Lemon Sole

Have just been to check out this restaurant and pleased to say it is still an excellent choice for good food & friendly service. We booked with our Telegraph eating out vouchers which were great value for either £5 for two courses or £7.50 for three! I recommend you take up the chance to sample the excellent lunch after which I'm sure Lemon Sole will be added to your list of "Good To Eat" restaurants. I ate Devilled Whitebait as a starter and Fish Tartlet as a main followed by Sherry Trifle. The soup was hearty and the Pork & Apple Pie also. For the larger appetites there are other special menus with the same Telegraph vouchers : 2 courses @ £10 or 3 courses @ £15 which offer a more varied menu.

The Lemon Sole has been on our "wish list" for some time so it was the perfect place (plaice?) to meet friends in Old Portsmouth!

I believe it was mentioned by staff that a decorative face lift is about to be undertaken. It obviously has seen better days but still has a quaintness about the interior and a warm ambiance. Perhaps the outside doesn't reflect the quality of the food available. I was looking at it with new eyes, I bet its many regulars couldn't give a stuff about the appearance!

There were six of us & I'm glad I requested smoking as in the back of the restaurant you can see all the action at the fish counter which is just in the next section. This is the first time I have ever visited a restaurant with the brilliant system of ordering they have devised......

"Pick your own fish. Create your own menu from the freshest of fish straight from the quay."

You do pick your own fish which is weighed, charged for by the 100grm, & then cooked as requested. You can't get fish much fresher than that! You also choose your own wine from the racks, great selection available. To save my typing visit their web site where their system is explained, there are lists of fish available plus the full menus.

Our selections were Whitebait & Gambas to start with. Followed by Bass, Bream, Moules, Sardines & my sister & I shared a "Fishy Affair" ( well we didn't have starters!). This consisted of a white fish (very chunky, forgot to ask what it was), salmon, mussels, gambas, & breaded squid in a yummy cream sauce with salad & French bread. The others had various accompaniments including, delicious chunky homemade chips, mayo, garlic bread, garlic mash ( enough garlic to kill with one breath! ) mixed salads, mixed vegetables. & a basil & tomato sauce. As we are all great fish fans we were all suitably impressed, everything was delicious. We all had a drink upon arrival plus a bottle of Viognier & a bottle of Anjou Rose & finished with coffees. Too full for puds.