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The first Browns opened in 1973 at Brighton, with one simple guiding belief, that classic food, well delivered in a stylish environment, would be a recipe for success. The only thing that has changed since then is the number of Browns, now running at fourteen, of which six are in London, all prospering with the same theme.

Some of their buildings are particularly legendary in style, sometimes listed and always interesting. The second Browns to open was here at Oxford, in an old Morris garage, now an archetypal British brasserie. Inside the large windows open on to the street in summer and attract a mixed clientele that include students, families, businessmen and tourists.

A plate of appetisers to share comes in either vegetarian or seafood antipasti form. Try also the flatbreads with a range of interesting toppings. In amongst the thirteen starters expect to come across baked Scottish langoustine with spinach, cream and Emmental, served with crusty bread. The fish and salad choices include fish and chips tempura battered cod with minted mushy peas and tartar sauce and seared beef fillet salad with chilli, garlic, soy and spring onions.

The same theme of comfortable food, well-cooked and presented, continues throughout the mains course with grilled chicken topped with prosciutto and taleggio cheese with Hollandaise and chips, and calf's liver and bacon with mashed potato and a green peppercorn sauce. Their fantastic selection of cheesecakes arrives in interesting flavours such as baked vanilla, blueberry and banoffee. Brown's afternoon tea is served from 2 to 5.30 pm.

By the way their breakfast and brunch menu is just one of the best. There is also a prix fixe menu, served from 4 to 6.30pm and 9.30 to 10.30 pm and you are not interrogated as to whether you are actually attending the theatre.

The wine list is masterfully compiled but not over long, sometimes a great relief to those who find it difficult to navigate their way through a lengthier list, however many are available by the glass. Helpfully each group of wines is classified under headings such as white, red and rose with house recommendations, New and Old World wines under them.

Browns at Oxford are well able to deal with groups, and have special menus to look after their particular interests. Click on their excellent Website for further details and menu changes.

If familiarity is the sine qua non of a popular neighbourhood pub, The Red Lion admirably combines it with innovation to deliver a premium dining experience in the heart of Oxford. Boasting a high quality modern British cuisine menu with a Mediterranean touch, it is ideal for a quick meal for customers attending a show at the Burton Taylor Studio Theatre or the Oxford Playhouse, both of which are just a stone's throw away. If the weather?s fine, al fresco dining is an also an option in the pub's spacious courtyard.

A relaxed ambience is made even more inviting with a crackling log fire in winter, while large windows let the light flood in and numerous sofas and chairs actively encourage customers to unwind at leisure. Add to all this, a warm welcome and superb service, special offers each day of the week and plenty of options on the à la carte, it soon becomes obvious what gives The Red Lion the edge over more run of the mill gastro pubs.

Guests can relish a range of British classics as well as pizzas and pastas, not to mention daily specials, all made with the freshest seasonal ingredients including locally sourced fish and meat. Sharing plates of mezze with rustic breads; Romana white onion soup with cheese croute and tiger prawn, chorizo and crab linguine offer a wonderful slice of the Mediterranean. While crispy duck salad with mooli, carrots, hoisin and plum sauce or fruit de mer pizza with tuna, prawns, anchovies and pineapple salsa incorporate influences from farther afield.

There's no escaping the well-loved aromas of classic British specialities at The Red Lion. Be it freshly battered fish and chips with minted mushy peas or calves liver with champ potatoes, crispy shallots and red wine jus, these time tested favourites satisfy the appetite. Steak and Wine Supper Wednesdays with the best steaks and a whopping 50% off on a bottle of red wine is indeed an offer too tempting to resist. Fish and seafood lovers get their own deal on Fridays with chef's fresh fish and shellfish specials and white wine at half the price.
 
The Sunday selection pleases with its succulent roasts with all the trimmings. Fine food and drink come together with the Supper Club menu for two which offers a bottle of the celebrated Rothschild wine with a two-course menu. A prix fixe menu is also available for a quick lunch or early dinner.

Tempting desserts of apple and blackcurrant crumble with vanilla custard, a choux bun with fresh cream, espresso and chocolate sauce or white chocolate crème brûlée brings the meal to a fitting end. A cheese plate with Colliers Cheddar, camembert and gorgonzola could be equally satisfying.

The stylish bar is the perfect place to drop by for a quick drink or linger on for a meal from the bar menu. An extensive selection of delicious aperitifs and digestifs as well as cask ales, chilled draught beers and an expertly chosen wine list offer a multitude of reasons to stay a while longer.

