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Occupying what was the Green Park Station booking office, the Green Park Brasserie has one of the most relaxing locations in Bath. Inside the atmosphere is warm and welcoming and the two al fresco areas provide a choice of aspects. At the rear of the main restaurant is an area furnished with a mixture of comfortable sofas with matching coffee tables and wooden tables with upright seating perfect for eating and laptop browsing. At the front of the restaurant are more tables and chairs, with bench style seating which provides not just an area for smokers but an ideal location for people-watching.

There is an obvious and successful promotion of local produce visible in their tempting and varied menus. With specific menus designed for their morning clientele, early diners, groups and private parties well complimented by their strong à la carte menu for the full dining experience, they achieve what many independent restaurants strive for - high quality, variety and exceptional value. And if you are looking for a bargain then it is impossible to argue with their 'Early Diner' menu which offers two courses for £9.95 or three courses for £12.50 if you order before 7pm and is ideal for those pre-theatre or cinema diners.

You can even peruse the menus on their website before you go just to get the taste buds going. For added pleasure you could fit in a serving of one of the delicious flavours of Marshfield Ice Cream, frequently seen in some of the best restaurants in the South West.

The hard part is making a selection from their menus, perhaps you will be swayed by the organic mushroom, cherry tomato and smoked cheddar tartlet with salad garnish as your starter and maybe follow this with black treacle belly pork with crushed butter beans and Somerset cider apple sauce accompanied by a side order of gratin dauphinoise or matchstick chips. Fishcakes, beef burger and sirloin steak can be seen on their regularly updated carte. You can even ask them to arrange set menus for your private function.

A strong dedication to jazz runs through the restaurant with four evenings of live jazz with duos, trios and quintets from Wednesdays through Saturdays. Although diners have seating preference there is no entry fee charged and 'just drinkers' are always welcome. The music is never intrusive and is an enjoyable accompaniment to a relaxed evening out. The Brasserie has an excellent range of wines by the glass as well as by the bottle and for beer lovers they serve local favourite Butcombe beer alongside draught Budvar and some of the best bottled beers.

It is even possible to hire the entire venue for your own special celebration and is now a popular choice for wedding receptions which can be easily accommodated in the main restaurant. You can even make use of a marquee or just use the function room upstairs.

There is an Internet Café in a quiet area called the library, a welcome touch of modernity in a city that justifiably lays claim to some of the finest architecture in Britain and was a great favourite with the Romans, who knew a good thing when they saw it. All in all The Braz has to be one of the best things to happen to modern Bath. Perhaps that is why they won the Bath Life Award 2009 as Best Restaurant.

To book online or find out more about all the facilities, including information on weddings and Christmas parties, at this marvellous venue, then a visit to the Website is recommended.

When one of the country's most respected and leading critics says that a restaurant in this group is 'the best Italian Restaurant outside London' it is time to take them seriously. Britain's love affair with Italian food is a cause célèbre of long standing and shows no signs of waning, so it is always welcome news when somewhere like San Carlo sets out to reach for the skies.

Located in the heart of Bristol, San Carlo is well suited to catch both day and night time business, and the menu reflects this. There are a wide range of dishes, plus blackboard specials, offering snacks, meals, celebrations, all in true Italian style, dishes that bring Italy into the very centre of life in the city. San Carlo is one of a chain of similar restaurants, yet each one has its own personality.

The San Carlo at Bristol was the second in the group to be developed, emphasizing clearly that a San Carlo is not a theme restaurant but a highly lavish exclusive Italian venue for people who appreciate fine food, good service, luxurious and comfortable surroundings, as well as value for money.

Favourite dishes include sliced prime Scottish fillet of beef with a light dressing of capers, anchovies, garlic and extra virgin olive oil, and that old favourite of connoisseurs the world over, pan fried breast of chicken with white wine, mushrooms and cream sauce, garnished with asparagus. Many of the ingredients to create these dishes are imported from Italy, and it goes without saying that the wine list is unashamedly and spectacularly of the same origin.

