The last time my wife had been to the Greenbank Hotel for a meal was ten years ago to |celebrate our wedding anniversary, at the time we were very impressed by the warm welcome, the attentiveness of the staff and of course the all important food.

I was keen to see what had changed since the last time we were there and I am pleased to report not much. We were |warmly welcomed by restaurant manager Matthew Garland and offered the option of a drink at the bar with its amazing views of the port, as we were both hungry we elected to head straight for the food.

No matter where you sit in the tastefully decorated restaurant you get a fantastic view across the water to Flushing, although this is best appreciated in the summer on a sunny day.

We were quickly provided with the menu and opted to start with a selection of freshly baked bread with dipping oils and the Kalamata and Queen green olives.

The menu is short and to the point and knows exactly what it is doing, not too many different styles of food to confuse you.

I chose an extremely smooth and tasty glass of the house Merlot to go with my meal while my wife chose the house Sauvignon Blanc, which was very much appreciated.

For starters my wife opted for the simply grilled sardines served with capers which were locally caught in the sea off St Ives, which she declared delicious. Head chef Stephen Marsh was too tell us later that the core philosophy of the Greenbank menu was to use locally sourced produce.

I plumped for the pigeon which I have never eaten before.

It looked so delicious on arrival that I immediately tucked in. The pigeon was slightly rare but tender and all round delicious. The oyster mushrooms with the sweetness of the blackberries and pearl barley granola really complemented the flavours well.

For the mains I went for the pan fired fillet of sea bass with |artichoke and roast red pepper, crushed new potatoes and crayfish butter.

The sea bass came with a nicely crunchy skin while the flesh was tender and flaky. I particularly liked the use of Samphire, the saltiness of which highlighted the link with the sea.

My wife enjoyed the ragout of wild mushrooms, Madeira, shallots, cream and Focaccia crisps, which she declared delicious, but she would have preferred wild rice and a “nice crunchy salad” to the crisps, which she thought were too crunchy.

For pudding, I chose the carrot cake, with mini doughnuts which were freshly made and warm with ice cream, although I was a bit confused as to what to do with the shot glass of carrot juice, but I am told shot glasses with pudding are all the rage these days (I drank mine).

The other choice was Edgemont Russet apple with frangipane tart and ice cream.

Just have to mention the excellent service received during the evening, friendly helpful and attentive without feeling |intrusive.

The food came at just the right intervals and not once during the two hours we enjoyed in the restaurant did we feel the food was taking too long or indeed come too |quickly.

One final compliment must go the ladies loos; apparently, the luxury of which and |attention to detail much impressed my wife.

The Greenbank, Harbourside, Falmouth. Call 01326 312440 or see www.greenbank-hotel.co.uk