THE Wentwood Inn at Caerwent is one of the string of attractive roadside pub/restaurants dotted along the drive from Newport to Caldicot. So why choose this one?

The restaurant is bright and airy, attractively decorated with terracotta paintwork and plenty of chiffon.

More importantly, the menu is made to make your mouth water, with a wide choice of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes, and an extensive 'specials' blackboard.

It was surprisingly quiet on the Friday night I visited, and the staff were pleasant and attentive.

To start, I chose the mushrooms stuffed with Caerphilly cheese and breadcrumbs, on a bed of leaves, which was tasty and filling.

My friend had the Catalan mussels, which she said were very garlicky, but lovely. They came with a huge doorstep of bread.

For the main course I opted for the thick steak of halibut topped with tiger prawns and a garlic sauce, and was disappointed when I was too full to finish it.

My friend had a sirloin steak in peppercorn sauce. The sauce arrived a little cold, but the waitress was more than happy to return it to the kitchen for heating.

There was a choice of potatoes, so I chose mash while my friend had the chunky chips.

We also shared a selection of vegetables - carrots, cabbage and swede - which were okay but a bit bland and colourless.

There was a good selection of desserts, so we picked two and shared. The lemon surprise gateau was more of a creamy mousse-type of cake and was very refreshing. The toffee and banana icecream cake was also delicious.

Together with two glasses of red wine and a tonic water, the bill came to £46.30.