Sleepy little Bridport's contribution to the food scene belies its size. The charming town was home to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's original River Cottage. Mark Hix of The Ivy was also born here. And it is in the harbour, by way of a small bridge over the Brit river, that you'll find Riverside Restaurant.
The menu here revolves around the local catch. On our visit, seafood soup with rouille, Parmesan and croutons (£7.25) was a pungent stew of the day's catch, with huge chunks of fish and a kick of Tabasco. Plump, fresh, West Country mussels (£7.25) were a meal in their own right. My selection of freshly caught fish (£18.50) included tender bass and salmon but their delicate flavours were swamped by a rich bourride sauce. Philippa's sea bass (£19.50) had more chance to shine against a simple compote of basil and some cherry tomatoes.
The puds – cappuccino cheesecake and panna cotta with rhubarb – justified extra belt notches as well as their price tags (£6.25 each). But it's the fish that keeps Riverside's clientele coming back Bridport-way. Small it may be, but a backwater it ain't. Katy Salter.
Riverside Restaurant, West Bay, Bridport, Dorset. Tel 01308 422011; thefishrestaurant-westbay.co.uk.
Prices correct at time of publication.