You might also want to consider visiting nearby sister pub The Trout Inn.

More information can be found on their Website.

Maxwell's at Oxford has been around for quite some time and its popularity is as great now as it was when it first opened, probably more so. Many of our political and celebrity figureheads of today cut their drinking teeth there, in company with a menu that hovers between straight American and a British twist. The decor speaks of wood and glass with space, there is a cutting edge cocktail bar and their pricing policies are equally keen and imaginative.

Late night dancing and entertainment may attract those who want to throw off academic boredom, as well as a wider public; either way, the place is always buzzing. Amongst the starters look out for sharing plates of crispy baked hand scooped potato skins with smoked bacon, duck spring rolls with plum sauce, and smoked Buffalo chicken wings with a choice of mild or spicy sauce.

To leave this restaurant without having come to grips with one of their famous hamburgers is unthinkable. Said to be a sure cure for hangover or heartbreak, possibly both even, they come with French fries, a crisp mixed salad, choices of dressing, and the relish tray.

A full rack of tender baby back ribs St. Louis style is smothered in their tangy sweet barbecue sauce and served with French fries and coleslaw. To follow, think New York cheesecake or Maxwell's sundae, followed by copious quantities of coffee that tastes very positively of the bean.

Let's assume the day is still comparatively young and the cocktail bar beckons. Manned by eager, amusing and knowledgeable staff you can in the fullness of time, become more stoned than those dreaming spires outside, fuelled by such potent creations as the Mai-Tai, a blend of gold, white and dark rums mixed together with orange curacao, apricot brandy and pineapple juice. The sinner Clements is another classic drink with a kick - Beefeater gin, Absolut citron, orange extract and bitter lemon. Have a care; you'll be back next day for more hamburgers.

Watch out for a dress code that makes it clear not just everyone is admitted, enjoy the after midnight closing times and live music - this is Oxford with a difference. It is worth noting their daily happy hours between 17.30 and 19.30 and from 21.00 till close.

The Malmaison group of hotels has established throughout Britain a collection of centres of excellence where nothing but the best will do. As a concept alone this is exciting, but the reality is brilliant, so that at last there is a hotel group where uniformity of standards is of the same high calibre.

If you draw up outside Malmaison Oxford and feel a certain sense of familiarity it could just be because you have stayed there as an involuntary guest of Her Majesty in an earlier life. It was once a Victorian prison, now converted into a lavish, glamorous, hotel.

And lest you are worrying already about getting out, rest assured the ninety-four rooms and suites are all that one would expect from a hotel that has genuine regard for its guests and is concerned with every aspect of their wellbeing; after all you are given the key.

Cells, coolers and dwellings for the governor and custodians alike have all been thrown into the designer's pot, emerging in varying manifestations, some little changed for those who fancy a spot of chastisement, others barely recognisable in the new found glory. The Visitors Room is ideal for up to 100 people. Featuring high ceilings, comfy lounge style seating, Champagne Bar and plasma screen TV, it's a unique location in a truly distinctive building.

Amidst elegant surroundings, with spotless gleaming glassware and shining cutlery, an essentially brasserie menu is offered. Lovers of seafood will be delighted to note at once that their particular needs are well heeded, starting with steamed mussels, white wine cream and garlic, or the hot smoked salmon.

Other starters that seldom fail to please include jabugo iberico ham 'gran reserve', twice baked French cheese soufflé, and the rabbit, ham hock and foie gras terrine with pickles.

An inspired choice is the roasted fillet of black bream, with confit belly of pork served with champ mash and sauce diable. For those seeking by this time a slightly more carnivorous approach look no further than  the - wait for it - Mal burger, a 250 gram burger made from ground beef tucked into a floured bap to join bacon and gruyere, served with homemade relish and some fries.

Over the years the number of outriders surrounding a good honest steak has grown to unacceptable dimensions. At Malmaison the thought and care is centred on the dry-aged bone rump and that's it - except for the chips. If you want all the rest go for the side dishes, but steak and chips on its own takes some beating. Vegetarians are well looked after - the pumpkin and gorgonzola filled gnocchi sounds appealing.

Heading the puddings is the sticky toffee pudding, supported by other choices amongst which expect to find orange and Grand Marnier parfait, or the splendid nougat glaces.

The wine list is a symphony of its kind, clearly compiled by an enthusiast who knows his wines well enough not to take refuge in a world of hyperbole when describing them.

