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You have to hand it to Rick - business-wise he really has it organised. It would be foolish to suppose that his benign dominance in his native Padstow could possibly ignore the nation's favourite dish, and here it is; an upmarket version to be sure, but none the worse for it.

A recent "report" given much air time by the media, offered yet further advice on what we should be eating, demonstrated by a table with various temptations set out, and removed one by one as the presenter blackballed them, to leave an empty table, eventually filled by a bowl of fruit which I am sure is very good for you, but does not have quite the same frisson of pleasure that comes from a nice bit of well battered haddock.

Up to a point one can see what they mean, but c'mon, leave us some pleasures please, and one of them simply has to be good old-fashioned fish and chips. Of course the menu at Rick's is never going to be that simple, so choose from nine different sorts of grilled fish after you have worked your way through a few battered local oysters, or you can have your fish battered as well, cooked in beef dripping. Never mind those gorgeous chips as well.

Side orders include traditional naughties like chip butties, curry sauce (with fish, m'dear?), bread rolls and mushy peas, though the latter I have not yet seen on the list of Not Being Good For You. Perhaps they actually aren't? Wow! Put them on that TV table quick.

Wine starts at under £10

Padstow generates a lot of buzz among tourists with its water sports and the famous Camel Trail not to mention the pretty, pastel shaded houses and lovely restaurants looking over the quay. The Basement Café is one such charming place located in the centre of the town, where you can enjoy your meal as you sit under the shaded al fresco dining area across the waterfront or inside the trendy restaurant.

You could start with the tuna carpaccio with salsa verde before moving on to the Sri Lankan seafood curry with prawns, swordfish, squid and mussels or the fillet steak on wild mushrooms with a rich thyme beurre rouge. Desserts include baked chocolate cheesecake or a plum tart tatin while coffees from Illy are present on the beverage list along with beers and Peroni on draught. Breakfast and lunch options lengthen the odds, along with a menu for the little ones.

At the end of 2008 Paul Ainsworth took over with the step from head chef to owner; while the restaurant still has all the style and class it is associated with, this is on a more relaxed level. Paul's aim is to offer a great quality dining experience and good value for money, and the fact that he's not just a name over the door he's there cooking in the kitchen and bringing the food out into the restaurant does him more than a few favours.

Dinner kicks off with No.6 cocktail of fresh English rhubarb topped with champagne, and then moves on to the starters, where you're faced with choosing between some childhood favourites but with a legendry twist, such as salmon Scotch eggs or mussels in a vegetable broth with pearl barley. For main courses choose between a Launceston heel of beef in a suet pudding and line caught Cornish black bream that come off the boat fresh every morning.

For desserts Paul has come up a stroke of genius called 'Taste of No.6', a sample of every dessert on offer.

Originally opened in 1993 by Mike and Elaine (Margot) Meredith, the chef/owner is now Adrian Oliver, assisted by his wife Julie.

There are only 8 tables which makes for a cosy sort of atmosphere. The staff are friendly and efficient and the cuisine could be described as good local materials produced in a no-nonsense manner.

There is a good balance between fish and other items. As they say themselves 'we prefer to talk to vegetarians and cook for them individually, rather than giving them nut cutlets'.

One has the distinct feeling that if you asked for a savoury they would rise to the challenge.

The crisp vegetables served in bamboo steamer baskets are always well received.

New World inclined wine list, but some Old included. Italian house wine at £9.95 and others upwards.