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Set close to the bandstand on King Edward's Parade, The Mirabelle Restaurant at The Grand Hotel serves a fine modern European menu in its elegant dining room. A dining institution facing the picturesque seafront, The Grand Hotel is famed for its association with music, particularly the French composer Claude Debussy. The Mirabelle is perfect for a romantic dinner for two, or that special occasion with family and friends.
 
Showcasing seasonal classics, Head Chef Gerald Röser brings his vast experience and signature style to define The Mirabelle cuisine. Holding 2 AA Rosettes, The Mirabelle offers a variety of freshly prepared classics made using the best seasonal ingredients, which are locally sourced wherever possible.
 
Start with combinations like butter bean and oyster mushroom velouté with crisp chorizo topping, cassoulet salad with confit of duck leg and truffle dressing, or hand-carved Scottish smoked salmon, traditional blinis and chive crème fraîche.

Follow with the chef's delicious signature dishes of marinated rump of marsh lamb with rösti potatoes and red wine jus, roast goose breast with red cabbage, parsnip purée and parsnip crisp, French beans and Shiraz sauce, or fillet of sea bass with tomato and black olive salsa, saffron mash and baby spinach. Lunch and seasonal classics menus are also available.

Enjoy a selection of the best dishes from The Mirabelle's tasting menu, which offers seared diver scallops in truffle and champagne sauce, and Jerusalem artichoke soup with wild mushrooms. Meat dishes include squab pigeon breast winter salad with croutons, roast chestnuts and pumpkin, and roast loin of Sussex marsh lamb with minted pea purée, dauphinoise potatoes and garden vegetables. A carefully chosen glass of wine complements each dish.

A lunch menu could include starters of dolcelatte and green pea risotto with parmesan wafer, or pike soufflé with sea urchin and buttered lobster. Follow with a rich main course of pumpkin with chèvre and gratinated mushroom 'Wellington', or fillet of Scottish beef with leeks in Serrano ham and truffle jus.

The dessert selection offers tempting creations of passion fruit bavarois with red berry coulis, baked apple stuffed with spiced raisins and served with crumble mousse, and Madirofolo Madagascan chocolate fondant with Pain d'Epices au Miel ice cream. To finish on a lighter but no less satisfying note, try the chef's selection of fine British and continental cheeses, served on a slate plate.

In the period elegance of the adjoining Garden Restaurant, guests are offered equally sumptuous meals in a comfortably informal setting. For a delightful reprieve during the day, there is no better place than the Great Hall and its mouthwatering afternoon tea menu.

At the cocktail bar and lounge, unwind with a pre-dinner cocktail or relax with a selection of afters. An eclectic wine list offers connoisseurs the best examples from all round the world including, a Chateau Lamothe Cissac from France, and a Pinot Noir from New Zealand.

Throughout the year, The Mirabelle hosts a variety of gourmet dinners, as well as wine tastings.

To gain further information, just visit their extremely comprehensive Website.

A location on Eastbourne's Grand Parade and a menu boasting 50 ways to enjoy mussels, along with a selection of over 50 Belgian beers, makes The Belgian Café a popular hangout in this seaside town. Housed in a Georgian building, with panoramic seafront views out towards Beachy Head, the award-winning restaurant offers guests a lively ambience with the option of dining al fresco.
 
Freshly prepared seafood dominates the menu. You can choose to have your mussels on a platter, grilled, with a wide range of toppings; either goat's cheese and honey, bacon and cheese or tomatoes and garlic with olive oil and herbs, and served with bread, butter and frites with mayonnaise. There are also starters of deep fried whitebait with salad and tartare sauce; whole baby calamaris, pan fried with olive oil, garlic and a touch of chilli or deep fried in a light batter and served with tartare sauce. Other starters include seared scallops, cooked either with ginger and soy sauce or garlic and butter; and Scotch smoked salmon with salad, capers and lemon.

Your choice of mains could include salmon fishcakes served on a bed of pak choi with a lemon, cream and caper sauce and frites; sea bass fillets with Pont Neuf potatoes, a carrot purée and coulis of peppers; mixed fish brochette, a skewer of mixed fresh fish with peppers and onions served on a bed of rice with a champagne sauce or paupiette of plaice stuffed with a prawn mousseline and served with a cream and coriander sauce on a bed of rice. Alternatively, try the fisherman's pot, a mountain of mussels with mixed seafood in fish stock or a seafood pasta with mussels, gambas, scallops, cockles, squid and prawns cooked with olive oil, garlic and tomato sauce.
 
If you prefer meat for the main course, the menu offers wild boar and Leffe dark beer sausages; Belgian beef stew with traditional stoemp, a dish of mashed potatoes and carrots and other vegetables; chicken breast stuffed with brie and wrapped in Parma ham  served with salad and frites, or a gourmet lamb burger. A range of salads with mixed seafood, duck and chicken extends the menu's variety.
 
