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The Rising Sun Hotel in Lynmouth is the harbour side inn of your dreams with a thatched roof, ancient beams and haphazard wooden floors, and dates from the 14th century. It is steeped in history with oak panelling, crooked ceilings, thick beachstone walls and creaking uneven floorboards. Their modern approach to food in their 1 AA Rosette restaurant is confident and it is clearly presented, with a lot of the raw ingredients produced in the area, like Lynmouth Bay lobster, local game and salmon fished from River Lyn itself.

It was in one of its rooms that R.D. Blackmore wrote several chapters of his West Country classic Lorna Doone. It sits overlooking a tiny picturesque harbour and Lynmouth Bay with its stunning backdrop of the highest hogback cliffs in England, and situated on the edge of the Exmoor National Park, where herds of deer, wild ponies and birds of prey roam free.

As it has grown it has absorbed neighbouring cottages including the one (featured here) in which Shelley and his 16-year old bride Harriet are said to have spent their honeymoon. Shelleys Cottage has lost none of its romance and now consists of a double bedroom with half-tester bed, sitting room, private garden with quite spectacular views and is ideal for those wanting something extra special.

Many of the bedrooms have half-tester beds and were refurbished by international designer Suzanne Lansdell of 'Pour La Maison' in London, combining the latest design fabrics with traditional elegance within a 14th century ambience, assuring their guests of an unforgettable romantic experience.

For starters the choice could consist of: Cornish crab with sweet pepper and mascarpone tortellini; chicken liver and foie gras parfait with homemade piccalilli; Italian tomato bread soup or Parma ham with black figs, rocket leaves, toasted pine nuts and vintage balsamic.

There is a wide range of fish and seafood dishes, such as whole grilled sea bass with tarator, fennel and new potatoes, but you might care to go for the braised pheasant with pancetta and quince and Braunton greens; slow cooked belly pork with pommery mash potato and spinach, or rib eye steak served with a béarnaise sauce and hand cut chips.

The times given are for the service of food in the restaurant, an excellent choice of bar food is available from 12:00 to 15:00 and 19:00 to 21:00; this generally focuses on fresh local fish and game as available, and, according to season may include Lynmouth Bay Lobster salad, Exmoor game casserole, fresh sea bass and other generally 'upmarket' bar food in the region of £7 - £12 per dish.

They offer an extremely enterprising and well put together wine list, of varied international parentage, with many of the choices below £20, and the vast majority under £30; also three dessert wines and a very decent selection of half bottles, over ten in all. More information on residential packages, menus and much more can be viewed on their Website.

This is a hotel with one of the best outlooks in its particular area, at the mouth of the River Dart and handy for the ferry across to Dartmouth. The restaurant, named after a local worthy, John Hauley, Mayor for fourteen years and four times MP for the area. There is a wide choice of menus and local ingredients are to be found on all of them, notably of course from the sea.

Starters include rosettes of Dartmouth smoked salmon, Dartmouth chowder, sautéed king prawns with rum, lime and coriander, or warm red onion tart with a slice of the local Ticklemore goat's cheese.

Main courses are equally forthright and look out for fresh lobster, done Newburg, thermidor or coral, whole lemon sole grilled with butter, char grilled prime fillet of Devon beef, or the redoubtable crab and fish platter, with crab, smoked salmon, smoked mackerel and prawns.

The desserts take no prisoners at all, try the Belgian chocolate and mandarin mousse in a chocolate cup served with raspberry coulis or, should you have the good fortune to be a cheese buff cast an eye over the West Country cheeses, amongst them Cornish Yarg, Sharpham brie, Kingston cheddar and Harbourne blue.

To gain further information, just visit their extremely comprehensive Website.

Chloe's Restaurant is a gift to that part of the population of Plymouth that cares about good food and is arguably the best in the city. French chef Didier Franchet and his fiancée Jo have clearly decided that it is time modern French cuisine came to Plymouth, and few would disagree.

