NESTLING in an idyllic wooded gorge between the Trellick ridge and the River Wye, The Crown at Whitebrook is one of those hidden gems you read about but seldom find.

Recently purchased by Jonathan Davies and his South African wife Nicola, the "restaurant with rooms" is undergoing refurbishment and is hoping to jump from the AA's two rosette standard to three.

There is some continuity in the kitchen, however, as head chef James Sommerin has been retained.

At The Crown he is concentrating on modern European cuisine with a big emphasis on presentation.

Everything is home-made and the chef's obsession to detail is obvious. The menu is £30 per person fixed-price, which covers starter, main course and dessert.

We were also treated to some free canapes and other tasty treats between courses.

For my starter I chose hot smoked and baked eel with pickled radishes and maux mustard dressing. The eel was beautiful, but my vindaloo-seared palate could not detect the mustard.

My partner chose tournados of duck, duck guissard tortellini and vanilla braised heart.

It was so delicious she had to be restrained from eating the plate. My main course was pan-fried dorado with creamed lava bread, seared langoustines and a claret sauce.

The medley of flavours combined extremely well and although the portion size was modest it was very filling.

My partner chose maple-glazed turbot with crab beignet, confied fennel and peanut sauce.

In her view the fish and accompanying sauce was beautiful. The crab beignet, however, while nice, was a little bland. Both dishes benefited from superb presentation.

My dessert, a chocolate and coffee mousse, provided a sweet and wicked end to a very good meal. My partner's "study of rhubarb" disappeared before I had chance to study it.

The service was excellent and contributed to a lovely night out. Ashley Nield