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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.

Situated within the Court Colman Manor Hotel, a magnificent listed building boasting a sweeping staircase, majestic ballroom and rose garden, this restaurant is decked out in warm colours - orange, sandy yellow, terracotta and red providing an apt ambience to enjoy the food. Bokhara Brasserie combines fresh ingredients with Indian spices or Mediterranean herbs to produce authentic and delicious dishes. As the kitchen is open, discerning diners are able to watch their meals being skillfully prepared by the expert team.

Kebabs of fresh cottage cheese marinated in a batter of yoghurt, ginger garlic and exotic spices with "Kalongi" and skewered in earthen oven is a specialty from the sub continent while fish meat combined with herbs; plain and gram flour with a twist of curry, deep-fried and served with bajan sauce comes straight from Italy. The varied menu lists traditional desserts such as gajar ka halwa as well as the more contemporary warm chocolate cake with cream and fruit coulis.

An atmospheric setting with oodles of old world charm attracts guests to Illtud's 216 at Prospect House in Llantwit Major's Church Street. They can help themselves to traditional Welsh specialities as well as modern fare for lunch or dinner. The restaurant's name refers to a monk who reputedly brewed beer on the premises centuries ago.

A meal at Illtud's can begin with beef carpaccio and tiger prawns, vine tomatoes and basil Charlotte or ale and sage flavoured lamb cawl. Getting to the heart of the matter at hand, diners can sample dishes such as fresh Cornish cod supreme in coarse grain mustard sauce, shallow-fried Glamorgan sausages on wilted greens or roasted sirloin of Welsh beef with roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Call it a day with the house special, berry trifle with custard, lots of autumn wood berries and Amaretti cookies, or rich bread and butter pudding with raisins soaked in dark rum, nutmeg and cinnamon. Sunday lunch sees more such treats in store. A children's menu is also available.

The bark of a cinnamon tree is remarkable for its intense flavour and is an indispensable spice in South Asian kitchens; likewise much attention is also lavished on this vital condiment at its namesake restaurants in Treforest and Pontcana, and a buffet and takeaway location in Bridgend. In fact it's more than just cinnamon; their time-tested recipes are built around an impressive blend of aromatic spices and ingredients.

Although customary Indian fare is prominently featured, it's interesting to notice dishes like aag utt pakheeza - flaming ostrich steaks marinated in fresh herbs and spices, grilled in a tandoor and served sizzling in brandy flame, bringing a whiff of novelty to proceedings. So do braised turkey fillets with spicy mushroom bhuna and sometimes its wise to pay heed to what the chef's have to say in the section devoted to their recommended dishes like the fairly hot Goa green chicken and peshawari king prawns.

Buffets certainly make for interesting eating especially at Cinnamon Tree with a spread of over 20 dishes capturing flavours of the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent.