As it was lunchtime and hunger pangs had begun to strike, my friends and I decided to step out of town and head to West Bay to see what treats could be found by the sea.

I have to be honest, The George in West Bay is not much to look at. It’s a large white building in a car park and I have passed it by many times in favour of cafés overlooking the beach and sea on the other side of the harbour.

So I was very surprised to find the inside was quite lovely. I understand the pub had a major refurbishment last year in order to make it more user friendly, and it seems to have worked.

The decor was sea-themed with wooden sailing paraphernalia on the walls. There were comfy armchairs and little touches to make it feel homely.

There’s a wide variety of choice on the menu.

Starters include twice-baked walnut and cheese soufflé and pork terrine with onion chutney.

The main course menu included coq au vin, curry, steak, pasta, wild boar with faggots, while for lunch you can enjoy ploughman’s, jacket potatoes, huge baguettes or one of the daily specials. Two of our group went for a special – pasta Arrabiata with garlic bread. I wasn’t very hungry so I went for a jacket potato with tuna mayo and our friend had the whitebait.

My friends said the pasta was nicely spiced but that the taste of olives was a little too overwhelming.

They said they would have liked to have whole olives in the dish so that they could pick them out if desired. Sadly my friends reported that the pasta was a little too oily as well.

The highlight of the dish was the massive garlic bread stick they each had, which made the rest of us very jealous.

My jacket potato was nicely cooked and hadn’t (as so often happens in pubs) been nuked in a microwave.

It was crispy on the outside and fluffy inside – just as a good jacket should be – and the tuna wasn’t drowned in mayonnaise.

The whitebait was apparently tasty and crispy.

I was impressed with the healthy options they had on the menu, each had the number of calories and amount of fat on, which would be very useful for those wishing to watch their waistline or with special dietary requirements.

Some of the most tempting options were spaghetti with fennel, tomatoes and cream cheese, extra lean Aberdeen Angus moussaka and Sicilian-style fish stew.

All in all I’d sum The George up as an okay all-round pub experience.

The atmosphere is relaxed, the service was friendly, if a little slow, and the food was a good price.

It would seem that appearances can be deceptive.

• The George, West Bay.

Call 01308 42319

The Bill

Pasta Arrabiata with garlic bread x2: £17

Whitebait: £6.75

Jacket potato with tuna mayo: £6.50

TOTAL: £30.25