I WAS looking for somewhere to celebrate my birthday and went to Perry’s Restaurant on Weymouth’s harbourside on a recommendation from a friend.

This intimate little eatery felt like stepping into someone’s dining room and we were lucky to get a table straight away on a busy Saturday evening.

We had barely sat down when a bottle of chilled tap water arrived at the table and we were quickly brought menus from our waiter.

Unfortunately the wine we ordered was sold out, but we managed to negotiate the rather complicated wine list and choose another.

The menus offered a delicious-sounding range of food, sourced locally and my vegetarian friend had several options to choose from.

Our complimentary plate of bread with balsamic and oil was very tasty and shortly after we had polished it off our starters arrived.

I found the chicken liver parfait, red onion marmalade and toasted brioche was smooth and rich and nicely presented on the plate.

My friend enjoyed the grilled garlic and herb goats cheese with roasted beetroot and mint salad and toasted walnut bread although he said he would have liked a bit more beetroot to balance the dish.

Our only complaint with the general comfort was that we found the room much too hot for our liking.

When our main courses arrived they were piping hot and well-presented.

The roasted butternut squash, sage and ricotta cheese cannelloni with baby spinach was delicious with the perfect amount of creamy cheese sauce.

But I did not enjoy the salad which was mostly raw pepper with slices of orange that I felt didn’t really go with the cannelloni.

My friend did not have enough praise for the parsnip and black pepper gnocchi with roasted sweet potato, chestnut mushrooms, thyme, pine nuts, parmesan shavings and truffle oil.

He said it was a rare treat to find a vegetarian option that was so well put-together and said his meal was perfect.

While we were eating our food we were approached by a woman collecting money for a charity, which we found quite intrusive when half-way through a meal but otherwise the atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming.

The staff were attentive and friendly without being overbearing and the overall service was faultless.

Even though the desserts looked delicious neither of us could manage another bite after the very generous portions.

We decided to pass on a coffee, which we thought seemed overpriced at £6 for a cappuccino or latte.

Overall it was a really lovely evening and a great place to go for a special occasion.

MY PERRY'S BILL

Bottle of white rioja £23.95

Goats Cheese £6.95

Chicken liver parfait £7.50

Butternut squash cannelloni £13.50

Gnocchi £13.95

TOTAL: £65.85