographs depicting the history of de Havilland aeroplanes and a dining area filled with brasserie style furniture set the tone for this stylish and trendy place.

On the food side the menu kicks off with starters like sweet chilli chicken filo parcels with a chilli and crème fraîche dip and Suffolk ham hock terrine with mustard piccalilli. For main courses try the roasted rump of lamb with braised potato, creamed Savoy cabbage and glazed carrots, while the Shanghai beef noodles in a rich sweet and spicy sauce add an Oriental touch.

Fruits of the sea encompass deep fried haddock with mushy peas and chips, and freshly grilled salmon served with a green salad and new potatoes. Pasta lovers need not feel left out as the menu features lasagne with garlic bread, and bacon and mushroom cream sauce linguine.

Housed in the luxurious Beales Hotel, in Hatfield, the Outsidein Restaurant is a plush extension of this four star hotel. The sleek contemporary hotel was extensively rebuilt in 2003, although the building dates back to 1907, and it's stylish yet comfortable ambience is carried through the restaurant with its wood panelling, beige and ivory colour scheme and striking chandeliers. The plush seating and friendly staff add a very desirable cosiness to the sophisticated surroundings.

The kitchen team's commitment to using the highest quality, locally sourced ingredients is evident in the seasonal menu which may include dishes such as cream of spring pea soup with ham wonton and chive cream, steamed cod wrapped in pak choi with Jerusalem artichoke puree, broad beans and red wine sauce. The desserts include sticky toffee pudding and warm apple and rhubarb tarte tatin. OutsideIn also serves breakfast and a selection of light bites including salads, sandwiches and paninis throughout the day. The lunch menu includes British favourites of burger and chips or chicken tikka with basmati rice.

The restaurant's commitment to working with local producers includes the extensive wine list which features red, white, and sparkling wines from East Anglia and Bedfordshire as well as Italy, Spain, France and the New World.

Close on the heels of its illustrious siblings, Little Italy and Bar Italia in Soho, Nolita has carved a niche for itself in the heart of Hatfield residents and even beyond. Relax with a cup of coffee on the terrace during summer months and let your hair down on weekends as they host dinner dances until late. If that extra glass of Laurent-Perrier Brut beckons, just go for it - their courtesy car service comes handy if you live around the area and want to avoid the hassle of driving home.

Start off with a prawn cocktail 'mojito style' with fresh lime and watercress, or the deep fried fresh squid and tiger prawns served with homemade tartar sauce. A pasta course of paccheri with a Scotch beef fillet Ragú made with Barolo wine, and then drizzled with Parmesan shavings could precede a main course of crispy pork belly with a parsnip mash and apple sauce.

A well-kept secret of Potters Bar, Osteria Dante sits daintily perched in Darkes Lane, flaunting its Italian roots through a delectable array of rich Italian dishes and a relaxed, beautiful ambience that's lapped up by locals and visitors alike. The décor is fresh with none of the usual clutter, and the place is ideal for both casual lunches with friends and quick business meals.

They even have a speed-service available on request, should you be hard-pressed for time. Come evening and the soft lights make an appearance, setting the scene for romantic dinners, family gatherings and get-togethers with friends.

The menu comprises all things rich, sinful and Italian. You could begin with Antipasto Dante - a mixed platter of Italian salumi, cheese and marinated roasted vegetables and served with warm bread, or perhaps one of the other antipasti ranging from homemade soup to freshly baked bruschetta and calamari fritti, which is succulent fresh baby squid in a crispy golden batter.

Pasta lovers may choose from a selection of spaghetti, penne and fresh ravioli with a wide variety of sauces. The most popular sauce on the menu is linguine vongole which is made with sautéed clams, white wine and a touch of mint. Needless to say, pizzas here are as authentic as they get. The main course menu is replete with sea food specialities along with interesting picks for meat lovers.

Relax, take a walk or join in the dance that happens on special nights. But make sure there's room for homemade tiramisu - the final touch to the Osteria Dante experience.