The Whats On team were lucky enough to be invited to the opening dinner of the newly made-over Panoramic Restaurant (formerly the Nook and Harbour) overlooking the seafront and the beautifully restored pier at Weston-Super-Mare - hence the new name. Taken in hand by the famous Fernando Peire whose legendary involvement with the Ivy Restaurant over many years gives the Channel 5 programme, The Restaurant Inspector, its basis, the Panoramic has been dusted down, shaken up and given a brand new image. If the staff were fazed by the television cameras and celebrity presence it didn’t show and they were efficiently going about their business with confident friendly smiles.

The chef is a young local lad whose enthusiasm no doubt compensates for any lack of experience and when I peeped in the kitchen (it’s on view) he looked a little pale but under control - but who wouldn’t be in such circumstances! The interior has an art deco feel about it, painted in pale grey, with a touch of its nautical heritage still visible in the modern sea pictures; the split level floor arrangement works well creating a bar and lounge below with the restaurant tables set above them.

The menu follows the clean lines of the décor being one large page in black and white, listing starters, mains and desserts which are well priced at around £6.00 for starters and £13.95 for a main course. The wine list is very reasonable too, glasses of chardonnay all round for £3.95 and a good bottle of merlot for £12.95. Choice of starters and main courses is good with interesting dishes, and we chose chicken and pancetta terrine with cranberry compote and crayfish tails with wild mushrooms. For the mains, anise-infused belly of pork (certainly a new variation on belly of pork to me) and west country braised shoulder of lamb, with colcannon mash, chorizo, puy lentils and red wine jus, and as side orders garlic buttered green beans, and red cabbage.

Both the starters and main courses were excellent, all the more impressive as even for the most accomplished and talented of chefs it can’t be easy to practice your art with a zoom lens poking over your shoulder. The lamb was beautifully cooked and very tender, and the belly of pork one of the best we’ve eaten. The side dish of green beans with garlic is much worth a mention, pepping up the beans no end and getting a vote from the non-greens eaters; it’s worth mentioning that the main course portions were quite enough with a side dish.

We signed off with dessert of sambuca and vanilla panna cotta, mulled poached pear and almond tuile biscuit; simply delicious! The Panoramic must be proud of its new beginning which can only lead to success on the Weston seafront.

Jacquie Vowles