Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

An impressive Chinatown-style frontage outside with stylish Oriental décor inside charms guests dining at Phi-B's Chinese in Crwys Road. Drop in for a quick lunch or a leisurely evening meal, whether it is with family or friends. Polite attentive service adds to the pleasure of dining here. A takeaway menu is also available.

The eclectic menu offers a wide range at Phi-B's. Diners can look forward to starting well with such dishes as barbequed spare ribs, vegetable spring rolls, crispy seaweed, stir fried tofu, sweet and sour pork, crispy roast duck with pancakes and chicken in chilli and black bean sauce. Mains options include roast duck and pork in plum sauce, fried sliced beef in black pepper sauce, fried straw mushrooms with bamboo shoots and Singapore noodles and egg fried rice. For dessert, choose between toffee apple, lychees with vanilla ice cream and mango pudding.

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.

Eleo's is a popular destination frequented by a varied crowd of young professionals, distinguished businessmen, local sports and television celebrities and discerning diners. The restaurant changed hands in 2007 and the new owners have done away with the old fashioned 'queue and choose' system where diners had to get up to select their food from a display cabinet. The original décor filled with old timber beams, white linen napkins and fine tableware produces an elegant and sophisticated yet relaxed atmosphere.

A new, modern and exciting menu now awaits diners, which includes starters such as grilled king prawns in garlic butter sauce and smoked barbecued ribs with a maple syrup coating. For mains there is baked salmon vegetable stack and beurre blanc, and fillets of sea bass with parsley and lemon butter sauce. Other specialities are the lamb fillets with potato cake and the unique style Portuguese 'espetadas' - long skewers with chunks of marinated lamb or beef drizzled with garlic butter.

Frankie and Benny's combine classic American and Italian in both style and cuisine. They specialise in home style cooking 'just like Mamma used to make it'. This is a great place to take the entire family and represents excellent value for money. The restaurant and bar is suitable for any occasion, whether it's a leisurely lunch, a family meal or a fantastic evening with friends - they make sure you have a wonderful time.

Walking into the restaurant is like stepping back into 1950s New York, from the clatter and chatter of the open kitchen to the bottle lined bar. Walls with black and white family photographs showing life in Brooklyn's 'Little Italy' surround cosy booth seating and tables. Combined with the classic music of the fifties, a mix of American swing and beat, they definitely provide a fun and friendly atmosphere for all to enjoy.

Frankie and Benny's offers starters, main courses and delicious desserts, and favourites include char-grilled burgers, pizzas, pastas, steaks and house specialities such as chicken parmigiana, BBQ ribs, lamb shank and much more. The bar serves a wide range of beers, wines, spirits, cocktails and soft drinks.

Start with sticky wings, crispy coated chicken strips, tiger prawn skewer or Frankie's fried calamari and if you are dining in a group choose the giant sampler platter. The pastas, calzone and pizzas are all made freshly on order. An interesting dish on the menu is a the Boston 7 speciality pizza fully loaded with slices of pork meatballs, spicy pepperoni, ham, crispy bacon, chicken, peppers and red onion, served on a BBQ sauce base. They also serve a variety of sandwiches and burgers throughout the day.

A good value lunch menu is available on weekdays from 11am until 5pm offering a range of popular dishes from the main carte with one course at £5.95, two courses at £7.95 and three courses at £8.95.

For children up to the age of eleven, an all-inclusive menu features a selection of main courses, desserts and drinks starting at £3.95. As an added treat, they'll also receive an activity pack to entertain them whilst you eat.

Enjoy an American Italian meal at Frankie and Benny's with freshly prepared food and warm hospitality that makes you feel right at home.

Situated in the idyllic village of Machen, Fwrrwm Ishta Restaurant and Bar is believed to be as old as the village itself and has been serving the local community in many ways; from being a regular haunt of Welsh Rugby greats and a thriving family pub, through to its resurgence as a restaurant following a period of relative decline.

The kitchen stays faithful to the seasons and turns out starters of pressed terrine of sweet and sour belly pork with a pork reduction sauce, or a warm salad of pan-fried black pudding, smoked bacon and crisp apple. Main courses may be familiar but careful preparation and fresh ingredients make them stand out; take the seared venison steak for instance served on caramelised bubble and squeak with game sauce, or the breast of chicken stuffed with wild mushrooms, tarragon beurre blanc, carved onto crushed parsley potatoes.

Fwrrwm holds special themed evenings, such as murder mysteries, wine tastings and tapas nights, which make dining there real fun.