Peter and I first picked afull plate of antipasti (£9) - one of the restaurant's special sharing plates designed for two or more to tuck into. Fresh chunky bread, meats, feta cheese, sun dried tomatoes, olives ... it was a perfect appetiser. And this is when Jen, our lovely waitress, first made her mark: As she put the plate down, she beamed at us and said: "I'm so jealous. That just looks delicious." Good sales patter or not, the truth is, it was - particularly accompanied by a glass of draft blond Leffe bier (£1.85) for Peter and a crisp white Chateau La Croix (£3) for me, plus a small bottle of Ty Nant mineral water (£1.65). Main course and Peter chose the most expensive dish on the menu - fillet steak with porcini mushrooms and mashed potatoes in acreamy sauce (£18). The steak, done medium rare, was soft and pink and cut like adream - and that was without a steak knife. It had that lovely chargrilled flavour to it, set off by the rich sauce. I picked amore delicate choice, the starter-size serving of salmon and crayfish salad with warm potatoes and lemon dressing (£7). Light and pretty, it was the perfect dish for a beginning of summer evening. Now we'd only been in the restaurant for 40 minutes and already we had finished two courses: Itold you we were hungry. Jen, picking up on that, appeared promptly and - with another huge smile - presented us with the desserts and coffee menu. My first choice of amaretti ice cream was 'off'; second choice was an almond and orange cake with cardomon syrup (£5). Peter picked the pot of chocolate (£5). Both were small, but perfectly formed: mine amoist, lush heavy sponge; Peter's a rich lip lickingly lovely taste of perfection. Ihave to say that, like Oliver, we would have liked more - especially for the price. But that was the only disappointment. Jen arrived - so did another smile - to clear away our plates and then went on to chat as if she'd known us for years and not just an hour. We left wishing her luck for her driving test the following day. If it went anything like the place in which she works, she'll have passed with flying colours. FactFile Venue: The Devon Doorway Country Pub and Restaurant. Address: 2 Telegraph Road, Heswall, Wirral. Tel: 0151 348 4462. Credit cards: Yes. Service: Youthful and enthusiastically charming. Value for money: On the expensive side. Extensive wine menu varying from well-priced to dear. Lanson NV champagne comes in at areasonable £24. Would you go again? Definitely. Advice: Book a table at weekends. Total price: £52.35 | 