A combination of Italian cuisine and fish has always seemed logical - all that coastline - as well as highly attractive to the British taste. The antipasti at San Carlo includes a mixture of squid, prawns and mussels, deep-fried whitebait, and scallops in white wine and garlic. Amongst the main courses expect to find on the blackboard Dover sole, grilled whole sea bass, a mixed grill of fish, special pasta with lobster, brandy, tomato, cream and peas, or giant prawn and scallops in garlic and chilli.

It is customary to look for Italian wines in such places, nor will you be disappointed, but there are a few French inclusions also, with a rather nice Chablis in evidence. House wines, and few off the list, are available by the glass. Service is a good example of that Italian 'just make yourself at home we'll look after everything' manner, when you generally surprise yourself by taking their advice. In Britain we just say 'no problem', which may be succinct, but lacks style.

Groups are welcome at San Carlo, but to preserve the balance between groups, a limit of up to nine people applies on Friday and Saturday, and twenty to thirty on weekdays. Booking will always make for security but in general the arrangements mean there is room for everybody. It is worth remembering that you will have the best service and advice from their Italian Directors and staff throughout.

Ultimately a restaurant is judged by two main factors, each dependent upon the other. Combine quality food with life's movers and shakers in attractive surroundings and you have a sure fire record for the sweet buzz of success that permeates San Carlo.

Please ensure you keep up to date with events and any changes at San Carlo Bristol by clicking on their Website.

We hear a great deal about recycling these days - du Vin recycles attractive but sometimes un-loved buildings to restore real gems in the best tradition of British understated style.

Compliment that with all that is best in the French bistro ethos, bars that reach out to please, and you have a setting that provides an inspirational background for people to meet, do business, get married, provide a base for golf or fishing, somewhere you can call your own for a private celebration, a spa or - most engagingly - a wine school that breaks the mould.

In Bristol, du Vin has taken on a collection of Grade II listed warehouses, formerly known as the Sugar House, dating from the 1770s. These are conveniently near the Bristol waterfront and lend themselves well for conversion into a luxury boutique hotel with 40 bedrooms, including several stunning double-height loft suites. The du Vin magic has worked again, and it's not all smoke and mirrors either.

The stylish bedrooms all have handsprung mattresses, fine Egyptian linen, deep baths and power showers, and high speed wireless internet is available in all rooms. There are plenty of reading opportunities as well in their extensive library.

du Vin hotels are renowned for their bistros and here at Bristol the menu is rooted in classic European cuisine with a contemporary edge. Head chef, Marcus Lang sets a policy of local, finest and freshest, cooked simply, priced sensibly. Starters, chosen from about ten dishes could include braised pigs' cheeks with swede purée and black pudding; squid, chorizo and crayfish salad, or French ham with rocket, Parmesan and figs.

There is no sparing of the fish here and you could choose from fillets of red mullet, pan-fried fillet of halibut, pan-fried sea bass or poached smoke haddock. The rump of lamb with pommes dauphinoise and pea purée makes a pleasing cut. For a real treat however, look amongst the simple classics and order the eponymous fish pie, a luscious moist production with plenty of body, well finished with a cheese topping. In season give yourself a reward with roast partridge served with pommes pailles and bread pudding.

Whilst one might argue that the whole point of being in a du Vin is to snuggle up to the wine list, this list is designed to march with the food and can only be described as superb. With a team of sommeliers, headed here by Stefan Gorda, there is no room for anything but the best. Service is telepathic in the best possible sense.

Click on their Website for full information and rates. Hotel du Vin, with fourteen options throughout Britain, awaits your call.

This is certainly the grandest, and probably the best, Indian restaurant in Bath. In a massively gracious room that would do credit to a Livery Company, Eastern Eye serves Indian delicacies from Bengal and Northern India. Although they do not always tell the whole tale such is the range of Awards given to Eastern Eye that there can be no doubt about its credibility and expertise. Eastern Eye has been awarded 'Restaurant of the Year 2011' by Les Routiers and English Curry Awards 'Restaurant of the Year South West 2011'.

For a start the range of dishes is truly amazing, so much so that for the confused there is a standard set meal on offer at £19.95, plus service. Whilst it may, in certain circumstances be safer to remain with the familiar many will prefer to plumb the infinite shades of the new, the feared and the imponderable. All dishes hail from Bengal and include an impressive list of the much loved balti, starting with vegetable balti and topping out with a fine king prawn massalla balti.