Their Website is a wealth of information that will, I predict, only serve to increase your resolve to make Malmaison your next stop in Oxford - voluntarily. It is worth noting that you can also make reservations Online on their Website.

The Trout at Lower Wolvercote has a strong literary heritage and has been immortalised in Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse novels. This connection runs much deeper with writers of the calibre of Lewis Carroll and CS Lewis, having sat on the banks of the Thames, inspired by the relentlessly moving waters. Truly, pubs such as The Trout are part of the very fabric of British life.

The wonderful setting by the bridge opens out into a large terrace overlooking the banks of the river. Taking a stroll alongside up to Point Meadow is a great way to spend an idyllic afternoon. The interiors too are not to be outdone and after being restored, the exquisite country pub has combined the traditional with the modern, stone fired ovens and real log fires vibe well with deep leather seating and teak furnishing to create a comfortable haven. The willow trees provide nature's umbrellas, giving shelter for al fresco dining.

Contemporary inns such as these usually share a number of characteristics. An important feature is space, preferably a restaurant where you are comfortable, not over-awed, and not sharing elbow space with the next table, however sociable they may be. Good, too, to have a roomy and well stocked bar where you can actually get served without undue delay. After all, drinking should be taken seriously. If a pub offers all of these, and is in a good location, there is little reason in today's economic climate why it should not flourish. The Warren, a real country pub dating from the 1850s, just outside Wokingham on the Forest Road, provides ample evidence that this is true.

But of course there are other factors, not least of which is the food and drink. The term 'gastropub' covers a multitude of blessings, and it is possible to see influences of brasserie, bistro, restaurant and even café at work within the great gastro umbrella. So expect to find no one single cuisine, but a blend designed to provide something for everybody, no matter what their treat may be. To catch the right note of contemporary sociability there are sharing plates, antipasti of Italian meats with dolcelatte, stuffed peppers, marinated vegetables and warm stone-baked flatbreads, or Mediterranean mezze of hummus, roasted vegetables, fregola, tzatziki, feta, spinach and ricotta pâté with warm flatbreads.

Amongst the appetisers there is always freshly made soup, lamb koftas, mint yoghurt, kohlrabi, cumin and carrot salad, or spiced crab with avocado, prawns, ginger and pink grapefruit. Look, too, for scallops of the day. The salads - sorry, that should read 'leaves' - offer pang pang chicken with pak choi, satay, cashew nuts and cucumber; for the seafood fiends some prawn, avocado, pecans, mango, bacon with orange and pomegranate vinaigrette are a real treat.

These days no self-respecting gastropub can afford to be without its pizza range; expect to find a classic margherita of pomodoro, mozzarella, oregano and basil, the rustica with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, goats' cheese and cherry tomatoes, or the piccante with pepperoni, chorizo, tomato and jalapeños. Pastas include bucatini with salmon, chilli, almonds, red pepper pesto, pecorino and rocket, or tagliatelle with slow cooked Bolognaise and parmesan.

The rotisserie dishes for hearty eaters are worth trying and choices include spit chicken, calves liver, rib-eye steak or fillet steak. These are all served with a choice from amongst frites, aioli, black pudding, cracked black pepper, béarnaise or red wine and shallot jus among others. For the big event the roast rump of lamb with sauce soubise, asparagus, pancetta, button onions and baby potatoes measures up well to any occasion. The smoked haddock fishcakes with curry Hollandaise, mango, tomato, coriander and red onion salad is popular, a sign of the times and improving taste in eating.

A wide range of supporting dishes includes Belgium chips and mayo, and cabbage, leeks and peas. From a list of attractive desserts choose between a Eton mess or apple, blackcurrant crumble and vanilla custard. There is also a selection of cheeses to please the gourmets.

More information, including full menus, is available on their Website.  Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.

In the heart of the University city, a stone's throw from the Odeon Cinema and the New Theatre, Fire & Stone Oxford offers a range of flavourful stone-baked pizzas in a relaxed modern setting. Located on George Street, nestled among other restaurants and shops, Fire & Stone is spread over two levels with seating for 217 people.

Fire and Stone's stone-baked pizzas are made from fresh ingredients and cooked in a wood-fired oven. Inspired by flavours of the world, the pizzas are grouped into classic, Africa, Asia, Americas, Australasia and Europe. A party menu, kids menu and special offers are also available.

The range of starters includes grilled bruschetta with Parma ham, melted brie, caramelized onion jam and pesto; a Mediterranean board with mixed olives, Italian breadsticks, taramasalata and houmous; crisp fried calamari served with tartare sauce and spicy mixed nuts.

