Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

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.

A real classic old English hotel and where better to find it than in Midhurst, one of those quintessential market towns of England. For many the west and central parts of Sussex have a quality all their own and to be able to eat well prepared, locally sourced quality meat and fishes dishes. The bar also serves lunches and light snacks complemented with a fine selection of European lagers and local hand pulled ales. You are assured of a warm welcome from the General Manager and his team.

Nava Thai is located in the lovely village of Stedham, just two miles from Midhurst and delivers authentic Thai fare right in the heart of the West Sussex countryside. Proprietor Mudita Karnasuta ensures that dishes are prepared using traditional techniques that always have been a part of Thailand's culinary legacy. She teaches Thai cooking and has even produced a video called Simply Thai.

With ten non-vegetarian starters such as cod fishcakes, pork spare ribs and squid rings there are plenty of choices, while vegetarians can enjoy spring rolls and deep fried vegetables served with tangy sauces. One can order meat soups or the special seafarer's poh-taek soup, served in a fired pot to keep it piping hot.

Once your taste buds are tickled, do have some coconut based Thai curries along with rice or noodles. You can also try the medium hot chicken, beef and duck preparations in bamboo shoot and fruit gravy. The main course menu is neatly segregated into different sections based on the meat or seafood used and has forty dishes to choose from.  With chicken or pork, stir-fried with chillies and hot basil leaves, beef fried with broccoli, garlic and vegetables, the tantalising list seems endless. The ped yang or special roast duck with pickle, ginger and cucumber deserves a mention.

It is a great feeling to tuck in heartily, knowing that a portion of your bill is used to help underprivileged children in Thailand by providing them an education, a cause the restaurant is committed to and supports through its trust. If the meal has proved to be enjoyable and consequently you wish to try your hand at Thai cooking, you can buy not just the ingredients needed, but also get advice on how to use these at the little store within the restaurant.

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 Hamilton Arms and the Nava Thai Restaurant in School Lane, Stedham offer a unique culinary combination in the heart of the West Sussex countryside. This is where guests can enjoy traditional pub grub alongside authentic Thai food. The warm harm hospitality of owners Suhail Hussain and Mudita Karnasuta creates  a welcoming ambience.

Begin the meal with pork dim sim with soya sauce and fried garlic, fried cod fishcakes mixed with green beans or minced prawns on crispy sesame toast. Mains include chicken cooked with ripe red chilli paste, bamboo shoots and coconut milk, tender beef fried with dry curry paste, pork with basil leaves and fresh chillies and fried crab claws with chillies, ginger and spring onion. House specialities feature roast duck with pickle, ginger and cucumbers, crisp fried Scottish rainbow trout and son-in-law eggs, deep-fried eggs topped with gravy and crisply fried slices of shallot. Vegetarians can select from spicy mushroom salad, pineapple curry, fried broccoli with garlic and oyster sauce and crispy noodles with herbs and spices. A selection of real ales and Thai beer helps to enliven the occasion.

Midhurst would not be Midhurst without The Spread Eagle, a hotel which ever since I can remember has offered quality in all its various endeavours. The place is a real home from home, the restaurant offers first rate food, impeccably served and there is an air of permanence and stability in such things as the wine list, the quality of the coffee and the warmth of the welcome.