Let's start with the piano, a Waldstein baby grand, where every evening a pianist caresses the strings of the piano and the emotions of the diners with romantic melodies. Such customs as champagne before dinner and a measured approach to the evening are cultivated to the point where every meal at Chloe's is a satisfying memory.

The menu is inspired by Pierre Gagnaire and Alain Ducasse whose experience gleams through an array of dishes chosen from a combination of old favourites and interesting twists on traditional themes. Starters on the carte number around eight and could include mi-cuit of fresh sashimi tuna with homemade avocado tartar, accompanied by sauce vierge, or Chloe's foie gras trilogy.

It's not every restaurant where you would take kindly to the suggestion of rabbit leg as a main dish, but you would here, done moutarde and served with gratin Dauphinois. Fresh local scallops in their shell arrives with diced belly pork and mixed vegetables, whilst vegetarians will rejoice in freshly baked aubergine stuffed with a homemade ratatouille and topped with grated cheese and sauce vierge.

Chloe's can command fish as fresh as anywhere and the roasted back of local lemon sole with seasonal vegetables in a light lemon butter has to be one of the great classic dishes of all time though the cassolette des copains carries fillet of catch of the day set on a bed of salted cod brandade, flash cooked spinach and Hollandaise sauce with a golden grilled finish comes a very close second. Each dish is a symphony of tasteful design and top class ingredients.

Five desserts plus a fine selection of English and French cheeses ranges from a stunning fresh summer fruit salad topped with tangy lemon sorbet quenelle through baked hot cherry clafouti topped with pistachio ice-cream to the most wonderful Chloe's Monte Carlo for chocolate lovers.

Lobster and champagne evenings are held around once a month, the centrepiece of which is grilled lobster with cognac and tarragon sauce, starting with lobster bisque and croustille.

A wine list makes up for its brevity by the skill with which it is chosen, starting with an unoaked Terret from Michael Laroche and moving upwards. A reserve list awaits attention from the discerning wine connoisseur.

Close by is the Theatre Royal and Chloe's opens at 5.30pm for pre theatre dinners, and bless them, they do supper after the show for orders taken between 10.00 and 10.20pm. This place is a great find and the sort of restaurant that cares for its regulars whilst providing a welcome surprise for newcomers.

A friendly Website keeps up to date with events and menu changes.

Set in an historic lakeside country house in South Devon, within easy distance of what their brochure aptly describes as the Maritime City of Plymouth, Kitley House Restaurant has a good deal going for it. The view for instance - with overtones that suggest a sylvan setting miles from anywhere, whilst you dine in the former library with its rich décor of burgundy and gold, with marble columns in each corner of the room. In her introduction Viv Marshal, Kitley House chef says, 'Let me take the pressure off you with my creative cooking, using only local produce...People still eat with their eyes...'

And how right she is. The dinner menu at Kitley ranges over an appealing list of options that includes grilled scallops garnished with peas and broad beans with a smoked saffron and white wine velouté, and goats' cheese and Bramley apple tart with dressed green leaves.

Seared and sliced pigeon breast is served over a beetroot and raspberry relish with parsnip crisps and balsamic syrup, or there's a delicious leek and potato soup drizzled with double cream and curry oil.

For the main event baked duck breast carved over a pineapple and butternut squash chutney is accompanied by rösti potato and French beans. In the opinion of some, sea bass has become almost too familiar but a good deal depends on the company it keeps. At Kitley this means spring onion and citrus mash, sweet pepper, tomato and chilli jam and asparagus spears, giving good lift to this inherently appealing fish. The skill of the kitchen is well shown in the char-grilled sirloin steak with confit potato and a cassoulet of wild mushroom and cherry tomatoes.

A new twist to an old classic is given with the rhubarb and champagne crumble with chunky ginger ice cream.

It is always good to see the dishes of one's youth presented in a way that not only makes them totally edible, which was not always the case, but also has you coming back for more. Take sticky date pudding, or more improbably, creamy rice pudding with a dollop - their words - of strawberry jam.

