I HAVE never been to a restaurant where they had to turn the lights on for us.

In fact, having been to the Quayside Bistro about two years ago, I wondered if it had shut. As the waiter flicked the switch he rushed up to us, face a-glow, and quickly assured us that the restaurant, as well as the bar, which showed more life, was definitely open.

To be honest he treated us like royalty, which could have been because we were the only customers there, but strangely, it didn’t put us off.

There was a gentle hubbub at the ‘informal wine bar area’ and while he admitted it was unusually quiet for a Saturday night, he stressed the previous Friday had been “very busy” and Sunday lunches were popular.

Maybe it was something to do with the signs, which unlike last time, were missing because the restaurant was told it was illegal to put them up.

There is a residents’ petition to rectify this, but the waiter thought the lack of signs “kept out the riff raff.”

We thought It could well be keeping out customers!

Once we had moved on to the order of the day, ie the food, we discovered this hidden gem hits the right spot.

We shared a generous portion of a well-seasoned and tasty chicken liver pate with, for once, enough toast, and a delicious spicy red onion and port chutney (£5.50).

For mains Michael had the grilled chicken breast with a mustard and tarragon sauce (£10.95) which worked well together, complementing the chicken but allowing the grilled flavour to permeate. He was also pleased at the generous amount of sauce.

I had the roasted rainbow trout, stuffed with dill and lemon and horseradish creme fraiche (£11.95) which was perfectly cooked, with a lemony kick, which gave it extra depth.

All the vegetables were al dente and both dishes were beautifully presented.

Each was so filling that we shared a dessert: Italian apple tart with vanilla ice-cream (£5.60) which Michael said was “pleasant enough”, which means it was overshadowed by the mains and we both thought a bit mean for the price.

The bistro is noted for its modern Mediterranean menu, which could imply it is not sure where it is going.

It certainly covers most European bases, but the menu itself is all over the place, with the mains listed together rather than being split into meat, fish and vegetarian, so you do need to work harder than you’d like.

There are sides, all with different prices, but most dishes come with those, so what’s the point?

The Quayside, as its name suggests, is in a lovely spot, on the marina and hard to believe is a stone’s throw (if you are Hercules) from Northolt.

Judging by the noise from the bar it is obviously a popular haunt with local residents, both from the nearby houses and boats.

Apart from the lack of ambience our end, I would recommend a return visit, because the food was great and our waiter could not have been more attentive. Maybe we’ll try Sunday lunch. At least we won’t need the lights!