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Brasserie Vacherin is a stylish upmarket French restaurant to unwind in after a tough day's work or to enjoy an indulgent dinner with family and friends. The latest addition to Malcolm John's collection of restaurants, it is open all day from 8 a.m. onwards. Tasteful décor, creative lighting and a modish interior, with an abundance of pictures decorating the walls, all create an ambiance that exudes the elegance and sense of style associated with the French. On Sutton's High Street, the restaurant is a stone's throw from Sutton Rail Station and a 6-minute walk from The Secombe Theatre and boasts an outdoor seating area perfect for al fresco dining in the summer.

Good flavours abound on an ambitious a la carte menu, with a special emphasis on fresh fish and shellfish sourced from the south coast as far west as Cornwall. Reflecting the fresh seasonal flavours of traditional Parisian bistro fare, diners can expect starters such as pea and mint soup with smoked ham hock; home-cured salmon gravadlax with fennel and red onion salad; chicken liver parfait with gherkins and radish as well as goat's cheese and cobnut salad with beetroot. There are also luxurious oysters, shipped in from Colchester every day, as well as Atlantic prawns and fresh mussels cooked in cider.
 
Mains include the restaurant's delicious fish pie made with smoked haddock, prawns, mussels and baby leeks with a brioche crust; supreme of salmon with Savoy cabbage, Alsace bacon and cockle butter and pan roasted cod with chorizo, haricot blanc and basil cooked with San Marzano tomatoes. Alternatively, there's choice of new season lamb rump with warm spiced aubergine relish, pine nuts and mint, Barbary duck confit with orange sauce and braised endive or butternut squash fetuccine with crème fraîche and cobnut gremolata.

The grill offers succulent Aberdeen Angus beef burger with Roquefort, gruyere or Alsace bacon; corn-fed chicken paillard, wild rocket and crispy shallots with honey mustard dressing and dry-aged beef fillet tail with grilled flat mushrooms. The restaurant is also open for breakfast every day; diners can opt for a coffee and a pastry or choose something more substantial such as eggs Benedict with Florentine or royale, or even a classic full English breakfast with all the trimmings.
A prix fixe menu delivers value for money with such dishes as grilled pork cutlet, spiced apple sauce and celeriac mash, salmon fish cake with tartare sauce and salad and salad of chicken livers with watercress, cucumber and sherry vinegar dressing. A Sunday lunch menu is also available.

Tempting desserts of chocolate fondant with raspberry sorbet, tarte fine aux pommes with caramel ice cream, Kerala vanilla crème brûlée, petit pot au chocolat and rum baba with poached pear bring the meal to a fitting end.
 
An extensive drinks list offers an assortment of white and red wines, Port, sherry, spirits, beers and cider. Aperitifs include champagne cocktail, raspberry bellini, vodka martini cocktail, Malibu and Noilly Prat.

More information can be found on their Website.

On the High Street, close to Sutton Rail Station, Zizzi Sutton provides authentic Italian dining in stylish surroundings. Less than a 6-minute walk from the Times Square and St. Nicholas Shopping Centres, Zizzi is a welcome haven for hungry shoppers.

Close to the Secombe Theatre, Zizzi is perfect for a pre or post-theatre meal.

The bustling open kitchen at Zizzi turns out freshly prepared, tasty fare. The extensive à la carte offers distinct sections of antipasti, salads, pizza and calzone, pasta, risottos and mains of seasonally changing meat and fish dishes with a variety of tempting desserts to finish.
 
Zizzi's special antipasti platter has mixed Italian meats with buffalo milk mozzarella, marinated sun-dried tomatoes, mixed olives and red onion focaccia bread. There's also choice of arancini, crispy risotto balls stuffed with mozzarella and peas and served with a tomato chilli sauce as well as gnocchi gorgonzola, potato dumplings in a creamy gorgonzola and spinach sauce seasoned with nutmeg and black pepper, setting the tone for a hearty meal.

For a delicious pasta or risotto choose between penne vodka, king prawns, chilli, peas and Grana Padano in a creamy tomato and vodka sauce; ravioli di capra, goat's cheese and spinach ravioli served with tomato sauce and topped with pesto and pine nuts; zucca e pancetta, pumpkin, pancetta, spinach, sage and Grana Padano topped with mascarpone and rigatoni con pollo e funghi, chicken in a tomato, onion, rosemary and mushroom sauce. Gluten-free pasta is also available on request.

If you prefer a pizza, then you could try Zizzi's speciality pizza rustica, which couples extra thin and crispy bases with a range of toppings such as bufala, buffalo mozzarella with sunblush tomatoes, basil, rocket and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or mare e monti, one half topped with tiger prawn, courgette and mozzarella and the other with spicy sausage, tomato sauce and chilli, all finished off with a rocket and crème fraîche. The carne piccante calzone has marinated chicken, meatballs, Bolognese sauce, mushrooms, chillies, tomato and mozzarella while the clarissa version, has aubergine, and red pepper caponata, olives, goats' cheese, rocket, pine nuts, tomato and mozzarella. Zizzi's calzon'pizzas, half calzone and half pizza, add an interesting twist to the meal.

