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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 cured 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.

Manorhaus is splendidly located just off St Peter's Square in the picturesque old market town of Ruthin. The only boutique hotel in the town, it occupies an important grade 2 listed Georgian town house that combines traditional hospitality with contrasting contemporary design.

Cleverly, the restaurant has been designed with a twin persona, bright and cheerful for the daytime, moving subtly to low level lighting and candles, a background for immaculate white linen and sparkling glassware in the evenings, establishing a warm and intimate atmosphere.

From 10.30am onwards those looking for a temporary haven from life's stresses and strains can indulge in delightful freshly ground Italian coffee, or a selection of teas, and pastries. At noon lunch takes over, with options on light meals, sandwiches and specialities. Regulars are much taken with the monthly change of lunch menu that prevents even the slightest touch of ennui casting a shadow.

The a la carte dinner menu lists six choices for each course, with starters drawn from pan fried pigeon breast with smoked bacon and bean cassoulet and red wine syrup, grilled salmon escalopes and a Hollandaise butter sauce, or roasted figs wrapped in Parma ham and dressed with maple mustard. Vegetarians will delight in the nut crusted grilled goat's cheese on maple mustard dressed mixed leaf salad, carrot and cumin soup, served with freshly baked bread, or pear and Stilton risotto, Parmesan shavings and balsamic glaze.

No menu of main courses served in any self-respecting Welsh restaurant would be complete without seasonal rack of Welsh lamb, partnered with leek mash, caramelised carrots and red wine lamb jus. Expect to see other main courses such as Gressingham duck breast, pan seared with roast new potatoes and parsnips, and a port wine jus, rolled sirloin of beef stuffed with shallots and roasted garlic, fondant potato, stir fried kale and red wine jus, or roast chicken tournedo with shallot and mushroom stuffing, dauphinoise potatoes, spinach and wild mushroom sauce.

This is a restaurant that does not neglect its vegetarian patrons, and an aubergine and chick pea tagine with tomato cous-cous and toasted almonds certainly looks good enough to make even convinced meat eaters take a second glance both at the dish and their preferences.

Desserts can include petit pot au chocolat, with cocoa dusting, double cream and dark chocolate bits, leading to some speculation prior to ordering, delightful pancakes served with sugar and lemon or maple syrup and cream, and a vanilla crème brûlée with raspberry coulis and fresh raspberries. An interesting variation on a well-tried theme is the pear and date pudding, served with butter scotch and honeycomb ice cream. The Welsh and their cheese are too much celebrated to ignore, and some interesting local cheese are to be found.

Manorhaus can also provide distractions of a pleasant kind within its gallery concept that displays the work of some of the best contemporary artists and designers in the region.

Located in the picturesque Ceiriog Valley close to the Vale of Llangollen, The Golden Pheasant is a beautiful Country Inn that provides its guests relaxed accommodation surrounded by landscaped gardens and lush greenery. The inn's restaurant serves a wide variety of Welsh cuisine in an ambience that is elegant and understated. The innovative and varied menu is prepared using the freshest local produce and can be savoured either by the log fire in the bar or in the restaurant with views of the inn's gardens.

Featuring a variety of local meat, fish and game, the restaurant serves dishes of mackerel and lemon rillettes on toasted olive bread, and baked goats cheese, cherry tomato and basil tart for starters. Mains include rib eye steak served with sautéed onions, grilled tomato and field mushroom, and pan fried sea bass with creamed leeks, tiger prawns, lemon and saffron. Desserts of vanilla and cardamom crème brulée with short bread and an assortment of ice creams will satisfy diners with a sweet tooth.

A post meal walk in the gardens can be followed by a nightcap in the bar which stocks a number of local cask ales as well as wines, spirits and liqueurs.

Set in the foothills of the Berwyn Mountains is this drovers' inn, dating from the 13th century, full of character, right down to the inglenooks. With owners who know how to make you welcome one feels well on the way to a good visit. For those who want something sustaining and no-frills there is a short bar menu with steaks, ploughman's and the like. Should you have more time to spare move through into the dining room where the fillet of Welsh lamb with a parcel of leeks and spinach, accompanied by a rosemary and garlic sauce is fairly typical of the delights that await you. A perfectly adequate wine list offers a good selection, much of it below £15, with three house wines at £11.50.

Gales is a well executed conversion of former town house, now transformed into a lively Wine Bar serving tasty food, an exciting range of wines, with plenty of space for small corporate gatherings. Prices are not unreasonable and the atmosphere is lively and welcoming.

The more traditional Welsh cuisine has been thoughtfully blended with modern elements of cooking to the benefit of both in the Cedar Tree Restaurant, and local ingredients are used whenever possible. A good wine list with house wine at £12.90.