Sunday lunch is a weekly festival at Kitley House, well worthy of your attendance. With a choice of four main courses, roast sirloin of beef, roast pork, délice of grilled salmon and a vegetarian option, the bread and butter pudding is joined by sherry trifle and sticky toffee pudding.

A concise wine list spans the globe with a good selection available by the glass.

Be sure to visit their attractive and informative Website, showing only too clearly what an appealing place Kitley House is.

The Beefeater Grill range of restaurants, owned by the well established firm of Whitbread has transformed over time into what is now predominantly a cooking platform for chargrill. The restaurants are warm, modern and stylish, with low lighting and contemporary artwork. A comfortable, cosy, mainly booth layout offers guests their own space with no feeling of being hurried at any point. Staff are friendly and helpful if need be - what a difference that can make to a good evening out.

Be it the wide open spaces of Argentina, the intimate setting of a French restaurant, or a busy grill in London's West End, there's no denying the popularity of chargrill. As the production of quality beef, chicken, fish and lamb has grown, prices have come down by comparison, and the simple and traditional art of minimally cooking dishes by chargrill, sealing in the flavours and tastes by intense heat has caught the public imagination.

All the steaks at Beefeater Grill are matured for a minimum of 28 days before being seasoned. Whether it be juicy rib eye, the classic sirloin, that emblem of the Sunday lunch, a tender fillet, or a delicious 7oz rump, all grilled to your own specification, you're never far away from perfection. Even beefburgers have shaken off their dubious image and the highly popular Beefeater burgers are made from 100% beef.

The popular sirloin with giant prawns offers a treat to those for whom an alliance between sea and pasture is a natural attraction, whilst a 16oz steak platter links rump, fillet, sirloin and rib eye into one mouth-watering dish served with chips, battered onion rings, grilled tomato, a flat mushroom and peppercorn and brandy sauce.

Many of us love rib meat, and the rack of ribs at a Beefeater Grill has a meaty rack smoky flavour; maple ribs of pork with a choice of three sauces, mojito, smoked caramel and apple glaze, or Bourbon and black BBQ. And if all else fails and you are totally baffled by the wealth of choices, ask to have a word with the Steakmaster who will help find what is right for you, together with the best cooking method. These guys leave nothing to chance.

On a menu that is a delight to read, let alone choose a meal from, expect to find smaller dishes such as traditional prawn cocktail, whitebait, chicken liver pâté and baked Camembert, or juicy lamb koftas served with yoghurt and mint dip. There's something about a good steak meal that always leaves a gap for a little temptation to sweeten up the scene and from amongst twelve options look for Belgian chocolate cheesecake, treacle sponge pudding or a caramel apple crumble pie.

Throughout the day a wide range of more general dishes are yours for the ordering, sandwiches, jackets, classic favourites like fish and chips, pasta, salads, and sharing dishes of nachos, potato shells and a Beefeater Grill combo. Next door to many of the restaurants are Premier Inns, so staying the night whatever the circumstances need not be a problem.

And what about wine? Endorsed by Matthew Jukes, wine writer in the Daily Mail and bon viveur in his own right, a wine list that marches with the menu completes an impressive and compelling invitation to enjoy whatever takes your fancy at the nearest Beefeater Grill.

Click on their Website for menu updates and special offers.

When you enter a chain restaurant there is always a sense of déjà vu, yet with the twelve outlets of Giraffe, this may not really be true. Russel and Juliette Joffe and Andrew Jacobs' philosophy behind this group of restaurants is sustaining the driving force of healthy, happy eating, while retaining the difference each location brings. This includes minor variations in the menu too, and explains why the restaurant does not like to be called a chain, but prefers being referred to as a herd. The origin of its quaint name too, is interesting. The giraffe has the largest heart in the animal kingdom, and with its magnificent height is able to perceive things differently. These two features of being different and large hearted sum up the restaurant's proclamation of 'love, eat, live'.

