Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

The White Horse has been the pride of the village for over two hundred years. This Grade II listed country pub and eating house is restored into a trendy drinking and dining destination. Shenley's fascinating past includes a mention in the Domesday Book and a cricket ground believed to have been laid by WG Grace.

The pub's simple décor complements its traditional features - log burning hearths, deep leather seating, teak furniture and attractive old and new objet d'arts. The restaurant takes ninety customers and there is further seating for up to a hundred on the terrace during the summer months.

To set the right note of fashionable sociability there are sharing plates, garlic pizzette, caramelised onion and rocket, or Mediterranean mezze of hummus, roasted vegetables, fregola, tzatziki, feta, spinach and ricotta pâté with warm flatbreads. Amongst the starters there is always freshly made soup; the like of sardines on bruschetta with red onion, plum tomato and gremolata; gambas with rocket, garlic, aioli and rustic bread, and water melon with prosciutto ham, feta and chilli ice cream are also to be found. Look, too, for scallops in the specials section.

The salads - sorry, that should read 'leaves' - offer crispy duck with mouli, hoisin, carrots, spring onions and plum sauce, and for the seafood enthusiasts some smoked prawn, avocado, pecan, mango, watercress, bacon with orange and pomegranate vinaigrette are well received.

These days no self-respecting gastropub can afford to be without its pizza range; expect to find a classic margherita of tomato, mozzarella, oregano and basil, the rustica with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, goats' cheese, cherry tomatoes and rocket, or the piccante with pepperoni, chorizo, tomato and jalapeños. Pastas include linguini with tiger prawns, crab, chorizo, chilli, tomato and white wine, or tagliatelle with slow cooked Bolognaise and parmesan.

The roast rump of lamb with sauce soubise, asparagus, pancetta, button onions and baby potatoes is popular, a sign of the times and improving taste in eating. The calves liver with tray baked potatoes, red onion, bacon and sage panagrattato is worth trying too. For hearty eaters there is a good rib-eye steak with rib-eye steak with smoked paprika and tomato, butter, watercress and frites.

A wide range of supporting dishes include Belgium frites and mayo, green salad, and cabbage, leek and peas. Desserts are some of the best you'll encounter with apple, blackcurrant crumble and vanilla custard and sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream, and there is also a selection of cheeses to set the buffs alight.

Their bar stocks continental lagers as well as English cask ales. For those celebrating a special occasion there are champagnes at reasonable prices. The wine list has an even balance of New and Old World wines with a variety of styles to choose from.

Their excellent Website will keep you up to date on any changes. Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.

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.

Prezzo has been delighting diners for over eight years, and this Italian restaurant chain has since been able to expand throughout large parts of England and Scotland with some 141 outlets.

Interestingly, the company seeks to restore either impressive buildings or ones of local interest. The conversion of the Newbury library and other listed buildings, such as those in Salisbury, Romsey and Mayfair, are all welcome examples of 'new use'. Their trendy and sophisticated décor usually consists of tiled or wooden floors with delicate lights and colourful paintings, along with wooden furniture and sparkling cutlery, creating a setting that is suitable for a relaxed lunch, a family meal or an evening out with friends.

The restaurants are of particular appeal to those who like genuine Italian cuisine, and they use only the best seasonal products, many of which are imported directly from Italy. The menu includes pizza, pasta, risotto, grilled meats, fresh salads and frequently changing specials.

The freshly baked breads, like the garlic bread with mozzarella cheese, are perfect for sharing and give you adequate breathing space to order starters to follow. Crab cakes served with garlic mayonnaise or grilled goat's cheese with plum tomatoes and caramelised onions on foccacia bread with a balsamic glaze set the tone for a hearty meal. Best fun is to order an antipasto platter to share made up from seven well loved Italian nibbles.

