Sometimes you get asked if everything is okay with your meal so often that you begin to wonder if the waiter is surprised you haven't complained yet.

Other times restaurants pitch it just right: a simple check at the start of the course to see if there's anything amiss and then an enquiry about satisfaction as the plates are removed.

Nick Skinner and the rest of the crew at The Connaught definitely pitch it right and I certainly had a comment at the end of the main course.

"Very good, thank you," I said, "and the courgettes were just fabulous."

I'm not alone in appreciating the courgettes, for Nick told us he's often asked about the magic ingredient. There's no magic; just pan-frying at the right temperature in quality oil and the addition of a clever mixture of herbs. Doing the simple things well is a recipe for success.

The newly-refurbished Blake's restaurant boasts an AA rosette and a richly deserved one at that. The staff are welcoming, the dinner menu reassuringly balanced and attention to detail includes the butter being at room temperature - such little things are so important.

My wife Tracie plumped for the venison terrine starter, a hugely generous portion of tasty Dorset fare, so generous that both my daughter Kate and I also got a taste. Kate's own starter was a chunky fillet of red mullet, dusted with saffron and served on toothsome tapenade toasts.

The fish was spot on, with flakes of flesh still moist beneath the sealed outer layer. My own salad of black bean and mozzarella came with spiced almonds, mango and mint. This somehow felt like a Middle Eastern dish with the black beans, little fermented nuggets of intense flavour, livening the palate and contrasting with the opulence of the ripe mango.

I was being driven and so could enjoy a large glass of Robiteau L'Emage Cabernet Sauvignon Vin de Pays D'Oc with my starter.

It was smooth, aromatic and had a long finish as well as being very drinkable. With my main course I had an equally large glass of Vin de Pays de Cotes de Gascogne that was clean and fresh with gooseberry undertones.

It brought back memories of a cracking holiday we'd spent in the region a couple of years ago and confirmed that their wines travel well and are beginning to gain the recognition they deserve.

It was also a splendid accompaniment to my perfectly cooked haddock, coated in a herb crumb and served with a lemon and caper butter. This was a dish where the natural flavours of the fish were enhanced by the herbs and lemon. The capers were more of a garnish than an ingredient and a sprig of fennel completed the picture on the plate.

Both Tracie and Kate chose the grilled rib-eye steak with a peppercorn sauce. Kate rightly described the home-made chips as a Jenga tower, for these were none of your namby-pamby, deep-fried hollow slivers but rather proper chips that tasted of potato.

The rest of the vegetables kept to the same high standard - al dente carrots tossed in butter and a spot-on cauliflower gratin as well as those magical courgettes. There are plenty of wines served by the glass and Tracie and Kate sampled a Californian Rose, the well-known and totally reliable Gallo family Siera Valley White Zinfandel as well as a South African Drostdy-Hof Merlot. The jury was split on the Merlot, one of my ladies finding it sharp and the other liking its intensity.

Puddings were in the shape of two yummy, yummy' strawberry tarts for the girls and a varied fresh fruit salad served in a tuille basket for me. We had every expectation of sharing a cheese board, especially as the one presented to the next table looked darned good, but it would have been a course too far and we had no room.

Nick understood the difficulty, for the generosity of the portions often defeat the most determined of diners.

We rounded a pleasurable evening off with coffees, mints and - as so often these days - a good long chat about this year's most peculiar weather.

Blake's Restaurant at The Connaught, West Hill Road, West Cliff, Bournemouth Three courses @ £18.95 Wines from £12.05 per bottle, £3.20 per glass Reservations: 01202 298020

3:34pm Thursday 3rd January 2008

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