There are those who believe that starters are an unnecessary part of an Indian meal, but for those who don't share this philosophy a generous array of stimulative treats are there to please. To take but one the chicken hariyali is marinated with traditional Nepali herbs and spices before being cooked over the tandoori oven.

Tandoori dishes are dry, come with salad and are made to order - truly boutique eating. The tandoori mixed thali carrries a selection of tandoori chicken, chicken chandan, lamb sula and sheek kebab. Amongst the seven or so specials move very carefully, but do not lightly ignore the chicken or lamb nowabdar from Northern India, a mild dish with a delicately spiced sauce made from roasted cashew nuts and fennel seeds before being combined with a spiced butter sauce, cream and peeled tomatoes.

All the well regarded curry dishes are there, lamb rogan josh, chicken or lamb dhansak, a sweet and sour curry cooked with lentils and spices, and plain basic lamb or chicken curry the strength of which can be tuned to any notch on the scale for a modest 40p extra leaving you to wonder what an extra £1.20s worth might achieve. If the favourite dish of the Brits is indeed chicken tikka massala from Kashmir it is perhaps closely pursued by a meat or chicken jalfrezi, a hot spicy dish powered by fresh chilli, tomato and green peppers

For £85.00 four people can dine nobly off king prawn butterfly, chicken chandan, specially prepared lamb and chicken dishes, noor mahal special biriany with nuts and dried fruit, mixed vegetables, nans, popadoms, chutney, dessert and coffee.

If anyone is in any doubt about the rapport between cooking from the sub-continent and wines from pretty well anywhere let them come to The Eastern Eye for a short course in rapprochement, with wines that would comfortably grace the list of the above average British restaurant and are singularly well annotated.

There is a well laid out Website which will give the wider picture with just one click.

The first Browns opened at Brighton in 1973 with one simple guiding belief, that classic food, well delivered in a stylish environment would be a recipe for success. The only thing that has changed since then is the number of Browns, now running at fourteen, of which six are in London, all prospering with the same theme.

Some of their buildings are particularly legendary in style, sometimes listed and always interesting. The premises at Bristol formerly served as the City's museum, art gallery and the University Dining Rooms, and are modelled on the Doge's Palace in Venice.

The main menu, available throughout the day, starts with appetisers, designed for sharing, with antipasti of Italian meat, vegetarian or seafood. Try the flatbreads with a range of interesting toppings.

In amongst the thirteen starters expect to come across smoked duck, crisp noodle and cashew nut salad with red peppers, tumeric cauliflower, spring onions and a sherry vinaigrette. The fish and salad choices include fish and chips tempura battered cod with minted mushy peas and tartar sauce and pan-fried butterflied tiger prawns tossed with linguine in a tomato, coriander and chorizo sauce.

The same theme of comfortable food, well-cooked and presented, continues throughout the mains course with roast chicken breast in sour dough bread with baby spinach, tomato and mayonnaise, served with seasoned chips, and steak frites 6oz prime sirloin, served with a lemon, parsley and peppercorn butter.

The chalkboard carries a list of the day's specials, but every day except Sunday is Browns's afternoon tea day, served from 2 to 5.30 pm, and on Sundays it offers a choice of three roasts. It would be harder to find a dessert much more English than lemon tartlet with crème fraîche.

By the way their breakfast and brunch menu is just one of the best, and they do a very nifty prix fixe menu from 4:00 - 6.30 pm.

The wine list is masterful and not over long, sometimes a great relief to those who find it tiresome to navigate their way through even an interesting list such as this. Many bottles are available by the glass and each group of wines is helpfully classified under headings such as white, red and rose with a reserve selection, house recommendations, New and Old World under them.

Browns at Bristol are well able to deal with groups, and have special menus to look after their particular interests. Click on their excellent Website for further details and menu changes.

