BEFORE it closed last year, little known eaterie The Boom on Oxford Street was my favourite restaurant.

This is the first time I have had the chance to return to its replacement - Blah Blah Blah - since it opened a few months ago.

I certainly wasn't disappointed with this cosy little restaurant right in the heart of Southampton's most trendy place to eat.

In fact, I think I could well have found a new favourite.

There are only subtle differences in the dcor and design of the restaurant, but the menu makes a change.

The Boom was a lazy person's paradise as the delicious five-course 'big boom' set menu meant there was no real decision to be made.

But it did mean you couldn't return night after night.

Blah Blah Blah, I am told by my incredibly friendly hosts, are to change their menu periodically to avoid boredom among their already growing list of clientele.

The new menu is to offer lobster and possibly sharing dishes such as chateaubriand.

For starter, I chose deep-fried wedges of brie with raspberry coulis.

If there's cheese available, I can't seem to look any further than that and this melted delight was done to perfection.

My companion tried the warm salad of incredibly tasty herby chorizo sausage with French beans and red onion sauteed in olive oil with red wine.

To follow, I enjoyed herb stuffed chicken breast roasted in bacon with blue cheese sauce and deep fried leeks - an unusual combination but utterly satisfying.

A taste of my partner's medallions of monkfish deep fried in apple batter, served with sweet pepper and coriander salsa, was melt-in-the-mouth delicious.

Main courses are all served with potatoes and vegetables of the day.

We shared a generous portion of cheese and biscuits served with grapes and apples for dessert, although there were a number of tempting options for the sweet-toothed.

The meal for two, with plenty of wine and coffee, came to just under £60.

Blah Blah Blah, Oxford Street, Southampton. 023 8022 5227