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Closed for renovation.

The Rajdoot is part of a small family chain of exceptionally good Indian restaurants. The appeal of the place is immediate from the moment you enter the restaurant. The décor gives a real taste of the Raj and the exotically decorated drinks and waiting area makes for an enjoyable place to meet up with friends before being seated at your table.

On the menu you'll see listed all the Indian classics as well as specialities such as, chilli garlic duck and chicken badami cooked with spiced almonds and cashew nut paste. They also serve a good value three course lunch for £9.95.

Located in one of Britain's main ports from where the British cuisine, as it was then, would have been imported to places like India in centuries past, but now the tide has turned. Indeed it was the late Robin Cook MP to whom we are indebted for drawing our attention to the fact that chicken tikka masala was now amongst the top favourite British dishes.

At Myristica, the traditional menu has been rewritten to embrace the street food of India and you could expect anything from beach snacks to some of the finest dishes from the cuisine. Prawns form a prominent part of the menu whilst the lobster, seasoned with ground cashew nuts, nutmeg and ginger is a popular choice. For those who like a little culinary violence there is the celebrated vindaloo curry from Goa in lamb and chicken variations.

Opinion wavers over the question of wine with Indian food. Some feel it to be a matter of impulse on any particular day, but then be it wine or beer, there is plenty on offer at Myristica.

An old coaching inn dating from the 14th century the Cross Hands has a rich history, though this has not prevented it from coming to terms with the requirements of the present day, making it a well-liked place to eat and stay. On one memorable it proved a handy place of refuge for H.M.The Queen, caught in a blizzard just prior to Christmas 1981.

Conveniently placed for Junction 18 of the M4, the Cross Hands has inevitably reaped the benefit of the prosperity of the Cotswolds, where nothing but the best will do. A menu that subscribes well to the traditional, but with a modern touch, offers an a la carte menu of around ten starters which could include roses of smoked salmon, home made duck liver pate, or pan fried King scallops and asparagus tips.

Steaks take a strong lead, ranging from an 8oz sirloin to a 16oz T-bone, and are served with some universal accompaniments, and options on more, including chips.

Lamb cutlets, tournedos Rossini, a fish dish of the day and Mediterranean vegetable Wellington provide for a wide variety of tastes, but my money goes on the duck breast, cooked pink and fanned on to roasted figs and plum compote. Follow with choices from an impressive array of puddings that includes amaretto roulade and a delicious homemade bread and butter pudding. A well-kept cheese board completes the pleasure.

An excellent wine list offers wines that will appeal to a discerning clientele, served amidst surroundings that invite guests to feel at ease in a homely setting that sets its own high standards.

It's not often that you find an Indian restaurant pinning its advertising to one item on the menu, but at the Brunel Raj they are big on the special King prawns, and closer inspection reveals that they are not wrong. Given that plump, juicy, melt-in-the-mouth prawns are allegedly near to the British eating heart, it may well be a sound policy.

Also on offer is a wide range of the traditional Indian dishes, including a fish tikka starter made with cubes of marinated salmon, barfi and, of course, the prawns in a special medium hot sauce.

Décor is smart and the restaurant is much favoured by the pleasantly upwardly mobile.

A Bristol yearling which seems to be settling in well, offering not only the customary Moroccan items but interesting and unusual ideas from Spain, Portugal, Libya and Turkey. Main courses such as lamb shank khaleta which comes in a fennel, orange and puy lentil chorba, and since it follows that essential precept of this type of cooking, a good slow process, it is all that you could wish for. The final touch could be the Autumn berry and Pimms syllabub with coconut Ghoriba biscuit. The surroundings are suitably low key, the wine list is entirely in keeping with the cuisine and the menu is just the right length.