Giraffe offers world food and adds an unusual twist to some familiar dishes. Their breakfast menu has stacked pancakes with bananas and blueberries, warm waffles, ranch styles tostadas and healthy veggie options. Some great starters are a mezze plate with warm naans that offer the best of many cuisines - grilled halloumi, hummus, tzatiki, ratatouille and falafel.  Japanese king fried prawns are a hit, while another bright spot on the menu, is the colourful sunshine antipasti bruschetta, a clever combination of artichokes, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, olives, roasted peppers, red onion and rocket on pesto foccacia. If this long list of ingredients is intriguing, just wait until your palate takes over.

The house's special salad, cheekily called 'more than love', is colourful and has crunchy appeal. The Thai chicken and vermicelli noodle version is an equally enticing starter. For mains, there are plenty of options like roasted corn and chilli bran burritos, tangy turkey enchiladas and the much loved sweet potatoes, asparagus, green beans and broccoli served with organic brown basmati rice. One can also settle for a good old burger and wash it down with interesting smoothies. They also offer world wines and unusual cocktails with catchy names like Bombay flower and pomegranate caipirinha.

The dessert section comprises of not just fruit based healthy desserts, but brilliant stars like Swiss mountain chocolate cheesecake, banana waffle split and rocky road ice cream sundaes, which transport the diner to a state of bliss. The friendly staff, who are carefully hired for their sunny disposition, and children's activities help make these restaurants a very special, happy and healthy treat indeed.

To gain further information, just visit their extremely comprehensive Website.

The Beefeater Grill range of restaurants, owned by the well established firm of Whitbread has transformed over time into what is now predominantly a cooking platform for chargrill. The restaurants are warm, modern and stylish, with low lighting and contemporary artwork. A comfortable, cosy, mainly booth layout offers guests their own space with no feeling of being hurried at any point. Staff are friendly and helpful if need be - what a difference that can make to a good evening out.

Be it the wide open spaces of Argentina, the intimate setting of a French restaurant, or a busy grill in London's West End, there's no denying the popularity of chargrill. As the production of quality beef, chicken, fish and lamb has grown, prices have come down by comparison, and the simple and traditional art of minimally cooking dishes by chargrill, sealing in the flavours and tastes by intense heat has caught the public imagination.

All the steaks at Beefeater Grill are matured for a minimum of 28 days before being seasoned. Whether it be juicy rib eye, the classic sirloin, that emblem of the Sunday lunch, a tender fillet, or a delicious 7oz rump, all grilled to your own specification, you're never far away from perfection. Even beefburgers have shaken off their dubious image and the highly popular Beefeater burgers are made from 100% beef.

The popular sirloin with giant prawns offers a treat to those for whom an alliance between sea and pasture is a natural attraction, whilst a 16oz steak platter links rump, fillet, sirloin and rib eye into one mouth-watering dish served with chips, battered onion rings, grilled tomato, a flat mushroom and peppercorn and brandy sauce.

Many of us love rib meat, and the rack of ribs at a Beefeater Grill has a meaty rack smoky flavour; maple ribs of pork with a choice of three sauces, mojito, smoked caramel and apple glaze, or Bourbon and black BBQ. And if all else fails and you are totally baffled by the wealth of choices, ask to have a word with the Steakmaster who will help find what is right for you, together with the best cooking method. These guys leave nothing to chance.

On a menu that is a delight to read, let alone choose a meal from, expect to find smaller dishes such as traditional prawn cocktail, whitebait, chicken liver pâté and baked Camembert, or juicy lamb koftas served with yoghurt and mint dip. There's something about a good steak meal that always leaves a gap for a little temptation to sweeten up the scene and from amongst twelve options look for Belgian chocolate cheesecake, treacle sponge pudding or a caramel apple crumble pie.

Throughout the day a wide range of more general dishes are yours for the ordering, sandwiches, jackets, classic favourites like fish and chips, pasta, salads, and sharing dishes of nachos, potato shells and a Beefeater Grill combo. Next door to many of the restaurants are Premier Inns, so staying the night whatever the circumstances need not be a problem.

And what about wine? Endorsed by Matthew Jukes, wine writer in the Daily Mail and bon viveur in his own right, a wine list that marches with the menu completes an impressive and compelling invitation to enjoy whatever takes your fancy at the nearest Beefeater Grill.