Sumptuous mains include agnello con peperonata, roasted lamb shank served with basil, roasted vegetables and a little pot of potatoes with tomato, red onion and Grana Padano; duck arrosto, slow roasted whole duck leg in a balsamic, olive and pancetta reduction served with Tuscan potatoes and green beans; and sea bass al vino, sea bass pan fried with wine, garlic and baby plum tomatoes and served with herby potatoes.

The scrumptious dessert list offers torta cioccolata with its thick hazelnut chocolate base topped with rich chocolate torte and served with vanilla mascarpone; homemade tiramisu; creamy vanilla pannacotta with fruit compote and torta Zizzi, an almond-based plum and fig tart topped with pistachios and icing sugar and served with gelato.

The wine list is dominated by a range of Italian wines from regions such as Veneto, Lazio, Sicily, Tuscany and Lombardy. Also on offer is an assortment of beers, and spirits as well as a range of soft and hot drinks.

More information can be found on their Website.

Prezzo has been delighting diners for over eight years, and this Italian restaurant chain has since been able to expand throughout large parts of England and Scotland with some 141 outlets.

Interestingly, the company seeks to restore either impressive buildings or ones of local interest. The conversion of the Newbury library and other listed buildings, such as those in Salisbury, Romsey and Mayfair, are all welcome examples of 'new use'. Their trendy and sophisticated décor usually consists of tiled or wooden floors with delicate lights and colourful paintings, along with wooden furniture and sparkling cutlery, creating a setting that is suitable for a relaxed lunch, a family meal or an evening out with friends.

The restaurants are of particular appeal to those who like genuine Italian cuisine, and they use only the best seasonal products, many of which are imported directly from Italy. The menu includes pizza, pasta, risotto, grilled meats, fresh salads and frequently changing specials.

The freshly baked breads, like the garlic bread with mozzarella cheese, are perfect for sharing and give you adequate breathing space to order starters to follow. Crab cakes served with garlic mayonnaise or grilled goat's cheese with plum tomatoes and caramelised onions on foccacia bread with a balsamic glaze set the tone for a hearty meal. Best fun is to order an antipasto platter to share made up from seven well loved Italian nibbles.

Find pastas such as the unusual penne con salmone, with oak-roasted salmon, broccoli and fresh chillies in a red pesto and cream sauce, or firm favourites like spaghetti with meatballs, spaghetti Bolognese, and fusilli al pesto, asparagus spears with field mushrooms and roasted peppers in a basil pesto sauce.

Amongst the special pastas, the pollo mariano, seasoned chicken, pepperoni sausage, roasted peppers and fusilli in tomato sauce, is interesting and different. Italian menus would be incomplete without risotto, like tiger prawns with petits pois in a creamy saffron sauce.

Classic pizzas embrace, among a wide selection, the popular napoletana, topped with yellowfin tuna, tomato, white anchovies, capers, red onion, mozzarella and marinated olives, and the much loved quattro stagioni - pepperoni sausage, prosciutto ham, artichoke, field mushrooms, capers, marinated olives, mozzarella and tomato.

Specials could include the pollo Siciliana, char-grilled chicken breast, prosciutto ham and plum tomato slices, baked with their blend of cheese, only one example from the many tempting offerings that come out from the Prezzo kitchens.

You can accompany the food with a variety of tipples, though for many, Italian food requires Italian wines to be enjoyed to the full, ranging from house wine through Morellino di Scansano and Prosecco to liqueurs and beer, and there is espresso or fresh ground coffee to wind up an enjoyable meal, in company with a glass of grappa or sambuca.

This is Italian food at its attractive best, convincing and bringing together the traditional with the modern twist or two against a background of excellent value.

Prezzo is a lively group and opportunities to improve and update are never left on the table for long. Keep up to date with a quick click on their Website.

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.

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.

The Blue Junction is a stylish and informal restaurant in Morden, a lively and bubbly place where you can drop in for after work drinks, hold fun parties for friends on weekends or just come by to enjoy some wraps, burgers, sandwiches as well as a proper a la carte, all with a delicious Indian twist. The atmosphere is young, lively and as unstuffy as it gets, and you could choose a quick lunch time meal such as lamb kofte burger, spicy minced pattie with creamy yoghurt sauce or a prawn filled white paratha wrap.

From the main menu, there is macchi Amritsari, crispy flash fried tilapia fish for starters followed by chicken dum biriyani, cubes of chicken sautéed in Indian herbs and spices, cooked with royal basmati rice and flavoured with fresh mint leaves. Other options include regional specialities such as Hyderabadi keema, minced lamb and peas sautéed with garlic, chillies, juliennes of ginger, and onions sprinkled with pounded peppercorn.

El Torito is a quirky and fun dining destination in Cheam where Mexican, Italian and American cuisines come together with happy results. The restaurant is comfortable and relaxed and the service is friendly and commendable. The buzzy atmosphere gets quite fired up on weekends with live music and the impressive range of menus seems to have something for everyone. The Mexican and Italian themed canvas prints add an edge to the décor, without becoming overwhelming at any time.

Lunchtime specials include Tex Mex favourites such as burritos and quesadilla alongside burgers, pizzas and pasta dishes. Tapas are also well loved by the patrons and some of these could be chorizo frito, spicy sausages cooked in wine sauce, boquerones, fresh marinated anchovies or succulent pork ribs with barbeque sauce. The range of desserts runs more towards ice creams and sorbets with interesting variations along with caramel parfait, waffles and cheesecakes.