Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

Pizza Express remains a hugely popular bedrock of casual eating. Its popularity is testimony to the fact that across the country, they have restaurants where you will always be guaranteed a good nosh, with children's tastes being well catered for.

Pizza Express has gone even more Roman, and following the success of that particular example of listening to their public have introduced Romana pizzas, including the scorching Etna and the hearty Siciliana.

These pizzas are now thinner, bigger and crispier, and if that sounds like a marketing line, it is. However, unlike many such lines, this one is true, and their quality is always consistent, though cleverly they have still managed to retain a homemade feel to their pizzas.

As an alternative to pizza, try their pollo pesto - cavatappi pasta with torn chicken breast, mushrooms, red onions and mozzarella in a creamy gruyere, parmesan and pesto sauce and finished with grana padano - or the niçoise salad with mixed leaves, yellowfin tuna, free range egg, green beans, potatoes and tomatoes with olives, anchovies, capers and house dressing.

Many of the big chains have come a long way, and Pizza Express is certainly amongst them. One of the first to be quoted on the Stock Exchange - in 1993 - Pizza Express is not a franchise operation and retains tight control through its own staff.

Their wine list - though short - contains some surprisingly good offerings, especially their intense Australian Chardonnay, and a big, full-bodied Merlot from Cusumano, Sicilia.

Housed in a 16th century building, the Red Lion Inn, located in the delightful market town of Marlborough certainly draws attention on all counts, from the charming interior with ancient beams and an inglenook fireplace, to the panoramic views of the River Kennet flowing nearby. Add to this a seasonal menu featuring game and fish and you can be sure of a wonderful dining experience.

A quick survey of the starters might reveal six bourguignon escargots with garlic and chopped parsley, homemade Wiltshire ham hock terrine with sauce gribiche, and warm salad of woodpigeon with lardons of smoked bacon and black pudding. For main courses expect to find confit of slowly braised belly pork served with a sauté of scallops and dressed with a honey and sweet chilli glaze and coriander, while sautéed frogs legs in rich garlic and tomato introduces a whiff of La France to this very English inn.

During summer months, the terrace at The Red Lion Inn is teeming with lunchtime crowd enjoying sunshine, fresh air and fine food.

For some time I made the mistake of thinking that no group of restaurants in the region of 200 locations could hope to maintain the quality for which I was looking.

Then one day I decided to put my prejudices to the test, walked into Oxford Ask! and discovered that I could not have been more mistaken. Their claim to serve freshly prepared quality food in stylish and comfortable surroundings with friendly and efficient service proved to be absolutely spot on.

Since then I have also discovered that a degree of consistency seems to operate throughout their restaurants, and that certainly does take some achieving, implying a degree of management that is enviable. They are perfect places for an impromptu snack, a bit of culinary grazing, or the full works, and families are catered for particularly well.

Their trendy décor usually comprises tiled floors and black furniture with well set tables that sparkle with glass, silver and spotless linen. Ten starters include crostini and bruschetta, followed by a range of salads, pasta and al forno, oven baked pasta, some with chicken.

The pizzas are stone baked in the oven, creating a crisp, authentic and delicious flavour, and they all come topped with mozzarella and tomato. Calzone introduce a touch of opulence with a folded pizza baked in the oven and topped with garlic butter and melted grana padano, whilst inside expect to find chicken or a vegetarian mix.

Amongst the specials may I warmly, in every sense, recommend the polpette al forno, a popular Milanese dish of beef meatballs sautéed in garlic with fire roasted peppers, caramelised onions, chilli and pomodoro sauce, with penne pasta, topped with cheese and oven baked.

An enticing selection of desserts list banoffee pie and tiramisu amongst them, and the coffee tastes like coffee, which may sound banal, but I guess you know what I mean.

Thanks to a well selected wine list speculative drinking can offer handsome dividends, even with prices rarely crossing the £20 barrier.

Another example of the humble country pub transformed into a place of mouth-watering eating, with seafood very much top of the pops.

Just in case there are people out there who prefer meat, ample supplies of well-hung meat and game are certainly not unknown. Little wonder that the 32 seats disappear pretty rapidly most nights. Good wine list with house wine at £16.

The Castle and Ball Hotel situated in the centre of Marlborough's High Street has had an interesting past. It occupies a site, which once housed a 15th century inn. The age of the building accounts for the individual nature of the hotel and this includes the split-level design of their restaurant. Some of its surviving original oak timbers predate the Spanish Armada.

They have opened a new brasserie that offers a seasonal menu with a wide selection of modern and traditional dishes and also serves real ales, wines and speciality coffees. A walled beer garden at the rear provides a relaxing setting for those looking to enjoy a drink and a meal al fresco style.

One of the many good things about restaurants and hotels is their tendency to occupy some of the choicest and most ancient habitations of man. These of course can be adapted to varying to degrees of splendour if required. The Earl of Aylesbury had Ivy House built in 1707 and it has undergone the transition from aristocrat's house to quality hotel with élan. A Palladian restaurant provides the setting for well-prepared and attractive meals, with happy combinations and displays of imagination. He would also have approved of the cellar, which offers a good global range and house wine at £9.50.