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Goose Fat and Garlic's glass façade and smart-looking interior bring in an appealing cosmopolitan look to the historic town of Sawbridgeworth. Inside, the wooden floors and warm tones add a more contemporary note to this restaurant.

There's a modern European accent to the cooking which is evident in starters of natural smoked haddock in a rich cheddar fondue topped with a fine crudité and confit of leg of duck served on a black bean and watercress sauce, garnished with feathered scallions. For the main event a honey roasted boneless saddle of lamb sits on a cushion of caramelised onions dressed with a wholegrain mustard jus, alongside roasted courgettes and French bean parcels.

Deep-fried wasabi salmon, crispy pieces of pork with potatoes, olive oil and sweet paprika, char-grilled chicken steeped in garlic and herbs, and Greek smoked cod roe pâté could just be the right antidote for your tapas cravings.

Offering contemporary fine dining, La Brasserie at the Manor of Groves Hotel in High Wych provides the best of French cuisine infused with international flavours. Housed in a beautiful Georgian building set in acres of splendid Hertfordshire countryside, La Brasserie is a light and airy dining space with vibrant, contemporary decor that is transformed in the evenings, with candles casting a warm glow to set the tone for an intimate meal for two.

The eclectic menu, put together by a talented kitchen team, offers guests haute cuisine with a Parisian accent. Created with locally selected produce, the dishes carefully blend traditional French cooking with subtle international flavours and influences, and change on a seasonal basis. The well selected wine list sparkles with selections from around the globe. Guests can also enjoy pre-dinner drink, or a night cap in the attractive Atrium bar, with a range of cocktails, liqueurs and wines available to choose from. The hotel also offers private dining facilities with catering available for up to 500 guests.

In the dim and distant past we used to visit a restaurant just outside Sawbridgeworth, which for sheer rural charm was hard to beat. It was therefore with mixed feelings that the discovery was made - it is now Posh and Beck's idea of an impulsive local night out, which come to think of it is really the point we started from all those years ago.

However, where we used to tuck into prawn cocktails and beef stroganoff, the present clientele head for an oriental experience with modern and traditional Chinese, Thai and Japanese dishes. Sushi is still a comparative rarity outside an urban location, but here the sushi bar offers a wide range of varieties, as well as takeaway. The seafood dishes, so special when done properly in a pan-Asian environment, are extra special here with lobster in several manifestations and on a humbler level a mixed seafood hotpot in "sha cha" sauce. Amongst the starters expect to find abalone with caviar and gold foil, and delicious Mongolian style sliced venison.

To ease the thought processes, particularly for beginners, there are helpful and obviously well thought out set menus that are a genuine introduction to this wonderful world of delicate and healthy food. Prices in general are sufficiently above average to justify the care in preparation and freshness of the food; if you want to pay the earth for real speciality items you will be in good company.

A punchy wine list faces an oriental menu without making too many concessions, and there is no cause to doubt the integrity of both.