Queans
Leamington Spa

Starched white tablecloths and muted decor suggest stuffy fine dining, but this new venture proves anything but. Chef/owner Laura Hamilton serves super-local modern British fare in an atmosphere that feels more like her home: she regularly dashes out of the kitchen to banter with diners and ply them with vast plates of fruit and cheese. Stand by for some inspired pairings: venison with marmalade, apricot with pumpkin and pork with whisky cream. For starters try the chunky pan-fried king prawns with sweet chilli and lemon and orange dressing, served on a springy bed of pea shoots, rocket and purple basil. The lamb tenderloin is a joy - light, pink-in-the-middle cuts with garlic and red onion couscous - reaching heights that the guinea fowl with spicy lentils and brandy gravy, although accomplished, just can't quite muster. Finish with a homemade ice cream - there are 18 full-cream options - and crawl home on your hands and knees.
JL

· 15 Dormer Place (Tel: 01926-315522) price per head £30

XO
London

Will Ricker's fifth eaterie shows that a restaurant chain, albeit a rather stealthy and highbrow one, need not denote substandard or bland dining. Many of the headline dishes that blazed a trail in E & O and Eight Over Eight are tweaked but still present, while a broader pan-Asian remit takes in the likes of a Szechuan-style spicy bean curd and Singapore noodles. A dim sum dish of steamed bass has bite-size morsels wrapped in spinach; the buttery texture nicely spliced with sharp yuzu. Tempura of banana pepper stuffed with aubergine is an inventive, now crunchy, now soft variation that works well with dark jalapeno sauce. From the specials menu, Alaskan king crab sees the leg meat fired with white pepper and served in the shell: simple and very good. But a classic clay pot chicken with red dates, while softly flavoured, offers dry meat. Interiors - and indeed prices - follow in the steps of the other restaurants. Banquettes, mirrors and low lighting add to the sense of familiarity.
KK

· 29 Belsize Lane, NW3 (Tel: 020-7433 0888) price per head £35-£45

Lumière
Cheltenham

For such a classy town, it seems surprising that Cheltenham should be able to boast just two top quality restaurants; the established favourite Champignon Sauvage and relative newcomer Lumière. Opened less than three years ago by west coast Canadians Lin and Geoff Chapman, this cosy operation with just 28 covers has garnered a veritable tribe of devotees attracted to both its aspect and cuisine. And Lumière's interior of cream leather banquettes and tasteful abstract art does indeed create a suitably serene canvas on which to appreciate the artistry of Geoff's kitchen creations. He emphasises the key words of "definition" and "vibrancy" in the way his flavours are presented - illustrated in dishes like pan-fried brill fillet with sweet chilli, shrimp and herb potato cake and his chargrilled fillet of springbok with a sweet shallot reduction and truffle scented mushroom potatoes.
JM

· Clarence Parade (Tel: 01242-222200) price per head £38