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Carluccio's was started by Antonio and Priscilla Carluccio as a small café and shop stocking Italian food and ingredients in 1991, and grew into a restaurant serving authentic cuisine at sensible prices in 1999. Antonio is an expert on food and has been a wine merchant, restaurant manager and owner, cookery expert on television and author of twelve cookery books. It is therefore not surprising, that today Carluccio's has over fourty-nine outlets across the UK.

Antonio believes Italian cookery involves minimum fuss and maximum flavour. This is exactly what his restaurants try to do by using fresh produce, and working largely with families who make things the traditional way - with care. Their passion also translates into special events like hands-on cookery classes and recipe sharing, Antonio and his team regularly organise for interested guests. They also offer takeaways and a catering service.

The breakfast menu offers croissants and breads served with butter and preserves or honey and free range eggs, either scrambled or fried and served with pancetta or ciabatta. They also have long cured Parma ham and healthier options like muesli and fruits. These are best had with coffee, tea or freshly squeezed juice. Carluccio's offers an impressive list of white, red, rosé and sparkling wines which complement your meal.

The restaurants offer a range of soup and salads which give your meal a nutritious start before moving on to the mains. If you like pasta, enjoy the small filled parcels served in a ham and cream sauce, or sample the Neapolitana spaghetti with whole fresh clams, garlic, herbs and chilli. The branzino con salsa e patate, fillet of pan fried sea bass served with tomato salsa and sautéed potatoes and Somerset rib-eye steak with rosemary potatoes, called bistecca di bue con patate, are good options too. If you are looking for something lighter, you could opt for the numerous sides called contorni and panini.

In the Tuscany region of Italy, meals end simply with almond biscuits dipped in a sweet local wine, Vin Santo and eaten. You can enjoy that experience at Carluccio's, or settle for a more conventional dolci of tiramisu, warm chocolate and kahlua pudding, your choice of Italian cheeses or gelatos in different flavours.

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.

 

Little Italy is situated at one end of the high street and is a reliably good Italian restaurant serving up all the classic pasta, pizza and risotto dishes you would expect. In addition there's also a selection of interesting fish dishes, such as char-grilled swordfish steak with a spring onion and garlic sauce (£8.95), or a selection of grilled mixed fish including sardine, squid, king prawns and mussels (£11.95). From the meat based dishes there's also chicken breast with a lemon and caper sauce (£9.25), or veal escalope strips served in a mustard and red onion and white wine sauce (£11.25).

Reviewed by Linda Buttle

Roz Ana in Kingston Hill is situated perfectly for local residents or shoppers coming to Kingston to pop in for a drink, a quick lunch or a relaxed evening meal. Their approach to dining is smart yet casual and modern in an understated interior.

Cocktails and bar snacks are available in the lounge bar, and the buzzing brasserie is a lovely place to meet friends over a casual meal, but if you're looking to spend time enjoying a long and peaceful feast head to the first floor restaurant.

Roz Ana's chefs come from central London restaurants such as Tamarind, Imli and Chor Bizzare and the menu presents dishes that are traditional yet lighter in style and often with a twist. Look out for soft shell crab with coconut; venison shikampuri kebabs, or the chicken tikka Laphroaig flambéed with smoky whisky.

The wine list is moderate in length but complements the food well.

The restaurant is available for private parties or business meetings of up to 40 persons.

An impressive English pub on Clifton Road, the Norbiton and Dragon also houses an excellent Thai restaurant that is a shining beacon of excellence for South East Asian cooking in the Kingston-Upon-Thames area. The interior of the restaurant has been tastefully redecorated in a minimalist style with dark wooden floors, neatly set tables, and large windows that brighten up the dining area with natural light.

The a la carte menu includes familiar appetisers of aromatic duck spring rolls, grilled tiger prawns skewered and marinted in lemongrass and cracked black pepper, and crispy fried squid. Robust flavours are evident in a pad ped gaprow neau, a classic Thai beef dish stir-fried with red chilli, green beans, garlic and crispy holy basil leaves. There are plenty of banquet set menus designed for a minimum of two people and this makes the task of ordering slightly easier. The Little Dragon menu caters for tiny eaters who seek a mini feast of two or three courses.

The team at Norbiton and Dragon work alongside wine merchant Bibendum to design an attractive wine list and includes choices from around the world.

The lively La Tasca chain caters for parties, children's events and family gatherings in addition to anytime dining. These restaurants capture well the warm and vibrant spirit of Spain, and are best known for their tapas and traditional paellas.

Their star player is tapas, which can be had solo or in tandem with a meal. The calamares andaluza, deep-fried squid rings, served with roasted garlic mayonnaise and lemon, is great for sharing, while the chorizo frito al vino, spicy Spanish sausage flavoured with paprika, garlic and herbs, sautéed in red wine, offers a real treat. Chicken lovers order alitas de pollo, marinated chicken wings, or have skewers of chicken breast and pepper, marinated in paprika.

Valenciana is an interesting paella that combines seafood with chicken, and if you have a taste for trivia, you may be surprised to learn that 'la paella' actually refers to the utensil in which the dish is cooked.

Other than liqueurs and beer, there are wines from Spanish vineyards and sparkling cava. All of these, especially the dry rosé wines combine well with tapas. And you would be really getting into the spirit of things if you rounded off with the crema Catalana, traditional Spanish-style vanilla custard, topped with caramelised sugar.

La Tasca Spanish Tapas Restaurants and Bars today have over sixty outlets across the UK, so it is odds on there is a branch fairly close to your home.