Located in the former site of Quartier Vert, TownHouse Bar and Restaurant is a lively place where customers can enjoy a luxurious three course meal or happily while away unaccounted hours over cream teas or a drink with friends in surroundings that soothe and please. A modern British menu is complemented by classical regional dishes, and wines that are at one with the dishes and service that is friendly but not obtrusive.

The décor introduces warmth into proceedings with bold primary colours cleverly muted to balance each other and provide the relaxed atmosphere one hopes to find in a place that takes its clientele seriously.

With a brunch menu, traditional afternoon teas as well as the well-established set menus and a la carte, The TownHouse is quick becoming one of the most talked about places in Bristol.

Emphasis is placed on the local produce, renowned for its freshness and flavours and Owner/Head chef Nick Armitage is not slow to take advantage of the unexpected source or market find. So, it should not come as a total surprise to find seared Scottish scallops with chorizo and green apple puree added without impairing their flavour.

Starters include the locally sourced Chew Valley smoked salmon with sour cream and dill dressing, or the, now almost 'famous' Rare roast beef on hot dripping toast, parsley and caper salad, with horseradish cream. For main course, there's fillet of hake in the crunchiest beer batter with hand-cut chips or the incredible bavette of Devon rose beef with shallot and red wine sauce.

The whole point about this menu of Nick's is that it never stays the same for long, you can walk in and find the unexpected available without notice, thus increasing the pull food factor to new levels of expectation.

The wine list covers a good range, but it would be asking too much of human nature not to find a strong light shining on the New Zealand wines with which co-owner Vanessa is so familiar. At the bar you could choose from a remarkable array of 40 beers from around the world and spirits, whilst teasing your tastebuds with an array of snack size little bar dishes from a separate menu. These are no peanuts and pork scratchings - instead perfect miniature versions of many of the main menu dishes, ideal for the grazers.

Their attractive Website is only a click away.

The first Browns opened at Brighton in 1973 with one simple guiding belief, that classic food, well delivered in a stylish environment, would be a recipe for success. The only thing that has changed since then is the number of Browns, now running at fourteen, of which six are in London, all prospering with the same theme.

Some of their buildings are particularly legendary in style, sometimes listed and always interesting. The premises at Bath, immediately opposite the Abbey are, almost inevitably, Georgian, and once housed a Police Station and a Magistrate's Court.

The main menu, available throughout the day, starts with appetisers, designed for sharing, with antipasti of Italian meat, vegetarian or seafood. Try the flatbreads with a range of interesting toppings.

In amongst the thirteen starters expect to come across smoked duck, crisp noodle and cashew nut salad with red peppers, tumeric cauliflower, spring onions and a sherry vinaigrette. The fish and salad choices include fish and chips tempura battered cod with minted mushy peas and tartar sauce and pan-fried butterflied tiger prawns tossed with linguine in a tomato, coriander and chorizo sauce.

The same theme of comfortable food, well-cooked and presented, continues throughout the mains course with roast chicken breast in sour dough bread with baby spinach, tomato and mayonnaise, served with seasoned chips, and steak frites 6oz prime sirloin, served with a lemon, parsley and peppercorn butter.

The chalkboard carries a list of the day's specials, but every day except Sunday is Browns's afternoon tea day, served from 2 to 5.30 pm; and on Sundays it offers a choice of three roasts. It would be hard to find a dessert much more English than lemon tartlet and hot chocolate brownie, or profiteroles with a warm chocolate sauce, which also has good appeal.

By the way their breakfast and brunch menu is just one of the best and they also do a very nifty pre-theatre supper, no matter whether you are going there or not.

The wine list is masterful and not over long, sometimes a great relief to those who find it difficult to navigate their way through an interesting list. Many bottles are available by the glass and each group of wines is helpfully classified under headings such as white, red and rose with a reserve selection, house recommendations, New and Old World.

Browns at Bath are well able to deal with groups, and have special menus to look after their particular interests. Click on their excellent Website for further details and menu changes.

The owners of Bathampton Mill believe there's no better way to relax than to enjoy good company, great food and drink alongside the water. They provide diners with a stylish and modern dining experience with fresh food and warm hospitality. With log fires and cosy corners, guests can spend some indulgent time at the Mill and are encouraged to apply selective thought to everyday life.

