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Sanctuary Café has every reason to celebrate. Having been part of Hove's café scene for over fourteen years they are also one of the few places, which cater for vegetarians this side of Brighton. With an aim to work towards creating a greener planet, they source ingredients locally to avoid supply chain carbon footprints.

So whether it's one of their copious salads, homemade hummus with a drizzle of olive oil or quiches and pâtés, you can rest assured that it's all good, honest produce. Pump up your calorie deficit with a banana and coconut cake and raspberry brownie.

The rustic décor with assorted works of art and comfortable sofas accentuates the homely feel, while the Cella room downstairs is where all the action is, playing host to poetry reading, comedy and live music nights. Just off the busy Western Road, even the location is a boon to the diet conscious as you've got to walk up to the café along a steep road.

Sevendials is a family-owned - Sam Metcalfe is also in charge of the kitchen - quality restaurant in Brighton, where they serve modern British/European food in warm contemporary surroundings; with a main dining area, private room and summer terrace there are many different opportunities for entertaining. Since opening in November 2001, they have already received 2AA Rosettes from the AA Guide, presented with the Brighton Juicy Award 2002 Best Food award and included in the Good Food Guide 2002/3. Sam gained experience in London, becoming Head Chef at The Belvedere in Holland Park at the tender age of twenty one. On their 'a la carte' three course menu, which is excellent value, choices could run from potato gnocchi with fresh peas, broad beans, shallot cream & melted parmesan to grilled black pudding, poached free range egg & bacon salad or foie gras parfait with toasted brioche, red onion marmalade to begin with, running on to corn-fed chicken breast stuffed with foie gras wrapped in parma ham with leeks, peas, broad beans and marjoram jus or whole roast john dory with sautéed baby savoy cabbage, Noilly Pratt cream sauce with chive oil, and finishing with victoria plum clafoutis with crème fraiche or caramelised lemon tart with raspberry coulis.

The original concept for All Bar One was developed by two enterprising ladies, who wanted a bar ideal for women to have a drink and something to eat without the intimidating confines of a traditional pub. Little wonder, that the place has huge glass frontage, open spaces and interiors that are bright and airy. The first outlet opened in Sutton in 1994, became a huge hit, and there has been no looking back since. Today there are close to forty outlets, including one in Cologne, Germany. Irrespective of location, they have identical wooden flooring, menu and service. Antique mirrors, natural colours and reclaimed wooden furniture combine classic and modern styles well.

The menu has tapas from different parts of the world, including the Mediterranean region, Italy and the East. One can also have a variety of burgers, sandwiches and salads. Baked goats' cheese parcels, flat mushroom and halloumi burgers are highlights of the menu, as is the All Bar One beef and coriander burger, a house speciality. With the emphasis being as much on drink as the food, many outlets display a wall of champagne and wines, with beers and spirits thrown in for good measure. The blackboards on the wall often flaunt the impressive selections.

The success formula of All Bar One has been faith in doing simple things well, and that is what they are best known for. A place that is hard to define, for it is not just a bar, restaurant, café or pub, but a special place where people can unwind alone or in company.

With its fondness for the pioneering path it is perhaps entirely right and proper that Brighton should have this temple dedicated to the organic cause. And believe me it has not been done in half measures either. Starting at the top the restaurant is solar-powered for its hot water and descending to the lower regions uses renewable energy to run everything else. Formerly The Windsor Tavern, it was relaunched in 2001 and seems to be meeting the need well. Virtually everything is organic, beer, food, wine, hemp T-shirts for the staff and, wait for it, cigarettes. Now there's inverted hedonism for you. Having just read of a celebrity chef who said he would gladly sacrifice a few years of his life for a certain taste in prepared food I am in an ambivalent state of mind. I can only suggest you go and give it a try - it really is worth it.

The Restaurant is an essential part of the new boutique hotel in Brighton, Drakes. As such it enjoys the same degree of sophistication as the rest of the project and one is left with the notion that the Regency crowd who created the Brighton Dome would feel very much at home here.

The food is demonstrative and bold and might have those of a tender disposition reaching for the smelling salts. Starters could include seared squid with black tagliatelle and Parmesan. Both lamb and hare feature amongst main courses, again boldly presented, the hare on a Madeira sauce. Puddings take the same course and a hot raspberry soufflee with a lavish back-up of raspberry ripple ice cream, the final touch in decadence.

A well-bred wine list supports the meal well, as does the service, never servile but definitely user-friendly. The general consensus is that Brighton can do with some more places like this.

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.