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hand picked restaurants

Situated near Welshpool, the Sun is a lovely little inn owned by the friendly Gartell family. The retreat has a conventional ale room offering local real ales, beers and lagers and a choice of wines and spirits. A traditional bar menu offers an assortment of homemade delights.

The contemporary restaurant has a modern feel with comfortable chairs, heavy ash tables and is available for lunch and dinner bookings. Chefs and owners Peter and son Dominic create good quality English and continental dishes using as much local, organic and seasonal ingredients as they can source. Expect to find grilled Cornish sardines, rabbit with two mustard sauce and prunes, breast of duckling topped with cherry sauce and a wonderful sticky toffee pudding.

A selection of liqueurs, cognac and whiskies can be served with coffee if you wish. This is a little bit of dining pleasure where you might least expect to find it - but well worth a drive out through the spectacular scenery.

The recently rebuilt Restaurant 7teen and Deli can be found in the centre of Carmarthen in a beautiful Grade I listed Georgian building. The welcoming haven attracts customers from different walks of life - couples, groups, shoppers, and professionals - all pleased by 7teens warm atmosphere and tasty Welsh and gourmet food.

The emphasis is on local game and seafood, and the menu that changes up to thrice a week depending on the season consists of two and three-course specials at lunchtime and a full á la carte in the evening.

Lunchtime choices could include local picked mussels in a white wine and cream garlic sauce, and braised steak on a bed of mash with a red wine and mushroom gravy. In the evening, a mixed game terrine with warm onion marmalade could appear alongside lightly curried creamed parsnip soup and a main course of lemon sole fillet.

The oven-baked chocolate mousse infused with orange, ginger and hazelnut and topped with white chocolate sauce and strawberry tastes as good as it sounds. A clearly compiled drinks list embraces some fine numbers.

Doing their bit to convince the world of the joys and virtues of going vegan is the Vegetarian Food Studio in Cardiff. This is an unlikely location for an Indian restaurant, and yet its popularity will sweep away any notions of typical curry houses and what you generally come to expect. The food is hot, spicy and completely fresh, with a confluence of clean and distinct flavours that also include a few ventures into Oriental, Gujarati and South Indian cuisine.

Starters could include chilli pakora, large jalapeno pepper stuffed with a special masala or deep fried mashed potato balls filled with peas and spices, served with tamarind chutney. Curries amongst the main course tread unfamiliar ground with the delicious okra; barbeque roasted aubergines with onion and tomato, and delectable spinach with cottage cheese. There's a wide assortment of breads and rice to go with the curries while kulfi for dessert is pure bliss, particularly if your taste buds have been scorched a little.

At first glance, Mimosa Kitchen and Bar appears minimalist, yet modern with a stunning brushed steel bar and the use of natural touches like Welsh slate, wenge wood and leather seating. Part of its charm also lies in its location at Mermaid Quay, a cheerful waterside spot in which to shop, have fun and taste cuisines from around the world.

The menu speaks the language of loyalty towards Welsh produce, with time-honoured dishes like cawl, black beef, cockles, laverbread and organic Perl Wen cheese that continue to remain all-time favourites. Much thought has also gone into a vincisgrassi, an 18th century pasta recipe of Parma ham, ceps, Parmesan and white truffle oil. A contented murmur of delight might escape your lips after a forkful of Welsh lamb cutlets with mint oil, seared pork and clams, or pan-fried chicken with red pepper coulis.

The drinks portfolio at Mimosa includes over 30 wines, a classical cocktail list and a wide selection of beers and spirits.