One can relax outside on their beer garden benches that accommodate more than two hundred or dine al fresco. The wine list has an even balance of New and Old World wines with a variety of styles to choose from different beers as well as several wines available by the glass. The choices are simple, built round tempting steaks, spit roasted meats, seafood, salads and pastas.

To set the right note of fashionable sociability there are sharing plates, antipasti of dolcelatte, Italian meats, marinated vegetables and warm stone-baked flatbreads, or Mediterranean mezze of hummus, roasted vegetables, fregola, tzatziki, feta, spinach and ricotta pâté with flatbreads.

Amongst the appetisers there is always freshly made soup; the like of lamb koftas with mint yoghurt, kohlrabi, cumin and carrot salad, or gambas with rocket, garlic aioli and rustic bread are also to be found. Look, too, for scallops in the specials section.

The salads which offer dishes such as prawn and avocado, pecans, mango and bacon with orange and pomegranate vinaigrette are well received.

These days no self-respecting gastropub can afford to be without its pizza range; expect to find a classic margherita of pomodoro, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and basil, the rustica with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, goats' cheese and cherry tomatoes, or the piccante with pepperoni, chorizo, tomato and jalapeños.

Pastas include linguini, tiger prawns, crab, chorizo, chilli, tomato and white wine, and tagliatelle, slow cooked Bolognaise and parmesan. For the big event there is always a spit chicken with lemon, garlic, thyme and frites. The battered haddock with frites, tartare sauce and minted mushy peas is popular, a sign of the times and improving taste in eating. The roast rump of lamb with sauce soubise, asparagus, pancetta, button onions and baby potatoes is worth trying too. For hearty eaters there are rib eye and fillet steaks or blackened cod fillet, egg noodles, pak choi, mango and chilli salsa.

A wide range of supporting dishes includes carrot, cumin, orange and chilli salad, and cabbage, leeks and peas. For desserts choose between a treacle tart with crème fraiche or sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream. There is also a selection of cheeses to set the buffs alight.

More information, including full menus, is available on their Website. Please note that the E-Mail Contact is for enquiries only, not for bookings.

Located opposite the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery in the heart of this vibrant city, The Botanist on Berkeley Square is a striking pub on the banks of the River Avon. Boasting stylish contemporary interiors and a delicious modern British menu with a Mediterranean twist, the restaurant also has a large courtyard that's perfect for al fresco dining.

Close to the city centre and its numerous attractions, which range from landmarks such as the Georgian House to more modern diversions such as the bustling Broadmead shopping centre and the Cube Cinema. The Botanist is also a stone's throw from the idyllic Brandon Hill Nature Park and cultural delights such as the Royal West of England Academy of Art, Colston Hall Theatre and Bristol Hippodrome.
 
After a busy morning of shopping or sightseeing why not recharge your batteries in style. The classically proportioned space holds a number of cosy niches perfect for private dining and is flooded with daylight from the glass ceiling. Beautifully decorated in a palette of pastels, dove grey predominating, with herringbone parquet flooring, the bar area also offers sofas and banquettes to sink into.

This attention to detail is also reflected in the seasonally changing menu which uses market fresh ingredients. Starters of Romana white onion soup, crispy fried pumpkin ravioli with parmesan and tomato salsa or a sharing platter of baby back ribs, chicken and chorizo spiedini, lamb koftas with flatbreads and chilli jam bring a whiff of the Mediterranean to the meal.

With freshly caught fish available for the asking in Bristol, The Botanist's seafood offerings are peerless and could include a mouth-watering pesto crusted cod with herb and spring onion mash and sauce Choron; pan fried sea bass fillets with aubergine and sweet potato tagine and, of course, the all time favourite of freshly battered fish and chips with minted mushy peas. Fish Fridays also offers a superb spread for fish and seafood lovers with the added attraction of a 50% discount on a bottle of white wine thrown in.

Committed carnivores needn't despair for the à la carte lists their favourites too including braised short rib of beef with bubble and squeak, lamb rump with sauce soubise and pork fillet with pancetta. They can further rejoice in Steak and Wine Supper Wednesdays with a bottle of red wine at half the price.

