Let’s be honest, you have a certain level of expectation when you visit a pub-restaurant like The Copper Coast in Camborne.

This Marston’s pub, opened earlier this year on a newly developed site that’s also home to a Travelodge, Costa Coffee and a KFC, is very much a cheap-and-cheerful family place.

It aims to give good value and you’re not expecting fine dining.

And so we were pleasantly surprised to come away pretty impressed with its offering.

Inside, the new pub is tastefully done out and has a bit of a feel of quality about it.

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And the menu is extensive.

There are the pub classics – beef and ale pie, lasagne, ham, egg and chips, curry, scampi, toad in the hole, sharers and sandwiches. Much of that is less than £10.

There’s also a carvery, available every day and can be had for as little as £4.99 for a small plate or £6.49 for a medium.

And then there’s ‘chick ‘n’ mix’, where you choose your half a roast chicken, a topper of your choice, potatoes of your choice and a side. That’s £9.29.

There are grills – rump steak, ribs, mix grill etc, as well as burgers, tacos and wraps.

Something for everyone, for sure.

And then there’s a special each night, where something off the menu is a mere £6.

On Monday it’s the ‘chick ‘n’ mix’, Tuesdays is tacos, Wednesday curry, Thursday burgers and wraps, Fridays fish and chips and then Saturdays and Sundays are steak night, where two people can eat and share a bottle of wine for a very reasonable £20.

Now, you wouldn’t be chastised for thinking that the food would be pretty average. Decent enough, but with that feel of being not particularly fresh and having maybe sat under a light for a while, or been reheated, even.

But none of that here.

In all honesty it’s not really the sort of place my partner and I would normally go, not having kids.

But we were pleased to see that everything on our plates was fresh and well-cooked.

My other half had the ‘chick ‘n’ mix’ option and was pleased with its taste, the freshness of the accompanying salad and, in particular, the zing of the buffalo sauce topper she chose.

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I went for a good old mixed grill – rump steak, gammon, pork, sausage, chicken breast, two fried eggs, black pudding, chips, mushroom tomatoes and peas.

Every bit of meat was cooked well, nothing was overdone or feeling sorry for itself. It was a very good meal. All for £13.59.

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All told, it was a hearty, enjoyable and excellent value meal. We didn’t have room for dessert, but there was certainly plenty to choose from cheesecake to banoffee pie to ice cream – and there was the ingenious option to pay less and take it home instead.

There were niggles, though. The table could have done with a wipe before we sat down.

Our side of coleslaw never materialised and, because it’s an order-at-the-bar situation, that seemed to be an excuse for nobody to come and check on us.

And I wasn’t about to leave my meal getting cold so I could stand at the bar and sort it out.

But Marston’s clearly knows its market and serves it very well indeed – with some offers that will give families a chance to get out for a meal every now and then without breaking the bank.

Key information

Drinks selection: A good range of beers, ciders, wines, spirits and soft drinks, as well as hot drinks, all at very reasonable prices.

Our cost (two people, including two pints of lager): £31.27

Contact: Tolvaddon Rd, Camborne, TR14 0BJ (01209 240248)

Opening times: Monday-Saturday 7.30am-11pm; Sunday 8am to 10pm.

Ratings

Atmosphere: 4/5

Décor: 4/5

Food: 4/5

Service: 3/5

Overall: 4/5

Food Standards Agency Food Hygiene Rating: 5/5

In order to ensure objective reviews, the Mystery Diner is carried out on an independent basis without the prior knowledge of the establishment.