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The Derby Arms is situated on the Epsom Downs, far away from the hustle and bustle of the busy one-way system, offering a lovely view of London and the well-known racecourse that hosts the famous Derby Race. A lot of thought and effort has gone into the complete redesign, creating an interior with log fires and steaming hot apple cider in the cold months, offset by beautifully landscaped decking for al fresco dining.
 
The pub is more like a modern interpretation of a traditional English pub. All the traditional pub classics such as spit chicken with lemon, garlic, thyme and chips, and rib eye steaks are there and a modern menu comprising of calves liver with tray baked potatoes, red onion, bacon and sage panagrattato has joined them. To set the right note of fashionable 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 with fregola, tzatziki, feta, spinach and ricotta pâté with warm flatbreads.

Amongst the appetisers is freshly made soup; lamb koftas, mint yoghurt, kohlrabi, cumin and carrot salad, or gambas with garlic, rocket, aioli and rustic bread. Look, too, for scallops of the day. The salads - sorry, that should read 'leaves' - offer crispy duck, mouli, carrots, hoisin, spring onions, watercress and plum sauce, and for the seafood fiends some prawn, avocado, pecans, mango, bacon, orange and pomegranate vinaigrette is received with enthusiasm.

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.

The fish dishes for hearty eaters are well worth trying and choices include smoked haddock fishcakes with curry Hollandaise, mango, tomato, coriander and red onion salad, and freshly battered haddock with tartare sauce, minted mushy peas and chips. For the big event there is always a roast rump of lamb with sauce soubise, asparagus, pancetta, button onions and baby potatoes. The blackened cod fillet with egg noodles, pak choi, mango and chilli salsa is popular, a sign of the times and improving taste in eating. Pork Milanese with sage, lemon and breadcrumbs, tomato, rocket and red onion and salad baby potatoes is a popular choice too.

Their wine list of Old World classics and New World upstarts ensures there is plenty of choice for anyone. The beers are taken very seriously and so are the award winning cask ales - they have a range of continental lagers and speciality beers.

A wide range of supporting dishes includes Belgium chips and mayo. For desserts choose between an apple, blackcurrant crumble and vanilla custard and, sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream. There is also a selection of cheeses to set the buffs alight.

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

The Spring Tavern, on London Road in the leafy Surrey town of Ewell, offers a superb modern British menu in stylish surroundings. A premium dining space where the discerning customer can indulge the palate as well as the senses, the Spring Tavern also boasts an eclectic drinks list with a variety of cask ales, premium draught and bottled beers and a superb wine list.

Fine dining is all about the experience as well as the food and The Spring Tavern makes a statement with its simple elegant design, warm welcome and excellent service. The talented kitchen team has put together a seasonally changing menu which uses the freshest seasonal ingredients to offer guests a wide range of dishes including delicious British classics and flavourful Mediterranean favourites.

Lunch or dinner here can begin with sharing plates of dolcelatte, Italian meats, marinated vegetables and warm stone-baked flatbreads or with starters of Moroccan lamb koftas with fattoush salad and tzatziki. You could follow with such dishes as a calzone of pork cacciatore, tomato frito, garlic and crème fraiche, a rustica pizza topped with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, goat's cheese, cherry tomatoes and rocket, a smoked haddock macaroni with spinach and Applewood Cheddar or a delicious grilled goat's cheese crostini with roast sweet potatoes and borlotti beans and blush tomato dressing.

What really sets the Spring Tavern apart from the increasingly generic and omnipresent gastropub crowd is the care and attention they take with their non a la carte offerings. Fish comes into its own on Friday nights when the chef puts out delicious fish and shellfish specials including scallops done the way you like them, battered haddock with frites, tartare sauce and minted mushy peas and sea bass fillets with sweet potato and spinach curry and tzatziki.
 
They also offer a whopping 50% discount on a bottle of red wine with every 21-day aged steak as part of the Steak and Wine Supper every Wednesday. On Sundays customers can treat themselves to a sumptuous spread with classics such as roast rib of beef with pan jus and Yorkshire pudding, garlic and rosemary studded leg of English lamb with apricot stuffing and English loin of pork with crackling, caramelised apple sauce and sage stuffing.
 
For diners looking for a quick lunch try the two-course prix fixe menu which is also available early in the evening. The bar menu also offers small plates of chicken and chorizo spiedini with chilli jam, homemade lamb koftas with Moroccan spice and tzatziki or fennel crusted calamari with sweet chilli sauce.
 
Tempting puddings of warm brownie with vanilla ice cream and dark chocolate sauce, apple and blackcurrant crumble with vanilla custard and orange and almond cake with marmalade and orange blossom mascarpone bring the meal to a pleasant end. 

A fine selection of whites and reds complements the food perfectly. Enjoy a pre-dinner drink; Frisky Bison with Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka and Appletiser or French Martini with Grey Goose vodka and Chambord. For afters, there's a chocolate martini with Baileys, vodka and chocolate liqueur.

More information can be found on their Website.

Brewer's Fayre restaurants offer a warm welcome to those who want a reliably tasty meal in pleasant surroundings, with plenty of choice, minimal fuss and friendly service. With a reputation going back 25 years they should have a fair chance of doing that, but don't take our word for it. Give them a try and see if you agree that this is how good quality pub food should be served.

Whether it's snacks, grills, pub classics, fish, Sunday roasts or side dishes they think their way through the options, talk to their guests, and then come up with the goods. Not everybody wants a full meal so they've considered the needs of those who want to keep the gap filled and the children contented, perhaps on a journey or a day out.

