Having never dined at The Gallery Restaurant, Earlsdon, Coventry before we had no idea what to expect. We loved the stylish decor and were instantly made to feel welcome in the comfortable bar area. Although it was a mid-week evening the restaurant was buzzing with conversation whilst the background music provided a pleasant distraction. We browsed through the extensive wine list and were pleasantly surprised to find some unusual items such as a white Chateauneuf-du-Pape, not cheap at £37.60 but we splashed out and this proved to be a real treat.

We decided to select from the à la carte menu, though we could have chosen from the extremely good value set price menu which is available Tuesday to Thursday evenings priced at £18 for two courses and £20 for three courses. My sardines en paupiette with orange braised cabbage and lemon oil dressing (£5.95) were succulent and well seasoned, whist the other starter, carpaccio of beef with wild rocket and horseradish cream finished with Parmesan (£6.95), certainly hit the spot.

Our main courses of shoulder of lamb cooked with anchovies, black olives and cherry tomatoes on rosemary creamed potatoes finished with redcurrant jus (£16.95) and pan-fried red mullet on hot Asian coleslaw finished with coconut, ginger and chili (£14.95) were both excellent. With neither of us being particularly partial to desserts we decided to share the classic Eton mess (£4.95), summer in a dish...