NEWPORT is now home to at least three excellent restaurants, among them is The Chandlery near the city centre, in the shadow of the George Street Bridge.

A Grade II listed building, once a ship’s chandlery, its tastefully decorated interior, warm atmosphere, great staff and, of course, high standard of food, make this award winning restaurant also make it one of the finest in Gwent.

My partner and I visited late last Saturday evening when they were doing a decent enough trade.

To start we both had the seared scallops and Thai fish cakes with chilli jam and crème fraiche (£7.95).

The scallops were excellent and the fish cakes nicely done, the presentation good, but it was a bit on the small side.

However there were no complaints about the mains.

The mature rib eye of Welsh beef with braised potato and oxtail with pureed swede (£17.95) I had was first rate.

The beef was of the highest quality with a delicious rich sauce and the dish was more than ample.

My partner thought her grilled fillet of Cornish brill with pea puree, fried potato, smoked bacon and shallot cream sauce (£14.95) was similarly superb.

The fish was well cooked and the subtle combination of flavours, particularly the interesting pea puree, made it a delicious dish.

There’s also a decent wine list with an excellent house red at £13.95.

And as well as the great food, the staff here are lovely.