Fire & Stone's signature Pembroke pizza combines the classic flavours of roast lamb with butternut squash, grated mozzarella, roast potatoes and leeks on a red wine gravy base, topped off with a piquant mint sauce. Other classic pizzas include the Naples with mozzarella, tomato sauce and fresh basil and the San Sebastian with mozzarella, tomato sauce, spicy chorizo sausage, garlic and rosemary roast potatoes, roasted red peppers, topped with aioli and chives.

Going further east, there's the Cairo topped with fire roasted red and yellow peppers, courgettes, aubergines, balsamic roasted red onions, mozzarella and tomato sauce topped with crumbled goat's cheese and pine nuts. Lombok has Indonesian flavours with garlic marinated prawns, Chinese hoi sin sauce, fire roasted red peppers, sliced spring onions and mozzarella, drizzled with chilli oil.
 
For New World flavours try an Acapulco with mozzarella, tomato sauce, slow cooked ground chilli beef, jalapenos, sliced red onions, topped with sour cream and guacamole or, from the Australasia section you could opt for the Byron Bay topped with basil pesto, mozzarella, field mushrooms, cumin roasted sweet potato, cherry tomatoes, green olives, topped with crushed macadamia nuts.

The salads section offers a refreshing choice of chicken Caesar salad with roast chicken breast, cos lettuce, parmesan, rustic croutons and classic Caesar salad dressing; Israeli cous cous salad with mixed peppers, roasted aubergine, whole roast chicken breast, coriander, tzatziki and spicy harissa and spinach, bacon, avocado and artichoke salad tossed with a creamy grain mustard vinaigrette.

If you prefer a pasta there's spaghetti primavera with broccoli, courgettes, peas, broad beans, garlic, sugar snaps, white wine, parmesan and double cream; spicy sausage rigatoni with tomato sauce, chorizo sausage, pepperoni, black olives, chilli and oregano and penne with chicken tossed in a tomato and mascarpone sauce with courgettes, butternut squash, red chilli and topped with pumpkin seeds.

Finish with tempting dessert of rich chocolate brownie with Madagascan vanilla ice cream, vanilla pannacotta with mixed berry compote or a sweet slider with banoffee pizza, rich chocolate brownie, almond biscotti, nut Florentines and honeycomb ice cream, perfect for sharing.

The drinks menu includes a selection of wines, beers, spirits, cocktails, smoothies and shakes..

To gain further information, just visit their extremely comprehensive Website.

The gastronomic scene in Oxford has improved out of all recognition in the last two decades and no longer is quality food the perquisite of some senior common rooms and two or three hotels. Fusion food is 'go' at the Camera Fusion Bar and Restaurant, now part of the city's vibrant centre.

Dishes from Japan, China and Thailand provide the bulk of the menu. Sushi is just one of the reasons why Camera is attracting a clientèle of regulars who also appreciate the freshness of such delicacies as Ebi Fry, Aromatic duck and items from the Teriyaki Grill.

The décor is certainly in accord with the menu and abounds in leather, fine wood, and lighting that might appear initially to be challenging, but soothes with time.

Dishes include steamed dumplings filled with prawn and pork served with sweet soya source, Thai green curry with chicken and bamboo shoots, courgettes, peas and peppers in a traditional green curry sauce, and Camera spaghetti, squid ink pasta stir fried with king prawns and scallops, chilli and basil.

On Fridays and Saturdays, and to order, a selection of salmon, tuna and cooked shrimp sushi with nigiri and maki rolls make a welcome appearance. The Teriyaki Grill marinated grilled salmon, beef sirloin or chicken is accompanied by a matching sauce.

After half a lifetime of seeking to avoid what the English do to vegetables it's refreshing to be able to order with enthusiasm from amongst jasmine rice, fine egg noodles with wok fried vegetables, egg fried rice and green salad, or the more mystical Morning Glory wok stir fried vegetables.

Sea bass pan fried with ginger and spring onion presents a pleasing blend of flavours and from off the water comes the ever popular shredded crispy duck wrapped with rice pancake, cucumber spring onion and Hoi Sin sauce.

So what to drink? If there's one word that appears in the wine list more than most it's 'complex', which sums up the difficulties of finding something in a bottle that will enhance rather than detract from the delicate flavours introduced by the food. Listen to this South Australian rose's citation ? 'modern and fruit forward rose with vibrant aromas of raspberries and strawberries as well as a hint of spice'. That sounds to me like something that might make the most of an enjoyable liaison with the Ebi Fry, king prawns fried in panko bread crumbs and served with spicy mayonnaise.