Vegetarians are also catered for with a choice of dishes including a Stilton, mushroom, cream and leek crêpe; chevre salad with warm goat's cheese, sesame seeds and mixed salad leaves or tagliatelle with courgette, fresh basil, garlic and sundried and fresh tomato. Children's tastes are catered to with a separate menu.
 
To conclude on a sweet note, choose from the ultimate Belgian chocolate mousse; Dame Blanche, vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate sauce and whipped Chantilly cream; Belgian waffle with a choice of toppings or rollo fondue with marshmallows and fruits.
 
The drinks list offers a variety of lagers and other beers ? white, blond, amber, dark, Trappist, Lambiek and fruit. Unusual beer cocktails offer more exciting options and include exotic combinations of chocolate beer, crème de menthe, passion fruit beer, Malibu, lemonade or coconut beer. In addition, guests can avail themselves of a choice of wines, champagne, spirits or soft drinks.

To gain further information, just visit their extremely comprehensive Website.

Part of the Whitbread family, Table Table restaurants aim to bring great value tasty pub food to an ever increasing eating-out public who like well prepared and genuine food served by friendly staff in relaxing surroundings. If that sounds too much like a dream come true be assured that at Table Table they also walk the talk, and are pleased to have the chance to prove it.

Their well located restaurants are spread across a wide range of decors and styles, and all of them share a determination to provide comfort, warmth and relaxation. Their buffet menus for special occasions are remarkable value.

In keeping with modern trends they provide dishes to nibble or share as guests consider the spread of options on a menu that could be described as British with welcome incursions. So as you share long Italian flatbread, and dough balls and dips, or a sharing platter with an imaginative range of finger food starting with garlic and breaded mushrooms, it's time to think about the relative merits of aromatic duck parcels, a prawn cocktail, breaded Camembert or sticky chicken goujons to name but a few.

Many an innocent dish from the past has been hi-jacked in the best possible sense into becoming what is now called a 'pub classic'. Wiltshire cure ham with eggs is served with chunky chips and beef, mushroom and ale pie, or chicken and chips are all familiar with British tables, be they in the dining room or the kitchen. Now they have been added to by chicken fajitas, a sweet red pepper, crème fraiche and fennel tart, a leg of duck slowly cooked and served with a Bramley apple and cider sauce, or chilli con carne with basmati rice, sour cream and guacamole and nachos. So is the humble burger with six enticing toppings.

The point is they, and others, are all here at Table Table, well prepared with quality ingredients, and presented in a way that makes you hungry even if you thought you weren't.

Getting down to the more serious side of the table keep an eye open for the seafood pie, a delightful assembly of things fishy including crayfish, red snapper, prawns and clams. Many of their steaks are 28 days matured, including a 7oz fillet. All steaks are served with watercress, roasted cherry tomatoes, a flat mushroom and chunky chips. A choice from 4 sauces adds the final touch of enjoyment.

Pastas and salads embrace some well known and loved names, but for sheer enjoyment the hot smoked salmon salad takes some beating - flakes of hot smoked salmon mixed with a house salad and soy and ginger sauce. A real winner.

Snacks aplenty cover hot baguettes with the like of grilled pork loin and Bramley apple sauce, sandwiches filled with Cheddar cheese, or prawns and Marie Rose sauce, and jacket potatoes with such temptations as chilli con carne. Add a bowl of chips for only a little extra.

A well travelled wine list offers helpful advice for the uninitiated and there's an impressive choice of draught and bottled beers and lagers. All in all it would appear that Table Table are more than achieving their aims, providing the opportunity for people to eat out enjoyably, with excellent value for money. Long may they continue to do so.

For completely up to date information on menu changes and special offers do make a regular check on their lively Website.

Just a short walk from the Arndale Shopping Centre in the heart of Eastbourne, Zizzi offers delicious Italian cuisine to tired shoppers. With a comfortable open-plan setting, the restaurant is the perfect place to out your feet up after a busy shopping trip or to enjoy a more intimate evening meal just a short walk from the seafront and Eastbourne Pier.

Close to the Devonshire Park and Royal Hippodrome Theatres, Zizzi is ideal for a quick bite before or after a show.

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.

The Explorer's Café is one of the best bits of Drusilla's, a well loved and established family zoo-park that has thrived in historic Alfriston, and been passed down from one generation to the next as a family-worthy destination.

So often the catering in tourist hot spots gives every appearance of being low on the agenda; captive audience, all that sort of stuff. This is certainly not the case here and discerning explorers both young and old emerge from the jungle with appetites to match, and head for the Explorer's watering hole. For parents there is beef lasagne and chilli con carne, whilst the young can pig out on pork sausages of integrity and pasta bolognaise. Everyone enjoys the eat all you can ice cream deal, for £1.99 per person.