Robert Thompson:The Hambrough

The two-part dining room at The Hambrough is decorated with paintings of maritime vistas, just in case the splendid location has somehow passed you by. Gazing out across the sea from the bay windows on a clear day is a bracing and restorative prospect, which the subtle coffee tones of the interior décor do nothing to undermine. Robert Thompson continues to impress with a resourceful style of modern French food that makes the most of the island's supply-lines, from local lamb and seafood to the famous garlic. The full carte offers some inspirational dishes, along the lines of cured sea trout with red chicory and fennel, dressed in clementine and lemon, followed perhaps by saddle of rabbit with a langoustine and broccoli raviolo and coco bean sauce. Even the simpler lunch dishes achieve lift-off, by means of truffled ham hock tortellini in a bowl of pea soup. Desserts such as chocolate fondant with pecan ice cream and glazed banana will make you glad you succumbed to the temptation. A separate cheese menu contains its own irresistible attractions, not least in the form of the local cow's milk blue.