Rowley's Bar & Restaurant

The erstwhile Prince of Wales pub is now a relaxed, informal restaurant operation with three separate areas for dining: the Terrace room; a kitchen space where you can watch the team at work; and the large Gallery room where a gentle colour-scheme of aubergine and cream provides a soothing backdrop. Tom Samworth is a confident chef, offering tweaks on classic dishes in a style of food founded on direct, well-defined flavours. Crisp-crumbed ham hock with capers and sliced black pudding is a fine, palate-rousing starter, served with apple and frisée salad to cut it, and may be followed by sea bass with ratte potatoes, samphire and leek fricassée and smoked eel 'fishfingers', or chargrilled bavette in grain mustard sauce with braised red cabbage and dauphinoise. The house Bakewell tart gets the thumbs-up, with its intense almond filling, fresh raspberries and vanilla cream. Beers from the local micro-brewery add to the appeal.