Click on their Website for menu updates and special offers.

Only a few minutes' walk from Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery, Zizzi Exeter serves a menu of contemporary Italian dishes in the heart of the city centre. The open plan setting is ideal for intimate dining as well as special occasions, while the enclosed garden area is perfect for alfresco dining during summer.

Close to the Harlequins and Guildhall Shopping Centres, Zizzi provides a welcome haven for tired shoppers while other attractions such as the Picturehouse Cinema and the Exeter Corn Exchange are just a short walk away.

The restaurant's bustling open kitchen turns out a wide range of freshly prepared, tasty fare. The extensive à la carte offers traditional antipasti, pizza, pasta and salads, as well as seasonally changing meat and fish dishes with a variety of tempting desserts to finish.

Zizzi's special antipasti platter has mixed Italian meats with buffalo milk mozzarella, marinated sun-dried tomatoes, mixed olives and red onion focaccia bread. There's also choice of arancini, crispy risotto balls stuffed with mozzarella and peas and served with a tomato chilli sauce as well as gnocchi gorgonzola, potato dumplings in a creamy gorgonzola and spinach sauce seasoned with nutmeg and black pepper, setting the tone for a hearty meal.

For a delicious pasta or risotto choose between penne vodka, king prawns, chilli, peas and Grana Padano in a creamy tomato and vodka sauce; ravioli di capra, goat's cheese and spinach ravioli served with tomato sauce and topped with pesto and pine nuts; zucca e pancetta, pumpkin, pancetta, spinach, sage and Grana Padano topped with mascarpone and rigatoni con pollo e funghi, chicken in a tomato, onion, rosemary and mushroom sauce. Gluten-free pasta is also available on request.

If you prefer a pizza, then you could try Zizzi's speciality pizza rustica, which couples extra thin and crispy bases with a range of toppings such as bufala, buffalo mozzarella with sunblush tomatoes, basil, rocket and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or mare e monti, one half topped with tiger prawn, courgette and mozzarella and the other with spicy sausage, tomato sauce and chilli, all finished off with a rocket and crème fraîche. The carne piccante calzone has marinated chicken, meatballs, Bolognese sauce, mushrooms, chillies, tomato and mozzarella while the clarissa version, has aubergine, and red pepper caponata, olives, goats' cheese, rocket, pine nuts, tomato and mozzarella. Zizzi's calzon'pizzas, half calzone and half pizza, add an interesting twist to the meal.
 
Sumptuous mains include agnello con peperonata, roasted lamb shank served with basil, roasted vegetables and a little pot of potatoes with tomato, red onion and Grana Padano; duck arrosto, slow roasted whole duck leg in a balsamic, olive and pancetta reduction served with Tuscan potatoes and green beans; and sea bass al vino, sea bass pan fried with wine, garlic and baby plum tomatoes and served with herby potatoes.

The scrumptious dessert list offers torta cioccolata with its thick hazelnut chocolate base topped with rich chocolate torte and served with vanilla mascarpone; homemade tiramisu; creamy vanilla pannacotta with fruit compote and torta Zizzi, an almond-based plum and fig tart topped with pistachios and icing sugar and served with gelato.

The wine list is dominated by a range of Italian wines from regions such as Veneto, Lazio, Sicily, Tuscany and Lombardy. Also on offer is an assortment of beers, and spirits as well as a range of soft and hot drinks.

More information can be found on their Website.

Bella Italia is a restaurant that pulsates with Italian style and fashion, where the day starts with breakfast, not least the Inglese, the familiar bacon, sausage, mushroom, tomato and fried or scrambled eggs and sauté potatoes with ciabatta toast so beloved of hearty eaters seeking a good start to the day, particularly when they don't have to prepare it. A vegetarian option is available, along with the bambini of sausages, tomato and scrambled egg, or a strapazzata, scrambled eggs on ciabatta toast. A cappuccino or hot chocolate offers a more gentle awakening and croissant or pastries are welcome at almost any time.

