Drake's Restaurant

The attractive Georgian building is known as the Clock House, for reasons that will become apparent as you survey the pillared entrance. Round at the back, a walled garden provides a patio area for summer aperitifs, and the house itself is simply but elegantly furnished, with full-drop cloths on the tables and walls adorned by the works of local artists. Steve Drake's lineage in fine dining stretches back to the stellar names of the 1990s, but Ripley has been the centre of operations since 2004. He practices an ingredient-led style of cooking, beginning with the foundational component of a dish and building up with a keen sense of balance. That results in such carefully considered dishes as pig cheek with swede fondant, pineapple and squid, an undoubtedly novel but persuasive balancing act. Main course could be poached brill in an ocean-fresh array of sea purslane, seaweed gnocchi and sea vegetables in a seawater sauce, while meats might offer venison with Douglas fir, beetroot, smoked pine nuts, bone marrow and a chipolata. These creations inspire a sense of discovery in the diner, which extends into dessert compositions such as pistachio cake, served warm with black olive and banana parfait. A democratically based wine list finds plenty to ponder outside the classic French regions.