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hand picked restaurants

Perched alongside the Sandford road not far from Wareham, The Gurkha, a single storied structure looks remarkably like a tea planter's bungalow in the foothills of Nepal. Look closer and you will discover that it is a very competent restaurant under the command of Captain QGO Asbahadur Gurung, formerly of the Brigade of Gurkhas, and run by Jennie.

In my experience there is little to beat Gurkha cooking for good honest, healthy and satisfying food. They work from a buffet menu with some 20 to 30 choices and helpings as big or small as you like. Spend £20 and you get 2 bottles of Gurkha beer free, spend £30 and a free bottle of house wine is yours. On Sundays they serve pukkha sahib English breakfasts until 11am, then it's on to the English carvery lunch and eat till you grind to a halt.

Dishes are drawn from Chinese, Indian, Thai, Malaysian, Singaporean, Nepali and English cuisines, some of them impromptu, many of them redolent of the wonderful food we enjoyed years ago when we were the guests of the Brigade for lunch on a pleasant sun-soaked site overlooking the Firth of Clyde.

The Olive Pizzeria is a stylish restaurant housed in a Grade 2 Listed building serving classic and contemporary Mediterranean cuisines. The atmosphere at the venue is homely and relaxing and the service, friendly and attentive. The restaurant opened its door in June 2009, and has since gained a reputation as the hot spot in Wareham to enjoy Italian food with friends and family.

Savour the authenticity of dishes such as asparagus spears and goat's cheese wrapped in prosciutto ham and baked, or chicken, spring onion and creamy pesto sauce served on toasted ciabatta. Move on to fully savour fresh salmon filet poached in the oven and brought to  table with vegetables or chips, or a small steak with large prawns, calamari, salad, onion rings and lemon wedge. If you find the thought of pizzas irresistible consider very carefully before you go any further than the spicy pepperoni.

Good straightforward food, based on careful use of local produce with a wide range of choices. Prices are not excessive and there is a standard maintained which is refreshingly high and dependable. A wine list that repays diligence with house wine at £9.95.

For those looking for that somewhere a trifle different, The Beach Café at Lulworth Cove has much to commend it. First the location which is pretty breathtaking, secondly the atmosphere which could be described as 'waterside offbeat', and finally a menu that is remarkably good. The latter is less surprising when you learn that the Café is owned by the nearby Lulworth Cove Beach Hotel.

Daytime sees the Café offering a never-ending supply of snacks and sandwiches to those who come to admire the many facets of Lulworth Cove's natural beauty, but at weekends in the evenings the pace slows, the menu assumes a more sophisticated air and such delicacies as scallops wrapped in bacon with a delicate chilli sauce, or sea bream stuffed with feta and peppers emerge. The menu is brief, but to the point, with the catch of the day generally taking centre stage. There is no license, so BYO, or nip to the hotel where they are accustomed to dealing with such requests. A corkage charge of £2 is levied.

This is not somewhere to bring those who expect an attentive maitre d' and other similar accoutrements, but it is a place where, when the madding crowd has headed for home, you can have an enjoyable and atmospheric evening, either a deux or en masse.

Formerly the Priory of the Lady St Mary, this 16th century building located in landscaped gardens on the banks of the River Frome offers a delightful setting for an evening of gastronomic pleasure. Local produce is much in evidence. The Abbot's Cellar Restaurant provides a gently lit haven for a wide range of French and English cuisine. Start with kiln roasted salmon with whole grain mustard Chantilly and brown bread and butter. Move to cream of broccoli and Stilton soup followed by pan-fried fillet with glazed shallots and a green peppercorn and brandy cream. Desserts are generous and imaginative. Lunch can be enjoyed in the Garden Room or al fresco on the terraces. There is an elaborate and not inexpensive wine list with house wine at £14.95.