It is always worth remembering that eating Italian is a great opportunity to work away through something rather more liberating than the conventional 3 course English meal. Little and often seems to be the motto but move on to the antipasti and it's immediately obvious this is no easy task, confronted with well over a dozen dishes, not one of which you really have the heart to turn down. The selezione classica assembles a few of the favourite starters; oven baked lemon and rosemary chicken wings, spiced meatballs, calamari, mini garlic butter-filled calzoni and lightly battered courgettes served with flamed pepper and lemon herb dips.

A speck e rucola pizza, added to a traditional margherita brings together two traditions with Italian speck ham providing the second, but it is within the pasta and risotto dishes that you can adapt almost any main ingredient, as well enjoy some of Italy's most traditional treats. Who can deny a well formed spaghetti Bolognese or penne Marco Polo? And not for nothing is a nicely prepared spaghetti carbonara the preferred dish of many.

From a selection of five choices amongst the secondi many will head unerringly for controfiletto ai ferri, a 7oz sirloin steak char-grilled to preference and served with garlic butter, roast field mushrooms, fries and rocket, or the fritto misto, lightly battered prawns, cod fillet, calamari and courgette with fries and a herb lemon and caper dip.

Could anything be more appropriate than The Godfather, for 1 or 2 naturally, with nutty chocolate fudge brownies, vanilla and toffee ice cream with chocolate sauce, fresh cream and wafer curls, and rest assured the coffee will do justice to the meal.

With a wine list that makes few concessions to other countries - and why should it - good Italian food can receive an equally national baptism by wine. For further enlightenment, news about their on-line shop and special deals, a click on their lively Website will reveal all.

Strada describes itself as 'a group of stylish, contemporary Italian restaurants, serving good quality, simple and freshly prepared dishes'. The statement sums up what this group of around seventy restaurants offers to people looking for good Italian food. The first outlet opened in Battersea in 1999 and their clientele has been increasing steadily ever since.

Though Strada has grown into a fair sized group, each outlet retains the feel of being a local neighbourhood Italian restaurant. The menu includes pastas, risottos, salads, and fish dishes, but they are best known for their quality pizzas.

They present authentic Italian dishes in contemporary surroundings and aim to use only the freshest and finest ingredients, such as Luganica sausages, Parma ham and buffalo mozzarella, imported from Italy to provide exactly the kind of rustic, traditional dishes one would expect to find travelling around its regions.

A meal could kick off with zuppa vongole e fregola, a traditional clam soup with Sardinian fregola pasta grains, wine, chilli and parsley, served with bread, or the delicious sautéed king prawns with garlic, white wine, chilli, and lemon butter served with your choice of bread.

Move on to their creamy risotto verdure, freshly grilled asparagus, broad beans, peas, spring onions, zucchini, green beans, white wine and mint, finished with baby spinach leaves. Or you could opt for the healthier, tagliolini nero granchio, black cuttlefish ink pasta with crab, courgette, red and yellow peppers, spring onion, and a hint of chilli and parsley. A real treat for the taste buds comes in the form of the bistecca manzo, a 10oz rosemary-marinated char-grilled, rib-eye steak with fries and fresh rocket.

A range of pizzas, all spun by hand, is an integral feature of each restaurant. They include the rossa, with spicy southern Italian salami, roasted red peppers, chilli, caramelised onion, garlic, fresh oregano, tomato and mozzarella. Nor are vegetarians are overlooked, and can be found tucking into dishes such as fiorentina, made of spinach cooked with garlic, nutmeg and black pepper with mozzarella, parmesan, tomato and an egg.

For those wanting to satisfy their sweet tooth, there is torroncino affogato, an iced nougat semi freddo with a shot of espresso to pour over, or a classic Italian tiramisu and, as you might expect coffee to round off the meal.

A wine list consisting of purely regional Italian wines, beers and liqueurs, all carefully chosen to complement the menu comes as no surprise and in addition, every table receives a complimentary bottle of purified water.

For further details including their latest news, menus and deals, and to find a Strada nearest to you, their Website certainly warrants a visit.