Cabbage Hall , Forest Road, Little Budworth, CW6 9ES

We used to eat at Cabbage Hall when it was owned and run by a protege of Marco Pierre White. We stopped eating there about two years ago because the place got too pretentious. The last time we ate we had to ask them to turn up the lighting so we could read the menu. When we asked for ever growing louder music to be turned down because we could not converse over the din we were coldly told by the maitre d'hote that "Our customers like it." I pointed out that I was a customer and that I did not like it, nor did any of my party, but they still did not turn down the music. Meantime the quality of the food had slipped from quite good to poor.

Ahhh! How things have changed under the new chef / owner, Robert Kisby. I heard there was a new man so we went last night - Thursday 19 Aug 2010. First, the food was sublime, so you need not read further if all that matters to you is the food. God has taken charge but is cooking under the name of Robert Kisby for modesty's sake.

The restaurant has a modern feel but is homely and very comfortable. You could easily sit and eat and chatter from early evening to the small hours. It has been redecorated to the taste of the new owner, so all is very clean and fresh. Not my taste, but it is fine - though I would have sacked the paper hanger.

The young woman who greeted us was very courteous and friendly. Drinks were swiftly served in the lounge reception bar - though to be fair, there were very few other customers. Menus were quickly brought but we were not pestered to order, though when we were ready, we were quickly and efficiently dealt with. We did not have a long wait from point of order to be escorted to our table.

The menu is nothing like a Chinese or Indian restaurant menu, with endless and confusing choice of incomprehensible offers. On the contrary the menu is short and restricted. I hate long menus and too much choice. It always makes me suspicious that the ingredients are not fresh. At first sight the new Cabbage Hall menu seemed a little strange. Now, having eaten there afresh, I would not hesitate to try out the chef's unusual signature platters. These present a variety of dishes on a large plate and are intended to be shared.

I chose the costliest starter which is a platter with a selection of four 'taster' hors d'oevres. OOhhh! Yummy! Such oevres! The duck liver pate was to die for - light, slightly frothy, and beautifully flavoured. There were a couple of bits of shell in the crab, but, forgiven for the flavour - it tasted as if just from the sea minutes ago - the game terrine was quite the best I have ever eaten - though the fourth hors d'oevre a concoction of skate and other sea foods bound with rice and herbs was probably a bit too cold for the flavours to be properly released.

Rob's soup left him lost for words. It was wonderful.

For mains I chose the rib eye steak Bourguignon. The steak was fillet-like in tenderness, bursting with flavour, generous in proportion, hot, cooked on the outside and rare inside. The Bourguignon was wrapped in a large red cabbage leaf and was simply delicious. The roast parsnips are a favourite and were just cooked to perfection. I think the roast potato wedges were Maris Piper, and were delicious, though I would have liked them just a touch crisper.

Rob and Irene both had the belly pork. Never has such a delicious cut borne such an unpropitious name. Melt in your mouth hardly explains its delights. Again, cooked to perfection of crisp skin, tender and succulent of meat and loaded with flavours.

For sweet we chose the Assiette of deserts to share between us. That was another delight. The bitter chocolate ice cream was to be reborn for!

The presentation of the plates was beautiful without over the top pretentiousness. Cold dishes were served on cold plates; hot dishes on hot and the food arrived at the table hot and remained hot until eaten. The food was served promptly and all together, so no-one was obliged to sit and wait for others dishes to arrive.

Delicious wines from the lower end of the price range of the extensive wine list. I would not have felt cheated at spending as much on either the white or the red from my local supermarket if I received the same quality. However, you can spend up to nearly £1200 on a bottle Petrus if you are so inclined.

Anything I did not like?

Yes, and that is why my restraint on the star ratings. The service was good and I left a tip that reflected that. However, having booked a table for 8 - arriving on time - being served at about 8.30 with our entrees, by 9.30 in the midst of our mains the staff were noisily clearing tables and setting them for the following day's luncheon. That was followed by them drying cutlery tipped into a metal can, dried piece by piece, then tossed into a drawer - all this not 10 feet from me. These noisy preparations went on until we were ready to leave at 10.00 p.m. I do not wish to be disturbed like this when eating at any price let alone at £40 + per head. I do not expect to be rushed nor 'hinted at' until at least witching hour - not even midweek. This needs attention.

On a couple of occasions whilst we were eating a waitress leaned across the table over my plate to reach for empty glasses. She also leaned across me to serve the person next to me. Not good.

The plateware is modern, angular, twisted, all white. Very nice in principal but, if you do not turn your plate to the correct orientation, you put down your knife or fork and it is promptly ejected into your lap. If you wear your napkin tucked into your shirt, as I do, you end up with a grease stain on your pants or skirt. The mains dishes plates are too big for the table when dressed with glasses for wines and water. They accommodate the generous portions of food, but feel uncomfortable to eat from.

The cutlery is scratched, worn and a bit dishwasher distressed. This is a minor point but why not get it all out at once? Perhaps there is a plan to replace the tableware when funds allow. Clearly the purchase of this restaurant has been a huge personal investment for Robert.

However, did we enjoy? DID WE !!! WE DID !!! It is such a long time since we went to a restaurant and found our best expectations for high quality food exceeded by far. Frankly, most restaurants manage to disappoint by promising much and delivering short.

So thank you, Robert Kisby and Cabbage Hall. We'll be back and we'll tell all our friends. Keep up the good work and keep flying the flag for good, fresh, local food.