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Located on the gateway to Wales in the valleys of the Usk and the Wye this handsome house offers a menu which ranges the culinary spectrum and could include white onion and Guinness soup, followed by seared halibut with a herb crust and a light mussel jus tinged with Noilly Prat. To round off the meal a pear William and Armagnac bavarois with a fruit Feuillentine and Mirabelle. The menu changes daily. There is a well travelled wine list with a selection of house wines at £16.

This much-awarded pub/restaurant manages successfully to be all things to all people. So you won't find the locals grumbling about the foodies, some of whom are quite likely to be found sampling the excellent beers that are kept before they sit down to discover what Andrew and Sarah Canning have on offer for them. This might include black pasta with cockles and bacon. A real touch of genius is the Carribbean fruit curry with prawns, combining all the flavours of a gifted curry without losing the delicate qualities of the prawns. An enterprising wine list with good low-cost choices and ten house wines at £11.95 or £2.20 a glass.

Any suggestions that The Hardwick is a gastropub should be disregarded. Here they predate the gastropub era, back to those days of innocence when it was possible to walk into an old traditional pub and find good, soundly prepared food of a straightforward and satisfying nature. In fact, it very much leans towards being a restaurant.

So it's not surprising to know that the cooking is loyal to the seasons and dishes are served with more than a flourish of imagination and natural skill. Amongst the starters, there could be a Trealy Farm cured meat and salami board with antipasti or grilled squid with chorizo, rocket and lentil salsa. A main course of local free-range Usk Valley boar lasagne and roast loin of pedigree Welsh pork, are but two examples of the versatility of this place.

Nestling in the Monmouthshire hamlet of Bettws Newydd near the river Usk with beautiful views to Sugarloaf and the Black Mountains, The Black Bear Inn is tucked well away from the bustle of city life. Add to this a bill of fare featuring fish, game and hearty soups, and a selection of wine, spirits, cider and beer with cask ales from Wye Valley inclusive of Butty Bach.

Do not ask what is on the menu when you make your reservation as it changes everyday. But with a bit of luck you could be in line for garlic snails, grilled sardines or Black Bear mixed starter plate. Medallions of venison with red currants, port and cream could follow, or perhaps fillets of sole resting on a bed of tomato and pesto topped with garlic and melted cheese.

Other added attractions nearby include yew trees that are believed to be around 4000 years old.

Fairly recent changes at this distinguished restaurant appear to be all for the best, and former owner Franco Taruschio's achievements are still in safe hands.

Having suffered a rather rocky time for some years, it is a relief that finally the combination of Shaun Hill, the multi-award winning chef, author and former owner of The Merchant House in Ludlow, once rated as the fourteenth best restaurant in the world, and William Griffiths have restored credibility to it.

William, with his wife Charlotte, runs The Angel Hotel in nearby Abergavenny, but some years back he used to work with Shaun; their joint mission is to restore a much loved restaurant to its former glory. The food style will be very different but the objectives will be the same, good food and wine at acceptable prices.