Food review: Granville's restaurant and music bar, Stone

Granville's has a rather cosmopolitan vibe, with its colourful decor and relaxed attitude, it really is the perfect antidote to a busy week at work.

I visited a couple of Fridays back with my partner Mandy, one of Granville's many fans.

It was around 7.30pm and plenty of folk were tucking into their meals. While we waited to be seated, it felt only appropriate to order a drink from the extensive bar.

There's plenty of choice too, with real ale, champagne and cocktails galore.

The barmaid spotted me eyeing-up the gin selection and promptly offered me a gin menu. Here we go again.

So, £4.90 gets you a rather fancy rhubarb gin and ginger ale, delicious and warming – as you might well have read before from me.

The last time we had visited, Mandy ordred a Pimms and lemonade and was impressed by the care and attention given to creating what we called a masterpiece. It really did look very good indeed – and from that night became Mandy's drink of choice.

Fast forward more than 12 months and Mandy was not disappointed. The fruity cocktail (£4.30) was just as she hoped for.

It was a little bit of a groundhog day moment when we were seated at the same table from over a year ago. As a side note, there are plenty of tables.

The menu has changed since our last visit, so no need for me to get teary over the 'tiger's cry' that has vanished from the main courses. It's probably for the best. I certainly got my leg pulled for that one.

What Granville's does do very well is tapas. Spanish in origin, the style of food suits the colourful surroundings.

We ordered three options from the menu as a starter.

It arrived with proper fanfare and the waiter described the dishes to us at the table. The trio of dips (£3.50) featured baba ghanoush, tzatziki and hummus, served with slices of flatbread. These were extremely moreish.

Grilled halloumi bites (£4.50) came with a tasty mango & lime chutney. I don't recall trying halloumi before. On the basis that this is how to eat it, thumbs up from me.

For me though, you can't beat the pan-fried chorizo (£4.50). This came served in fennel seed and a sherry jus.

The dishes together reminded us of sunnier days and provided a perfect pick-me-up on a gloomy winter's night.

For mains, Mandy chose the gressingham duck breast (£16) which came with fondant potato, wilted spinach, chantenay carrots and a plentiful portion of plum sauce.

Served pink, this was gorgeous and Mandy said she would happily recommend it to anyone.

I particularly liked the fact that there was so much of the plum sauce. So often in restaurants dishes are described as having a jus, only to discover when ordered that it is four or five dots of sauce, making for a pretty dry meal.

Granville's has its own pizza oven and the selection of creations is tempting indeed.

I opted for steak, stilton, caramelised onion and mozzarella pizza (£12).

The good-sized main came served on a wooden paddle board, with rich blue cheese and such soft slithers of medium cooked steak. Spot on.

We squeezed in a couple more drinks prior to ordering our puds. Mandy enjoyed her Snickers chocolate brownie (£5) with vanilla ice-cream. A typically rich and gooey affair, Mandy was in food heaven.

My lime posset with ginger crumb (£5) was both refreshing and yummy. If you like your desserts light and fruity, this is a good choice.

Having relaxed at the table for a while, we relocated to a nook near the bar with comfy sofas – but not for long.

Granville's is highly thought of for its food, but equally favoured by those who enjoy a drink with friends and live music.

The ban playing this evening were called The Core. No, not The Corrs, The Core.

A great trio, the band belted out tunes from across the decades and genres to a happy crowd. And crowd it was.

There was little point in hiding away in the corner so we got up and joined in with the partying.

Whatever you want from a great night out, this place can offer it.

Go along on a live music night and enjoy not only colourful food, but a vibrant atmosphere too.

By Paul Naylor