In retrospect it is easy to see that Oxford has been waiting for Camera quite a while, and is losing no time in making ample use of its charms. Mark their progress and gain more information from their elegant Website.

Only a couple of minutes from the Botley Road or the southbound A34, The Fishes is a hidden gem. Quite a big gem too. The Fishes is an imposing Victorian building set in 3 acres of wooded grounds leading down to the banks of Seacourt Stream. On sunny days the gardens are dotted with picnickers, enjoying a picnic basket ordered from the bar, whilst the deck that wraps around the conservatory offers one of the few opportunities in land-locked Oxford to dine outside with an idyllic view. Fans of Sophie Grigson, a regular at The Fishes, are likely to have opportunities to pay homage.

Head chef, Charlie Barr, gained her chef's whites by 'accident', as she reckons, when her holiday waitressing job came to an end as the head chef asked her to work in the kitchen. There was no looking back ever since. After her training at the Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies, she spent a year working at Rick Stein's seafood empire at Padstow. After her stint at the Michelin-starred Simpsons in Edgbaston, Barr is now running the show at The Fishes where she's putting her experience to good use.

À la carte offers everything from deli board with starters, nibbles or sharing dishes all a possibility, taken from cheeses, cold cuts, fish, veggie and a favourite board. On their menu, you will find the very best quality fresh ingredients - fantastic sausages; free range chicken; pan-fried sea bass and seafood; 28 day dry-aged Aberdeenshire bavette steak - sourced from producers who take pride in their products and an ethical stance in their production.

The Fishes always makes the most of seasonal ingredients, this ensures they avoid air-freighting and keeps us in touch with the cycle of the year, while combining the best of great British cooking and influences from around the world that are now part of our culture.

The à la carte menu is served every day of the week. If that does not appeal, does a Sunday roast picnic hamper hit the button - all you have to do is ask?

Everyday picnic hampers can be made up on the spot and transported out to the site of your choice in the garden. The choices are impressive and a well-mannered wine list is a credit to this attractive place whether taken in or outside.

Their Website is equally praiseworthy, and packed with useful information including seasonal changes of menu. See also The Thatch in Thame and The Fleece in Witney, local sister pubs to The Fishes.

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.

When you enter a chain restaurant there is always a sense of déjà vu, yet with the twelve outlets of Giraffe, this may not really be true. Russel and Juliette Joffe and Andrew Jacobs' philosophy behind this group of restaurants is sustaining the driving force of healthy, happy eating, while retaining the difference each location brings. This includes minor variations in the menu too, and explains why the restaurant does not like to be called a chain, but prefers being referred to as a herd. The origin of its quaint name too, is interesting. The giraffe has the largest heart in the animal kingdom, and with its magnificent height is able to perceive things differently. These two features of being different and large hearted sum up the restaurant's proclamation of 'love, eat, live'.

Giraffe offers world food and adds an unusual twist to some familiar dishes. Their breakfast menu has stacked pancakes with bananas and blueberries, warm waffles, ranch styles tostadas and healthy veggie options. Some great starters are a mezze plate with warm naans that offer the best of many cuisines - grilled halloumi, hummus, tzatiki, ratatouille and falafel. Japanese king fried prawns are a hit, while another bright spot on the menu, is the colourful sunshine antipasti bruschetta, a clever combination of artichokes, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, olives, roasted peppers, red onion and rocket on pesto foccacia. If this long list of ingredients is intriguing, just wait until your palate takes over.

The house's special salad, cheekily called 'more than love', is colourful and has crunchy appeal. The Thai chicken and vermicelli noodle version is an equally enticing starter. For mains, there are plenty of options like roasted corn and chilli bran burritos, tangy turkey enchiladas and the much loved sweet potatoes, asparagus, green beans and broccoli served with organic brown basmati rice. One can also settle for a good old burger and wash it down with interesting smoothies. They also offer world wines and unusual cocktails with catchy names like Bombay flower and pomegranate caipirinha.

The dessert section comprises of not just fruit based healthy desserts, but brilliant stars like Swiss mountain chocolate cheesecake, banana waffle split and rocky road ice cream sundaes, which transport the diner to a state of bliss. The friendly staff, who are carefully hired for their sunny disposition, and children's activities help make these restaurants a very special, happy and healthy treat indeed.

To gain further information, just visit their extremely comprehensive Website.