THE multi-award winning Clytha Arms is a lovely pub cum restaurant some six miles from Abergavenny.

The food is, one the whole, very good but on the expensive side.

The service was friendly but lacked a bit of finesse.

Ordering from the lounge, we were shown to our table as my entree was being brought from the kitchen.

My partner then had to wait a few minutes for her starter to be brought to the table.

I had the asparagus and crayfish with pine nut dressing (£8.50) to start which was fine, fresh and nicely presented.

My partner had no complaints with her mixed grill of shellfish (£11.95).

For main my fillet of beef and morel mushrooms in filo pastry (£22) was excellent with a lovely rich sauce.

Again my partner's grilled lobster and garlic and herbs (£23) was mouth-watering.

But there was a downside - the vegetables served with the meal were very disappointingly bland.

With a few drinks - I had a lovely pint of draught cider - the bill for two courses came to £70.30.

It was an enjoyable evening but it could easily have been so much better.

Iwan Davies