The Rising Sun

With head chef Greg Etheridge and his brother Phil at the stoves, the Rising Sun has gone from strength to strength, balancing the gastro and pub elements of the stylishly spruced-up Rising Sun to perfection. The interior style is clean-cut and contemporary - there's a relaxed lounge-bar serving well-kept real ales amid tub chairs and sofas, black leather banquettes, and bare wooden tables against a neutral backdrop; in the restaurant, real fires and intimate nooks and crannies make for a cosy setting, and there's the bonus of a terrace for fine weather alfresco dining. It's all laid-back and unbuttoned, but food is taken seriously. The kitchen's focus is on treating top-quality local produce with skill and care to produce well-thought-out and unfussy flavour combinations; starters such as breaded fried sprats served with English mustard crème fraîche precede main courses ranging from pub classics done right - a pie of braised shin of beef with button mushrooms and ale and roasted new potatoes, say - to a brasserie-style staple like pan-fried calves' liver with pancetta mash and grain mustard gravy.