WHEN the sun shines, the former China Garden is not so much a pub as a small resort.

The action moves outdoors to the two-tier terrace over-looking the marina, where rows of brooding narrowboats are impatient to answer the call of the open cut.

Ducks quack, swans glide and occasionally towpath traffic is stalled as the big wooden drawbridge is raised.

It is therefore an agreeable place to sit in the sun with a pint at your elbow, even when a nip in the air reminds you we're far enough into autumn to think about putting the clocks back.

Of all Festival Park's leisure and retail units, though, the pub by the marina is the one that looks least like a large prefabricated shed.

Others can honestly claim "no wood was used in the construction of this building," but not this one.

It also stands only a matter of yards from Sentinel House as the crow flies, a little more as the hack walks, so it has been a handy refuge for the thirsty scribe.

Now they've dropped the name China Garden, and it's less a pub with grill attached as a carvery where ale is also available.

But, as readers have pointed out, before 7pm a carvery meal here costs £5, which places it among the most elastic pound-stretching deals.

A fiver gets you a choice of roast beef, turkey or glazed ham, and as many fresh vegetables as you can consume without lapsing into a coma.

There are starters, but they are nothing to get excited about, in fact the starter I chose sent me into a frenzy of complete apathy.

My chicken tikka (£2.45) was fine in itself with lean chunks of spicy chicken, but the accompanying salad featured squishy tomatoes and the mini poppadoms were dry and tasteless, even when dunked in the mint and yoghurt dip.

Herself wisely saved herself for the main event – the carvery. Being unable to choose between the beef, turkey or ham, I boldly decided to ask for a morsel of each.

I reckoned that I might get a little more meat that way, especially if I flattered the chef by making admiring noises about his Yorkshire puddings.

"Did you blow those up with a bicycle pump?" I said, just as he was carving the gammon.

Actually, the pneumatic Yorkshires were a bit of a let down. I'd been given one that looked like a scale replica of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, but it turned out to be a crispy shell of little real substance.

The cunning ploy of asking for a bit of each paid off though.

I think the ham scored best – sweet, moist and tasty – although my slice of turkey breast was rather nice too.

The beef I found too thinly cut to allow the flavour to manifest itself, although it was lean and tender.

I picked the roast potatoes that looked brown and crunchy on the outside, but they were mostly dry and leathery on the outside, although warm and soft within.

The choice of veg was better than expected and even the cabbage was a good colour, having lost none of its flavour in the steaming process.

But the big surprise was the quality of the new potatoes, as firm and delicious as the classic Cheshires the mother-in-law used to serve with gammon and broad beans.

Mind you, the mother-in-law's Yorkshire puddings really did need to be inflated by bicycle pump.

Verdict:

Customer service: 7/10

Quality of food: 7/10

Overall experience: 7½/10

Surroundings & atmosphere: 7½/10

Value for money: 8/10