This pub pulls out all the stops on Sundays with an extensive menu which includes sumptuous British roasts with all the trimmings. Alternatively, you may wish to do brunch with dishes such as smoked haddock kedgeree with poached egg and curried hollandaise; eggs Benedict with scrambled eggs and smoked salmon or English lamb kidneys with wholegrain mustard sauce and rustic bread.

For a quick lunch or an early evening dinner, a two-course prix fixe menu is available while a more celebratory Supper Club menu offering two courses along with a bottle of Rothschild champagne starts at £40.

The finale at The Botanist is no less indulgent with puddings of warm brownie with vanilla ice cream and dark chocolate sauce; apple and blackcurrant crumble with vanilla custard and orange blossom and almond cake with mascarpone.

The globally representative, and expertly chosen, wine list includes a fine selection of Mediterranean whites and reds. A variety of bottled beers and cask ales as well as a number of cocktails and martinis also quench the thirst.

Loved The Botanist? You could also check out sister pubs The Bathampton Mill in Bath or The Langton in Cheltenham for a similar experience.

More information can be found on their Website.

Located in the heart of the beautiful city of Bath, the Tramshed offers a wide range of modern British dishes and contemporary Mediterranean fare in stunning surroundings. Housed, as the name would suggest, in a beautifully renovated tram shed, the decor includes a witty nod to the building's heritage with brightly painted tram wheels on the wall and large sofas in the shape of tram cars.

Close to the city centre and the stunning Royal Crescent, the Tramshed is also just a short walk from the Assembly Rooms and Pulteney Bridge. A seasonal menu delivers on the promise of fresh local produce, attracting locals and weary tourists alike.

Delicious starter of chermoula and fennel crusted squid with rocket, pineapple and spring onion salsa or smoked salmon with citrus ponzo dressing and fennel and herb salad whets the appetite. If you are with family and friends you could, alternatively, try the tasty sharing plates of Mediterranean mezze, baby back ribs or rustic breads.

Guests with hearty appetites will be delighted at The Tramshed's mains selection which includes spit roast maple gammon, Brussel sprout and parmesan gratin; spit roast chicken with lemon, garlic and thyme or pork fillet with pancetta, potato and apple croquette. Steak lovers will be pleased to note the presence of such favourites as rib eye steak with horseradish and parsley butter and chips and fillet steak garni with watercress, confit tomato, grilled mushroom and hand-cut jenga chips.

The burger selection offers a classic burger with gherkin, mustard mayo, cheese, relish and chips with bacon or chorizo and a black and blue burger with dolcette and mushrooms. Choice of pasta or a stone-baked pizza offers smoked haddock macaroni and a fruit de mer pizza with tuna, prawns, anchovies and pineapple salsa.

To kick start the day, the breakfast menu offers a traditional English breakfast, eggs Benedict, bacon sandwich or smoked salmon and scrambled egg accompanied by sourdough or wholegrain toast, English muffins or Danish pastries. For a healthy start there's choice of granola with cranberry and apricot, Greek yoghurt and honey, porridge with banana, cinnamon and almond and grapefruit with ginger sugar and mint. Tea, coffee or juice completes the selection.

Delectable desserts of apple and blackcurrant crumble with vanilla custard, choux bun with espresso and chocolate sauce and white chocolate crème brûlée satisfy the sweetest tooth.

The Tram Shed takes its wine seriously and the fine selection on offer reflects this. Take your pick from a range of Mediterranean whites and reds as well as a sprinkling of examples from the rest of the world. This includes an Airen from Spain, a Sangiovese from Italy, a Rothschild Bordeaux, a South African Chenin Blanc, a Chilean Chardonnay and a Merlot from California. There's also a variety of aperitifs, disgestifs and non-alcoholic drinks to suit all tastes. They also offer a fabulous wine club, with regular tastings throughout the year to friends of the restaurant.

In a city full of fine restaurants such as Bath what helps set the Tramshed apart is the unwavering commitment to its customers. There's no tacky happy hour here, instead Sparkling Thursday offers a complementary glass of Pimms Royale and discounted bubbly all day.

More information can be found on their Website.