I DIDN'T have to think for long when I was trusted with the hefty responsibility of choosing somewhere to go out for dinner last Friday night.

One place immediately sprang to mind.

During countless visits to Lymington I've always thought that the Bluebird Restaurant in Quay Street looked rather inviting.

Nestled at the bottom of cobbled Quay Street with its flags waving in the breeze outside, low ceilings and quaint wooden beams, the restaurant is a firm favourite with locals and visitors alike.

All the people I mentioned my plans to only had good things to say about the place and so my dreams of the feast ahead of me became all the more vivid.

I knew the restaurant would have a nautical theme, it is located at Lymington's Old Town Quay after all, and I wondered if I might feel a little out of place in a room full of yachties.

That wasn't the case and anyway, the warmth of the welcome we received soon made me forget all the mental notes I had made to talk loudly about my vast experience of sailing, albeit confined to the Hythe Ferry.

After we had been shown to our table, we set about the difficult task of picking what to eat.

The Bluebird boasts an impressive menu which is dominated by sumptuous fresh fish dishes along with a few meat and vegetarian options.

All the food is prepared entirely on the premises and along with an a la carte menu, there is a host of tempting daily blackboard specials.

They all sounded delicious but in the end I plumped for the Mediterranean prawn salad as a starter.

It included tossed leaves, marinated olives and feta cheese, all finished with a balsamic dressing.

This generous prawn salad was in a league of its own - I didn't have to hunt for the prawns as you sometimes do and there wasn't a limp lettuce leaf in sight.

My partner went for the home made soup of the day, which was tomato and basil.

After waiting for it to cool down, he went very quiet and finished it very quickly which is always a sure fire sign that the food's gone down well.

For our main course we both chose from the special's board. I had the baked crab thermidor which was delicious.

Presented with a fresh salad and a choice of perfectly cooked vegetables, I was thoroughly impressed.

My partner opted for grilled cod fillet served with a spinach and mushroom sauce which also came with vegetables.

He said it was the best cod he had ever tasted and praise can't come much higher than that.

Special mention must go to Pepe, the headwaiter from Spain, a larger than life character who made sure that all the customers went home with a smile.

As the table next to us got up to leave, we heard them say to him "Can we come again?" My sentiments exactly.

With drinks included, the bill came to just over £40.

Bluebird Restaurant is in Quay Street, Lymington. Reservations: 01590 676908.