The Royal Oak, Bovingdon Green

Nestled in the hills just above Marlow, The Royal Oak (http://www.royaloakmarlow.co.uk/) manages to be both cosy and smart. Having visited many times for a drink, the idea of trying out the evening menu was a tempting one when Saturday night plans with friends were cancelled. We were lucky to get a table when we called - a group of ten had cancelled - and McFoodie and I were looking forward to giving it a go.

On arrival, we were greeted warmly and given the choice of going straight to our table or having a drink at the bar. We opted for the former, as McFoodie was driving and too many drinks before dinner can have an interesting effect on me. Our table was in a small area just off the main dining room, and there were about 6 other tables nearby. They have a hotch potch of furniture with jugs of wild flowers and candles on the tables, creating a nice laid-back and countrified atmosphere. When we sat down, we were given menus very quickly and we asked for a jug of water - a request which we had to repeat twice before it finally arrived.

The menu is a good one with lots of choice, plenty of locally sourced products and some interesting specials, so I really struggled to make a decision. I was seriously tempted by salt and pepper baby squid to start, although I opted for a roast butternut squash salad with Wensleydale and caramelised figs. This was a really good combination of flavours and textures, although I'm inclined to think that melting the Wensleydale was not the best idea, as the texture was not enhanced by such a treatment, and the piece of roasted fennel didn't really add anything. To follow, I chose grilled sea bass, with a shallot and almond dressing, served with lemon crushed potatoes from the specials menu - the fish was very nicely cooked and the potatoes were lovely and buttery with a lemon flavour that managed not to overpower everything else. Accompanying seasonal vegetables were a little carrot heavy but well cooked and flavoursome. McFoodie started with a crab risotto with paprika and mascarpone, which he described as "al dente in a good way" and was very well-received. I'm not a fan of crab but the mouthful I tried had a nice flavour and texture, lightened by the mascarpone. He chose pork belly with black pudding and a cider sauce to follow. This is normally served with champ but as McFoodie is not a potato fan, we requested skinny chips (yes, they're potatoes but in an acceptable form) and for once this caused no problem at all, and we were not charged for the chips. Our food was washed down by a lovely bottle of viognier and the jug of water was kept full throughout our visit. The pudding menu was tempting - a bread and butter pudding was on the specials menu and we were intrigued by chocolate brioche doughnuts with toffee milkshake, but we were unfortunately full so passed on the sweet option.

Service was very friendly but could have been more consistent - as well as having to ask repeatedly for our water on arrival, we also had to attract attention to order and request the pudding menu. Several minutes after we ordered our bottle of viognier, we were advised that there was no more sauvignon blanc, which was confusing! We were brought the correct wine, in a cooler, very quickly but when the bill arrived, we'd been charged for both. There was no fuss when we advised a member of staff of this, and the corrected bill was delivered very quickly.

The total for two starters, two main courses with extra vegetables and a bottle of wine was £59, which wasn't bad value for money, as the food was very good. McFoodie and I concluded that we'd definitely visit again (ensuring we leave space for pudding) and left feeling as though our experience had been a good one.