River Restaurant, The

This is a hotel with one of the best outlooks in its particular area, at the mouth of the River Dart and handy for the ferry across to Dartmouth. The restaurant, named after a local worthy, John Hauley, Mayor for fourteen years and four times MP for the area. There is a wide choice of menus and local ingredients are to be found on all of them, notably of course from the sea.

Starters include rosettes of Dartmouth smoked salmon, Dartmouth chowder, sautéed king prawns with rum, lime and coriander, or warm red onion tart with a slice of the local Ticklemore goat's cheese.

Main courses are equally forthright and look out for fresh lobster, done Newburg, thermidor or coral, whole lemon sole grilled with butter, char grilled prime fillet of Devon beef, or the redoubtable crab and fish platter, with crab, smoked salmon, smoked mackerel and prawns.

The desserts take no prisoners at all, try the Belgian chocolate and mandarin mousse in a chocolate cup served with raspberry coulis or, should you have the good fortune to be a cheese buff cast an eye over the West Country cheeses, amongst them Cornish Yarg, Sharpham brie, Kingston cheddar and Harbourne blue.