Hot filled baguettes are always popular be it sausage and red onion or a classic chicken club sandwich. Jacket potatoes are good on their own but filled with mature cheddar cheese and beans they take on a new dimension.

More paced occasions demand a wide menu, perhaps with starters of breaded butterfly prawns, chicken goujons or breaded camembert bites. Grills are there for the hungry and whole rack of meaty BBQ pork ribs served with extra sauce, chips and coleslaw can be very welcome. The days of the mixed grill are back - or did they ever go away - a 4oz rump steak, two pork sausages, and a gammon steak topped with a fried egg served with all the trimmings will remind you if they did.

Salmon and prawn fishcakes are served with buttered new potatoes, tartare sauce and a lightly dressed salad. A combination of sea and land comes with a rump steak, whole grilled chicken breast and breaded breaded butterfly prawns, served with chips and a side salad or garden peas.

The rise of eating out in pubs has brought into our daily lives a whole legion of what might be termed 'pub classics'. Many of them have their roots in what used to be called 'good home cooking' and include such dishes as sausage, egg and chips, beef and ale pie, chicken and mushroom pie and for the very daring a beef lasagne. Well, all of them and many more are on the menu at Brewer's Fayre, supplemented by such new regulars as vegetable Goan chicken curry, pork chop, chilli con carne and grilled chicken and bacon salad.

It has often been said that chicken tikka masala is now the most popular dish in Britain. Some may not really want to believe that, much as they love curry, but travel, population movement and other factors have widened our scope and they are probably pretty keen on fish and chips in Timbuktu.

What is certain is that the great British Sunday roast is exclusive to these islands, though copied maybe elsewhere or in ex-pat outposts. No surprise therefore that it's on the Brewer's Fayre menu. A trade of three roasts with an opportunity to trade up to a mega roast for a modest sum. With it come two Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, fresh seasonal vegetables and that important element - gravy.

A fine list of immensely tempting desserts may well bring the most ardent weight-watcher to their knees. A short but well thought out wine list offers all choices, except champagne, by the glass. Staying the night - check to see if there's a Premier Inn next door - chances are you'll be lucky.

A quick click on their Website is always worth while. The only thing that stays still permanently is the quality which is helped by a changing menu, and some very special offers.

Café Rouge has over one hundred branches throughout Britain all offering a wide range of dishes drawn from the French cuisine. Slightly less than half their branches are in or close to London. Almost inevitably the décor and design of each restaurant differs from the others, but there is a general curtsy towards La France.

Many restaurants do an excellent breakfast, or shall we say petit dejeuner, at which such delights as scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on toasted brioche, croque Madame, croissants and pain au chocolat make welcome appearances, and to their credit the English traditional gets top billing.

An array of small dishes takes in pulled pork pâté with French bread, and spicy beef and lamb sausage with harissa mayonnaise. Salads and pasta feature largely, as do baguettes and croques. Quick dishes, ideal for lunch, include slices of saucisson and cured pork loin with French bread.

Moving on to more serious stuff we find steaks, an 8oz bavette and thin cut rib eye, with a choice of béarnaise or peppercorn sauce. No French menu would be complete without the poulet jaune grille, pan-roasted breast of corn-fed chicken served on a warm taboulé of bulgar wheat and a medley of roasted vegetables with minted crème fraîche, or a steak frites before moving on to the crème brûlée, or the tart tatin. Almost invariably the coffee tastes like coffee should, something that sadly can all too often still not be said of our English restaurants, who depend too much upon technology and too little on the acquisition of a certain flair for this important conclusion to a meal.

By now we all know that the French, despite their distinctive habits when it comes to matters of satisfying the inner man, maintain a miraculous longevity of life. This is generally attributed to a number of causes, of which a measured consumption of decent wine is foremost. Café Rouge, you may be pleased to hear, encourages this with a well-chosen selection of French wines. Their prix fixe lunch and meals for children, both at a very reasonable figure, also offer excellent value.

Their Website will keep you updated on menu changes, news and other competitions and offers from the Café Society.

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.

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.

Somehow, despite all the culinary diversity all around, Chinese cuisine remains one of the most popular options if you want to eat out, and in Ewell Village in Epsom, the Dragon Den is a favourite dining destination. On special occasions like the Chinese New Year, they bring in an exotic element to their everyday fare, particularly with the Lion and Dragon dances. Sunday buffets offer a variety of dishes and with the 'eat as much as you like' tagline, you might be well on your way to disregarding your waistline too!

For appetisers, choose between prawn crackers, smoked shredded chicken or crispy Szechuan duck, served with plum sauce. Delicious options in the main course include sautéed squids with green pepper and black bean sauce; Malaysian curry chicken or pork chop suey. Noodles or fried rice are the perfect accompaniments, while homemade cookies for dessert end the meal suitably.

Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.

Popular across all strata of people, locals and visitors, Lee Fook with its different layers of interesting cuisine and pleasant ambience makes it a wonderful dining experience altogether. At Surbiton, the restaurant is light and airy with a contemporary décor that extends to showcasing modern works of art on the walls with panache. Chef and owner Ringo Lo banks on his nearly three decades of experience in Cantonese cuisine to produce some unique and distinctive dishes.

Authenticity is one of the chief hallmarks of the fare that can be found at Lee Fook, and starters might include marinated spare ribs with spice and tomato sauce, followed by seasonal fish steamed with black bean sauce or stewed brisket beef in hot pot. Set meals eliminate any uncertainty you might have about making a decision, and choices include sizzling Szechuan chicken, sautéed scallops with cashew nuts and quick fried fish fillet.

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.