Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

For some time I made the mistake of thinking that no group of restaurants in the region of 200 locations could hope to maintain the quality for which I was looking.

Then one day I decided to put my prejudices to the test, walked into Oxford Ask! and discovered that I could not have been more mistaken. Their claim to serve freshly prepared quality food in stylish and comfortable surroundings with friendly and efficient service proved to be absolutely spot on.

Since then I have also discovered that a degree of consistency seems to operate throughout their restaurants, and that certainly does take some achieving, implying a degree of management that is enviable. They are perfect places for an impromptu snack, a bit of culinary grazing, or the full works, and families are catered for particularly well.

Their trendy décor usually comprises tiled floors and black furniture with well set tables that sparkle with glass, silver and spotless linen. Ten starters include crostini and bruschetta, followed by a range of salads, pasta and al forno, oven baked pasta, some with chicken.

The pizzas are stone baked in the oven, creating a crisp, authentic and delicious flavour, and they all come topped with mozzarella and tomato. Calzone introduce a touch of opulence with a folded pizza baked in the oven and topped with garlic butter and melted grana padano, whilst inside expect to find chicken or a vegetarian mix.

Amongst the specials may I warmly, in every sense, recommend the polpette al forno, a popular Milanese dish of beef meatballs sautéed in garlic with fire roasted peppers, caramelised onions, chilli and pomodoro sauce, with penne pasta, topped with cheese and oven baked.

An enticing selection of desserts list banoffee pie and tiramisu amongst them, and the coffee tastes like coffee, which may sound banal, but I guess you know what I mean.

Thanks to a well selected wine list speculative drinking can offer handsome dividends, even with prices rarely crossing the £20 barrier.

Medusa is an independently owned bar-restaurant, aiming to provide high quality cuisine with a separate, glamorous bar area in a brand new, funky venue, plus ensuring customers are provided with friendly service. The porcelain floors and wall tiles exclusively by Versace, muted colours, water features, granite tables, leather chairs, high-tech lighting and candlelit tables successfully create a warm, Mediterranean haven.

The menu brings in flavours from Greece, Italy, Spain and even Morocco and includes delights such as Greek keftedes and calamari, Italian bruschetta, Spanish tortillas and a selection of different mezes for sharing. Then follow on with swordfish or Moroccan tuna, moussaka or the popular homemade Medusa hamburger cooked on the char-grill, and finally round off with the timeless tiramisu or the popular baklava.

Work your way through an array of creative cocktails and shooters and a great selection of wines from different countries including Greece with guest wines, changing monthly.

If you're looking for good food, drinks and entertainment under one roof, The Cinnabar Café in High Street, Stevenage Old Town is the place for you. Relaxed and sophisticated with interiors that can be best described as swanky, the café offers an excellent combination of great food, a wide selection of wines, cocktails and spirits, and all types of entertainment including in-house DJs on Fridays and Saturdays. The service is friendly and informal and the wi-fi connectivity makes it an ideal spot for business meetings and conferences as well.

Begin with salt squid and crispy duck for starters, followed by rib eye steak or parpadelle pasta, depending on your mood. If room permits, go for a side order of steamed green beans or triple cooked chips. But don't miss out on the treacle tart with Cornish cream and pear tatin with cardomon ice-cream for dessert. They also have a superb breakfast menu, a children's menu and an excellent selection of drinks and liquor coffees. Whether it's a family occasion, a business luncheon or a night out with friends, The Cinnabar Café is unlikely to disappoint.

To give a pub the gastropub label these days can be open to misinterpretation; it is after all a bit of catch-all, but here is a charming country pub populated and run mainly by equally charming country people, and what they are really doing, perhaps without fully knowing it, is to offer quality pub grub of which they can be very proud. But I would hardly classify it as 'fine dining'.

Having jumped that hurdle, let's be positive. The menu travels across the spectrum of much-loved and familiar dishes, with a well cooked Dover sole and a classic burger of good pedigree (local butcher, God bless his striped apron) amiably rubbing plate space, or a fillet of pork stuffed with smoked bacon and cheddar, perhaps followed by a nifty bread and butter pudding.

Staff are friendly in that distinctive way that only country people shorn of pretension can be. Their Sunday lunches are a real gas, and you need to be there early, or book. Greene King supply their customary quality beers, and now that the heir to the throne has apparently declared their IPA as his preferred tipple who can argue with that?

If this was my local I would be Frequent Visitor; if I stumbled across it on an autumn day when I was on the loose I would be duly thankful that providence had, once again, come up trumps.

The Regency Restaurant is situated within the secluded Thistle Stevenage Hotel and offers conference, buffet and full 3 course table d'hote menu consisting of 5 choices of starter, main course and desserts including vegetarian options.

Orders can also be taken from our extensive Lounge Service and Room Express Menus, which are available from 11.00-14.00 hours and 18.00-21.45 hours. Sandwiches are available 24 hourly.