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hand picked restaurants

The Greek Taverna ushers in the breeze of the Mediterranean in its relaxed and pleasant surroundings and guests can enjoy a full range of dishes from Greece as well as popular modern British dishes. It's the kind of place you can celebrate a noisy birthday, a christening or any other event that you want to host with ease for friends, relatives and even clients. Locally sourced ingredients contribute to the freshness of the dishes and the execution is, well, superb.

Starters could include the well known dolmade, stuffed vine leaves, or grilled sardines drizzled with olive oil. For the main course, there's a steak Dianne, prime Scottish scallopini of fillet steak with Worcestershire sauce or king prawns pan fried with garlic sauce. End with a chocolate marble truffle or a lemon sorbet. For those who love the Greek meze, there are plenty of choices in this section, which include pita bread with halloumi, tzatziki and lountza.

If havelis in India are what castles are to Britain, then it's quite easy to imagine the romance associated with such a place and you would not be mistaken if you can feel a glimmer of excitement at the Haveli of Belmont. This is a contemporary Indian restaurant with a modern approach, yet rooted in tradition with respect to the kinds of dishes that emerge from their kitchen. For more than a decade, they have been providing delicious food to locals and visitors with the same levels of enthusiasm.

The haryali kabab, diced chicken marinated in a green paste of coriander and spinach could get you started and later you could opt for a tandoori chingri, mildly spiced prawns cooked in a tandoori grill. For more elaborate dishes, you might want to give the chicken biriyani, a delectable combination of rice and spices served with a vegetable curry, a try.

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.