I HAVE been to Loch Fyne in Beaconsfield before and as I drove to the restaurant I realised something- such is the reputation of the place I knew that I was in for a meal of quality, fresh seafood.

That is probably why it is always so busy- the varied menu and the quality people have come to expect keeps drawing diners back.

I went on a busy Saturday night and the restaurant was bustling with couples, large parties celebrating birthdays and smaller and more casual groups.

It's a big place, which almost echoes, with the tiled green walls and sea themed décor.

You can see through to the busy kitchen at the back and there is fresh seafood on display, with plenty of staff on hand to help.

While we perused the menu we had a basket of bread (£1.95) with three slices of white, fluffy bread and three of wholemeal, served with the most delicious, creamy butter. I could have eaten much more of this bread and butter, at the risk of filling up before the meal.

For starters I had the trio of north sea herrings (£6.65) which had been marinated in mustard, pickles and Madeira and was served with apple salad and a white wine dressing.

This dish made me very happy- I love pickled herring. This modest fish with its silvery skin is extremely tasty but not overpowering.

It was tender and moist with the added punch of the pickles. The apple was cut into tiny little cubes with slivers of onion and the dressing just finished it off a treat.

My boyfriend, Tom had the special of whole grilled British sardines, served with rock salt (£5.35).

This is a very simple dish of a trio of fresh sardines, which were cooked well and had just the right amount of salt.

There are ten seafood starters, with one vegetarian option and one meat option.

For the mains we both went for specials.

Tom had the grilled farmed whole sea bass with chilli coriander butter and new potatoes (£19.55).

The sea bass was cooked to perfection- the tender flesh came away from the bones with ease and the skin had a nice crackle.

The potatoes were cut into bite size pieces and with the rich butter, which had the added punch of chilli, it all married well.

I had wild cod served with seared scallops, clams, new potatoes, samphire and spinach (£20.50).

I had been dreaming about scallops since seeing them being cooked on Saturday Kitchen that morning.

They had the red roe on, which I liked as the colour is pleasing to the eye and tastes good too. The scallops were wonderful- plump, meaty and well cooked.

The healthy portion of cod was tender, flaky, and well seasoned. The clams were also an excellent addition- I had never tasted them before and they were great. They had a sweet and delicate flavour.

With the flavoursome new potatoes, the salty samphire and the spinach- this was a well balanced dish.

There is a huge choice of mains- 15 seafood dishes as well as a grill section. There are also three meat dishes and one vegetarian.

For dessert Tom and I shared the rhubarb and custard cheesecake, with white chocolate ice cream (£5.45).

It is a generous portion of creamy cheesecake with a custard flavoured filling and a sliver of rhubarb jelly on top.

Served with the ice cream, which contained chunks of chocolate, and a sprinkling of hazelnuts, it was a great take on the classic cheesecake.

Loch Fyne doesn't disappoint. The quality of the seafood is second to none and the choice is substantial. The dishes are simple, yet excellently done, and taste fresh and wholesome. The restaurant almost guarantees a good night out.

Go to www.lochfyne.com/Restaurants/Locations/Old-Beaconsfield