The building in Old Portsmouth has undergone a fine transformation. Although often a place of buzz and substance in décor and cooking during differing ownerships, the Moores have put their defining stamp on it.

Now in its 225th year, it was once the Shipwrights' Arms, the Forfarshire Tavern and the American Hotel where, purportedly, soon-to-be-deported convicts were housed before being shipped to the American penal colonies in the 18th century.

Abarbistro is not just a bistro and bar. It houses a conservatory, garden and a splendid wine shop upstairs. Camber Wines shows off David's remarkable grasp of wines from around the world, the wines, spirits, liqueurs and other alcoholic drinks offered in the main business pretty well second to none in the area.

With 22 reds (seven by the glass) and 17 whites (12 by the glass) in the bistro this is wine heaven. And, if you're unsure of any of the wines, a taster is given. Now, how's that for service?

The bistro, a light attractive room overlooking the cobblestoned street and Viviers, the fish merchants, has a touch of the seaside with its mural of beach huts and calm blue sea along the main wall.

The stripy banquettes lining the room add a deckchair image, the seating however vastly more comfortable than sagging sandy canvas.

Blue-green paint adds another stylish layer as does the music, not your average ear-bashing kind.

The Moores excel in choosing staff, 15 full-time and 21 part-time ones helping the business along to a high degree. They smile. They welcome. They know the menu inside out. They charm. They don't hang around the till and gossip. They work. They look happy to be there.

How often do you feel like warming to waiting staff in Britain? Here I certainly do, just for doing their job well, their training key to Abarbistro's success.

Although right opposite the fish market, the menu doesn't go overboard on fish, surprisingly. You won't find those very French plateaux de fruits de mer here, but there is catch of the day (recently a whole plaice with anchovy butter); mussels in two sized pots; beer-battered fish and chips; fishcakes and salmon Wellington to be had.

The kitchen seems to prefer meat: pork belly with colcannon; chicken stuffed with Camembert and wrapped in Parma ham; Buckwell's sausages and mash; South Downs sirloin steak with a peppercorn sauce; lamb shank; burger with home-made chips in a cone and a hot brie and bacon baquette are some dishes alongside vegetarian ones such as roast root vegetables and celeriac dauphinoise.

Prices are pleasingly in the £8-£13 range, bar the steak (£18). And if you want just home-made chips, a cone costs £3.

Pork belly (£10) couldn't pass the resistance test in cold March and it didn't disappoint.

The meat was wonderfully tasty, the shiny wine sauce a thing of beauty, the colcannon just missing perfection due to a lack of seasoning and a few woody bits of cabbage membrane.

A steak knife might have improved the experience, knives chez Abarbistro a tad blunt. A Coteaux Cotes du Rhone (£5) was finely robust and spicy.

On paper the made-in-house desserts (£5) appeal. They lure. They taunt. They defy you to give up Lenten practices. Coconut rice pudding, mint chocolate marquise, prune and Armagnac tart anyone?

The latter, sadly, hugely disappointed. Instead of soft prunes soaked in brandy, covered in a glorious custard and placed in perfect baked thin pastry to continue baking, this was solid and cardboard tasteless. I direct the chef to the Roux Brothers' Patisserie book for the Real Thing (page 84). Ice cream in a tuile basket, an add-on, was uber-sweet.

Despite this prune-deprived hiccup (it was removed from the bill), Abarbistro is just one of those places where the feel-good factor kicks in. Recession? What recession? They're packed and riding the storm nicely thank you very much. Why? How do they do it? The Moores and the Art of Hospitality are synonymous.



Abarbistro, 58 White Hart Road, Old Portsmouth, PO1 2JA. (023) 9281 1585.

Open: 11am-midnight Mon-Sat and midday-11pm Sun. Food is available all day.

Food: ****
Service: *****
Atmosphere: ***** (but, due to low ceiling it can be noisy).

How to get there: Make your way to the High Street continuing on to Broad street, White Hart Road on the right, the restaurant at the end of this small road. Parking on-street is free for a limited time.