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Located in a very authentic old Tudor building in the centre of town, quoted in the Charles Dickens novel, Great Expectations as the home of Uncle Pumblechuck, this charming restaurant is the direct inheritor of Elizabeth's Tea Rooms, with its pleasing red brick and half-timbered interior. Known nowadays for its enthusiastic use of local ingredients, it has become a hub for the community who appreciate the freshness and imagination of its food.

Only two minutes walk from Rochester Cathedral and Castle, Elizabeth's also provides a suitable setting for family parties and special occasions, where reliability and quality are important. An à la carte leads the way with starters of crab and smoked salmon terrine with citrus crème fraîche, and there is beef carpaccio with truffle oil and shaved parmesan. The rest of it rarely deviates from the French or modern European script, think rump of English lamb with crispy sweetbreads, sweet shallot puree and dauphinoise potatoes, and monkfish 'Kiev' with sautéed mussels and spinach with white bean puree.

Garlic mushrooms, mixed salad and spinach make attractive side orders and carry a pleasing measure of distinction. A riot of wickedness awaits those for whom desserts are a temptation that just cannot be passed by trio of local rhubarb, baked chocolate tart and vanilla crème brûlée with raspberries. A lunch menu offers incredibly good value from a choice of three starters, including home cured salmon, and three main courses where you can find pot roast breast of chicken.

Every so often a special occasion's menu is offered and you could expect ham hock terrine served, followed by roast British beef with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and gravy to prepare the palate for the big event. Whilst not familiar with Elizabeth's cellars you could imagine them to be some subtly dry, as only proper cellars can be, with that aroma around and a stable temperature that moves no more than within 4 degrees maximum. Certainly what comes out of it is satisfying and in some cases quite adventurous. It has certainly not been selected by anyone but a dedicated lover of the grape.

Their Website is clear and easy to use - click on it for further information, particularly about gourmet nights and other events.

A restaurant need not have beautiful gardens, a large car park or fancy dining areas to qualify as appealing or inviting. What it requires is flavour-filled food and an affable, welcoming ambience, and Zucca, provides just that.

Other than creating perfect risotto, owner and Chef Ricordano Squilloni loves to give his food a touch of creativity, even though traditional Italian cooking is his forte. His Roman upbringing is reflected in dishes like mussels in black pepper sauce and veal escallops. Mains vary from rack of lamb in acacia honey and brandy, to oven-baked sea bass fillets with fresh spinach and mushrooms. Pizza and calzone are available as lighter options.

An all-Italian wine list with names such as Cantine San Silvestro and Cantine Carpineto has choices to meet most tastes. When you reach the end of a meal, Ricordano recommends trying homemade soft ice cream and chocolate soufflé. The restaurant caters for up to forty people at a time.

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.

Blue Rays restaurant is unusual in more ways than one, it offers three floors of contemporary dining with a fully licensed bar area, where you can relax and enjoy pre-dinner drinks before sitting down to a delicious blend of Chinese and Malaysian cuisine.

Large parties are always made most welcome, whilst there is also a private function room available. It is worth noting that every Thursday and Friday night you can enjoy their special Malaysian food evenings, with an extensive menu to choose from, an opportunity for you to experience an exciting variety of new tastes and flavours as they celebrate the diversity of their Asian food culture.