Find pastas such as the unusual penne con salmone, with oak-roasted salmon, broccoli and fresh chillies in a red pesto and cream sauce, or firm favourites like spaghetti with meatballs, spaghetti Bolognese, and fusilli al pesto, asparagus spears with field mushrooms and roasted peppers in a basil pesto sauce.

Amongst the special pastas, the pollo mariano, seasoned chicken, pepperoni sausage, roasted peppers and fusilli in tomato sauce, is interesting and different. Italian menus would be incomplete without risotto, like tiger prawns with petits pois in a creamy saffron sauce.

Classic pizzas embrace, among a wide selection, the popular napoletana, topped with yellowfin tuna, tomato, white anchovies, capers, red onion, mozzarella and marinated olives, and the much loved quattro stagioni - pepperoni sausage, prosciutto ham, artichoke, field mushrooms, capers, marinated olives, mozzarella and tomato.

Specials could include the pollo Siciliana, char-grilled chicken breast, prosciutto ham and plum tomato slices, baked with their blend of cheese, only one example from the many tempting offerings that come out from the Prezzo kitchens.

You can accompany the food with a variety of tipples, though for many, Italian food requires Italian wines to be enjoyed to the full, ranging from house wine through Morellino di Scansano and Prosecco to liqueurs and beer, and there is espresso or fresh ground coffee to wind up an enjoyable meal, in company with a glass of grappa or sambuca.

This is Italian food at its attractive best, convincing and bringing together the traditional with the modern twist or two against a background of excellent value.

Prezzo is a lively group and opportunities to improve and update are never left on the table for long. Keep up to date with a quick click on their Website.

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.

Café Bukushi uniquely brings together the excitement of a New York deli and grill, and the elegance of a contemporary sushi bar. Located in Watling Street, customers can choose from more than forty speciality sandwiches and salads that include the café's well-known salt beef, chicken schnitzel, baby back ribs and scrumptious burgers for lunch and dinner.

Their sushi is sure to delight the taste buds of all those who love the delicacy of Japanese cuisine. Fresh fish, combined uniquely and served with signature Bukushi sauces, forms a menu of more than twenty choices, hand rolled to order, along with sashimi, nigiri, gunkan, futomaki hosamaki and urumaki of salmon, yellow tail, tuna, sea bass, salmon roe, enoki mushrooms, soft shell crab and yellow pickle. Special rolls include salmon and cucumber sashimi roll, white tiger, with sea bass, asparagus, spring onion and mint sauce, and green whisper, with tuna mayo, spinach, spring onion and asparagus wrapped in green soya.
 
Mains such as black cod miso, beef teriyaki, prawn katsu curry, Hungarian goulash and Mediterranean vegetable lasagna offer more substantial fare. Fish dishes of grilled plaice, goujons, sea bass fillets and seared aged sushi tuna steak and sides of miso soup, endamame and gyoza dumplings add to the variety. Sweet treats of marshmallows and fresh fruit dipped in melting chocolate, crème brûlée cheesecake and Belgian cinnamon waffles complete the selection.

From the first timer to regulars, there is something for everyone, including vegetarians. The establishment has a takeaway service and caters for special occasions too.

Over 20 years ago the mention of Peking and Sichuan cuisine to the residents of Radlett may have evoked a lukewarm response, but it was then that Tim Lai's unflinching commitment to serve authentic Chinese cuisine was quite evident and that explains the longevity of Tim's Table.

Those who are already familiar with this kind of cooking will be happy to know that there is a remarkable variety in the menu with starters of griddle fried pork dumplings, bang bang chicken and sesame prawn toast. There is an occasional foray into Thailand with pandan leaf chicken and fried bean curd, but the rest of the menu is well within the Chinese shores. Think sizzling beef fillet in black pepper sauce and drunken fish slices in a Chinese rice wine sauce.

Who would not like a barbecued honey roasted pork or crispy aromatic duck to be enjoyed within the confines of your home? Their takeaway menu is definitely worth exploring.