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Mulberry Street is not the name of any Cardiff road but a friendly Llandaff High Street restaurant that's named after the popular street in Manhattan. The ambience is straightforward and laidback in a contemporary way. The focus clearly is on creating delicious food, be it Mediterranean tapas or good value lunch specials. After all the best things often come to us small and simple and this establishment epitomises that spirit.

A choice of two menus are on offer - a traditional three-course and another 'little dishes' menu, which offers tapas from around the world - all created from produce that is locally sourced whenever possible. Spend time catching up over plates of sauté tiger prawns with chorizo, grilled sardines with lemon and herb butter, smoked salmon with horseradish and whole baked camembert with homemade chutney.

For the main course choose between Welsh black 10oz rib-eye with Cajun chips and bourbon sauce, fillet of cod with olive oil and white wine salsify, roasted chicken supreme with smoked bacon and penne pasta with roasted courgettes and rocket pesto. Mulberry Street's lunch specials include bruschetta with broad beans and pecorino, grilled fennel with orange and feta salad, grilled fillet of mackerel with braised Puy lentils and marinated pork fillet with smoked paprika.
 
End the meal delightfully with vanilla crème brûlée and raspberries or sip an Italian dessert wine, if you wish. A range of whites and reds including such classics as Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Rioja Crianza and Zifandel complements the food well.

Across their locations in South Wales, the Juboraj group of restaurants excel in providing impeccable Bangladeshi and Indian food to their faithful and increasing clientele. Each restaurant is decorated in an individualistic style and the themes range from opulence to laidback informality while the atmosphere is one where you can relax and indulge in delicious food. Birthday parties, anniversaries, receptions and other such functions are perfect excuses to try out the lovely ambience and tasty food at Juboraj, but even if there's no reason to celebrate, a visit there is welcome.

Start out with a kebab platter, chicken and lamb tikka with sheek kabab, served with onions and green peppers to tantalise your taste buds before moving on to a main course of whole breast of tender duckling gently cooked in light spices, honey and lime juice. The pistachio kulfi, delicately flavoured Indian ice cream is exquisite and is the perfect way to end the meal, along with some chilled imported beers or fine wines to lend you company.

A comprehensive renovation gives a well known local watering hole a new lease of life. While old timers can continue to enjoy the Rock and Fountain they have known, in addition to the new all-round dining experience that the attached Riverside Restaurant in Woodfieldside offers with its gourmet food, oak and leather ambience and conservatory dining area. This aesthetically pleasing restaurant also caters to meetings and conferences of up to 50 people at a time.

Running an eye down the à la carte menu one finds such dishes as oak smoked haddock with horseradish tartlet, deep fried breaded Pantysgawn goat?s cheese with watercress salad, pan fried rump of lamb with roasted potatoes and shallots in a red currant gravy and fillet of local salmon on a bed of roasted vegetables topped with samphire. The dessert selection includes white chocolate and redcurrant mousse and Baileys crème brûlée with chocolate coated shortbread biscuit. A bar menu with offerings like steak and ale pie and scampi with chunky chips matches well with your choice of Chenin Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Merlot, Shiraz or Rosé.

Why is it that many Chinese restaurants have such a strong reputation for lunch? Dunno, I hear you say, you're supposed to be telling us. Well, I have long held that Sunday lunch is due for a comeback but probably in a different form, and that form could learn much from the Chinese pattern.

First, all sense of the passage of time must be banished. If your guests turn up an hour late, forget it, no problem. You want a large meal, it's all there; you want to emulate tapas, fine - go for the dim sum and have a prolonged nibble-fest. As with the food so with the drink, let them be long and languorous, undemanding but satisfying.

Large numbers of the Chinese population of Cardiff seem to feel exactly the same and you will find them at the well-named Happy Gathering every Sunday, and on other days of course, but possessed then with less of a sense of that well-loved Jamaican saying 'come soon'.

Spice Quarter in Cardiff is well- known for serving food that is both bold and refined. Decorated in warm shades of mustard and burnt orange that contrast with the polished wood on the floors and walls, the restaurant has a touch of luxury to it.

The kitchen draws attention to cuisines of different regions in India by combining unique spices and the best cooking traditions. The extensive list of starters has chicken, prawn and sheekh kebabs as well as patties and deep fried, batter coated cheese and potato slices, served with mint sauce. Main courses range from karahi chicken in a spicy garlic onion masala sauce, to lamb passanda, with its rich gravy of almonds and saffron.

If you are adventurous and enjoy spicy food, do try the fiery hot North Indian chilli garlic chicken while the much loved charcoal smoked aubergine cooked with onions, tomatoes and green peas is an interesting vegetarian option.